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Transnational Organized Crime and Destabilization in Democracies, Russian Organized Crime as Case Study (open access)

Transnational Organized Crime and Destabilization in Democracies, Russian Organized Crime as Case Study

Transnational organized crime has been prevalent during the last century, but it recently has been recognized as a threat to the world order. Governments throughout the world, along with the intergovernmental organizations identified this phenomenon as a new threat to domestic and international security. This paper attempts to explain the impacts of transnational organized crime on the functioning of democratic societies by adopting the Russian Organized Crime as case study. The descriptive research with regard to definition, scope and organization of transnational organized crime, along with the objectives, limitations and methodology of this research will be included in the first chapter. Recent trends observed in organized crime`s character and the impact of organized crime on the political economies of democratic regimes will be contained in the following chapters. Pre-conditions for a broader response to transnational organized crime and conclusive remarks will be the context of the last chapter.
Date: August 2001
Creator: Yasar, Muhammet Murat
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Novel Mechanism for Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Large Catabolic Plasmids Using Natural Transformation (open access)

A Novel Mechanism for Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Large Catabolic Plasmids Using Natural Transformation

Natural transformation is the process by which cells take up DNA from the surrounding medium under physiological conditions, altering the genotype in a heritable fashion. This occurs without chemical or physical treatment of the cells. Certain Acinetobacter strains exhibit a strong tendency to incorporate homologous DNA into their chromosomes by natural transformation. Transformation in Acinetobacter exhibits several unique properties that indicate this system's superiority as a model for transformation studies or studies which benefit from the use of transformation as an experimental method of gene manipulation. Pseudomonas putida is the natural host of TOL plasmids, ranging between 50 kbp and 300 kbp in size and encoding genes for the catabolism of toluene, meta-toluate, and xylene. These very large, single-copy plasmids are difficult to isolate, manipulate, or modify in vitro. In this study, the TOL plasmid pDKR1 was introduced into Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains and genetically engineered utilizing natural transformation as part of the process. Following engineering by transformation, the recombinant DNA molecule was returned to the native genetic background of the original host P. putida strain. Specific parameters for the successful manipulation of large plasmids by natural transformation in Acinetobacter were identified and are outlined. The effects of growth phase, total …
Date: August 2001
Creator: Williamson, Phillip C.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Masculine Gender Role Conflict and Psychological Well- Being: A Comparative Study of Heterosexual and Gay Men (open access)

Masculine Gender Role Conflict and Psychological Well- Being: A Comparative Study of Heterosexual and Gay Men

Masculine gender role conflict (MGRC) occurs when externally-imposed male gender role expectations have a negative impact on and consequences for men. The purpose of this study was to examine how men in a homogeneous setting (i.e., a college campus) compare on MGRC and psychological well-being, based on their self-identified sexual orientation. Utilizing canonical correlation analysis, 96 heterosexual men and 102 gay men were compared on four factors of MGRC (conflict between work and family, restrictive emotionality, restrictive affectionate behavior between men, and success, power, and competition) and five factors of psychological well-being (anger, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and attitudes toward seeking psychological help). Findings for the heterosexual men were highly consistent with previous studies on MGRC and psychological well-being in a college-age population. Findings for the gay men indicated they had more problems with MGRC and psychological well-being than college-age and older gay men surveyed in the one published study on gay men and MGRC. Gay men who were single also reported more problems with restrictive emotionality, anger, anxiety, and depression, and had lower self-esteem, than gay men who were in a relationship. Between group differences were few, with gay men reporting significantly less restrictive affectionate behavior between men than heterosexual …
Date: August 2001
Creator: Shepard, William D.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of the Effect of Environmental and Systems Complexity on Information Systems Failures (open access)

An Analysis of the Effect of Environmental and Systems Complexity on Information Systems Failures

Companies have invested large amounts of money on information systems development. Unfortunately, not all information systems developments are successful. Software project failure is frequent and lamentable. Surveys and statistical analysis results underscore the severity and scope of software project failure. Limited research relates software structure to information systems failures. Systematic study of failure provides insights into the causes of IS failure. More importantly, it contributes to better monitoring and control of projects and enhancing the likelihood of the success of management information systems. The underlining theories and literature that contribute to the construction of theoretical framework come from general systems theory, complexity theory, and failure studies. One hundred COBOL programs from a single company are used in the analysis. The program log clearly documents the date, time, and the reasons for changes to the programs. In this study the relationships among the variables of business requirements change, software complexity, program size and the error rate in each phase of software development life cycle are tested. Interpretations of the hypotheses testing are provided as well. The data shows that analysis error and design error occur more often than programming error. Measurement criteria need to be developed at each stage of the …
Date: August 2001
Creator: Zhang, Xiaoni
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Problems Encountered in Money Laundering Investigations (open access)

