Assessing the Threat of Nexus Between Organized Crime and Democratic Politics： Mapping the Factors

In recent years, increased attention from the media, the international community and policy makers has highlighted the destabilizing effects criminal networks have on the legitimacy of democratic politics, as well as the capacity of democratic systems to deliver basic services. Indeed, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development highlighted in 2014 how illicit financial flows drain the state from resources needed to provide basic services （OECD, 2014）. While this problem affects not only developing and fragile states, these countries are particularly affected as this phenomenon tends to exacerbate inequality （Briscoe, Perdomo ＆ Uribe Burcher, 2014）. Mapping the factors that make politics vulnerable to the influence of organized crime is a key element in the effort to implement adequate strategies to prevent and mitigate this phenomenon. This paper explores 21 threat factors identified, understood as some of the conditions that may contribute to the likelihood that political corruption linked to organized crime takes place. These threat factors underline institutional weaknesses--including those related to illicit political fmance---and organized crime activities, which create opportunities for illicit networks to penetrate democratic political systems. The paper also discusses how these institutional weaknesses interrelate to specific criminal markets and networks. The paper draws from extensive desk research in 2015, which complements previous desk and field research on the same topic carded out in 2011-2014 in the Baltic States, Latin America and West Africa.

Difference in Number of Electrons in Inner Shells of Charged or Uncharged Elements in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry: Compatibility with the Even-Odd Rule

The recently introduced even-odd rule has been shown to successfully represent chemical structures of ions and molecules. While comparing available drawings in the scientific literature with the list of compounds predicted by the even-odd rule, it became however obvious that existing compounds are fewer than expected. Several predicted compounds involving many covalent bonds have apparently never been experimentally observed. Neutral oxygen for instance is expected to have 6 valence electrons, whereas oxygen can only build a maximum of two bonds, as in water. This specificity is observed for elements in the top-right corner of the periodic table. For compounds to contain only single covalent bonds, and thus follow the even-odd rule, further explanations are necessary. The present paper proposes that those specific elements experience a transfer of electrons from the valence shell into the inner shell, making them unavailable for further bonding. These elements will be described as organic, hereby providing a clear and hopefully unifying definition of the term. In opposition, inorganic elements have a constant inner shell no matter their electrical state or the number of bonds they maintain. More than 70 compounds involving 11 elements of the main group are studied, revealing a progression from fully inorganic elements at the left of the periodic table to fully organic elements. The transition between inorganic or organic elements is made of few elements that take an organic form when negatively charged;they are labelled semi-organic. The article concludes that the fully organic elements of the main group are Oxygen and Fluorine, whereas semi-organic elements are more numerous: C, N, S, Cl, Se, Br and I. Thus, the even-odd rule becomes fully compatible with scientific knowledge of compounds in liquid or gaseous phase.

One-year observation of the mixing states of oxygenated organics-containing single particles in Guangzhou,China

Oxygenated organic molecules(OOMs)play an important role in the formation of secondary organic aerosols(SOAs),but the mixing states of OOMs are still unclear.This study investigates the mixing states of OOM-containing single particles from the measurements taken using a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in Guangzhou,China in 2022.Generally,the particle counts of OOM particles and the mass concentration of secondary organic carbon(SOC)exhibited similar temporal trends throughout the entire year.The OOM particles were consistently enriched in secondary ions,including ^(16)O^(−),^(26)CN^(−),^(46)NO_(2)^(−),^(62)NO_(3)^(−),and ^(97)HSO_(4)^(−).In contrast,the number fractions and diurnal patterns of OOM particles among the total detected particles showed similar distributions in August and October;however,the SOC ratios in fine particulate matter were quite different,suggesting that there were different mixing states of single-particle oxygenated organics.In addition,further classification results indicated that the OOM particles were more aged in October than August,even though the SOC ratios were higher in August.Furthermore,the distribution of hydrocarbon fragments exhibited a notable decrease from January to October,emphasizing the more aged state of the organics in October.In addition,the sharp increase in elemental carbon(EC)-OOM particles in the afternoon in October suggests the potential role of EC in the aging process of organics.Overall,in contrast to the bulk analysis of SOC mass concentration,the mixing states of the OOM particles provide insights into the formation process of SOAs in field studies.

