Source Of Threat Research Articles

The Role of the Police in the Protection of Critical Infrastructure in COVID Pandemic Conditions in the Republic North Macedonia

The main feature of the modern world is the technical-technological expansion in all spheres of social life, including the institutions of the system. Along with the technical-technological development, the sources of risks and threats, i.e. the way they act, are also changing.
 Conventional weapons are no longer the primary threat to the Republic of North Macedonia, but sophisticated malicious attacks on critical infrastructure, COVID 19 pandemic pose a real challenge to the security sector and are the highest national priority of the Government.
 In the Republic of North Macedonia, the police is a basic pillar that guarantees the safety of citizens, their property and the property of the state. Having in mind the security function of the police, it is included and guarantees the security of many state facilities that are of national interest and is also facing the challenge of providing the necessary level of security for the normal functioning of the state or citizens in conditions of COVID 19 pandemic.

Unmanned aerial vehicles as a source of threats to the state’s electricity supply infrastructure and the proposed methods of protecting this infrastructure

Unmanned aerial vehicles pose a threat to objects important to national security. Their versatility, resulting from the characteristics of individual types of aircraft, means that the scale of their use in attacks is virtually unlimited. The electricity supply system is extremely important for state security. Due to the vastness of transmission networks and a significant number of node points of these networks, the question should be asked to what extent this system is resistant to terrorist attacks, especially those carried out with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. In this paper, the author analyses an attack consisting in causing a short circuit of the electrical system with the use of a copper wire suspended under an unmanned aerial vehicle. The implementation of the recommended protection methods described in the paper should lead to an increased level of safety of transmission networks.

Unmanned aerial vehicles as a source of threats to the state’s electricity supply infrastructure and the proposed methods of protecting this infrastructure

Unmanned aerial vehicles pose a threat to objects important to national security. Their versatility, resulting from the characteristics of individual types of aircraft, means that the scale of their use in attacks is virtually unlimited. The electricity supply system is extremely important for state security. Due to the vastness of transmission networks and a significant number of node points of these networks, the question should be asked to what extent this system is resistant to terrorist attacks, especially those carried out with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. In this paper, the author analyses an attack consisting in causing a short circuit of the electrical system with the use of a copper wire suspended under an unmanned aerial vehicle. The implementation of the recommended protection methods described in the paper should lead to an increased level of safety of transmission networks.

The Securitization of ‘Chinese Influence’ in Australia

ABSTRACT This article traces the emergence of ‘Chinese influence’ as a conceptual touchstone of Australia’s public policy discourse in 2017–2018. The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) efforts to influence politics abroad had been well documented since the 2000s and cannot explain the timing of their securitization from mid-2017. It was through the formation of a securitizing coalition of intelligence officials, politicians, and journalists that the PRC as a source of existential threats gained policy traction. But as the coalition expanded from security agencies to politicians and the media, the scope of the threat expanded from an initial concern with PRC party-state activity to the securitization of a much wider array of state and non-state activities under the ambiguous label ‘Chinese influence.

Effects of Oilfield Chemicals, Herbicides, Pesticides and other Pollutants on Fisheries Resources in Nigeria

Crude oil exploration and exploitation is the major source of income or revenue generation for the Federal Government of Nigeria. Agriculture also forms a substantial part of the economic stability of the country. However, oil field chemicals used in crude oil exploration, herbicides and pesticides used for agricultural purposes, and other anthropogenic pollutants that are eventually released into the aquatic environment constitute serious sources of threat to the growth, survival, and productivity of fisheries resources. This review paper identified the impacts of these substances on fish, including growth inhibition, increased chromosome aberrations in cell roots, increased fungal biomass, and mortality. Recommendations arising from this review include proper disposal of oilfield chemical wastes, enhanced use of biological and mechanical pesticides/herbicides control methods as against the use of the chemicals, which helps to reduce the amount of these substances released into the aquatic environment, and direct remediation of the impacted environment. When implemented, these recommendations are expected to ultimately improve fish growth, survival, and productivity.

Perceptions of the Targets and Sources of COVID-19 Threat are Structured by Group Memberships and Responses are Influenced by Identification with Humankind.

