Transparency in Spanish archive and library websites: A comparative study

Transparency is a principle that has attracted a good deal of international attention in recent years, especially in connection with combatting corruption and building open, participatory governments accountable to their citizens. Public libraries and archives are not only information suppliers, but also public bodies obliged to provide the citizenry with information about their own governance and activities. Those obligations are laid down in Spanish Act 19/2013 of 29 December on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Governance (Spanish initials LTAIPBG). This article describes the results of applying a transparency measuring tool, TransPa_BA, to 106 regionally administered national historic archives and national public libraries. The tool, in turn the result of a research project, includes 20 indicators to measure active public disclosure by public libraries and 22 by archives in keeping with the provisions of the aforementioned Act. The indicators and their respective parameters (visibility, content, form, accessibility, reusability, dating and currency) provide guidelines to enable these institutions to comply with transparency and accountability requirements by furnishing society in general and their stakeholders in particular with information on their activities and performance in key areas. Further to the findings, the target institutions have made hesitant attempts to enhance transparency with respect to earlier inquiries. Public libraries are observed to be more active than archives, although the transparency scores obtained are low due to the failure to provide information on some indicators as well as on parameters such as dating and reusability. Both types of institution have a long road ahead in the pursuit of greater transparency.

Ethics, law, and politics in palaeontological research: The case of Myanmar amber

Fossil material in Myanmar amber can provide important insights into mid-Cretaceous forest ecosystems, but has been receiving increased international attention due to reported links between amber mining and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in northern Myanmar, as well as the legal issues associated with its exportation. Here, we conduct a bibliometric analysis of Myanmar amber publications (1990–2021) and demonstrate how research interest in Myanmar amber is explicitly linked to major political, legal, and economic changes. An analysis of the authorship networks for publications on amber inclusions reveals how current research practices have excluded Myanmar researchers from the field. In addition, the international trade of Myanmar amber with fossil inclusions falls into a legal ‘grey-zone’ which continues to be exploited. This case study vividly demonstrates that systemic changes, alongside an increased awareness of inequitable research practices amongst the broader scientific and allied communities, are urgently needed to curb illegal practices in palaeontology.

The Second Wave of COVID-19 in South and Southeast Asia and the Effects of Vaccination

Background: By February 2021, the overall impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South and Southeast Asia was relatively mild. Surprisingly, in early April 2021, the second wave significantly impacted the population and garnered widespread international attention.Methods: This study focused on the nine countries with the highest cumulative deaths from the disease as of August 17, 2021. We look at COVID-19 transmission dynamics in South and Southeast Asia using the reported death data, which fits a mathematical model with a time-varying transmission rate.Results: We estimated the transmission rate, infection fatality rate (IFR), infection attack rate (IAR), and the effects of vaccination in the nine countries in South and Southeast Asia. Our study suggested that the IAR is still low in most countries, and increased vaccination is required to prevent future waves.Conclusion: Implementing non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) could have helped South and Southeast Asia keep COVID-19 under control in 2020, as demonstrated in our estimated low-transmission rate. We believe that the emergence of the new Delta variant, social unrest, and migrant workers could have triggered the second wave of COVID-19.

A benchmark of Spanish language datasets for computationally driven research

In the domain of Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) institutions, creative and innovative tools and methodologies for content delivery and user engagement have recently gained international attention. New methods have been proposed to publish digital collections as datasets amenable to computational use. Standardised benchmarks can be useful to broaden the scope of machine-actionable collections and to promote cultural and linguistic diversity. In this article, we propose a methodology to select datasets for computationally driven research applied to Spanish text corpora. This work seeks to encourage Spanish and Latin American institutions to publish machine-actionable collections based on best practices and avoiding common mistakes.

ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN INDONESIA: THE DYNAMICS OF STATELESSNESS AND THE VIEWS OF LOCAL PEOPLE

Rohingya refugees who are experiencing a crisis due to the genocide in Myanmar have attracted international attention. The existence of the Rohinghya as an ethno-religious minority group was officially discriminated against which led to forced expulsion by the Myanmar government in 1982 with the issuance of the citizenship law which stated that Rohingya citizenship was denied or not recognized as one of the official ethnicities in Myanmar. So, the Rohingya were forced to flee their country to other countries, including Indonesia. This paper aims to determine the dynamics of Rohingya Muslims while in Indonesia. Using qualitative research methods by conducting observations, interviews and data analysis. The results of this study indicate that the Rohingya ethnicity in Indonesia as stateless (without citizenship) undergoes a process of acculturation, marriage with local Indonesian citizens (WNI), and developing survival strategies because some have lived in Indonesia for more than eight years. In conclusion, the Rohingya ethnicity while in Indonesia experienced conditions of uncertainty in their lives because they did not have citizenship status and hoped to be sent to a third country by UNHCR. Indonesian people accept Rohingya Muslims to stay in Indonesia temporarily because there is a common Islamic identity and in the name of humanity.

The Nature, Extent and Survivorship of Biofouling Organisms at Different Hull Locations on Various Vessel Types

<p><b>The importance of vessel biofouling as a vector for the dispersal of non-indigenousmarine species (NIMS) is only just beginning to receive international attention. At thetime of commencing this study, there was a considerable lack of knowledge surroundingwhich vessels, hull locations, levels and types of biofouling pose the greatestbiosecurity risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the nature, extentand survivorship of biofouling organisms on various vessel types at different hulllocations and offers a pragmatic risk assessment approach for managing this threat.</b></p> <p>The results of this thesis found that the recruitment, persistence, distribution, abundanceand species composition of biofouling on vessel hulls is influenced by many factorsincluding: 1) the presence/absence, age and type of anti-fouling coating; 2) voyageduration and route; and 3) port residency period. Therefore, higher levels of biofouling(species richness, percentage cover, and biomass), including NIMS are more likely toaccumulate and persist on vessels (and in hull locations) that: 1) lack and/or possess old,ineffective, damaged, inappropriate or unsuitable anti-fouling coatings; 2) spendprolonged periods stationary in ports; 3) travel at slow speeds (i.e. <10 knots); 4) haveshort voyage durations; and 5) remain at similar latitudes.</p> <p>Prevention is clearly better than a cure, hence the correct application and maintenanceof suitable anti-fouling coatings to the entire submerged hull surface of vessel hulls,including niche areas is the most cost-effective way of minimising the unwantedtranslocation of biofouling organisms and NIMS. However, the results of this thesisdemonstrate that if biofouling organisms colonise and establish on a vessel's hull,voyage speed alone is not capable of providing a reliable secondary level of defenceagainst the unwanted dispersal of NIMS. Clearly, the survivorship of biofoulingorganisms was highest amongst vessels that travelled at slow and medium speeds (e.g.</p> <p><10 knots). Therefore, given that accumulation of biofouling follows a successionalprocess and NIMS are more likely to be associated with higher levels of biofouling,vessels that travel at slow and medium speeds are more likely to pose the greatest riskof translocating NIMS on a vessel by vessel scale. However, despite the observationthat faster vessels reduce the diversity, quantity and quality of sessile biofoulingorganisms in laminar flow areas of the hull, a wide range of sessile, sedentary andmobile organisms were still cable of survival in areas protected from harsh hydrodynamically forces commonly referred to as niche areas, particularly within sea-chests.</p>

The Nature, Extent and Survivorship of Biofouling Organisms at Different Hull Locations on Various Vessel Types

