Operational Agencies Research Articles

Legality - Theory and Practice

Legality is a multifaceted, complex legal phenomenon. This phenomenon is central to legal theory and can be considered from many different aspects: political - ideological, economic - social, ethical, and legal. Law is the method of organizing and exercising state power, the principles of organization and operation of agencies, organizations, officials, civil servants, and the behavior of individuals. Today, under the impact of the market economy, misconducts, corruption, and legal violations tend to increase, so it is necessary to apply synchronous solutions to strengthen the legality

ІННОВАЦІЙНІ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКІ ПРАКТИКИ ДИДЖИТАЛІЗАЦІЇ ЯК КЛЮЧОВИЙ ЧИННИК ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ В УМОВАХ ГЛОБАЛЬНИХ ВИКЛИКІВ

The purpose of the article is to develop a concept for implementing innovative European digitalization practices as a key factor in ensuring socio-economic security in the context of global challenges. Using the methods of risk-oriented approach, system analysis and modelling, the ways of using innovative European digitalization practices are considered. Research results: 1. The problems that arise in the modern analysis of the relationship between digitalization and socio-economic security are diagnosed. 2. The directions of technology development that can significantly improve socio-economic security are analyzed. Global challenges, such as pandemics, economic crises, and climate change, can significantly affect the processes of digitalization and their impact on socio-economic security. The scientific novelty of the study is that European digitalization practices are an important tool in ensuring socio-economic security in the face of global challenges, and therefore it is important to explore the latest approaches that can be offered for sustainable development.It has been proven that AI can analyze large amounts of data to predict economic crises, natural disasters, or social conflicts, allowing governments and companies to prepare for possible challenges in advance; using AI to optimize production, logistics, and resource management helps reduce costs and increase economic resilience. Cloud solutions provide access to important resources and services from anywhere in the world, which ensures the uninterrupted operation of businesses and government agencies in case of emergencies. Cloud platforms provide effective management of large amounts of data, which is necessary for strategic decision-making. The practical significance of the study is to overcome key challenges and use opportunities for further implementation of innovative European digitalization practices as a key factor in ensuring socio-economic security in the face of global challenges. The use of innovative European practices has a significant potential to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs but requires taking into account possible risks and challenges.

USA CIA activity in the western part of USSR. Declissified archives and possibilities to research history of post war Lithuania

Since the beginning of the guerrilla fights, since the Atlantic Charter, there has been a general belief that ‘America supports us’. Although the operations of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were classified as ‘secret’, the facts of cooperation with the secret services of Europe and the United States were well-known in the relevant circles of the diaspora. Although the CIA operations were a well-known fact from the very beginning, there is almost no information in Lithuanian historiography about their nature, specifics and details. The reconstruction of the resistance organisations’ links or cooperation with the Western secret services has so far mainly relied on two groups of sources: the personal archives of diaspora figures and, to some extent, the documents of Soviet repressive structures. There is almost nothing about US military plans or preparations for war, although there are various considerations of ‘war hopes’, ‘high’ or ‘futile’, sometimes equivalent to the terminology of the ‘war myth’.

Verification of Tropical Cyclogenesis Forecasts of the Korean Integrated Model for 2020–21

Abstract Accurate tropical cyclogenesis (TCG) prediction is important because it allows national operational forecasting agencies to issue timely warnings and implement effective disaster prevention measures. In 2020, the Korea Meteorological Administration employed a self-developed operational model called the Korean Integrated Model (KIM). In this study, we verified KIM’s TCG forecast skill over the western North Pacific. Based on 9-day forecasts, TCG in the model was objectively detected and classified as well-predicted, early formation, late formation, miss, or false alarm by comparing their formation times and locations with those of 46 tropical cyclones (TCs) from June to November in 2020–21 documented by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The prediction of large-scale environmental conditions relevant to TCG was also evaluated. The results showed that the probability of KIM detection was comparable to or better than that of previously reported statistics of other numerical weather prediction models. The intrabasin comparison revealed that the probability of detection in the Philippine Sea was the highest, followed by the South China Sea and central Pacific. The best TCG prediction performance in the Philippine Sea was supported by unbiased forecasts in large-scale environments. The missed and false alarm cases in all three regions had the largest prediction biases in the large-scale lower-tropospheric relative vorticity. Excessive false alarms may be associated with prediction biases in the vertical gradient of equivalent potential temperature within the boundary layer. This study serves as a primary guide for national forecasters and is useful to model developers for further refinement of KIM.

