International Nature Research Articles

Regulatory and Policy Analysis of Production, Development and Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels in the United States

The United States, spurred in part by international developments, is expanding its law and policy to incentivize the use of sustainable aviation fuels. While the U.S. has agreed to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO’s) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), it has only recently adopted federal rules that define greenhouse gas emission reduction standards for certain classes of airplanes (effective January 2021). However, such standards focus on engine efficiency rather than the fuel burned. For sustainable aviation fuels, the U.S. continues to rely on voluntary programs at a federal, state, and regional level. The federal Renewable Fuel Standard program allows producers to opt in. In addition, states have started to allow sustainable aviation fuel producers to “opt in” to their programs; this includes California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program, and Washington’s newly adopted Clean Fuels Program. Other states are also starting to consider such programs. Elsewhere, states like Hawaii are starting to support SAF production in other ways, including through tax mechanisms. In addition, regional and private efforts to adopt and/or promote sustainable aviation fuels are underway. This piecemeal approach—due in part to the lack of cohesive U.S. federal policy—stands in contrast to the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive and Emissions Trading System, and adoption of policies by European countries. Because of aviation’s international nature, tracking what is happening in Europe matters greatly for U.S. carriers. As the U.S. works to meet its international obligations through CORSIA, finding a way forward with sustainable aviation fuel in the United States may depend on a more defined federal policy. Actions taken by both the EU and European countries offers some guidance for actions that could be taken by the U.S. Even in the absence of more defined measures, better tracking of voluntary measures is a critical step.

Towards examining and addressing the danger of unaccompanied migrant minors going missing

The phenomenon of missing children is complex, further complicated by the specific circumstances of missing unaccompanied migrant minors. Owing to the (often forced) migration, these children have moved through different countries with diverse legislation and work practices. The international nature of these cases leads to confusion about the responsibility of different actors. Additionally, for these cases, little data are available. This article critically assesses current work practices in the EU. It also introduces a new practical solution based on empirical data from 26 international expert interviews, proposing a new alert system for missing children cases to improve the efficiency in responding to them and the international communication between stakeholders to improve the situation of missing unaccompanied migrant minors. The solution is currently in use by three organisations and has already been used in more than 85 real-life cases. It is concluded that it holds the potential to connect actors in a new, efficient way and prevent children, and unaccompanied migrant minors particularly, from falling off the grid. It is also highlighted that the situation of unaccompanied migrant minors is highly disadvantaged, and new, homogenous legislation among the EU member states that does not discriminate against the rights of migrant minors is imperative. New research should also actively involve them to better grasp their situation before and during their disappearance.

Primary methods of internationalisation of higher legal education

Introduction. Recent trends in the sphere of internationalisation of higher education expand theoretical insights into the dialectical nature of correlation between pedagogical science and educational practice, as well as the relationship between the general direc tions of the development of higher education, its national and regional specifics. An analysis of the experience of internationalisation of universities is required for the development of various models to modernise higher education, including legal education, and to substantiate practical recommendations for reforming the Russian higher education system. To date, an understanding has been reached of the need to internationalise higher education in the context of globalization to increase the competitiveness of the Russian higher education system, as evidenced by the Federal project to maximise the competitive position of Russian universities among the world’s leading scientific and educational centres (The Russian Academic Excellence Project 5-100). Internationalisation, being the key to optimising the export potential of Russian higher education, is essential for the modernisation of legal education.Aim. The research aimed to evaluate the productivity of actual instruments of international cooperation between universities and to outline optimal approaches to the usage of successful practices of international and Russian educational space to enhance the attractiveness of Russian legal education, and, as a consequence, the creation of a sustainable competitive advantage of a higher education institution.Methodology and research methods. Complex, interdisciplinary goals and tasks of the present research predetermined the application of gnoseological and synergetic approaches to the selection of research tools. The gnoseological approach facilitated a more profound analysis of the nature of internationalisation and integration of education in the current international processes. The synergetic approach resulted in the integration of pedagogical and legal research methods to define an optimal internationalisation strategy for the training of multiskilled legal professionals.Results. The authors assessed the effectiveness of the existing ways of internationalization of Russian legal education according to foreign student demand. A comprehensive analysis of the legal, political and social aspects of the current state of attractiveness of the Russian market of educational services and the need to identify the specifics of the internationalization of higher legal education was carried out. The experience monitoring of inter-university international cooperation allowed the authors to determine the conditions for the effectiveness of joint legal programmes (creation of an innovative educational environment, project activities and a flexible management system); to analyse modern pedagogical technologies applicable to legal disciplines; to determine the best schemes used by Russian and European universities for external mobility of students and teachers; to develop the proposals for the introduction of disciplines (for Russian students) provided in foreign languages by Russian and foreign teachers; to propose measures to improve the state policy in the field of interest, aimed at stimulating Russian universities to develop international joint educational programmes.Scientific novelty. The article presented the analysis of positive and negative experiences of Russian universities in application of internationalisation key tools in legal higher education. The acknowledged internationalisation methods of higher education were systematised in general. The additional ways for the integration of Russian legal education, in particular, to the international educational space, were identified.Practical significance consists in the approbation of new methods based on competency and practice-oriented approaches. The authors developed the guidelines for the implementation of internationalisation to enhance university competitive advantage and to increase the demand for graduates in labour market.