The purpose of this study was to investigate which social groups are perceived as a threat target and which are perceived as a threat source during the COVID-19 outbreak. In a German sample (N = 1454) we examined perceptions of social groups ranging from those that are psychologically close and smaller (family, friends, neighbors) to those that are more distal and larger (people living in Germany, humankind). We hypothesized that psychologically closer groups would be perceived as less affected by COVID-19 as well as less threatening than more psychologically distal groups. Based on social identity theorizing, we also hypothesized that stronger identification with humankind would change these patterns. Furthermore, we explored how these threat perceptions relate to adherence to COVID-19 health guidelines. In line with our hypotheses, latent random-slope modelling revealed that psychologically distal and larger groups were perceived as more affected by COVID-19 and as more threatening than psychologically closer and smaller groups. Including identification with humankind as a predictor into the threat target model resulted in a steeper increase in threat target perception patterns, whereas identification with humankind did not predict differences in threat source perceptions. Additionally, an increase in threat source perceptions across social groups was associated with more adherence to health guidelines, whereas an increase in threat target perceptions was not. We fully replicated these findings in a subgroup from the original sample (N = 989) four weeks later. We argue that societal recovery from this and other crises will be supported by an inclusive approach informed by a sense of our common identity as human beings.

Policy Effects of Ecological Red Lines on Industrial Upgrading and Health Promotion: Evidence From China Based on DID Model.

The implementation of the Ecological Red Lines (ERL) policy in China is under the background that natural resources have been immoderately exploited for serving rapid economic growth in the last 40 years, where the ecosystem's degradation happened and people's health could be affected. As the secondary industry is the contribution source of rapid growth as well as the threat source that threatens the natural environment and public health, the delimitation of ERL can act as a legal restriction that forces the industries to control the emissions and to upgrade the industrial composition. This paper conducts an ex-post policy evaluation on the improvement effects of industrial structure and residents' health and through ERL's pilot scheme in four provinces of China. By using the difference-in-differences (DID) method, the estimation results show that: (1) The industrial upgrading effect exists but to a small extent, as the ERL policy has generally elevated the tertiary industry's output by only 0.033% and hardly shown any promotion effects on the ratio of the tertiary industry to secondary industry; (2) The residents' health has been significantly improved by 1.029% after ERL policy on the whole, and enhanced over time mostly; (3) The health promotion effects are similar among three out of the four pilot provinces, whereas the industrial upgrading effects performed large heterogeneities among the four. These empirical results may provide references for the wider extension of ERL policy with more practical execution solutions in developing economies.

A Culture-Based Study of Micromycetes Isolated from the Urban Nests of Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) in SW Poland.

Simple SummaryFungi inhabiting bird nests may pose a serious threat to living organisms. Therefore, the main goal of the study was to identify cultivable fungi in the nest of grey heron (Ardea cinerea) located near the city centre of Wrocław (Poland). Overall, 10 different fungal species were obtained which were both cosmopolitan and potentially hazardous to humans, homoiothermous animals and plants. The greatest number of fungal species was obtained from the nest fragments with visible fungal growth, and the least from western conifer seed bugs (Leptoglossus occidentalis) inhabiting the nests. The damp chamber allowed isolation of Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium coprophilum, and P. griseofulvum as directly related to the occurrence of visible fungal growth on plant fragments of grey heron nests.There are many positive relationships between micromycetes and birds: They can spread fungal spores, and fungi facilitate cavity woodpecker excavation by preparing and modifying excavation sites. In turn, bird nests are mainly a source of potentially zoopathogenic fungi. The Wrocław city centre hosts the biggest grey heron breeding colony in Poland with at least 240 breeding birds pairs. To assess the possible public health risks associated with bird nests, the goal of the present study was to identify cultivable fungi present in the nests of grey herons (Ardea cinerea) in Wrocław. Additionally, attempts were made to determine whether the obtained species of fungi may pose a potential threat to animal health. Fungi were cultured at 23 and 37 ± 0.5 °C, and identified based on phenotypic and genotypic traits. Moreover, during routine inspection, visible fungal growth in some of the nests was found. Overall, 10 different fungal species were obtained in the study (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, Botryotrichum piluliferum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Epicoccum layuense, Mucor circinelloides, M. hiemalis, Penicillium atramentosum, P. coprophilum, and P. griseofulvum). They are both cosmopolitan species and a source of potential threat to humans, homoiothermous animals and plants. The greatest number of fungal species was obtained from the nest fragments with visible fungal growth incubated at 23 °C, and the least from western conifer seed bugs (Leptoglossus occidentalis) inhabiting the nests. The species such as A. fumigatus, P. coprophilum, and P. griseofulvum can be directly related to the occurrence of visible fungal growth on plant fragments of grey heron’s nests.