The nonlinear impact of climate change on inland waterway transportation in the Upper Mississippi—Illinois River Region

The U.S. inland waterway system has played a critical role in promoting economic growth by efficiently transporting agricultural and manufacturing commodities along major riverine systems, such as the Mississippi River. However, the system faces escalating challenges due to the growing disruptions caused by climate change. For instance, the drought of the Mississippi River during the fall of 2022 resulted in an unprecedented increase in barge shipping rates. While the industry generally recognizes that climate change can significantly impact agricultural supply chains, it remains unclear how various environmental factors, including changes in water levels and temperature, affect inland waterway operations. This study aims to fill this research gap by conducting an empirical assessment of the impact of climate change-related factors on the operations of the inland waterway system in the Upper Mississippi—Illinois River Region. Unlike previous studies using conventional regression analysis, this study investigates the nonlinear relationship between changes in barge shipping rates and various environmental factors using the Gradient Boosting Decision Trees machine-learning method. Our analysis identifies the 29 ft gage height as a pivotal threshold influencing barge rates; rates tend to rise as the gage height decreases, and surpassing this threshold can also lead to increased shipping rates. This new approach enhances the model’s predictive capacity, allowing for a better understanding of the nonlinear effects of climate change on barge rates and productivity. It also enables planners and operational agencies to better understand the uncertainty of environmental conditions on the variations in barge rates and productivity performance. These findings provide valuable insights for decision-makers to understand the threshold effect of environmental conditions on inland waterway operations and facilitate the creation of effective adaptive strategies to mitigate future risks and consequences of climate change-induced disruptions.

Financial aspects of the functioning of executive agencies in Poland

Public tasks are carried out by entities forming the public finance sector. The article focuses on executive agencies and has been limited to the financial aspects of their functioning. The aim of the study is to determine the sources of financing of executive agencies operating in Poland and the share of subsidies from the state budget in them. The comparative descriptive analysis method was used in the study. The first part of the article is theoretical in nature. It presents the general principles of financial management of executive agencies as well as the specificity of the operation of individual agencies and the sources of their revenues. In the empirical part, the financial data of executive agencies for the years 2020-2022 was analysed. The total financial condition of the study group should be assessed positively. The analysis of the generated revenues, including subsidies from the state budget and the financial result, showed a significant differentiation of this group of public finance sector entities in the examined area.

Evaluating rail transit assignment models in the temporal dimension: The problem and its solution

Passenger flow is the foundation for urban rail transit (URT) operations. However, its calculated results from assignment models may deviate from the actual situation in both spatial and temporal dimensions, which arouses more attention and needs to be evaluated in particular. On the other hand, onboard video data from URT trains provides a potential way for model evaluation. This study defines the evaluation problem and proposes a methodological solution for evaluating rail transit assignment models in the temporal dimension, including qualitative validation and difference quantification. A suitable time granularity is determined for the best effectiveness and onboard video data is used for actual passenger flow extraction. The gap between the actual and the calculated by the model is identified with nonparametric statistical techniques (NPSTs) and quantified with time series similarity measurement (TSSM) methods. A case study on the Shanghai metro demonstrates the performance of the proposed approach, and several practice implications for URT operation agencies are also discussed.

Prehospital Care for Persons Experiencing Homelessness: A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Challenges, Experiences, and Perspectives of Operational EMS Agency Medical Directors