Problems Encountered in Money Laundering Investigations

The purpose of this study is to identify how the U.S. is responding to money laundering and what kind of problems arise while countering it, beginning with a detailed description of money laundering, its stages, typologies, impacts, and complications. Due to the broad nature of this subject only three main issues form the focal point of this study: problems concerning the banking industry and other financial organizations, problems resulting from the limitations of law enforcement agencies, and problems arising from the lack of cooperation between and within financial institutions and law enforcement agencies. Several probable solutions to the above problems are identified: Considering the financial industry, there are loopholes in the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and in other regulations that apply to the industry. Thus, there is a comparison of the Subjective Model vs. Objective Model in terms of reporting systems for financial organizations. On the law enforcement side, the priority is the need to update and upgrade their technology and investigation mechanisms in order not to fall behind the criminals. Finally, cooperation is something that can be achieved through mutual respect and understanding of the priorities of each side, which can be achieved by the creation of an upper …
Date: August 2001
Creator: Akyay, Ilkay
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the Reserve Officers Association of the United States for Fiscal Year 2000 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the Reserve Officers Association of the United States for Fiscal Year 2000

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit report covering the financial statements of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States for fiscal year 2000. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit report included the auditors' opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: August 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Army's Procurements of Battle Effects Simulators (open access)

U.S. Army's Procurements of Battle Effects Simulators

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Army uses battle effects simulators on training ranges to help prepare its soldiers for realistic combat conditions. The simulators fire pyrotechnic cartridges that simulate the sound, smoke, and flash of shells being fired from or striking targets, such as armored vehicles. Concerns have been raised about the safety of the simulators now being used by the Army and the possibility that U.S. companies may be excluded from full and open competition for new simulators. The Army's existing battle effects simulators have experienced more than 120 documented malfunctions, many of which caused serious injuries, such as third-degree burns, loss of appendages, and lacerations. The Army has tried to make the devices safer and has suspended their use many times. It is also assessing the safety and the effectiveness of a new system from a foreign source. However, it does not plan to assess a U.S. system due to funding limitations. The Army could rely on the Marine Corps' planned type classification of a U.S. produced device to certify another qualified source for future competition."
Date: August 29, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contract Management: Service Contracting Trends and Challenges (open access)

Contract Management: Service Contracting Trends and Challenges

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed several issues concerning service contracting trends and challenges facing the government. The government has had long-standing difficulties in managing service contracts, and it is clear that agencies are not doing all they can to ensure that they are acquiring services that meet their needs in a timely and cost-effective manner. Agencies have begun efforts to address their strategic human capital needs; however, no agency has completed a strategic human capital management plan for their acquisition workforce. Overall, agencies' plans reflected different levels of attention to human capital, ranging from merely identifying human capital challenges to putting forward solutions to address those challenges, such as by defining actual plans, committing resources, and assigning accountability."
Date: August 22, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Criminal Justice Statistics for Washington, D.C., and Other Major Cities (open access)

Criminal Justice Statistics for Washington, D.C., and Other Major Cities

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report presents criminal justice statistics for the District of Columbia and other major cities based on (1) Crime Index data and (2) arrestees' drug testing data. The 1999 Crime Index total rates for these large cities ranged from a high of 10,416 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants in Detroit, Michigan, to a low of 2,944 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants in San Jose, California. For Washington, D.C., the 1999 Crime Index total rate was 8,062 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. According to a recent National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report, 69 percent of the adult males arrested in the District of Columbia in calendar year 1999 tested positive for at least one type of drug. This figure was five percentage points higher than the median rate (64 percent) of the use of any drug among the adult males arrested that year in the 34 urban sites covered by NIJ's report."
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Conference on Citizenship for Fiscal Year 2000 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Conference on Citizenship for Fiscal Year 2000

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit report covering the financial statements of the National Conference on Citizenship for fiscal year 2000. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit report included the auditors' opinion that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: August 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Internal Controls: Federal Disbursement Controls Can Be Strengthened (open access)

Internal Controls: Federal Disbursement Controls Can Be Strengthened

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO tested certain internal controls over federal disbursements processed by the Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service (FMS) in fiscal year 2000. With some exceptions, FMS makes disbursements for all federal agencies through its Regional Financial Centers and Debt Management Operations Center. For fiscal year 2000, FMS reported processing approximately 890 million disbursements totaling more than $1.2 trillion. The centers disburse funds by check, electronic funds transfer (EFT), or Fedwire. FMS reported that these disbursements for fiscal year 2000 included approximately 265 million checks amounting to more than $265 billion, approximately 625 million EFTs amounting to more than $720 billion, and approximately 47,000 Fedwires amounting to more than $275 billion. The centers also process Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system enrollments. FMS reported the federal agencies authorized payments of over $254 billion in fiscal year 2000 using the ASAP system. This report reviews the results of GAO's (1) follow-up work on previously recommended improvements and corrective actions taken to address such recommendations and (2) fiscal year 2000 testing and related recommendations for improving controls over safeguarding assets and processing and documenting delegation and designation of agency …
Date: August 13, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agricultural Pesticides: Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management (open access)