Effects of Land Use/Cover on Regional Habitat Quality under Different Geomorphic Types Based on InVEST Model

Research on habitat quality change is of great significance for regional ecological security. Analysis of spatiotemporal change of habitat quality based on different geomorphic types can restore the background of ecological environment in historical periods and provide scientific support for revealing the evolution law of regional ecological environment quality and ecological restoration. This study aimed to identify the change in habitat quality under different geomorphic types from 1995 to 2018. Based on DEM data, geomorphic types of different scales were divided. The InVEST habitat quality model was used to analyze the spatiotemporal change in habitat quality in individual land use types in the Altay region. The spatiotemporal changes and main influencing factors of habitat quality under the background of different geomorphic types were explored. Remote sensing data was used to analyze the land use/cover changes. Sixteen threat sources, their maximum distance of impact, mode of decay, and sensitivity to threats were also estimated for each land use type. The results showed that habitat quality decreased significantly in 2015, which was related to the rapid expansion of cultivated and construction land as threat sources, as well as the decrease of forestland and grassland as sensitive factors. However, habitat quality improved significantly in 2018, because of the implementation of ecological restoration policy in 2015. Affected by elevation and topographic relief, the geomorphic type with the best habitat quality index was the large undulating middle mountain (0.927) and the worst was the medium altitude platform (0.351). Woodland contributed the most to habitat quality in large undulating middle mountain (35.07), and bare rock gravel land contributed the most to medium altitude platform (127.68). Habitat quality of different geomorphic types showed obvious spatial aggregation, and from high altitude to low altitude showed a banded ladder-like distribution. Changes in habitat quality during the past three decades suggested that the conservation and restoration strategies applied in regional ecosystem were effective. On the basis of the analysis results, four types of zoning management schemes were divided, and the ecological management and conservation measures were put forward. Therefore, this study can help decision makers, especially regarding the lack of data on biodiversity.

A Historical Intervention in the “Opportunity Wars”: Forgotten Scholarship, the Discovery/Creation Disruption, and Moving Forward by Looking Backward

There are two battles at the heart of the “opportunity wars”: (1) Are opportunities discovered or created, and (2) Should we perhaps abandon the opportunity concept altogether? We argue that the first question is a pseudo-question, made possible by the loose use of “opportunity” in the discovery/creation debate during the last two decades. However, we refrain from going so far as to conclude that the opportunity concept should be abandoned altogether, since we observe that strategy and entrepreneurship scholarship prior to the 2000s made a more meaningful use of the concept. It alluded to the environmental conditions necessary for the actualization of desirable futures and hardly ever questioned the agent-independence of such conditions. Accordingly, we maintain that the opportunity concept should simply exit the blind alley created by the “discovery/creation” distraction and help reorient attention toward the agent-independent sources of opportunity and threat—beyond unrealistically optimistic views of entrepreneurship as an act of “opportunity discovery” and/or “opportunity creation.”

