Development of a harmonized method for the profiling of amphetamines. I. Synthesis of standards and compilation of analytical data

Reference material was synthesised for 21 substances that are frequently present as synthetic impurities, i.e. by-products, in illicitly produced amphetamine. Each of these substances is a typical by-product for at least one of the three approaches most often used to synthesise amphetamine, namely, the Leuckart, the reductive amination of benzyl methyl ketone, and the nitrostyrene routes. A large body of data on the substances was recorded, including the following: mass spectra, ultraviolet spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, infrared spectra in gas phase, and 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra.     

Development of a harmonized method for the profiling of amphetamines. II. Stability of impurities in organic solvents

The present study focused on the stability of 22 amphetamine impurities dissolved in six organic solvents: isooctane, toluene, ethanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and diethyl ether. The aim was to find the most inert, and thereby most suitable, solvent for amphetamine profiling. Mixtures of the impurities were prepared in the different solvents, and changes in the concentrations of the individual compounds over-time were monitored by gas chromatographic analysis after 0, 4, 12, 24, 48, and 96 h. Isooctane and toluene provided the most inert conditions, although, a few of the impurities were insufficiently stable in these two solvents. The present experiments were performed as a part of the development of a harmonized method for profiling of amphetamine. The results can be used to support the choice of organic solvents for sample preparation. They also provide information about the stability of the impurities that are found in profiles of illicit amphetamine. This is essential due to the fact, that unstable compounds can have a negative influence on the comparison of profiles.     

A tide that does not lift all boats: the surge of remittances in post-disaster recovery in Tacloban City,Philippines

For the last forty years, remittances have been a lifeline for some Filipinos in times of crisis as well as everyday life. So, it was no surprise when the media and nongovernmental organizations credited the Philippine diaspora with playing a significant role in post-disaster recovery after Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda struck in 2013. While remittances poured in after this disaster, they were differently experienced, had different impacts, and led to uneven post-disaster outcomes. This article highlights the class-based inequalities that structure access to and mobilization of remittances after post-disaster recovery. We compare the experiences of middle- and lower-class households in three communities heavily affected by Haiyan in Tacloban City, Philippines, to investigate who benefitted and who was excluded from remittances in this post-disaster recovery. The findings of the case study shed light on wider issues of poverty, class, and vulnerability in the Philippines.     

Book reviews

Justin Rosenberg, The Empire of Civil Society. A Critique of the Realist Theory of International Relations, Verso Books, London, 1994, 224 pp, £12.95, ISBN 0 86091 607 3 (pbk). Also hbk ISBN 0 86091 442 9, £39.95.

Cable, Vincent and Henderson David (eds), Trade Blocs? The Future of Regional Integration, Royal Institute of International Affairs, London, 1994, 198 pp, £9.95, ISBN 0 905031 81 4 (pbk).

Marian A. L. Miller, The Third World in Global Environmental Politics, Open University Press, Buckingham, 1995, 181 pp, £13.99, ISBN 0 335 19500 8 (pbk). Also hbk ISBN 0 335 19501, £40.00.

Javed Siddiqi, World Health And World Politics. The World Health Organization and the U.N. System, Hurst and Company, London, 1995, 272 pages, £32.50, ISBN 1 85065 205 8(hbk).

Donald M. Snow and Eugene Brown, Puzzle Palaces and Foggy Bottom. U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy‐Making in the 1990s, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1994, 284 pp, £14.95, ISBN 0 312 08654 7 (pbk). Also hbk ISBN 0 312 10268 2.

Desmond Dinan, Ever Closer Union? An Introduction to the European Community, Macmillan Press, Houndmills, 1994, 533 pp, £12.99, ISBN 0 333 61687 1 (pbk).

Christine Chinkin, Third Parties in International Law, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993, 422 pp, £45.00, ISBN O 19 825715 5 (hbk).

Mohamed Munavvar, Ocean States: Archipelagic Regimes in the Law of the Sea, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London, 1995, 240 pp, ISBN 0 7923 2882 5(hbk).     

What is the Future of the Federation?

Federalism has proved enduring in Australia, despite predictions of its imminent demise. Yet new challenges of internationalism and social movements are cutting across old political boundaries and eroding the sovereign nation state. This article, which draws on ideas developed at length in my recent book A Federal Republic: Australia's Constitutional System of Government (Cambridge University Press, 1995), argues that the characteristics of federalism may prove surprisingly compatible with social and international trends.     

Australian Federalism and the Debate Over a Bill of Rights

Successive Australian Labor governments have tried to nationalizestandards for the protection of rights either by means of astatutory bill binding on the states under the Commonwealth'smuch expanded external affairs power, or by further entrenchingspecific rights in the Constitution. All these attempts havefailed for a variety of political and constitutional reasonsincluding, importantly, the strength of Australia's establishedsystem of federalism and parliamentary responsible government.The article examines the constitutional issues underlying thedebate over a bill of rights for Australia, arguing that Labor'sattempts to implement a bill of rights have been inspired bya preference for more centralized government whereas the defeatof such initiatives indicates, the established strength of Australianfederalism.     

改说“下次”

朋友送我一盆澳洲杜鹃。这盆花刚到我家的时候,枝叶茂盛,开满了粉红的花朵。我很精心地养它,每天按时浇水,端到窗前去晒太阳。令我高兴的是,它越来越茂盛,有一次竟然同时开出了33朵花。过了大约几个月,我注意到,它好像没有以前那么旺盛了,花开得越来越少,有时候好几天才开出两朵花。于是我很着急,不知道是不是因为我的失误把花养坏了?我去找送我花的朋友,想问问她有没有什么挽救的办法。朋友让我放宽心,说:这是正常规律。每一种植物都会经历不同阶段,成熟、孕育、开花,周而复始,然后枯萎、死亡。这盆花,刚刚经过了开花期,现在它需要休养、孕…     

Horizontal coordination in cooperative federalism: The purpose of ministerial conferences in Germany

ABSTRACT

Intergovernmental councils in Germany comprise 18 sectoral ministerial conferences and the prime ministerial conference as peak organization. They complement the Bundesrat as institutions of Intergovernmental Relations in the German system of cooperative federalism, dealing with matters of shared rule as well as self-rule. Based on expert interviews among ministerial bureaucrats, this contribution finds that contrary to conventional wisdom, vertical influence and autonomy protection are not their main purpose. Rather, they serve primarily information exchange and coordination. Still, the emphasis on either influence and autonomy protection or coordination and information as well as the directions of interaction vary across policy sectors. We further investigate constitutional allocation of power and party political composition as determinants on the specific purpose of ministerial conferences. The findings suggest that the allocation of power is more important than party political composition in explaining variation between sectoral ministerial conferences.