Developing Integrated Collective Bargaining System in a Bi National Organization:The Case of the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority(TAZARA)

The Tanzania Zambia Railway stretches 1,860 kilometers from the East African Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri-Mposhi in land locked Zambia.It is defined as a bi-national organization as opposed to either transnational or multinational because it is jointly owned and managed by the Governments of Tanzania and Zambia.Its construction was made possible by Chinese interest-free loan to the two Governments.Few development projects in Africa have been charged with as much political and ideological dynamite as Tanzania Zambia Railway.To the Western powers,angry that the Chinese had entered territory which they considered their own preserve,it was a Red Railway intended to thrust communism into the very heart of Africa.For the white regimes in Southern Africa,grimly attempting to hold back demands for majority rule,it was seen as Africa’s Ho Chi Minh Trail,carrying guerrilla further,armed with Chinese thoughts and weapons to the banks of the Zambezi River.The Chinese regarded the project as a Friendship Route to strengthen the new African states against the forces of imperialism and for Tanzania and Zambia it was a Freedom Railway,which should prove an instrument in increasing their independence.These reactions underpin not only the complexity of the establishment and management of a bi-national organization but also present challenges to the two national trade unions on how best they can represent their members.Industrial relations literature has cited differences in countries’historical,social,political,economic,and ideological background as the main obstacles in the development of collective bargaining machinery in transnational or multinational organizations.A study in Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority has attempted to develop an integrated bi-national collective bargaining machinery whose collective agreements are likely to be legally enforceable in their respective countries.This paper explores the development of trade unions in both Tanzania and Zambia which can be divided in three phases:first,the construction phase;second,the consolidation phase;and the third and final phase,trade union liberalization and political pluralism which covers the development of a bi national collective bargaining model with its Joint Industrial Council structure and negotiation procedures.The paper compares and contrasts trade union development in the two contracting states and critically examines how each phase has influenced trade union development.It provides a brief historical outline of collective bargaining process and spells out advantages and limitations of bi-national collective bargaining machinery.The paper concludes by observing that one of the main objectives of regional groupings is economic integration and suggests that integrated collective bargaining machinery be adopted as an ideal industrial relations model for regional groupings such as the African Union(AU),Southern African Development Community(SADC),Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa(COMESA),Economic Community for West African States(ECOWAS),Eastern African Community,and other regional groupings around the world since it localizes industrial relations function in general and collective bargaining in particular.

Estimation and Prediction of Bioconcentration Factors of Nonionic Organic Chemicals in Fish by Electrotopological State Indices and Structural Parameter

Based on the characteristics of atom types, Hall＇s electrotopological state indices （En） are calculated for 165 nonionic organic compounds. On the basis of the characteristics of substituent and conjugated matrix, a novel molecular structure parameter （G） is defined and calculated for 165 molecules in this paper. En and G show good structural selectivity for organic molecules. G, a satisfactory relationship between bioconcentration factor （BCF） and En, is expressed as： 1gBCF = -0.283 ＋ 1.246G ＋ 0.079E42 ＋ 0.351E9- 0.063E17 （n＇ = 122, R = 0.967, F = 425.636, s = 0.394）, which could provide estimation and prediction for the lgBCF of nonionic organic chemicals. Furthermore, the model is examined to validate overall robustness with Jackknife tests, and the independent variables in model do not exist cross correlation with VIF. All these regression results show that the new parameter G and electrotopological state index have good rationality and efficiency. It is concluded that the En and G will be used widely in quantitative structure-property/activity relationship （QSPR/QSAR） research.

Unveiling transplantation research productivity of United States: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND The United States has witnessed significant advancements in the field of organ transplantation over the course of the last five decades,as demonstrated by a notable increase in the quantity of academic research.The presence of a highly dynamic research environment necessitates continuous evaluations to maintain the integrity and progress of the field.AIM To evaluate the total output and thematic emphasis of transplant research conducted in the United States.METHODS On January 10,2023,we conducted a bibliometric search of United States research output in transplantation journals from the Web of Science database's Science Citation Index Expanded.We excluded editorials,meeting abstracts,and other non-article types.We analyzed annual trends,authors,institutions,articles,keywords,and countries collaborating with the United States,using VOSviewer 1.6.18 to create figures and tables.RESULTS The United States published 25956 papers(3078 reviews and 22878 articles)representing 37.7%of the world's scientific output.Canada emerged as the top collaborator with the United States,co-authoring 1263 articles.Leading institutions in United States transplantation research were the University of Pittsburgh(1749 articles),Mayo Clinic(1605 articles),Harvard Medical School(1549 articles),and Johns Hopkins University(1280 articles).The top three keywords with over 2000 occurrences were"recipients,""survival,"and"outcomes,"indicating a focus on graft and recipient outcome markers by United States researchers.CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate the United States leadership in organ transplantation research,contributing significantly to the global scientific output in this field.However,opportunities exist for fostering expansive partnerships,particularly with developing countries.This study provides valuable insights into the transplantation research landscape in the United States,emphasizing the importance of ongoing evaluations to maintain and propel advancements in this critical medical discipline.The results may facilitate future collaborations,knowledge exchange,and the pursuit of innovative solutions in the realm of organ transplantation.