Objective Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) are among the most vulnerable populations and experience significant health disparities. Nationally, PEH utilize Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at disproportionately higher rates than their housed peers. Developing optimal strategies to care for PEH has become critically important. However, limited data exists on best practices, challenges, and experiences of providing care to PEH. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences, challenges and perspectives of operational EMS agency medical directors in Los Angeles (LA) County as they confront the homelessness crisis. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey of 9-1-1 operational EMS agency medical directors in LA County, which has one of the largest populations of PEH nationally. Twenty-nine 9-1-1 operational EMS agencies operate in LA County. The link to an anonymous, web-based survey examining documentation, training, resources, operational impact, and care challenges was emailed to medical directors with three reminders during the study period (4/19/2023-9/15/2023). Results Three quarters (75.9%; 22/29) of operational EMS agencies responded to the survey, with all questions answered in 69% (20/29) of surveys. Of these, 68.2% (15/22) of agencies document housing status and 75% (15/20) agreed or strongly agreed that homelessness presents operational challenges. No operational EMS agency reported adequate EMS clinician training on homelessness. Operational EMS agencies most commonly utilized domestic violence resources (43%, 9/21), social services (38%, 8/21), and law enforcement (38%, 8/21) services to assist PEH. Referrals were limited by accessibility (86%, 18/21), time (52%, 11/21), lack of awareness (52% 11/21) and lack of mandates (52%, 11/21). All operational EMS agencies agreed or strongly agreed that mental health and substance use disorders are major issues for PEH. The most common daily challenges reported were mental health (55%, 11/20), substance use (55%, 11/20), and patient resistance (35%, 7/20). Conclusion In LA County, EMS agencies experience important operational and clinical challenges in caring for PEH, with limited resources, minimal training, and high rates of substance use disorders and mental health comorbidities. Further prehospital research is essential to standardize documentation of housing status, to identify areas for intervention, increase linkage to services, and define best practices.

AN ASSESSMNENT OF THE RESPONSE OF SECUIRTY INSTITUTION TO CONFLICT AND SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Nigeria has been struggling with several challenges, such as insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and so on, in a bid to attain the desired national development goal. These issues have, however, continued to affect all efforts geared toward national development. The goal of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of our security agencies in response to security challenges in our country, which could gingered national development. To achieve this purpose, the paper relied on documented sources to assess the responses and challenges associated with the operations of the security agencies in the countries. The findings of the research show that the insecurity agencies have not been effective in performing their tasks due to poor funding, poor recruitment and training processes, and corruption in the system, among others. The paper recommends, among others, that leadership at all institutional levels are central to building responses to security challenges. Therefore, Nigeria will have to develop visionary leadership, a leadership that is detribalized and free from corruption that can channel the necessary resources to strengthen the security institutions response to insecurity issues in the country. This will create an enabling environment for developmental activities to take palace effectively.

Aid Fragmentation and Corruption

Aid Fragmentation and Corruption

Tours and Travel Management System

The travel industry is witnessing a significant transformation driven by advancements in cloud computing technologies. In this context, the project "Intelligent Tours and Travel Management System on Salesforce" endeavors to leverage the robust capabilities of the Salesforce platform to revolutionize travel agency operations. By centralizing critical information and automating routine tasks, the system aims to enhance operational efficiency and elevate customer experiences. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the project, including its objectives, methodology, anticipated outcomes, and potential impact on the travel industry

Electronic public service delivery: progress and challenges in Bangladesh

PurposeThe paper aims to examine the state of electronic service delivery in Bangladesh. It reviews the structure and operation of the “e-service” centers at the district, sub-district (upazila), and union levels by taking an inventory and assessing their contributions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review of the functions and operations of the service delivery agencies with reference to the claims made by the government. It is based on secondary materials obtained from academic studies, government documents, relevant websites, and media reports.FindingsElectronic delivery of public services in Bangladesh has not been effective as planned. There are issues regarding channels of communication, the competence of public officials, human and financial resources, and political will to support the agencies delivering public services.Originality/valueThe paper examines the arrangements, practices, and problems of delivery of public services in Bangladesh through e-service centers at the local levels to determine the progress and potentials of employing digital technology for addressing problems. It proposes the strategy for public service delivery by using digital technology in the country.

A framework enabling LLMs into regulatory environment for transparency and trustworthiness and its application to drug labeling document

Regulatory agencies consistently deal with extensive document reviews, ranging from product submissions to both internal and external communications. Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can be invaluable tools for these tasks, however present several challenges, particularly the proprietary information, combining customized function with specific review needs, and transparency and explainability of the model's output. Hence, a localized and customized solution is imperative.To tackle these challenges, we formulated a framework named askFDALabel on FDA drug labeling documents that is a crucial resource in the FDA drug review process. AskFDALabel operates within a secure IT environment and comprises two key modules: a semantic search and a Q&A/text-generation module. The Module S built on word embeddings to enable comprehensive semantic queries within labeling documents. The Module T utilizes a tuned LLM to generate responses based on references from Module S. As the result, our framework enabled small LLMs to perform comparably to ChatGPT with as a computationally inexpensive solution for regulatory application.To conclude, through AskFDALabel, we have showcased a pathway that harnesses LLMs to support agency operations within a secure environment, offering tailored functions for the needs of regulatory research.