INTERNET OF THINGS

This article will discuss the Internet of things, which is a completely new technology. Currently, the world's most talked about new electronics use Internet of Things technology. This technology includes Google, Yandex, YouTube and all our social networks. The current benefits of Internet of Things technology will be discussed, as well as its future position. What is the role of smart technologies in the development of robotics, new electronics and the impetus for new inventions? The Internet of Things is a new paradigm that transforms traditional lifestyles into high-tech lifestyles. Many important studies and researches have been conducted to improve the technology through IoT. The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data. The main purpose of this review article is to provide a detailed discussion, both technologically and socially. It is not just about the connected devices but also about the hardware, software, connectivity and communication protocols, middleware and so much more to create Internet of Things solutions as mentioned. And it’s also about many processes and technologies. So, this is most important theme in our world. The article discusses various problems and key issues in IoT, architecture and important applications. The Internet of Things is an emerging paradigm that enables the communication between electronic devices and sensors through the internet in order to facilitate our lives. IoT has also demonstrated its importance and potential for economic and industrial growth in the developing region. It is also seen as a revolutionary step in the trading and stock markets. However, data and information security is an important concern and is highly desirable, which is a major challenge that needs to be addressed. The Internet, the biggest source of security threats and cyber attacks, has opened various doors for hackers, thereby discrediting information and data. IoT is committed to providing the best possible solutions to deal with data and information security issues. IoT's most important concern in trade and the economy is security. The IoT system consists of a large number of devices and sensors that communicate with each other. They can range from a Wi-Fi pet camera on your bookshelf to a medical device implanted in your body, like a pacemaker. As long as the device is able to connect to the internet and has sensors that transmit data, it can be considered an IoT device. As the IoT network grows and expands, the number of these sensors and devices is growing rapidly. These devices communicate with each other and transmit large amounts of information over the Internet. This information is very large and flows every second, and therefore deserves to be called great information. The IoT was initially most interesting to business and manufacturing, where its application is sometimes known as machine-to-machine (mean - M2M), but the emphasis is now on filling our homes and offices with smart devices, transforming it into something. Today, these IoT projects are evolving and rapidly spreading to all platforms. It is possible to find IoT projects for each topic. As mentioned earlier, IoT projects are designed to make life easier. These projects, created to help as many people as possible, will be the most important part of our future lives. It will be impossible to imagine our lives without the Internet of Things and smart projects. A smart city with sensors covering all its regions using diverse tangible gadgets and objects all over the community and connected with the help of internet. The continuous expansion of IoT-based networks poses complex challenges such as data management and collection, storage and processing, and analytics. This article sheds light on the existing literature and describes their contributions to various aspects of IoT. This article will help readers and researchers understand IoT and its application to the real world Keywords: arduino, sensors, security systems, robotics, intelligent technology.

Competition between proprietary and open source vendors with security concerns

ABSTRACT There exists fierce competition in both low-end and high-end markets between open source and proprietary vendors. This paper constructs a game-theoretic model based on Hotelling competition to examine such two types of vendors’ market strategies with security threats. Each vendor can choose to enter high-end market by making the quality effort meet the quality requirement. Security threats are caused by software vulnerability and characterised by negative externalities. Technology similarity is an important element that improves the efficiency of quality effort by facilitating technology spillover but worsens security threats by sharing more vulnerability. Through solving equilibrium solutions by backward induction, I find that under different market strategies: (i) user innovation that contributes to the quality of software product and service of the open source vendor does not always increase its profit because price competition that is intensified by such innovation may offset the contribution; (ii) the risk of security threats benefits both vendors at the cost of user interest since it can soften price competition, while technology similarity that acts as another source of security threats decreases both vendors’ profits. I finally indicate that thanks to user innovation, the open source vendor is relatively more likely to enter the high-end market.

In Silico Infection Analysis (iSFA) Identified Coronavirus Infection and Potential Transmission Risk in Mammals.

Coronaviruses are a great source of threat to public health which could infect various species and cause diverse diseases. However, the epidemic’s spreading among different species remains elusive. This study proposed an in silico infection analysis (iSFA) system that includes pathogen genome or transcript mining in transcriptome data of the potential host and performed a comprehensive analysis about the infection of 38 coronaviruses in wild animals, based on 2,257 transcriptome datasets from 89 mammals’ lung and intestine, and revealed multiple potential coronavirus infections including porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection in Equus burchellii. Then, through our transmission network analysis, potential intermediate hosts of five coronaviruses were identified. Notably, iSFA results suggested that the expression of coronavirus receptor genes tended to be downregulated after infection by another virus. Finally, binding affinity and interactive interface analysis of S1 protein and ACE2 from different species demonstrated the potential inter-species transmission barrier and cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, the iSFA system developed in this study could be further applied to conduct the source tracing and host prediction of other pathogen-induced diseases, thus contributing to the epidemic prevention and control.