Agricultural Pesticides: Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Chemical pesticides play an important role in providing Americans with an abundant and inexpensive food supply. However, these chemicals can have adverse effects on human health and the environment, and pests continue to develop resistance to them. Sustainable and effective agricultural pest management will require continued development and increased use of alternative pest management strategies, such as integrated pest management (IPM). Some IPM practices yield significant environmental and economic benefits in certain crops, and IPM can lead to better long-term pest management than chemical control alone. However, the federal commitment to IPM has waned over the years. The IPM initiative is missing several key management elements identified in the Government Performance and Results Act. Specifically, no one is effectively in charge of federal IPM efforts; coordination of IPM efforts is lacking among federal agencies and with the private sector; the intended results of these efforts have not been clearly articulated or prioritized; and methods for measuring IPM's environmental and economic results have not been developed. Until these shortcomings are addressed, the full range of potential benefits that IPM can yield for producers, the public, and the …
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
FASAB News, Issue 69, August-September 2001 (open access)

FASAB News, Issue 69, August-September 2001

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided information on the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board's recent actions, meetings, and practices."
Date: August 1, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Reports for the Navy Wives Clubs of America for Fiscal Years 1998-2000 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Reports for the Navy Wives Clubs of America for Fiscal Years 1998-2000

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit reports covering the financial statements of the Navy Wives Clubs of America, for fiscal years 1998-2000. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit reports included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: August 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., for Fiscal Year 2000 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., for Fiscal Year 2000

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit report covering the financial statements of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., for fiscal year 2000. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit report included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: August 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Welfare Reform: GAO's Recent and Ongoing Work on DOT's Access to Jobs Program (open access)

Welfare Reform: GAO's Recent and Ongoing Work on DOT's Access to Jobs Program

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Without adequate transportation, welfare recipients face significant barriers in moving from welfare to work. Three-fourths of welfare recipients live in central cities or rural areas, while two-thirds of the new jobs are in the suburbs. For many of these new jobs, access to public transportation facilities, such as buses or subways, is limited or nonexistent. To address this issue, the Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented the Job Access and Reverse Commute program. GAO's previous reviews of this program found that, although it would help support the reform of the welfare system by providing transportation resources to welfare recipients, DOT needed to improve several aspects of the program. GAO made several recommendations to enhance DOT's evaluation of the program and to promote coordination with other agencies. GAO reported that in 1999 and 2000, DOT had implemented the recommendations and had taken steps to refine its grant selection process. GAO plans to issue a report on the Job Access program in December 2001, and, in 2002, GAO expects to report on grantees' experiences in implementing their Job Access projects."
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association for Fiscal Year 2000 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association for Fiscal Year 2000

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit report covering the financial statements of the Women's Army Corps Veterans' Association, for fiscal year 2000. GAO found no reportable evidence of noncompliance. The audit report included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: August 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Skilled Nursing Facilities: Services Excluded From Medicare's Daily Rate Need to be Reevaluated (open access)

Skilled Nursing Facilities: Services Excluded From Medicare's Daily Rate Need to be Reevaluated

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress and the Health Care Financing Administration recognized that certain services needed to be excluded from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) rate to help ensure beneficiary access to appropriate care and to financially protect the SNFs that take care of high-cost patients. The criteria used to identify services--high cost, infrequently provided during a SNF stay and likely to be overprovided--and the services currently excluded appear reasonable. Even so, questions remain about whether beneficiaries have appropriate access to services that are covered in the rate or whether additional services should have been excluded. A second concern is that Medicare coverage for excluded facility services has been shifted from part A to part B, which will increase beneficiary liability. and program spending might increase because certain services are excluded only when provided in hospital settings, thus discouraging the use of less expensive, clinically appropriate sites of service. Finally, excluding services from the PPS rate when they are provided in emergency rooms may lead to overuse of emergency rooms, unnecessarily increasing Medicare spending. The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) does not plan to …
Date: August 22, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Accidental Contamination of Samples Used in Canadian Lynx Study Rendered the Study's Preliminary Conclusion Invalid (open access)

Accidental Contamination of Samples Used in Canadian Lynx Study Rendered the Study's Preliminary Conclusion Invalid