Initial Stage of Deliberate Murder Investigation Motivated by Racial, National or Religious Intolerance

The Article Purpose is to specify peculiarities of the initial investigation stage of deliberate murder motivated by racial, national or religious intolerance. To fulfil this goal, the author uses general scientific and special research methods: analysis, synthesis; formal-logical; logical-legal; legal analysis. The author studies into peculiarities of the initial investigation stage of deliberate murder driven by racial, national or religious intolerance. Emphasis is made on the importance of identifying typical investigative situations at the initial investigation stage, where specific investigative (detective) actions are taken to collect information, identify signs of a crime and develop investigative leads. At this investigation stage, forensic experts solve specific tasks, assess investigative situation, identify sources of information, determine investigation direction, plan interaction with operational agencies, and collect information about crime circumstances, the victim, and the suspect. The author notes the difficulty of determining the motive of intolerance at the initial stage and the possibility of changing criminal law qualification in the course of pre-trial investigation. The paper highlights the necessity for thorough investigation at the initial stage, especially during the development of forensic methodology, to distinguish murders based on intolerance from other types of murders. It has been established that urgent investigative (search) actions at this stage are: inspecting crime scene, interrogating witnesses, and appointing and conducting forensic examinations. Classification of investigative situations based on the sources of initiation of pre-trial investigation and information components serves as the basis for efficient investigation planning.

Совершенствование системы обучения персонала на туристическом предприятии

In the modern world tourism enterprises require specialists with a knowledge base and practical skills and abilities to work with clients. Over the past decade there has been a tendency to consolidate tour operator and travel agency networks, which causes a high demand for managers in the tourism sector. On the other hand, in order to be successful in this profession an employee must have a set of competencies and other qualities. Every year the list of requirements for candidates for this position is updated with new qualities and skills, among which employers indicate as mandatory the availability of higher education in the field of tourism, as well as work experience in this area. The purpose of this article is to study the theoretical aspects of recruitment and training of personnel at a tourism enterprise and to develop an internship program for new employees. An internship can be one of the forms of employment for university graduates. To date internships at enterprises in the tourism industry are considered one of the most productive methods of training qualified personnel.

Joint optimization of headway and number of stops for bilateral bus rapid transit.

The bilateral Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is a kind of BRT system in which the stops are located in the middle of the transit lane. By simultaneously serving transit lines in opposite directions, it is particularly designed to save space resources and enhance service quality. To improve the operational efficiency of the bilateral BRT, this paper optimizes the operational performance of bilateral BRT with elastic demand. The objective is to minimize the generalized time cost per passenger of the system by jointly optimizing the headway and number of stops of bilateral BRT. The cost includes the agency operating and user travel. The optimal design model is formulated as a mixed-integer program and solved using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and a genetic algorithm (GA). We conduct a case study and sensitivity analysis to show the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed approach. We conclude that the optimized minimum generalized cost per passenger is lower than the actual case for all demand levels, especially at off-peak hours, by about 22.5%. In addition, we find that the weights of agency and user costs have the most significant impact on headway, whereas the influence of walking, vehicle speed, and route length is minimal. In contrast, the optimal number of BRT stops is mostly influenced by the route length, and walking speed has essentially no effect on the optimal number of stops. Finally, we find that the generalized cost per passenger at peak hours is 10% to 15% smaller than at off-peak hours in various scenarios.

Measuring insecticide resistance in a vacuum: exploring next steps to link resistance data with mosquito control efficacy.

