Laundering Money Online: a review of cybercriminals methods

Money laundering is a critical step in the cyber crime process which is experiencing some changes as hackers and their criminal colleagues continually alter and optimize payment mechanisms. Conducting quantitative research on underground laundering activity poses an inherent challenge: Bad guys and their banks do not share information on criminal pursuits. However, by analyzing forums, we have identified two growth areas in money laundering: online gaming and micro laundering.Comment: Industry report, White paper. Tools and Resources for Anti-Corruption Knowledge, June, 01, 2013. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC

Choosing choices: Agenda selection with uncertain issues

This paper studies selection rules i.e. the procedures committees use to choose whether to place an issue on their agenda. The main ingredient of the model is that committee members are uncertain about their final preferences at the selection stage: they only know the probability that they will eventually prefer the proposal to the status quo at the decision stage. This probability is private information. We find that a more stringent selection rule makes the voters more conservative. Hence individual behavior reinforces the effect of the rule instead of balancing it. For a voter, conditional on being pivotal, the probability that the proposal is adopted depends on which option she eventually favors. The probability that the proposal is adopted if she eventually prefers the proposal increases at a higher rate with the selection rule than if she eventually prefers the status quo. In order to compensate for that, the voters become more selective. The decision rule has the opposite effect. We describe optimal rules when there is a fixed cost of organizing the final election.selection rules ; strategic voting ; asymmetric information ; agenda setting ; large deviations ; petitions ; citizens' initiative

Des nombres en noms : représentation linguistique en français et en anglais

National audienceNumber is the combination of a projection of sameness upon the world and the perception of plurality. A cultural object (as shown by the fact that number is not conceptualised identically in all languages) as well as an abstract form of representation aiming at universality, number is a fundamental element of discourse that somehow goes unnoticed. We shall examine the forms of its linguistic integration, from prefixes such as tri- or hemi- to precise number nouns (cent, thousand). More specifically we shall study the link between the complexity of number and the variety of its represented forms in an effort to explain the specific linguistic forms encountered at both ends of the 1-to-the-infinite spectrum.Le nombre concentre projection sur le réel d'un même et perception d'une pluralité. Objet culturel (on ne pense pas identiquement le nombre dans les langues) et représentation abstraite à vocation universelle, il est un élément discret et fondamental du discours. Nous examinerons les formes d'intégration linguistique du nombre, des préfixes comme tri- ou hémi- aux noms de nombres précis (cent, thousand). On étudiera le lien entre degré de complexité du nombre et variété formelle en représentation pour tenter d'expliquer les formes linguistiques particulières des deux extrêmes du spectre de 1 à l'infini

Fanning the Flames? A Study of Insult Forums on the Internet

A paraître"Flaming" i.e. sending angry, critical, or disparaging messages is computer slang for a much-appreciated activity for a few forum members. Instead of addressing the topic under discussion they set off attacking verbally other members "for the fun of it". As the phenomenon pollutes the functioning of threads (through the flaming itself and the reactions of average users), webmasters have three options: a) a typical "laissez-faire" policy based on self-regulation; b) a filtering of contributions, which may be perceived as freedom-threatening censorship; and c) a more original decision to create a special thread, forum, or website dedicated to insulting. I propose to investigate the third option, examining why and how an insult forum is created (is the decision taken by the administrator solely or is it an issue previously discussed on the forum?), how it evolves (is it really successful and if not, why?), and what it more fundamentally implies. What is the usefulness of an insult forum? Can one really insult somebody else, other than on a very short term basis, for no other reason than the pleasure derived from the act of insulting?Dans le jargon de la Toile, flaming consiste à envoyer des messages de colère, de critique ou d'insulte. Il s'agit là d'une activité très prisée de quelques utilisateurs de forums. Au lieu de traiter du sujet sur lequel porte la discussion, ils se lancent pour le simple plaisir dans des attaques verbales à l'encontre des autres participants. Dans la mesure où lle phénomène contribue à polluer le fonctionnement des fils de discussion (en raison du flaming proprement dit mais aussi des réactions générées par les autres intervenants), l'administrateur peut adopter trois attitudes : soit une politique de laissez-faire fondé sur l'auto-régulation, soit un filtrage des contributions, qui peut être perçue comme une forme de censure limitant la liberté de parole, soit la création, plus originale, d'un fil, d'un forum ou d'un site spécifiquement consacré à l'insulte. Je me propose d'examiner cette troisième possibilité, de voir pourquoi et comment un forum d'insulte se crée (la décision est-elle prise seulement par l'administrateur ou bien s'agit-il du résultat d'une discussion sur le forum ?), comment le forum d'insulte évolue (rencontre-t-il vraiment le succès et, dans le cas contraire, pourquoi ?) et ce qu'il implique plus fondamentalement. Quelle es l'utilité d'un forum d'insulte ? Peut-on s'insulter l'un l'autre, autrement que sur le court terme, uniquement pour le plaisir que procure l'acte d'insulte

Edema and uremia from 1827 to 1905: The first faltering steps of renal pathophysiology