EDUCATION ON HANDLING GREEN TURTLE (Chelonia mydas) INJURED DUE TO ILLEGAL ARREST OF COMMUNITY PERSONS IN SUPRAU VILLAGE

The number of turtle populations from year to year has decreased. One of the causes is the arrests made by the community for consumption purposes. On April 29, 2021, a green turtle was eaten by the Directorate of Polair, Sorong City, with an injured condition that will be used as food for consumption. The purpose of this activity is to educate the public on the handling of injured turtles and socialize related to turtle conservation. The method of turtle handling activities is direct daily care with medication and turtle feeding programs, while socialization activities are carried out with mini workshops attended by representatives of the Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervisor, Sorong Marine and Fisheries Polytechnic, Directorate of Polair Sorong City, West Papua Natural Resources Conservation Center, Sorong District Court, Sailing Science Education and Training Center, Sorong City Fisheries Service, Papua Turtle Foundation, Conservation International (CI) and Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation and public figure. The results of the activities for handling injured turtles, healthy turtles returned with dry wounds so that the turtles could be released into the wild. The socialization activity went smoothly with increasing understanding regarding the importance of turtle conservation by the community by signing a Memorandum of Understanding related to turtle conservation.

Standardization of Neuroanesthesia Education: Need of the Hour and the Way Forward.

Purpose of ReviewThis review illustrates the evolution and progress with standardization of fellowship education in neuroanesthesiology. It provides a structured discussion around the need for curricula and framework which individual training programs in neuroanesthesiology can use to meet defined educational standards thus meeting criteria for accreditation.Recent FindingsNeuroanesthesiology training has traditionally been heterogenous around the world but international efforts from the community of neuroanesthesiology have culminated in the development of an international council for perioperative training in neuroscience in anesthesiology(ICPNT). This serves not only as an accrediting body but also creates a platform through their neuroanesthesia program relations committee for collaboration and engagement between various training programs internationally, increasing the educational standards of the individual programs and collectively increasing the overall level of standards for neuroanesthesia training. Standardized curriculum and competency-based assessments and milestones would help with narrowing the focus to quality education in neuroanesthesiology.SummaryStructured training around the three pillars of neuroanesthesiology with concomitant accreditation is expected to lead to higher education standards with better patient care. The SNACC created milestones for neuroanesthesiology training during residency and the ICPNT can now use this as a foundation for fellowship training. Having a council to accredit and standardize will likely become indispensable in creating a set path for training in neuroanesthesiology. Additionally, the flexibility built in due to the international nature would allow modified and variable pathways depending upon individual capabilities and interests. The path forward will include widespread adoption of standardization supporting the overarching goal of excellent patient outcomes around the world.

