Mexikos "War on Drugs" und die Mérida Initiative

"Für Mexiko hat die Metapher vom 'War on Drugs' ihre martialische Symbolik längst zugunsten höchst realer Gewaltszenarien eingebüßt. In den Jahren 2006 und 2007 sind dort mehr als 5.000 Menschen im Zusammenhang mit dem illegalen Drogengeschäft und den staatlichen Maßnahmen zu dessen Bekämpfung getötet bzw. ermordet worden. US-Präsident Bush will die drogenpolitische Offensive im Nachbarland mit einem US-Dollar 1,4 Mrd. teuren Hilfspaket unterstützen, das derzeit im Kongress beraten wird. Begünstigt durch die geographische Nähe fungiert Mexiko seit nahezu zwei Jahrzehnten als wichtigster Versorger des US-amerikanischen Drogenmarkts. Über die Nordgrenze werden nicht nur die in Mexiko selbst erzeugten Rauschmittel Marihuana, Heroin und Methamphetamin geschmuggelt, das Land dient auch dem Transit von rund 90% des in den USA konsumierten Kokain. Die durch die Position an der strategischen Schnittstelle des Kokainhandels bedingten riesigen Einnahmen haben zur Entstehung mächtiger kriminellerOrganisationen - sogenannter Kartelle - geführt, die ihre Geschäftsinteressen mit einer Rücksichtslosigkeit verfolgen, die kolumbianische Vorbilder in den Schatten stellt. Wichtigster interner Erklärungsfaktor der sinistren 'Erfolgsstory' der Drogenkartelle ist die endemische Korruption. Ohne Kollaborateure und Protektoren in Politik, Justiz und Polizei hätten die Drogensyndikate ihre heutige Bedeutung und Schlagkraft nicht erreichen können. Korruption hat die Kartelle stark gemacht, und diese Stärke erschwert jetzt wiederum eine wirkungsvolle Bekämpfung der Korruption. Präsident Calderón setzt beim Vorgehen gegen die Drogenkartelle primär auf das Militär. Das mag zur Deeskalation der Gewalt in zahlreichen Brennpunkten des Drogenhandels führen, ist jedoch im Hinblick auf die wesentlichen Triebkräfte des Drogengeschäfts nicht zielführend. Langfristige Erfolge gegen das organisierte Verbrechen können nur über den Weg der institutionellen Stärkung von Justiz und Polizei erreicht werden. Entsprechende Ankündigungen Calderóns werden bislang nicht durch konkrete innovative Schritte gestützt. Das Hilfspaket der USA (Mérida Initiative) entspricht der Logik der Calderón'schen Antidrogenstrategie und ist von daher kaum geeignet, mehr als kurzfristige und oberflächliche Effekte zu erzielen." (Autorenreferat

Panama feiert das Ende seines nationalen Traumas: "el canal es nuestro"

"Der Betrieb am Panama-Kanal lief am 31.12.1999 nicht anders ab als an jedem anderen Tag. Rund 35 Schiffe durchfuhren die mit drei Schleusensystemen ausgestattete Wasserstraße und vermieden damit den langen Umweg um das stürmische Kap Hoorn. Alles andere als ein normaler Tag war dieser Jahreswechsel für die Republik Panama: Um Punkt 24 Uhr Ortszeit übernahm der Staat die alleinige Kontrolle über die Wasserstraße, und gleichzeitig endete die Militärpräsenz der Vereinigten Staaten, die den Kanal zwischen 1904 und 1914 erbaut und bis 1979 allein verwaltet hatten. Panama kann sich nach der Beendigung der ungleichen Partnerschaft mit den USA erstmals in seiner Geschichte als souveräner Staat präsentieren." (Brennpkt. Lat.am/DÜI

Rapid testing leads to the underestimation of the scrapie prevalence in an affected sheep and goat flock

To obtain a more detailed understanding of the prevalence of classical scrapie infections in a heavily affected German sheep flock (composed of 603 sheep and 6 goats), we analysed 169 sheep and 6 goats that carried the genotypes susceptible to the disease and that were therefore culled following discovery of the index case. The initial tests were performed using the Biorad TeSeE ELISA and reactive results were verified by official confirmatory methods (OIE-immunoblot and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC)) to demonstrate the deposition of scrapie-associated PrPSc in the brain stem (obex). This approach led to the discovery of 40 additional subclinically scrapie-infected sheep. Furthermore, peripheral lymphatic and nervous tissue samples of the 129 sheep and 6 goats with a negative CNS result were examined by IHC in order to identify any preclinical infections which had not already spread to the central nervous system (CNS). Using this approach we found 13 additional sheep with PrPSc depositions in the gut-associated lymph nodes (GALT) as well as in the enteric nervous system. Moreover, in most of these cases PrPSc was also deposited in the spleen and in the retropharyngeal and superficial cervical lymph nodes. Taken together, these results show a 30.3% infection prevalence in this scrapie-affected flock. Almost 7.4% of the infected animals harboured PrPSc exclusively in the peripheral lymphatic and nervous tissue and were therefore missed by the currently used testing strategy