Edema and uremia from 1827 to 1905: The first faltering steps of renal pathophysiology. After Richard Bright's studies, both edema and uremia were thought to be due to a renal retention of urinary substances; but if so why were they so rarely associated with each other? To solve this dilemma, a few clinicians turned to physics and chemistry. In 1897, Korànyi measured the freezing point depression (FPD) of the urine during water restriction. He found that in advanced renal disease it was lower than normal, approaching that of plasma, a phenomenon which he named isothenuria. He introduced the concept of renal insufficiency when, whatever the lesions, urinary excretory function does not adapt to the needs of the body. In the same year Achard and Castaigne found that in uremia, the excretion of methylene blue into the urine was delayed. In contrast, the dye was normally excreted in edematous patients with proteinuria. In 1902 Strauss and Widal, using a new steel needle to obtain blood, each studied the chemistry of plasma and performed water, chloride and nitrogen balances. They revealed that in advanced nephritis without edema there was a retention of nitrogen metabolites but not of chloride, whereas in proteinuric edematous patients the blood urea was normal, and there was a retention of chloride and then of water. Physical chemistry and its objective results had been introduced into renal medicine. Modern renal pathophysiology was now launched

Between Globalization and Internal Stability, the Resistible Internationalization of the Renminbi

China's RMB is becoming a major international currency. It has joined major international currencies and intends to continue its growth although it has not yet become a fully convertible currency. Its share in world trade, reserves remains limited. On the one hand, the increase in its international use is increasing, on the other hand the decline in trade, the accumulation of internal problems - decline in GDP growth, growing domestic debt - are leading the Chinese authorities to push back the opening of the capital account, to control interest rates. Social stability has become a priority.JEL Codes - E; F;

Tailoring Glass Properties: Why Chemical Composition and Thermal Treatments Matter

Architectural use of glass dates back from the beginning of our era when it wasused to make windows. Its range of chemical composition was close to that ofcurrent flat or hollow glass, illustrating early optimization of both productionprocess and material properties. In modern buildings glass is ubiquitous, highlyvisible as in facades or hidden as fibers for thermal insulation or for high-speedtelecommunication. This short review describes the main factors that have madethis variety of uses possible. The fundamental point is the amorphous nature ofglass, which allows pieces of any shape and size to be produced and the propertiesof the material to be tailored through thermal treatments and incorporation of a hostof chemical elements in widely different proportions

Catching-up and integration in new and future EU member states through FDI

The round of new membership had strong impact on the functioning of the European economy, both in terms of regulation, distribution of resources, and place of economic and regional developpment, catching up policies (converging policies).This goes along with an important flow of foreign capital pouring in the region where the rate of domestic accumulation is still very low and would never match investment requirements to develop a strong industrial base. Firstly, this raises the question of the development of “a capitalist economy without capitalists”. Secondly, it highlights the fact that industrial recovery and economic growth are fuelled by foreign investments in the regionIn this contribution, our aim is to highlight the transformation of these economies with their linkage through their new specialization, control to EU-15 economies through the strong presence of Western Multinational Corporation (MNC).Keywords: Economy, Capitalisme, Foreign Direct InvestmentCodes JEL: F5, P1

The “Irresponsibility of the Outsider”? American Expatriates and Italian Fascism

The article looks at expatriation as one of the many borderlands where Americans have been brought into contact with other cultures and social realities. In trying to make sense of the relationship expatriates have established with their chosen country, it questions the notion of an “outsider status” often claimed by the self-exiled writers of the 1920s. It looks instead at the contradictory personal and social dynamics that have determined the nature of the expatriates’ engagement with their host society. It focuses on expatriates in Italy during the twenty years of the fascist regime and combines a typological and biographical approach. It analyzes four possible stands toward the dictatorship —active pro-fascist, passive pro-fascist, passive anti-fascist, active anti-fascist—through the experience of four expatriates: George Nelson Page, scion of the famous Virginia planter family; Iris Cutting Origo, raised among the wealthy Anglo-American colony of Florence; the art critique Bernard Berenson and Robert Winston Wiley, a young radical from the Mid-West who contributed articles to the magazine Common Sense. This approach highlights the complex articulation of a number of personal, social and political determinants that fashioned the attitude these expatriates adopted toward the dictatorship. It also indicates that the expatriate experience does not lend itself to sweeping generalizations but needs to be carefully contextualized and historicized.Cet article considère l’expatriation comme une des nombreuses frontières où les Américains sont entrés en contact avec d’autres cultures et réalités sociales. En essayant de saisir la nature des relations entre les expatriés et leur pays d’accueil, il remet en question la notion d’un statut d’« outsider » souvent revendiqué par les écrivains exilés volontaires des années 1920, pour prendre en compte les dynamiques personnelles et sociales contradictoires qui ont façonné les rapports entre les expatriés et la société où ils se trouvaient. Il s’intéresse au cas des expatriés américains en Italie durant les vingt années de la dictature fasciste en combinant une approche typologique et biographique. Il analyse quatre attitudes possibles face à la dictature — profasciste actif, profasciste passif, antifasciste passif et antifasciste actif — à travers l’expérience de quatre expatriés : George Nelson Page, descendant de la grande famille de planteurs virginiens, Iris Cutting Origo, élevée au sein de la riche colonie anglo-américaine de Florence, le critique d’art Bernard Berenson et Robert Winston Wiley, un jeune militant radical du Mid-West qui écrivait pour la revue Common Sense. Cette approche souligne l’articulation complexe d’un certain nombre de déterminants personnels, sociaux et politiques qui ont influencé l’attitude de ces expatriés face à la dictature. Il démontre aussi que l’expérience des expatriés ne se prête pas facilement à des généralisations hâtives et demande à être précisément contextualisée et historicisée