The new geometry of climate governance

Scholars and practitioners have focused in recent years on the potential for achieving cooperation in small "clubs" of countries. While solutions to global climate change will eventually require widespread cooperation, club strategies could help to catalyze that outcome. Unlike the Paris Agreement, which has achieved widespread but relatively shallow cooperation, it could be easier to tailor agreements that allow deep cooperation within smaller groups. This essay extends that logic to clubs whose geometry varies two-dimensionally across countries but also along a third dimension: within countries. Most of the key elements of international relations and international law theory that explain how clubs achieve cooperation are directly applicable to three-dimensional clubs. Most of the relevant experience for these clubs has occurred in the west; overdue is a close assessment of how key units-such as provinces and firms-within China and other emerging economies.

Effects of Low Temperature Plasma on the Forms of Heavy Metals in Sludge

Low temperature plasma was used to treat sludge,and the effects of discharge time on the content of different forms of heavy metals in the sludge were studied. The results showed that Cu and Zn content in the domestic sludge could basically meet the requirements of GB 4284-2018,GB/T 23486-2009,CJ/T 362-2011 and CJ/T 309-2009. There were big differences between different forms of the heavy metals. According to the proportions of different forms of Cu in the sludge,different forms of Cu are arranged as follows: organic state > carbonate bound state> residual state > exchangeable state > iron-manganese oxidation state,and Cu mainly existed in an organic state. Various forms of Zn are arranged in order of the proportion as follows: iron-manganese oxidation state > residual state > carbonate bound state > exchangeable state > organic state,and Zn mainly existed in an iron-manganese oxidation state. After the treatment of sludge by low temperature plasma,the content of exchangeable Cu and Zn in the sludge increased,while the content and proportion of residual Cu and Zn all reduced.

Utilization of triplet excited states in organic semiconductors

Organic optoelectronics is an emerging research field, which has attracted extensive interests in the last few decades owing to its practical applications, like organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic memory devices, organic photovoltaic (OPV), sensors, and organic field-effect transistors[1, 2]. Organic semiconductors play a crucial role in this field. Compared to the traditional inorganic semiconductors, organic semiconductors open a fascinating research direction because of some unique advantages, such as flexible design, low cost, and rich optical and electronic properties. In organic optoelectronics, the excited states greatly determine the photoelectronic properties and application areas as shown in Fig. 1. Based on the electron spin in the molecule, the excited states of organic semiconductors include singlet and triplet states. As we know, the radiative transitions of singlet and triplet excited states are always accompanied by fluorescence and phosphorescence emission, respectively.

Effects of Organic Fertilizer Application Amount on Seedling Quality under No-tillage Semi-Solid State Direct Seeding

With early rice variety Zhongzao 39 as test material,this paper investigated the effects of organic fertilizer application rate on seedling quality under no-tillage semi-solid state direct seeding.The results showed that the seedling quality of no-tillage semi-solid direct seeding was better than that of traditional direct seeding,and different application rates of organic fertilizer under no-tillage semi-solid direct seeding also had signi ficant effects on seedling emergence rate,dry matter weight in ground and underground,stem base width,root activity,chlorophyll content and seedling growth index of rice seedlings.When the organic fertilizer dosage was A4(0.10∶1),it was most beneficial to the growth and development of rice seedlings under no-tillage semi-solid state direct seeding,it could effectively improve the quality of rice seedlings and enhance their resistances,the cultivated seedlings could lay a good foundation for high yield of rice in late stage.

Human Smuggling and the International Sex Trade： An Evaluation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act

The United States Congress set a benchmark in US anti-human trafficking policy with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 （TVPA 2000J. The TVPA 2000 and its subsequent reauthorizations in 2003, 2005, and 2008 were put forth to increase the scope, focus, and effectiveness of US efforts to combat human trafficking. In-depth analyses of each reauthorization provide an understanding of the aims of the TVPA. The evolution of the TVPA reauthorizations dearly demonstrates that the US is committed to thwarting human trafficking both domestically and internationally. The analyses examine strengths and weaknesses of the legislation and provide insight as to how the TVPA reached its current state as the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 （TVPRA 2008）. Drawing from the evolution of TVPA legislation, the future of the human trafficking phenomenon and legislation is discussed.