<p><b>The importance of vessel biofouling as a vector for the dispersal of non-indigenousmarine species (NIMS) is only just beginning to receive international attention. At thetime of commencing this study, there was a considerable lack of knowledge surroundingwhich vessels, hull locations, levels and types of biofouling pose the greatestbiosecurity risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the nature, extentand survivorship of biofouling organisms on various vessel types at different hulllocations and offers a pragmatic risk assessment approach for managing this threat.</b></p> <p>The results of this thesis found that the recruitment, persistence, distribution, abundanceand species composition of biofouling on vessel hulls is influenced by many factorsincluding: 1) the presence/absence, age and type of anti-fouling coating; 2) voyageduration and route; and 3) port residency period. Therefore, higher levels of biofouling(species richness, percentage cover, and biomass), including NIMS are more likely toaccumulate and persist on vessels (and in hull locations) that: 1) lack and/or possess old,ineffective, damaged, inappropriate or unsuitable anti-fouling coatings; 2) spendprolonged periods stationary in ports; 3) travel at slow speeds (i.e. <10 knots); 4) haveshort voyage durations; and 5) remain at similar latitudes.</p> <p>Prevention is clearly better than a cure, hence the correct application and maintenanceof suitable anti-fouling coatings to the entire submerged hull surface of vessel hulls,including niche areas is the most cost-effective way of minimising the unwantedtranslocation of biofouling organisms and NIMS. However, the results of this thesisdemonstrate that if biofouling organisms colonise and establish on a vessel's hull,voyage speed alone is not capable of providing a reliable secondary level of defenceagainst the unwanted dispersal of NIMS. Clearly, the survivorship of biofoulingorganisms was highest amongst vessels that travelled at slow and medium speeds (e.g.</p> <p><10 knots). Therefore, given that accumulation of biofouling follows a successionalprocess and NIMS are more likely to be associated with higher levels of biofouling,vessels that travel at slow and medium speeds are more likely to pose the greatest riskof translocating NIMS on a vessel by vessel scale. However, despite the observationthat faster vessels reduce the diversity, quantity and quality of sessile biofoulingorganisms in laminar flow areas of the hull, a wide range of sessile, sedentary andmobile organisms were still cable of survival in areas protected from harsh hydrodynamically forces commonly referred to as niche areas, particularly within sea-chests.</p>

Mitigating Racial Inequity by Addressing Racism in the Criminal Justice System: A Behavior Analytic Approach

Racial inequity in the United States’ criminal justice system is a long-standing problem that has recently garnered international attention. This paper frames the problem of racial inequity in a behavior analytic context and offers potential solutions based on existent research and behavior analytic principles. We draw a parallel between the analysis of racist behavior enabled by the definitions provided by Kendi in How to Be an Antiracist and the analysis of verbal behavior made possible by the terminology posited by Skinner in Verbal Behavior in order to highlight the pertinence of applying a behavior analytic approach to the problem of racial inequity upheld by racist behavior. Immediately actionable steps to address racism in the criminal justice system and beyond are offered on a cultural, organizational and individual level.

Die Nuntiaturen Pacellis als internationale Drehscheibe des Heiligen Stuhls

As nuncio in Munich and Berlin, Eugenio Pacelli had dealt with political issues far beyond the usual scope of his nunciatures. The Papal Secretary of State entrusted him with concordat negotiations with various European countries as well as with foreign policy issues of international significance. This was due not only to Pacelliʼs special expertise but also to the period of major upheaval during and after the First World War and Berlinʼs key geopolitical position as a hub linking the East and the West. It is therefore not surprising that in the papal representative’s correspondence, the Soviet question, as well as the immediate consequences of the Paris Peace Conference, were the clear focal points of his international attention.

Formation of Identity through the Presentation of Motherhood in Tahmima Anam’s A Golden Age

Tahmima Anam is the first Bangladeshi novelist in English who draws international attention to the Liberation war of 1971 of Bangladesh through the publication of her first novel A Golden Age in 2007. The Liberation war is replete with the incident of genocide, rape, inhuman torture, abductions etc. The war has instilled a kind of horror into the psyche of Bangladeshi people. During the war the Muslim majority of people of East Pakistan are in an acute identity crisis. Pakistan was formed on the basis of religion Islam. But even religion cannot unite the two wings of Pakistan. Therefore people are in an identity dilemma between religion and nationalism. They are also in a fix as to whom to support- East or West Pakistan. Anam captures this particular complexity in her novel through the protagonist Rehana Haque. In this paper, I will bring forth the complexity of identity formation through the depiction of motherhood of Rehana Haque from feministic standpoint.