Plethodon stormi

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Taricha torosa

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Plethodon elongatus

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

On ‘Organized Crime’ in the illicit antiquities trade: moving beyond the definitional debate

The extent to which ‘organized crime’ is involved in illicit antiquities trafficking is unknown and frequently debated. This paper explores the significance and scale of the illicit antiquities trade as a unique transnational criminal phenomenon that is often said to be perpetrated by and exhibit traits of so-called ‘organized crime.’ The definitional debate behind the term ‘organized crime’ is considered as a potential problem impeding our understanding of its existence or extent in illicit antiquities trafficking, and a basic progression-based model is then suggested as a new tool to move beyond the definitional debate for future research that may help to elucidate the actors, processes and criminal dynamics taking place within the illicit antiquities trade from source to market. The paper concludes that researchers should focus not on the question of whether organized criminals- particularly in a traditionally conceived, mafia-type stereotypical sense- are involved in the illicit antiquities trade, but instead on the structure and progression of antiquities trafficking itself that embody both organized and criminal dynamics

Effect of closing facilities on electroconvulsive therapy use in Glasgow

<p>Objectives: To assess the effect of closure of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) centers on ECT use. Electroconvulsive therapy remains a recommended and effective treatment for mental disorders. Declining rates of ECT use in the United Kingdom have been observed over the last 20 years with anecdotal observations that use has declined as the result of centralization of provision. In Glasgow, there have been site closures in the north with no such rationing taking place in the south.</p> <p>Methods: A naturalistic retrospective survey of the number of ECT courses commenced each year in Glasgow, with a comparison made between the north and the south of the city. Data were available from 1996 to 2008.</p> <p>Results: Our analysis showed no change in the mean number of ECT courses commenced in southern AQ2 Glasgow (period 1, 42.25; period 2, 41.83; period 3, 31; F = 1.369; P = 0.298). There was a significant reduction in the mean number of ECT treatments commenced in northern Glasgow (period 1, 91.25; period 2, 51; period 3, 33.33; F = 10.06; P = 0.04).</p> <p>Conclusions: In northern Glasgow, where there have been 2 site closures since 1996, ECT use has declined. This trend was not replicated in the south of the city. This would suggest that the closure of ECT centers does reduce the use of ECT. However, there may be a number of confounding variables that could not be factored into the analysis because of lack of available data.</p&gt

HST observations of star clusters in NGC 1023: Evidence for three cluster populations?

Using HST images we have carried out a study of cluster populations in the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 1023. In two WFPC2 pointings we have identified 221 cluster candidates. The small distance (~9 Mpc) combined with deep F555W and F814W images allows us to reach about two magnitudes below the expected turn-over of the globular cluster luminosity function. NGC 1023 appears to contain at least three identifiable cluster populations: the brighter clusters show a clearly bimodal color distribution with peaks at V-I = 0.92 and at V-I = 1.15 and in addition there are a number of fainter, more extended objects with predominantly red colors. Among the brighter clusters, we find that the blue clusters have somewhat larger sizes than the red ones with mean effective radii of R(eff) ~ 2 and R(eff) ~ 1.7 pc, respectively. These clusters have luminosity functions (LFs) and sizes consistent with what is observed for globular clusters in other galaxies. Fitting Gaussians to the LFs of the blue and red compact clusters we find turn-over magnitudes of M(TO,blue)=-7.58 and M(TO,red)=-7.37 in V and dispersions of sigma(V,blue)=1.12 and sigma(V,red)=0.97. The fainter, more extended clusters have effective radii up to R(eff) ~ 10-15 pc and their LF appears to rise at least down to M(V) ~ -6, few of them being brighter than M(V) = -7. We suggest that these fainter objects may have a formation history distinct from that of the brighter GCs.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Determination of geographic origin of unprovenanced Aboriginal skeletal remains in South Australia employing stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis.

Bone collagen stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of prehistoric human remains recovered from various known localities in southeastern South Australia provide isotopic signatures that distinguish the following geographic regions: the coastal Coorong, the coastal Murray River Mouth, Swanport (Lower Murray River), and Roonka (Upper Murray River). These regional isotopic signatures are employed to determine geographic origin of unprovenanced Aboriginal skeletal remains curated by the South Australian Museum. Nearly 85% of the unprovenanced sample (77/91) could be assigned to a particular geographic zone on the basis of isotopic values, and a further 13% (12/91) were assigned to areas intermediate between two geographic zones. Only two of the 91 individuals possessed anomalous isotopic values in relation to the standard values derived from known geographic localities. Isotopic analysis provides an independent means to address geographic origin of skeletal remains that can supplement other methods, e.g. metric, non-metric, and DNA analysis