Feeding ecology and epizootological value of the Great Cormorant (<i>Phalacrocorax carbo</i>) during the secondary expansion of the Baikal region

Aim . To research the Great Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo L., 1758) ecology during the secondary expansion of the Baikal region. Material and Methods . The material for studying cormorant nutrition was 28 stomachs of harvested birds, visual observations of feeding cormorants using optical equipment, as well as regurgitated burps of nutrition obtained by a bloodless method when being fed to chicks. 21 examples of cormorants were the subjects of the parasitological research. Results . The number of the species has been growing since the beginning of the XXI century and, starting from 2020/21, is likely to stabilize, remaining at a high level. This indicates the gradual integration of the species into the Baikal Lake ecosystem. The main food item of Cormorants are the non‐commercial fish, Sleeper ( Percottus glehni Dyb.), Perch ( Perca fluviatilis L.) and Roach ( Rutilus rutilus L.). Parasitological studies have revealed 8 species of helminths from three classes with varying degrees of invasion. Only one of them, Contracaecum osculatum baicalensis (Mosgovoy et Ryjikov, 1950), is endemic and potentially dangerous to human health (its infection rate can reach 80%). Conclusion . The Great Cormorant is an obligate, but not a specialized ichthyophage, focused on the prevailing fish species. Great Cormorants as hosts of ticks, helminths and other ecto‐ and endoparasites are potentially sources of threat to the occurrence and spread, primarily, of ornithoses and helminthiasis in the Baikal region and possibly of other diseases carried from their wintering places.

ВПЛИВ ЗАГРОЗ ТА РИЗИКІВ НА ФОРМУВАННЯ СИСТЕМИ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА

The article considers the essence of the concepts of “risk”, “threat”. It has been determined that threats have a destabilizing effect on the state of economic security, the total set of which is systematized to nine: by the probability of occurrence, the ability to predict, the amount of damage, the source of occurrence, dependence on the sources of threats, the nature of occurrence, the severity of the crisis in production, the sphere of life of the enterprise and duration of exposure to threats. In matters of countering threats, the importance of using all the functional components of economic security is noted: operational, investment, financial, personnel, informational, and protective. Attention is focused on the importance of taking into account, when considering the concept of “economic security of an enterprise”, the characteristics of the economic efficiency of using resources and the implementation of economic activities for the production and bringing to the consumer of products, assessing the success of preventing the impact of risks of an endogenous and exogenous nature and ensuring the sustainable development of an enterprise.

The cryptocurrency AML challenge – sanction 2022 new threats

Purpose: Paper reviews changes taking place in the cryptocurrency market after the introduction of further sanctions on the Russian financial market. The author notes that cryptocurrencies are used more and more often by companies operating in Russia. The cryptocurrency market remains largely beyond control despite the AML area. It is a source of many threats of money laundering. The paper recapitulates the status of the global trade market choosing settlement cryptocurrency in the context of anti-money laundering. Methodology: The analysis was based on reports on the market quotation of popular cryptocurrencies. Findings: The paper includes definitions of new challenges for AML areas. Practical implications: (if applicable) What outcomes and implications for practice, applications and consequences are identified? How will the research impact the business or enterprise? What changes to practice should be made as a result of this research? What is the commercial or economic impact? Not all papers will have practical implications. Social implications: The application of the proposed solutions will improve the security systems of financial sector institutions. Originality/value: The paper provides guidance on how to assess institutional capacity and support the anti-money laundering process. Keywords: financial market, cryptocurrencies, AML. Category of the paper: Viewpoint, conceptual paper.