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses the validity of the results of a 1998 study of the Canadian lynx. The Forest Service contracted with Dr. John Weaver of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City to help survey the Canadian lynx in the Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon. In a March 1999 interim report, Dr. Weaver concluded that the Canadian lynx lives in some forests in Washington and Oregon. In March 2000, the Fish and Wildlife Service placed the lynx on its list of threatened species in the forested portions of 13 states, including Washington and Oregon. Issues have since been raised about whether the study's results were falsified. GAO found no evidence that the study was deliberately falsified."
Date: August 14, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Personnel: Longer Time Between Moves Related to Higher Satisfaction and Retention (open access)

Military Personnel: Longer Time Between Moves Related to Higher Satisfaction and Retention

A briefing report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "About one-third of all military service members make permanent change of station (PCS) moves each year. These moves, which may involve the members' dependents and household goods, are a considerable cost to both the government and individual service members. Not all relocation and moving costs are covered by the government. Reimbursements are based on what property a member was authorized to move and weight allowances that vary by grade and dependents. GAO found that the average duration time between PCS moves was about two years. Personnel who were unmarried and without dependents had the least time between PCS moves. Among the services, the Marine Corps had the shortest average time between PCS moves. Among enlisted personnel, those in the combat occupations had the shortest time between moves; for officers, those who were in the intelligence and tactical operations areas had the shortest average tours. GAO found that the duration of PCS tours was related to satisfaction. Those with shorter time spent between moves were less likely to be satisfied and were more likely to have a spouse who favored the member leaving the military. The most …
Date: August 3, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Comments on HHS' Claims Administration Contracting Reform Proposal (open access)

Medicare: Comments on HHS' Claims Administration Contracting Reform Proposal

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) submitted a legislative proposal that would modify Medicare's contracting authority. This report examines (1) the current law and practice in Medicare claims administration contracting, (2) provisions in the proposal that would increase HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) contracting flexibility, and (3) the provisions that deviate from standard federal contracting requirements for full and open competition and indemnification of contractors. Because of statutes and long-standing practices, Medicare claims administration contracting does not follow standard federal contracting rules in several ways. For example, federal agencies can generally terminate a contract at any time, but CMS cannot terminate contracts with Medicare claims administration contractors at the federal government's convenience. The proposed legislation would give CMS the same authority as other federal agencies to retain or terminate contractors. These provisions would increase the agency's flexibility to promote the contractor's performance and accountability. GAO is concerned, however, that the provisions would also allow CMS to bypass federal contracting rules for full and open competition. In addition, the proposal includes a provision that would require CMS to indemnify claims administration contractors from certain …
Date: August 17, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
No Evidence That Communications Between the FERC Chairman and the Chairman of Enron Corporation Violated Criminal Statutes or Ethics Regulations (open access)

No Evidence That Communications Between the FERC Chairman and the Chairman of Enron Corporation Violated Criminal Statutes or Ethics Regulations

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to congressional interest in the communications between Curt Hebert, Jr., Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and Kenneth Lay, Chairman of Enron Corporation which were discussed in an article in the New York Times on May 25, 2001. Concerns were raised these communications might have violated federal criminal statutes or ethics regulations. GAO found that there was no evidence that the Chairman attempted to use public office for private gain or that Mr. Lay offered anything of value to Mr. Herbert."
Date: August 16, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans' Benefits: Quality Assurance for Disability Claims Processing (open access)

Veterans' Benefits: Quality Assurance for Disability Claims Processing

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and veterans service organizations have all raised concerns about the accuracy of claims processing in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). In 1998, VBA launched its systematic technical accuracy review (STAR) system to better measure the accuracy of claims processing. The system determines accuracy rates for (1) the nation as a whole, (2) each VBA service delivery network, and (3) each VBA regional office. GAO reported in 1999 that the accuracy rates for claims processing at regional offices was being determined by regional staff who themselves were involved in processing claims and who reported to managers responsible for claims processing. This arrangement did not meet either the government's internal control standard calling for the segregation of key duties or the performance audit standard calling for organizational independence for those who review and evaluate program performance. Congress subsequently required VBA to institute a quality assurance program that met government standards. VBA plans to modify the STAR system by October 1, 2001, to bring it into compliance with the standards on the segregation of duties and organizational independence. All STAR reviews will be done by …
Date: August 23, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Society, Daughters of the American Colonists for Fiscal Year 2000 (open access)

Federally Chartered Corporation: Review of the Financial Statement Audit Report for the National Society, Daughters of the American Colonists for Fiscal Year 2000

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the audit report covering the financial statements of the National Society, Daughters of the American Colonists for fiscal year 2000. GAO found no reportable instances of noncompliance. The audit report included the auditors' opinions that the financial statements of the corporation were presented fairly in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."
Date: August 21, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library