Atmospheric Particle Hygroscopicity and the Influence by Oxidation State of Organic Aerosols in Urban Beijing

A hygroscopic tandem differentialmobility analyser(H-TDMA)was used to observe the sizeresolved hygroscopic characteristics of submicron particles in January and April 2018 in urban Beijing.The probability distribution of the hygroscopic growth factor(HGF-PDF)in winter and spring usually showed a bimodal pattern,with more hygroscopic mode(MH)being more dominant.The seasonal variation in particle hygroscopicity was related to the origin of air mass,which received polluted southerly air masses in spring and clean northwesterly air masses in winter.Particles showed stronger hygroscopic behaviour during heavy pollution episodes(HPEs)with elevated concentrations of secondary aerosols,especially higher mass fraction of nitrate,which were indicated using the PM2.5(particulate matter with diameter below 2.5μm)mass concentration normalised by CO mass concentration.The hygroscopic parameter(κ)values were calculated using H-TDMA(κhtdma)and chemical composition(κchem).The closure study showed thatκchem was overestimated in winter afternoon when compared withκhtdma,because the organic particle hygroscopic parameter(κorg)was overestimated in the calculations.It was influenced by the presence of a high concentration of hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol(HOA)with a weak water uptake ability.A positive relationship was observed betweenκorg and the ratio of oxygenated organic aerosol(OOA)and HOA,thereby indicating that the strong oxidation state enhanced the hygroscopicity of the particles.This study revealed the effect of local emission sources and secondary aerosol formation processes on particle hygroscopicity,which is of great significance for understanding the pollution formation mechanism in the North China Plain.

Mixing states and secondary formation processes of organic nitrogen-containing single particles in Guangzhou,China

Organic nitrogen(ON)compounds play a significant role in the light absorption of brown carbon and the formation of organic aerosols,however,the mixing state,secondary formation processes,and influencing factors of ON compounds are still unclear.This paper reports on the mixing state of ON-containing particles based on measurements obtained using a highperformance single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in January 2020 in Guangzhou.The ON-containing particles accounted for 21% of the total detected single particles,and the particle count and number fraction of the ON-containing particles were two times higher at night than during the day.The prominent increase in the content of ON-containing particles with the enhancement of NO_xmainly occurred at night,and accompanied by high relative humidity and nitrate,which were associated with heterogeneous reactions between organics and gaseous NO_(x)and/or NO_(3)radical.The synchronous decreases in ON-containing particles and the mass absorption coefficient of water-soluble extracts at 365 nm in the afternoon may be associated with photo-bleaching of the ON species in the particles.In addition,the positive matrix factorization analysis found five factors dominated the formation processes of ON particles,and the nitrate factor(33%)mainly contributed to the production of ON particles at night.The results of this study provide unique insights into the mixing states and secondary formation processes of the ON-containing particles.

Seasonal phenotypic flexibility in body mass,basal thermogenesis,and tissue oxidative capacity in the male Silky Starling(Sturnus sericeus)

Background: Acclimatization to winter conditions is an essential prerequisite for the survival of small birds in the northern temperate zone.Changes in photoperiod,ambient temperature and food availability trigger seasonal physiological and behavioral acclimatization in many passerines.Seasonal trends in metabolic parameters are well known in avian populations from temperate environments;however,the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying these trends are incompletely understood.In this study,we used an integrative approach to measure variation in the thermogenic properties of the male Silky Starling(Sturnus sericeus) at different levels or organization,from the whole organism to the biochemical.We measured body mass(Mb),basal metabolic rate(BMR),energy budget,the mass of selected internal organs,state 4 respiration and cytochrome c oxidase(COX) activity in the heart,liver and muscle.Methods: Oxygen consumption was measured using an open-circuit respirometry system.The energy intake of the birds were then determined using an oxygen bomb calorimeter.Mitochondrial state 4 respiration and COX activity in heart,liver and pectoral muscle were measured with a Clark electrode.Results: The results suggest that acclimatization to winter conditions caused significant change in each of the measured variables,specifically,increases in Mb,organ mass,BMR,energy intake and cellular enzyme activity.Furthermore,BMR was positively correlated with body mass,energy intake,the mass of selected internal organs,state 4 respiration in the heart,liver and muscle,and COX activity in the heart and muscle.Conclusions: These results suggest that the male Silky Starling's enhanced basal thermogenesis under winter conditions is achieved by making a suite of adjustments from the whole organism to the biochemical level,and provide further evidence to support the notion that small birds have high phenotypic plasticity with respect to seasonal changes.