The links between healthy, problematic, and addicted Internet use regarding comorbidities and self-concept-related characteristics

Background: Addicted Internet users present with higher rates of comorbidities, e.g., attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depressive, and anxiety disorders. In addition, deficits in self-concept-related characteristics were found in addicted Internet gamers and social network users. The aim of this study was to examine the links between healthy, problematic, and addicted Internet use regarding comorbidities and self-concept-related characteristics. The association between recently developed ADHD-like symptoms without an underlying diagnosis and addictive Internet use was also examined. Methods: n = 79 healthy controls, n = 35 problematic, and n = 93 addicted Internet users were assessed for comorbidities, social and emotional competencies, body image, self-esteem, and perceived stress. Apart from an ADHD-diagnosis, recently developed ADHD-like symptoms were also assessed. Results: Addicted users showed more self-concept-related deficits and higher rates of comorbidities with ADHD, depressive, and anxiety disorders. Addicted and problematic users showed similarities in the prevalence of cluster B personality disorders and decreased levels of characteristics related to emotional intelligence. Participants with recently developed ADHD-like symptoms scored higher in lifetime and current severity of Internet use compared with those without ADHD symptoms. Addicted participants with recently developed ADHD symptoms showed higher lifetime Internet use severity compared with those without any symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that cluster B personality disorders and premorbid problems in emotional intelligence might present a link between problematic and addictive Internet use. Furthermore, the findings provide a first indication that addictive Internet use is related to ADHD-like symptoms. Symptoms of ADHD should therefore be assessed against the background of possible addicted Internet use

Liver resection or combined chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation improve survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/ Aims: To evaluate the long-term outcome of surgical and non-surgical local treatments of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We stratified a cohort of 278 HCC patients using six independent predictors of survival according to the Vienna survival model for HCC (VISUM- HCC). Results: Prior to therapy, 224 HCC patients presented with VISUM stage 1 (median survival 18 months) while 29 patients were classified as VISUM stage 2 (median survival 4 months) and 25 patients as VISUM stage 3 (median survival 3 months). A highly significant (p < 0.001) improved survival time was observed in VISUM stage 1 patients treated with liver resection ( n = 52; median survival 37 months) or chemoembolization (TACE) and subsequent radiofrequency ablation ( RFA) ( n = 44; median survival 45 months) as compared to patients receiving chemoembolization alone (n = 107; median survival 13 months) or patients treated by tamoxifen only (n = 21; median survival 6 months). Chemoembolization alone significantly (p <= 0.004) improved survival time in VISUM stage 1 - 2 patients but not (p = 0.341) in VISUM stage 3 patients in comparison to those treated by tamoxifen. Conclusion: Both liver resection or combined chemoembolization and RFA improve markedly the survival of patients with HCC

CAST constraints on the axion-electron coupling

In non-hadronic axion models, which have a tree-level axion-electron interaction, the Sun produces a strong axion flux by bremsstrahlung, Compton scattering, and axiorecombination, the "BCA processes." Based on a new calculation of this flux, including for the first time axio-recombination, we derive limits on the axion-electron Yukawa coupling gae and axion-photon interaction strength ga using the CAST phase-I data (vacuum phase). For ma <~ 10 meV/c2 we find ga gae < 8.1 × 10−23 GeV−1 at 95% CL. We stress that a next-generation axion helioscope such as the proposed IAXO could push this sensitivity into a range beyond stellar energy-loss limits and test the hypothesis that white-dwarf cooling is dominated by axion emission

The Stubenberg meteorite—An LL6 chondrite fragmental breccia recovered soon after precise prediction of the strewn field

On March 6, 2016 at 21:36:51 UT, extended areas of Upper Austria, Bavaria (Germany) and the southwestern part of the Czech Republic were illuminated by a very bright bolide. This bolide was recorded by instruments in the Czech part of the European Fireball Network and it enabled complex and precise description of this event including prediction of the impact area. So far six meteorites totaling 1473 g have been found in the predicted area. The first pieces were recovered on March 12, 2016 on a field close to the village of Stubenberg (Bavaria). Stubenberg is a weakly shocked (S3) fragmental breccia consisting of abundant highly recrystallized rock fragments embedded in a clastic matrix. The texture, the large grain size of plagioclase, and the homogeneous compositions of olivine (Fa31.4) and pyroxene (Fs25.4) clearly indicate that Stubenberg is an LL6 chondrite breccia. This is consistent with the data on O, Ti, and Cr isotopes. Stubenberg does not contain solar wind-implanted noble gases. Data on the bulk chemistry, IR spectroscopy, cosmogenic nuclides, and organic components also indicate similarities to other metamorphosed LL chondrites. Noble gas studies reveal that the meteorite has a cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age of 36 ± 3 Ma and that most of the cosmogenic gases were produced in a meteoroid with a radius of at least 35 cm. This is larger than the size of the meteoroid which entered the Earth's atmosphere, which is constrained to <20 cm from short-lived radionuclide data. In combination, this might suggest a complex exposure history for Stubenberg.PostprintPeer reviewe