Insecticide resistance is a great challenge facing mosquito operational control agencies across the United States, where few active ingredients with unique modes of action are available for use, increasing resistance pressure and further hampering resistance management strategies. Emergence and expansion of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes can be detected by resistance monitoring programs; however, there are gaps in our knowledge regarding the link between resistance bioassay results and operational control outcomes. Here, we review both public health and agricultural studies on pesticide resistance bioassays and control outcomes. A discussion on the main gaps in our knowledge of insecticide resistance and a review of resistance management practices is also presented. We conclude with research questions that can advance our understanding of resistance monitoring and control.

Synthesis of historical reservoir operations from 1980 to 2020 for the evaluation of reservoir representation in large-scale hydrologic models

Abstract. All the major river systems in the contiguous United States (CONUS) (and many in the world) are impacted by dams, yet reservoir operations remain difficult to quantify and model due to a lack of data. Reservoir operation data are often inaccessible or distributed across many local operating agencies, making the acquisition and processing of data records quite time-consuming. As a result, large-scale models often rely on simple parameterizations for assumed reservoir operations and have a very limited ability to evaluate how well these approaches match actual historical operations. Here, we use the first national dataset of historical reservoir operations in the CONUS domain, ResOpsUS, to analyze reservoir storage trends and operations in more than 600 major reservoirs across the US. Our results show clear regional differences in reservoir operations. In the eastern US, which is dominated by flood control storage, we see storage peaks in the winter months with sharper decreases in the operational range (i.e., the difference between monthly maximum and minimum storage) in the summer. In the more arid western US where storage is predominantly for irrigation, we find that storage peaks during the spring and summer with increases in the operational range during the summer months. The Lower Colorado region is an outlier because its seasonal storage dynamics more closely mirrored those of flood control basins, yet the region is classified as arid, and most reservoirs have irrigation uses. Consistent with previous studies, we show that average annual reservoir storage has decreased over the past 40 years, although our analyses show a much smaller decrease than previous work. The reservoir operation characterizations presented here can be used directly for development or evaluation of reservoir operations and their derived parameters in large-scale models. We also evaluate how well historical operations match common assumptions that are often applied in large-scale reservoir parameterizations. For example, we find that 100 dams have maximum storage values greater than the reported reservoir capacity from the Global Reservoirs and Dams database (GRanD). Finally, we show that operational ranges have been increasing over time in more arid regions and decreasing in more humid regions, pointing to the need for operating policies which are not solely based on static values.

Knowledge and Use of the 2011 Freedom of Information Act among Journalists in Nigeria

This study examined the knowledge and use of the 2011 Freedom of Information Act among journalists in Nigeria. The hierarchy of influences model provided the theoretical lens, which guided the study. Through a survey of 313 Nigerian journalists, the study found that there was a high level of knowledge of the Act among Nigerian journalists. Nigerian journalists perceived the Act as a useful journalistic tool, and they often used it for such purposes as confirming facts, writing controversial topics and to gain insight into the inner working of government. The study showed that, in the use of the Act in journalistic duties, Nigerian journalists were confronted with the challenges of non-integration of the provisions of the Act in the operations of government agencies, adversarial disposition of government institutions towards journalists and the pervasive culture of secrecy. The study established that knowledge of the Act positively correlated with its use. The implications of the findings were discussed.

Marriages of love and convenience: The French dating market and the revolution of romantic love (19th-20th century)

ABSTRACT Did love conquer marriage between the 19th and 20th centuries in France? Does a personal choice imply a free choice? To date, no study has had access to sources that are both numerous and sufficiently stable over the vast period of the 19th and 20th centuries to allow a comprehensive examination of the simultaneous emergence of the love marriage norm and its impact on spouse selection. This paper sets out specifically to explore the issues of spouse selection and the eco-intimate changes in marriages, highlighting the evolution of the love marriage norm, using the archives of matrimonial agencies and advertisements from the 19th and 20th centuries. While the writings of the time debated the merits of marrying for money versus marrying for love, the dating market was serving a bourgeois clientele in search of homogamy. The study of agency operations shows how these marriages first unite two families and two heritages from the same milieu. This good match is seen as a necessary condition for mutual affection. When, in the 20th century, matrimonial ads more systematically enabled individuals to search for their spouse themselves, without the help of their family, these economic stakes did not disappear, but underwent a significant evolution. They are now put on the same level as moral and physical criteria. While homogamy was still preferred, it was no longer considered the only condition for a happy union.