A Delphi Study Protocol to Identify Recommendations on Physical Activity and Exercise in Patients with Diabetes and Risk of Foot Ulcerations.

Patients with diabetes mellitus are exposed to important complications, such as diabetic neuropathy or peripheral vascular disease. The evidence on the guidelines that these patients, with a certain risk of suffering foot ulcerations, should follow before, during and after physical exercise is scarce. The objective of this study is to identify the physical exercise guidelines to recommend based on the risk of the foot of the patient with diabetes through a consensus of experts. A three-round Delphi study will be conducted. A scientific committee (multidisciplinary group of four national experts) will review the proposal of experts and the Delphi questionnaire before submitting. A group of experts in the management and approach of the diabetic foot of an international and multidisciplinary nature will form the panel of experts, who must express their degree of (dis)agreement with each of the statements contained in the Delphi questionnaire. The percentage will be calculated in response categories, and a cut-off point of 80% will be set to define the consensus of (dis)agreement of the panelists. The results of the study could provide a series of recommendations on the realization of physical exercise in diabetic patients at risk of suffering foot ulcerations.

Sanctions as a legal phenomenon in the law of Ukraine and international standards of their application

The article examines the theoretical and practical issues of application of the Law of Ukraine «On Sanctions» of August 14, 2014 and analyzes the existing views on the legal nature of such «legal phenomenon» as sanctions - special economic, financial and other restrictive measures (sanctions) provided by this Law. The article specifies the main issues facing the researchers of the Institute of Sanctions. The purpose of the article is coverage of the state of legal regulation and legal nature of such a phenomenon as sanctions (economic, financial) in the right to Ukraine. In order to achieve this goal, the author used a set of general and special methods that are characteristic of legal science.
 The article covers the issue of Ukraine's sovereign right to protection, in particular through the application of economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) «to protect national interests, national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, counter terrorist activity, as well as prevention of violations, restoration of violated rights and freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens of Ukraine, society and the state». The range of subjects against which sanctions can be applied has been studied, namely: a) foreign states; b) foreign legal entities; c) legal entities under the control of a foreign legal entity or a non-resident individual, foreigners, stateless persons; d) entities engaged in terrorist activities.
 Sanctions are defined as legal measures to respond immediately to violations of various rights, from encroachment on state sovereignty to the commission of a crime of an international nature, which are temporary, which are applied primarily through coercive measures, which are implemented using constitutional, financial, administrative, economic, criminal procedural, executive, economic procedural and other branches of law. The issues of the grounds for application of sanctions, their types and criteria for their delimitation, the term of application of sanctions, as well as the range of authorized entities in the field of their application are covered. The main approaches of scholars to the characterization of sanctions as measures of influence are investigated. It is noted that sanctions are measures of influence different from measures of legal responsibility, which may have a "non-criminal" nature. It is stated that sanctions are measures of influence that are applied, albeit in parallel, but in a systematic connection with the criminal prosecution imposed by the state or executed by it as a subject of international cooperation in the fight against crime.
 Their application is, firstly, due to the decision at the international or regional level on the application of international economic (financial) sanctions, personal sanctions in the course of criminal prosecution for acts of an international crime. However, Ukraine is obliged to adhere to international standards of the legal mechanism for the application of sanctions at the domestic level, to improve the procedural principles of their application, appeal procedures and amendments to the decision. We consider the participation of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the process of reviewing the decision on the application of sanctions and appealing the decisions necessary. Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions" are proposed in order to establish among the necessary grounds for the application of sanctions to individuals the opening of criminal proceedings against them, and for legal entities - the opening of criminal proceedings against related persons, as well as amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, as it does not contain provisions on such preliminary measures (securing and stopping) as "sanctions". In addition, in general, the sanctions procedure requires greater transparency, and it is concluded that sanctions can be applied to Ukrainian citizens only if they are suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.