Spin-excited states and rectification in an organic spin rectifier

Spin-excited states in an asymmetric magnetic organic co-oligomer diode are investigated theoretically. The results demonstrate that the structural asymmetry of the co-oligomer is modulated by the spin-excited states, which is embodied in the wave functions of the eigenstates as well as the spin density wave. By calculating the transport property, a robust spin-current rectification concomitant with a charge-current rectification is observed in all spin-excited states. However, the current through the diode is suppressed distinctly by the spin-excited states, while the rectification ratios may be reduced or enhanced depending on the bias and the excited spins. The intrinsic mechanism is analyzed from the spin-dependent trans- mission combined with the change of molecular eigenstates under bias. Finally, the temperature-induced spin excitation is simulated. Significant rectification behavior is obtained even at room temperature.

Confirmation on origin of primary electron in solid state cathodoluminescence

This paper utilizes the brightness-voltage waveform curve to investigate the primary electron in solid state cathodoluminescence. The results indicate that the primary electron is from the interface state of SiO2/MEH-PPV （Poly[2- methoxy-5-（2-ethylhexyloxy）-1,4-phenylenevinylene]） under the lower electric field which contributes to the 580-nm emission. With increasing the electric field, the 405-nm emission is obtained, and under this condition, the origin of the primary electron is mainly from tunneling.

Influence of Molecular Stacking Pattern on Excited State Dynamics of Copper Phthalocyanine Films

Photophysical processes occurring within organic semiconductors is important for designing and fabricating organic solar cells.Copper phthalocyanine(CuPc)is a typical electron acceptor.In this work,the triplet exciton lifetime is prolonged by altering the molecular stacking pattern of the CuPc film.For CuPc thin films,the excited state decays are mainly determined by the triplet-triplet annihilation process.The ultrafast transient absorption measurements indicate that the primary annihilation mechanism is one-dimensional exciton diffusion collision destruction.The decay kinetics show a clearly time-dependent annihilation rate constant withγ∝t^(-1/2).Annihilation rate constants are determined to beγ0=(2.87±0.02)×10^(-20)cm^(3)·s^(-1/2)and(1.42±0.02)×10^(-20)cm^(3)·s^(-1/2)for upright and lyingdown configurations,respectively.Compared to the CuPc thin film with an upright configuration,the thin film with a lying-down configuration shows longer exciton lifetime and higher absorbance,which are beneficial to organic solar cells.The results in this work have important implications on the design and mechanistic understanding of organic optoelectronic devices.

MLP training in a self-organizing state space model using unscented Kalman particle filter

Many Bayesian learning approaches to the multi-layer perceptron （MLP） parameter optimization have been proposed such as the extended Kalman filter （EKF）. This paper uses the unscented Kalman particle filter （UPF） to train the MLP in a self- organizing state space （SOSS） model. This involves forming augmented state vectors consisting of all parameters （the weights of the MLP） and outputs. The UPF is used to sequentially update the true system states and high dimensional parameters that are inherent to the SOSS moder for the MLP simultaneously. Simulation results show that the new method performs better than traditional optimization methods.

Organized Crime＇s Engagement in Democratic Politics： Strategies for Prevention and Mitigation

Criminal networks erode the legitimacy of democratic politics, affecting regions as diverse as Latin America （Briscoe, Perdomo, ＆ Uribe Burcher, 2014）, the Baltic States （Villaveces-Izquierdo ＆ Uribe Burcher, 2013）, and West Africa （Aning ＆ Edu-Afful, 2013a; 2013b）. Contemporary research on this topic describes various factors that might increase the vulnerability of political actors, institutions, and processes to organized crime （Uribe Burcher, 2017）. In addition, there is a need to identify strategies to strengthen those political actors, institutions, and processes, making them resilient against criminal influence. Drawing from extensive field research conducted in Latin America, Africa, and West Asia in 2015-2016 （Perdomo ＆ Uribe Burcher, 2016; Hunter ＆ Reitano, 2016; Briscoe ＆ Goff, 2016a; 2016b）, as well as additional desk research conducted during the same period, this paper maps a set of 28 actions that may increase these institutions＇ and actors＇ resilience to the influence of organized crime networks based on documented global experiences implementing such measures. The paper also reflects some of the findings from a pilot experience to assess the threat of nexus between organized crime in democratic politics in Peru conducted in 2015-2016, which used some of the proposed action points to build a prevention and mitigation plan.

A Generalized Equation of State for High-Pressure Liquids

An equation of state （EOS） for high-pressure liquids, i.e., Tait EOS, is deduced according to isothermal 1 3V compressibility KT= -1/V· （2V/2p）T·.Based on the equation, a generalized EOS for high pressure-liquids is established by using the reduced state principle and introducing a characteristic parameter-configuration factor ξ. Reasonably satisfactory P-V-T data for many organic compounds, including some polar components, were calculated by using the equation.