The effect of Ponzi schemes on crime: Evidence from the colombian case

This paper estimates the impact of a massive negative income shock led by the simultaneous crash down of several Ponzi schemes (also known as financial ``pyramids"") in Colombia on crime rates at the municipal level. Using novel data on the spatial incidence of the latest wave of Colombian pyramids and their crash down date, I estimate difference-in-differences models with both monthly and yearly frequency. I find that the negative income shock of the pyramids" crash down differentially exacerbates crime in affected municipalities compared to those with no presence of Ponzi schemes. This is true for minor offenses like commercial theft or residential burglary, but not for major crimes as murder or terrorism.

Cyber Crime

Talk given by Gary Kibby from SOCA at the Web Science Industry Week in Dec 2012. Readings and task taken from previous years.

INFO2009 - Computer Crime Learning Resource

An E-Learning Gateway for the latest news and information relating to Computer Crime for INFO2009

Tissue- specific DNA methylation profiles in newborns

Experimental and epidemiological studies demonstrate that fetal growth restriction and low birth weight enhance the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. Derangements in tissue-specific epigenetic programming of fetal and placental tissues are a suggested mechanism of which DNA methylation is best understood. DNA methylation profiles in human tissue are mostly performed in DNA from white blood cells. The objective of this study was to assess DNA methylation profiles of IGF2 DMR and H19 in DNA derived from four tissues of the newborn. We obtained from 6 newborns DNA from fetal placental tissue (n = 5), umbilical cord CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and CD34- mononuclear cells (MNC) (n = 6), and umbilical cord Wharton jelly (n = 5). HCS were isolated using magnetic-activated cell separation. DNA methylation of the imprinted fetal growth genes IGF2 DMR and H19 was measured in all tissues using quantitative mass spectrometry. ANOVA testing showed tissue-specific differences in DNA methylation of IGF2 DMR (p value 0.002) and H19 (p value 0.001) mainly due to a higher methylation of IGF2 DMR in Wharton jelly (mean 0.65, sd 0.14) and a lower methylation of H19 in placental tissue (mean 0.25, sd 0.02) compared to other tissues. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the assessment of differential tissue specific DNA methylation. Although the results have to be confirmed in larger sample sizes, our approach gives opportunities to investigate epigenetic profiles as underlying mechanism of associations between pregnancy exposures and outcome, and disease risks in later life.

Epidemiología de pacientes atendidos por uso de sustancias psicoactivas en el servicio de Toxicología de Colsubsidio 2011-2012

Introducción: Es una necesidad para los países del mundo, tener información epidemiológica mucho más precisa y oportuna sobre las sustancias psicoactivas (SPA), partiendo del conocimiento científico de porqué unas personas abusan de las sustancias y otras no. El objetivo de investigación es establecer el perfil epidemiológico y evolución de los pacientes consumidores de SPA que acuden al servicio de toxicología de Colsubsidio durante el 2011 y 2012. Caracterizar la población, identificar su patrón de consumo y explorar las tendencias, para poder generar estrategias dirigidas de atención y prevención. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo observacional exploratorio retrospectivo. 610 historias clínicas fueron analizadas para variables epidemiológicas y clínicas, por medio de análisis univariados acorde al tipo de variable y análisis bivariados exploratorios en los cuales se compararon proporciones. Resultados: Se evaluaron un total de 610 pacientes, 475 hombres y 135 mujeres. El promedio de edad, la mediana y la moda fue de 24,9, 17 y 16 años respectivamente; la mayoría solteros y cursando bachillerato; la mayoría menores de 18 años fueron remitidos por ICBF y psiquiatría. Los patrones de abuso y dependencia representaron los porcentajes más elevados. Las sustancias más consumidas fueron marihuana, etanol y tabaco. El tratamiento para el 44,3% de los pacientes fue valoración por especialidades, seguido de básico (33,1%), y sólo 1,1% asistieron para prevención en el consumo de SPA. Discusión: Es necesario dirigir los esfuerzos y recursos a la generación de campañas de diagnóstico temprano y prevención en el consumo de SPA principalmente para la población adolescente.

The swindle crime: a necessary normative construction of its elements

The present work exposes a review about the performance of the “traditional” thesis(Naturalistic) of the swindle crime in front of the needs of the present’s Political Policy.For this system, the various frauds’ elements require a causal relationship. Today itmight be wondered whether this solution is desirable, i.e. whether respond efficientlyto the problematic assumptions that the contemporary business practices raises.

Neighborhood characteristics and the spatial concentration of crime: Evidence for Bogotá

Using a unique neighborhood crime dataset for Bogotá in 2011, this study uses a spatial econometric approach and examines the role of socioeconomic and agglomeration variables in explaining the variance of crime. It uses two different types of crime, violent crime represented in homicides and property crime represented in residential burglaries. These two types of crime are then measured in non-standard crime statistics that are created as the area incidence for each crime in the neighborhood. The existence of crime hotspots in Bogotá has been shown in most of the literature, and using these non-standard crime statistics at this neighborhood level some hotspots arise again, thus validating the use of a spatial approach for these new crime statistics. The final specification includes socioeconomic, agglomeration, land-use and visual aspect variables that are then included in a SARAR model an estimated by the procedure devised by Kelejian and Prucha (2009). The resulting coefficients and marginal effects show the relevance of these crime hotspots which is similar with most previous studies. However, socioeconomic variables are significant and show the importance of age, and education. Agglomeration variables are significant and thus more densely populated areas are correlated with more crime. Interestingly, both types of crimes do not have the same significant covariates. Education and young male population have a different sign for homicide and residential burglaries. Inequality matters for homicides while higher real estate valuation matters for residential burglaries. Finally, density impacts positively both crimes.