Selective world-building: Collaboration and regional specificities in the marine biodiversity field

Over the past two decades, the scientific study of marine biodiversity developed into one of the most dynamic research fields within environmental research in general and ocean science in particular. Marine biodiversity research spans a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, scientific disciplines, and infrastructures for assessing patterns of change in marine biodiversity with different topics and regions contributing to the abstract construction of the field. Yet, beneath the surface of these abstract constructions and attributions such as “big science” to assess the international, interdisciplinary and data-driven nature marine biodiversity research, patterns of scientific collaboration emerge that shape the contributions of different world regions to the field. Furthermore, legal, political and territorial orders shape scientific collaboration by determining access to the marine environment and the study thereof. To understand these dynamics, this study analyses scientific publications on marine biodiversity using topic modeling methodology. Our approach provides the opportunity not only to describe large clusters within the field of marine biodiversity, but also to show how these topical clusters differ in time and across regions. By looking at the temporal and regional level, we wish to contribute to a deeper understanding of collaboration and regional specificity in the emergence of new research fields and – what we call – “selective world-building” across time and space.

Topical Trends of Modern Linguistics with the Positions of the Systemic Approach. Some Thoughts on the Results of a Scientific Internship at RUDN University “General and Specialized Methodology of Philological Science”, 2019

The article describes disputes about current issues of the modern scientific paradigm from the standpoint of systemic linguistics, whose powerful explanatory potential remains beyond the scope of the mass trends of linguistic science, and the formulation of new scientific issues as a result of a fruitful extrapolation of the systemic approach to the fields of philology that are not considered by the founders of systemic linguistics. In the first part of the article we considered differences in understanding the object, subject and method in Russian and foreign cognitive linguistics, leading to the loss of the international nature of linguistics, discussion of extremely painful issues for the Russian cognitive science about the cognitive futility of the term concept and the application of the cognitive approach in the study of discourse and text, violation of the continuity between the highest achievements of Russian and foreign scientific thought and the popular modern areas of linguistic research. Further in the article, the standpoint of a systemic typology is applied to the active processes of modern Russian speech. In the light of the approach taken, the facts that seem disparate from the standpoint of the culture of speech, from the standpoint of the systemic typology of languages, appear interconnected and determined by a general tendency - the deformation of the morphological type of the Russian language in the direction of the destruction of inflectivity. The result of the observed typological changes is the reduction in the possibility transfer highly intellectual meanings. An explanation of the principles of the organization of poetic speech in relation to the systemic typology of languages is an example how successfully S.Yu. Preobrazhensky applied the theory of the founder of modern systemic linguistics in the field which is far from interests of G.P. Melnikov. If the coincidence of the boundaries of the verse with the boundaries of the phrase within the sentence means the prevalence of the natural, that is, characteristic of the type of natural language in which the poem is written, principle of division, then the mismatch of boundaries speaks of a poetic technique that seeks to emphasize that the poetic statement is called upon to perform special communicative tasks leading to reconfiguring poetic syntax to other types of languages. The prospects of updating the systemic approach in modern semantic studies of grammar and vocabulary are discussed in the fourth and final part. The obtained results, which are set out in the article become the evidence base of the high potential for using the achievements of systemic linguistics in modern research practices.

«Большие вызовы» как фактор трансформации государственно-правовых отношений

Introduction: in recent years the “big challenges” category has rapidly come into language use. From the word combination of a prognostic-journalistic nature, the expression has penetrated normative legal acts, becoming a legal category that can potentially change social relations. However, in legal acts and a fairly small catalog of legal scientific publications, this construct is considered through the prism of socio-economic relations; its legal essence and possible state-legal transformations that may follow it are not highlighted. Purpose: to give an overview of the “big challenges” category through its genesis, transformation, and through the prism of legal realities. Methods: the methodological framework for the study was made up of general scientific methods – analysis and synthesis, as well as specific scientific methods – formal-legal and comparative-legal. Results: big challenges, initially referring to the category of scientific knowledge of the IT sphere, are subsequently used concerning a wide group of public relations, finding their consolidation in the program documents of an international and national nature. At the domestic level, acts are not only a declaration of intent but also a mandatory work plan for public authorities. In Russia, the final consolidation of the term “big challenges” in public-legal rhetoric took place in 2016, which led to the introduction of changes or the appearance of new legal acts of a planned nature. Conclusions: despite the legal definition of “big challenges” in the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation, there is still no legal description of the institution under consideration, although it carries huge legal potential, including in the field of public administration, laying the foundations for such a promising way of influencing social relations as smart regulation. An attempt is made to define “big challenges” in the legal discourse.

