Dark networks, transnational crime and security: the critical role of brokers

The growth of transnational organised crime has been widely perceived as a major national and international security threat. The growth has been facilitated by globalisation, in which people, money, information and goods flow more easily and rapidly across international borders. To take advantage of the illicit transnational business opportunities, crime groups have restructured from hierarchical organisations to more loosely structured configurations known as ‘dark networks.’ Crucial to the success of these networks are brokers, who enable exchanges between previously disconnected actors. In this paper, we present a new way in which to understand the role of the broker in illicit networks by distinguishing how brokers adopt different strategies that ultimately have a transactional or transformational impact on the networks they serve

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Older people as partners in assistive technology research: the use of focus groups in the design process

There is an increasing recognition that older people are capable of being critical and active consumers of assistive technologies. This has led to the proposition that older people should be involved in their design and evaluation. In this paper we will describe a focus group methodology used to help older people identify and describe the nature of the mobility-related problems that they encounter, and then put forward ideas for their resolution, which might usefully be addressed by innovative assistive technology research. This methodology was used with four groups of older people and the results revealed that the problems that were most frequently identified as difficult were bending and reaching, climbing stairs, and finding information. While focus group participants were able to suggest both existing and new solutions to these identified problems the researchers consider that further exploration of the methodology used in this study is needed in order to validate the choice of tools, the composition of the focus groups and the process by which researchers decide which of the potential solutions should be developed further.<br/

Bhutan’s Reluctant Democrats and the Challenge of Legitimation

Establishing political legitimacy is a concern of all political regimes and leads to a range of legitimating techniques to suit particular circumstances and regime objectives. For Bhutan, the challenge has been how to legitimate a new democratic political order that did not result from citizen or elite pressure, the normal causes of democratic transition. This article addresses how legitimacy has been secured in Bhutan, a nation of “reluctant democrats”. It uses a methodology derived from an amalgam of longue durée and critical junctures to analyse the country’s unique process of democratisation, as some of the building blocks of contemporary democratic legitimation have old origins. By dividing Bhutanese history into four distinct periods and identifying four critical junctures, this article provides a full understanding of the nature and process of contemporary democratic legitimation. We pay special attention to the role of the monarchy in facilitating and securing acceptance of the new political order and in guaranteeing the monarchy’s future as a central pillar of that order. An important lesson of this article is the need to take a historical perspective when considering contemporary legitimacy as history reveals the building blocks on which today’s democratic regime legitimacy has been built and accepted.</p

What is a “Mafia State” and how is one created?

How do corrupt practices evolve into the almost complete criminalization of the state, and what are the conditions necessary for a mafia state to emerge? In this article, we trace Venezuela’s political trajectory under President Hugo Chávez and its causal connection to the consolidation of a mafia state under President Nicolás Maduro by identifying critical junctures that occurred under the administrations of Presidents Chávez and Maduro. These critical junctures first laid the foundations for the mafia state, albeit unintentionally, and then allowed and encouraged the criminalization of the state. The incremental abolition of governance institutions started by Chávez and continued by Maduro in the context of dramatic decline in oil production created an ideal environment in which criminal activities could thrive. By the end of this process, Venezuela had evolved into a complex kleptocracy in which no rule of law or institutions were capable of or willing to oppose the executive and its loyal military and irregular force allies. Thus, a mafia state is born.</p

From hierarchies to networks:The organizational evolution of the international drug trade

The evolution of the transnational drug trade has precipitated an organizational and operational restructuring of organized crime groups (OCGs). This restructuring has produced a move away from formerly hierarchical and tightly controlled organizations, to more loosely coupled and decentralized network forms. But what has motivated the OCGs to restructure into more loosely coupled networks? Through an examination of the activities and strategies of Latin American OCGs, this article identifies market considerations, network responses to law enforcement pressure, and centrifugal forces within OCG networks as the key drivers of these changes. Despite this, OCGs still require some sort of organizational glue that connects and facilitates the activities of these decentralized networks. This is precisely why brokers are becoming vital actors in criminal networks. The data presented in this article suggests that brokers have assumed great significance in networks especially in relation to the ongoing linkages occurring between Latin American OCGs and with those in the Asia-Pacific.</p

All together now! – An exploration of the value of a simulated interprofessional learning program for a range of rural health students.

Purpose: This paper reports on the design and outcomes of a short learning program undertaken by a range of rurally based pre-graduate health students. The medical, nursing, pharmacy and social work students worked through two simulated case scenarios designed to enhance effective interprofessional teamwork and communication skills. The attitudes and experiences of students who completed the program were evaluated to inform future iterations. Background: The international literature clearly identifies the needs for greater integration of interprofessional education into the curricula of entry-level health professions to enhance mutual respect, effective team-work and patient-centred care. This paper will report on the design and outcomes of an interprofessional learning program developed at a rural university in Australia. Description of Program: The learning program was developed by a te of academic and clinical health professionals around the care of two clients with chronic conditions. An evaluation methodology explored the students’ attitudes and experiences of participating in this program. Data consisting of pre and post program surveys, audience response data and qualitative comments. This was analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program in promoting interprofessional learning. Results: A majority of participants had pre-conceived ideas about the value of interprofessional learning to their professional practice; however following participation they were overwhelmingly positive about the value of this type of learning to their future practice. They felt the program gave them a greater appreciation of their role within the interprofessional team and provided valuable insights into the scope of practice of their clinical colleagues. Conclusion: The student participants found this program valuable, stimulating and challenging, with most indicating that they would welcome more opportunities to learn within interprofessional groups. The outcomes may be useful for academic and clinical educators and will inform the expansion of interprofessional learning activities at a rural university inNew South Wales,Australia. Relevance to interprofessional education: The design of this education program can be replicated and/or adapted to focus on any number of clinical scenarios to engage students in learning together to enhance their teamwork and communication skills. Learning Objectives: Following the presentation of this paper the audience will be able to: 1. Identify the strategies used to incorporate interprofessional competencies in a short educational program delivered to pre-graduate nursing, medical, pharmacy and social work students based at a rural university inAustralia. 2. Explain the use of simulation technology within the interprofessional education (IPE) and/or practice program delivered to a range of health students based at a rural university inAustralia