European Union interaction with South-Eastern Mediterranean: From “Ring of friends” to “Ring of fire”

The Mediterranean region is key in the policy of the European Union, and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa are singled out in the group of Southern neighbors. Over the past decade, the region has undergone a profound transformation. Large-scale challenges - political instability, terrorism, migration, environmental problems and natural disasters - are beyond control. Crisis trends in the Middle East and most of North and Central Africa cause unpredictable and, most importantly, significant side effects that affect not only the security and stability of Europe, but also the functioning of the world system. Destabilizing events have led to the fact that the Mediterranean is now viewed as a source of existential threats. Moreover instability in the Southeast Mediterranean has dramatically changed the EU's perspective of the regional partners from a “ring of friends” to “a ring of fire”. This trend is recognized at the official level in the states of Europe, as well as in the EU and NATO. The lack of progress in various EU Euro-Mediterranean Partnership initiatives since the onset of the Arab Spring crises has resulted in a loss of MENA public confidence in EU. The article examines the conceptual foundations of the European Union for their policy towards the countries of the Southeast Me-diterranean, as well as identify the key EU approaches in countering the threats and challenges that arise in the region.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ ПРАВООХОРОННИХ ОРГАНІВ УКРАЇНИ З КРАЇНАМИ ЄС В УМОВАХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

Peculiarities of the interaction of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine with the EU countries in the conditions of martial law. The aforementioned scientific article outlines the issues of ensuring the cooperation of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine with EU countries in conditions of martial law. The theoretical and practical interest in the study of the legal security of military security is primarily related to the socio-economic and geopolitical changes that have taken place around the world in recent years. In modern realities, Ukraine faces many problems, the solution of which is directly related to the identification and analysis of sources of real and potential threats to national interests. The purpose of this article is to study individual forms of cooperation between law enforcement agencies of the EU and Ukraine under martial law. The author comes to the conclusion that the effective functioning of pan-European cooperation of states in the field of expert forensic and operational investigative activities is possible under the condition of constructive and multifaceted cooperation of the Council of Europe and the European Union both at the institutional level of the specified international organizations and within the framework of the activities of individual structures. The practice of applying an arrest warrant, as one of the aspects of mutual recognition of court decisions in criminal cases, has successfully proven that cooperation in the field of justice and internal affairs along the lines of expert-criminological and operational-investigative activities is possible without the harmonization of criminal and criminal-procedural legislation of European states, as well as without the creation of a model pan-European criminal code. The successful application of the European arrest warrant also gave the EU the opportunity to move even further in the direction of mutual recognition of court decisions – to develop several European warrants, including warrants for witness statements and investigations. The European Investigation Warrant is a special mechanism for the execution of one or more investigative measures within the framework of the investigation of crimes in the requested state in order to obtain evidence. Separate legal instruments were integrated into a single normative act, which contributed to the process of codification and progressive development of international law and replaced the traditional system of providing legal aid in criminal cases. The European Union, using new legislative powers in the field of expert forensic and investigative activities, moved to adopt legally binding normative acts that do not require national ratification on the most urgent issues of ensuring security and law and order in the EU.

Outside Sources of Terrorist Threats in West Africa

Outside Sources of Terrorist Threats in West Africa

Crisis, Alterity, and Tradition: An Anthropological Contribution to Critical Phenomenology

One does not just live in a crisis: a crisis calls for action. Etymologically, from the Greek krisis, it is a turning point or a moment of decision. It not only alters perception; it alters the demands for living. It stands out from the everyday. If we follow Gail Weiss (2008), we could say that a crisis is a moment when the ground called “ordinary life” is interrupted in such a way that it no longer functions as an out-of-awareness backdrop but itself becomes the visible figure. But what happens when the ground is already permeated by crises, large and small? How should we think about crisis when we cannot call upon a simple binary—times of crisis and somehow livable normal times? How to think, conceptually, about those communities who live with what is variously termed “slow death” (Berlant 2011), “slow violence,” (Nixon 2011) or “chronic crisis” (Vigh 2008) that make the everyday a source of such continual threat that crisis and non-crisis shade into one another? I ask these questions in the context of my twenty-year history of research in African American communities in which families are caring for children with disabilities and chronic illnesses.