ON THE ISSUE OF INTRODUCING THE TERM «COMPLIANCE» IN THE BUSINESS FIELD IN UKRAINE

The article examines the issue of transferring in Ukrainian the term of foreign origin «compliance», which is becoming more common in the business field in Ukraine and at the same time has variability in approaches to its transfer in Ukrainian. The author studies the works of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of terminology, on the basis of which the proof of the argument on the use of the concept of compliance in the business field is built. In this regard, the paper analyzes the etymology of the word «compliance», gives the ways of its origin, and proves the international nature of the concept of compliance through the study of its designation in the languages of different language families and groups, namely: Czech, Mongolian, German, Japanese, French and Spanish. The author investigates the use of the Ukrainian term «комплаєнс» transliterated from English in Ukrainian science and legislation to designate the term «compliance», as well as variations of the translation of the term «compliance» with the specifically Ukrainian words «дотримання» and «відповідність». The article analyzes the expediency of alternative notation of the concept through the use of the specifically Ukrainian words «дотримання» or «відповідність» compared with the use of its transliterated counterpart through the prism of the nature of the compliance concept, the goals of implementing this phenomenon in Ukraine, its consistency and transfer of terms related to the term «комплаєнс». The author concludes that the Ukrainianlanguage terms for «compliance» using translated phrases do not meet the requirements for terminological units, and at the same time highlights the advantages of using the term transliterated from English. The article also proves the expediency of using the international term «compliance» as a transliterated lexical unit in the business field considering the globalization and European integration processes that affect the representatives of domestic business. The paper identifies prospective research areas of the term «комплаєнс» and provides recommendations for its unification in the legislation of Ukraine, in particular, in banking and anti-corruption legislation.

Evaluation of a pedagogical e-tool for promoting students’ well-being: The perspective of future prevention providers

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the digitally supported pedagogical tool for promoting students' well-being, developed during Erasmus+ project. The research includes the data from 59 fourth-year students in a five-year MA degree program in psychology (50 women and 9 men) aged 22–46 (M = 26.51, SD = 5.43). We used a survey questionnaire developed for the purposes of the study to assess the attractiveness and usefulness of the e-tool, the effectiveness of the different forms of communication used in the tool, and its overall strengths and weaknesses. The mean overall satisfaction with the tool was high. Among the factors contributing to the overall satisfaction with the tool, the content of the tool and the attractiveness of its message form was rated the highest. Online videos were considered to be the most effective form of communication used in the tool. The most appreciated features of the tool were the use of multimedia and remote resources and an attractive form; the weakest side of the tool, according to the respondents, turned out to be its appropriateness for the recipients’ developmental stage. Erasmus+ projects can develop valuable outcomes for school practice. They have also the potential for educating future staff working in various areas of psychological practice. Future psychologists and prevention providers should come into contact with the international nature of education, psychoeducation, and modern prophylaxis already during their studies.

The success rate of online illicit drug transactions during a global pandemic.

Background and AimsIn the months following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA; 2020) observed an increased use of cryptomarkets, which led them to question whether cryptomarkets constituted a more convenient channel via which to distribute illicit drugs without any in-person contact. However, as more countries' borders closed, the likelihood is that cryptomarkets have been negatively impacted. We aim to measure and understand the success rate of transactions on cryptomarkets during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, through recourse to self-reported data that documents the outcome of cryptomarket transactions.MethodsTo collect self-reported data on cryptomarket transactions, we launched a platform where participants can enter information about their prior activities on cryptomarkets. The sample consists of 591 valid self-reports that were received between January 1st, 2020 and August 21st, 2020.ResultsThe number of unsuccessful transactions increased concurrently with the global spread of the pandemic. Both the international and inter-continental nature of the transactions and the severity of the crisis in the vendor's country are significantly associated with delivery failure.ConclusionsDrug cryptomarkets may have been disrupted due to the pandemic. The results lead to two opposing explanations for unsuccessful transactions. One explanation for the lower success rate is the inability of drug dealers to deliver on past promises that were made in good faith, while the second points towards opportunistic and abusive behaviour by drug dealers.