The crime kuznets curve

We document the existence of a Crime Kuznets Curve in US states since the 1970s. As income levels have risen, crime has followed an inverted U-shaped pattern, first increasing and then dropping. The Crime Kuznets Curve is not explained by income inequality. In fact, we show that during the sample period inequality has risen monotonically with income, ruling out the traditional Kuznets Curve. Our finding is robust to adding a large set of controls that are used in the literature to explain the incidence of crime, as well as to controlling for state and year fixed effects. The Curve is also revealed in nonparametric specifications. The Crime Kuznets Curve exists for property crime and for some categories of violent crime.

Economic shocks and crime: evidence from the crash of ponzi schemes

In November 2008, Colombian authorities dismantled a network of Ponzi schemes, making hundreds of thousands of investors lose tens of millions of dollars throughout the country. Using original data on the geographical incidence of the Ponzi schemes, this paper estimates the impact of their break down on crime. We find that the crash of Ponzi schemes differentially exacerbated crime in affected districts. Confirming the intuition of the standard economic model of crime, this effect is only present in places with relatively weak judicial and law enforcement institutions, and with little access to consumption smoothing mechanisms such as microcredit. In addition, we show that, with the exception of economically-motivated felonies such as robbery, violent crime is not affected by the negative shock.

Signal processing of microstructure profiles: integrating turbulent spatial scales in aquatic ecological modeling

The main objective of this thesis was the integration of microstructure information in synoptic descriptors of turbulence, that reflects the mixing processes. Turbulent patches are intermittent in space and time, but they represent the dominant process for mixing. In this work, the properties of turbulent patches were considered the potential input for integrating the physical microscale measurements. The development of a method for integrating the properties of the turbulent patches required solving three main questions: a) how can we detect the turbulent patches from he microstructure measurements?; b) which are the most relevant properties of the turbulent patches?; and ) once an interval of time has been selected, what kind of synoptic parameters could better reflect the occurrence and properties of the turbulent patches? The answers to these questions were the final specific objectives of this thesis.

Severidade punitiva : penas severas: um factor de dissuasão de um crime?

A justiça e a Psicologia Forense movimentam-se no mesmo terreno, o das personalidades e comportamentos humanos, no entanto, operam em campos não tão complementares quanto o necessário. O berço da investigação respeita a História e evolução da penalidade, sobrevoando posteriormente nos caminhos (en) cruzilhados entre a Psicologia e o Direito. Particularizou-se os laços que envolvem a avaliação psicológica forense e a perícia de personalidade quando pedidas em tribunal, e deslizou-se superficialmente pela ética e deontologia. A sua máxime consiste na procura de conhecimentos sobre o nível de Severidade Punitiva, em processos de menores relativos à aplicação da Lei Tutelar Educativa, sendo a adolescência uma etapa da vida onde frequentemente se cometem algumas condutas transgressivas e onde as mesmas emergem Para isso, aplicou-se um instrumento psicológico construído para o efeito, o Índice de Severidade Penalizadora e Psicologização (Criminalização Secundária – Transgressionalidades e Delinquência Juvenil (ISPP-CS-TDJ). Finalmente ousa responder à pergunta “Penas severas como factor de dissuasão de um crime?”

Metaph’ornament and crime: the sequel to the delict of the centenary of Adolf Loos’ anti-ornament indictment

Ornamento: há cem anos, de que crime se tratava? Será ainda perseguido? Será ainda castigado? Será ainda um crime? No ano do centenário do ensaio «Ornamento e Crime» de Adolf Loos, uma digressão simultaneamente histórica, teórica, cultural e fenomenológica às raízes do ornamento, e a sua transformação, do dealbar do Movimento Moderno até hoje, em algo insondável e inesperado: a metáfora.

O videoclipe victimless crime e as imagens nos videoclipes

RESUMO: No âmbito do Mestrado em Estudos Cinematográficos da Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, propôs-se a concretização de um Projecto-Tese na área do videoclipe. O projecto consiste na produção, realização e edição de um videoclipe. Victimless Crime é o nome da música, criada durante o ano de 2009 e lançada em Maio de 2010, da banda pop lisboeta Soulbizness. O resultado é um videoclipe com a duração de três minutos e vinte e seis segundos, que entende a possibilidade de uma utilização real. Na componente teórica procede-se ao estudo do videoclipe enquanto formato audiovisual e suas especificidades. Segue-se a análise de Victimless Crime, através do Modelo de Análise proposto por Francisco J. G. Tarín, assente em três vectores essenciais: Análise Textual; Análise de Recursos Expressivos e Narrativos; e Interpretação. ABSTRACT: Within the scope of the MFA in Cinematography at the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, a thesis project was proposed in the field of music video. The project consists of producing, directing and editing a music video for the song Victimless Crime, created in 2009 and released in May 2010 by the Lisbon-based pop band Soulbizness. The result is a three minute, twenty-three second music video, complete and ready to be released. The project also includes a theoretical component, consisting of a general review of the music video as an audiovisual format and its characteristics, followed by an analysis of Victimless Crime, as per the Analysis Model proposed by Francisco J. G. Tarín, which is based on three main topics: Textual Analysis; Narrative Analysis and Expressive Language Analysis; and Interpretation.