Traditional and New Sports Terms For the Validity of Modern Understanding

Over time, along with the world, language also evolves and changes. In order to save time and effort, people simplify their speech, often deliberately making changes in the language to achieve a special effect. In this respect, sport stands out in the first place, as it is an important factor in strengthening national unanimity, interpersonal relations and international cooperation. In the process of globalization, sport is becoming more international, getting closer to the representatives of different countries. These relations, of course, are reflected in the sports vocabulary of this or that language, so the language of sports has become one of the most intensively developing lexical systems,In the creation-borrowing and establishment-dissemination of sports terms in the 20s and 70s of the last century, more attention was paid to Georgian terminology. From the 90s of the 20th century, foreign vocabulary prevailed, Will.In recent years, a large number of sports journalists and commentators have chosen the easy way out - using cooking terms or slang instead of word production, indicating the international nature of the sport. The main reasons for the intervention of the Anglicans are the Internet, the culture and sport of pop music, as well as socio-psychological factors. For some, foreign vocabulary is perceived as superior to native. As if it is related to reading and learning, so speech containing foreign words is considered more socially prestigious. However, borrowing is justified only when the borrowed word fills in the missing realities of the language. However, it is not necessary to translate words for that. It is better to use the richest possibilities of Georgian language word production. This should be especially taken into account by sports journalists and commentators, as their speech has a contagious power and even poses a risk of unintentional imitation or infection.

Comprehensive characterization of biological terrorism

. The article considers the complex characterization of biological terrorism as a special dangerous phenomenon, a threat to the national security of states, a crime of an international nature, a destructive mechanism that affects the change and reformatting of public relations. The complex characteristic integrates knowledge from many branches of science, includes the following elements: criminal law, criminology, criminology, and others, which are interrelated and determine measures to ensure the national security of states in the event of possible unauthorized use of biological agents. The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research in the framework of the project “Ethical and Legal Principles of Genomic Research: Limits of interference in human rights”, RFBR project No. 18-29-14015/20.The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research in the framework of the project “Ethical and Legal Principles of Genomic Research: Limits of interference in human rights”, RFBR project No. 18-29-14015/20.

Youth Attitudes and Participation in Climate Protest: An International Cities Comparison Frontiers in Political Science Special Issue: Youth Activism in Environmental Politics

This article examines youth participation the school climate strikes of 2018 and 2019 (also known as #Fridays4Future), through an exploratory study conducted in seven diverse cities. Despite the international nature of the climate strikes, we know little about the factors that influenced youth participation in these protests beyond the global North. This matters because youth of the global South are disproportionately impacted by climate change and there is growing concern that the climate movement is dominated by narratives that marginalize the voices and priorities of Indigenous communities and people of color. In this context, the exploratory research reported here aimed to compare the attitudes of climate protesters (n= 314) and their non-protester peers (n= 1,217), in diverse city samples drawn from a wider study of children and youth aged 12–24 years, living in Christchurch (New Zealand); Dhaka (Bangladesh); Lambeth, London (United Kingdom); Makhanda (South Africa); New Delhi (India); São Paulo (Brazil); and Yokohama (Japan). Using cross-sectional data (N= 1,531) and binary logistic regression models, researchers examined three common explanations for youth participation in protest: availability (biographical and structural), political engagement (reported individual and collective efficacy of strikers and non-strikers), and self-reported biospheric values amongst participants. Results indicate that even in diverse city samples, structural availability (civic skills and organizational membership) predicted strike participation across city samples, but not political engagement (self-efficacy and collective efficacy). Youth who reported that ‘living in harmony with nature and animals’ was important for their wellbeing, were also more likely to strike than their peers. Descriptive statistics indicated that the majority (85 percent) of all protestors in this study agreed climate change was a serious issue and a startling 65 percent said that they think about climate change “all the time”. Reported rates of youth climate protest participation varied across city samples as did the extent to which participants reported having friends take part or expecting climate change to have a personal impact. While the study is exploratory, it points to the need for more extensive research to understand the diversity of youth participation in ‘global climate strikes’.

Commercial DNA tests and police investigations: a broad bioethical perspective

Over 30 million people worldwide have taken a commercial at-home DNA test, because they were interested in their genetic ancestry, disease predisposition or inherited traits. Yet, these consumer DNA data...

Using At-Home DNA Tests for Criminal Investigations – A Call for a Collective Approach to Investigative Genetic Genealogy

"Tens of millions of people worldwide have taken a commercial at-home DNA test out of interest in their genetic ancestry, disease risks, cilantro taste aversion, or athletic performance capacities. Yet, this consumer DNA data is also of interest to law enforcement: the data can be used to identify criminal suspects. By uploading a genetic profile from an unknown suspect, found at the crime scene, to a database with consumer’s genetic data, one could find a distant relative of the suspect. Through the mapping of this relative’s family tree, police can eventually zero in on the actual perpetrator. However, this investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) raises ethical concerns. In this presentation, I aim to contribute to the bioethical analysis of IGG by exploring the limitations of an individual-based model for IGG. I discuss two ethical concerns of IGG: privacy and informed consent. However, I argue that IGG raises specific ethical challenges that extend beyond these two autonomy-related concepts. Because of the far-reaching scope to identify even very distant relatives, IGG could identify a vast majority of a target population, thus making it also a collective issue. I explore how the ethical approach of individual consent and relatives in the biomedical genetic context can be helpful for the debate on IGG. Additional ethical concerns arise from the international, transgenerational, and commercial nature of IGG. I call for a more collective approach to IGG in the ethical debate. "

FROM HUMAN CAPITAL TO MARGINALIZED OTHER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF DIASPORA AND INTERNATIONALIZATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

ABSTRACT The proliferation of diasporas has influenced the nature of internationalization in many higher education (HE) systems and institutions, especially in terms of academic and student mobility/migration. Through a systematic review of the academic literature, I critically analyze the widespread uses of and approaches to ‘diaspora’ in HE research and its relationship to internationalization. I identify two major areas of studies and corresponding approaches to diaspora: one which frames diaspora as human capital and focusses on the role of the state; and the other which frames diaspora as marginalized other and social construct. I argue that ‘diaspora’ in HE studies tends to be ambiguous, under-defined, under-theorized, and fragmented. I further argue that it is loosely connected to internationalization discourses, despite its clear connections. I posit that this is because ‘internationalization’ is associated with humanitarianism, cosmopolitanism, global citizenship and the de-centering of states, nations, ethnicities, religions, and particularistic identities. Diaspora is often associated with these latter categories and thus, is shunned. I conclude by suggesting that the blending of (often conflictual) ideas, intentions, values and identities is precisely what diaspora engages in and that the conditions of our increasingly mobile and (inter)connected world necessitate a (re)thinking of diaspora in HE scholarship.

The scientific community in the international transfer of ideas and technologies: historical aspects

The paper examines training of scientific personnel in the middle of the 20th century in the Soviet Union and in Western countries on the basis of archival materials and published memoirs. The author analyzes common and distinctive features of national systems of highly qualified specialists training. It is noted that different approaches to researchers training, their scientific potential and differences in research methods did not interfere the cooperation of scientists from different countries; on the contrary, they complemented and enriched it. In the paper on the example of materials of Physical and Chemical Institute named after L.Ya. Karpov the author names the main communication channels used by scientists in the 1950s1960s. As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that the role of the scientific community in the international transfer of ideas and technologies was to fill this complex process of international cooperation with scientific content. Due to the international nature of science, neither language barriers nor differences in mentality and culture hinder its development, but foreign policy is an important factor in the success of scientific thought. The events of the cold war did not allow many international scientific projects to be fully implemented.