Space Security Research Articles

RESOURCES AND SERVICES OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS

Purpose. The processes of higher education digital transformation are actively developing. As a result, there are new challenges and requirements in which the role of university libraries is significantly changed. The university library is transformed upon us, expanding its functions and creating new services. Monitoring of publication activity, network interaction and cooperation of educational institutions, implementation of scientific and educational policy of university. The library is an integral component of the university strategic development in these and other aspects. To achieve these goals, university libraries are guided and take into account world trends that will influence the libraries’ development in the coming years: Open Science, Open Education and the key role of libraries to implement these ideas; intensive development and dissemination of information technologies; that the vast majority of library users are Digital Natives and Digital Citizen [1]. Methodology. Study and research of European academic practices on the directions of changes in education in crisis situations; DECriS project results on the use of digital methods and learning resources during the Covid‑19 pandemic, with a special emphasis on open educational resources (OER); the library role as a new online learning platform. NUS Scientific Library, in these conditions, directs its activities taking into account all world trends and challenges. The creation and support of a navigation orientation system in a variety of information resources through the library website as a “single window” is very relevant in terms of quarantine and remote work. Finding. To ensure the service transition on the qualitatively new level for remote users based on modern information technologies and active consumption of information resources by users, additional modules for the library system “USH/ Library” were introduced. During the pandemic, Science library expands access to the world’s providers of scientific resources – licensed commercial databases, openaccess Internet resources, DB of scientific and technical information in order to provide the most complete information. Features of the university librarians work: knowledge of the organization of digital instruments for scientific communications; specifics of scientific work of their institutions. To do this, new services are created and mastered in the university libraries. Open access documents and data are of interest to libraries and library professionals as resources of scientific, educational and cultural importance. Due to the large-scale distribution of open access electronic resources, their quality is not always unambiguous, so it is very relevant in the activities of university libraries to prepare navigators. NUS Scientific Library publishes the navigator “Open Access Resources,” which is popular among scientists. The number of online resources is huge, but only in units of universities they are integrated into the educational process, in ABIS and electronic libraries. The principal task for librarians is to integrate into the process of educational transformation. The model of interaction between the structural units of the university and librarians, who are ready to master this new competence, is what we are working now on. Practical value. In 2021, NUS Scientific Library employees began the first stage in the users’ media literacy study and developed a questionnaire “Student Media Literacy.” Monitoring should show the level of media literacy of students and their security in the media space. The second stage of the study is aimed at identifying media literacy of academicians. At the end of the study, we plan to develop measures aimed at increasing the media literacy of educational applicants and academicians. NUS Scientific Library is an integral link in the system of the University academic integrity and actively participates in the work of all components of this system, interacts with the structural subdivisions of the University on integrity practices. The library has developed a presentation, a lecture and a test for students, the procedure of events was approved by the Academic Council of the University in September, 2021. Despite the pandemic, during 2021–2022 the Scientific Library has launched a new eco-initiative – the implementation of the eco-project “Green light of our life,” we hope that the initiatives will help everyone to adjust their lives to the “green light” and be environmentally conscious. Results. Leading universities around the world are developing their libraries as intellectual centers. At this stage, the library should take a proper place in the management team of the university. Today, the Scientific Library sees its mission in facilitating the implementation of the educational process and the development of scientific research through quality information support and service; promotion of the university scientific heritage in the world information space; promotion and increase of the university scientific rating.

ICTs opportunities and risks: Effectiveness of a nationwide intervention

The Safer Internet Centre project aims to promote initiatives to make the Internet a better and more secure space for youths. Across the nation, schools were involved in activities aimed at raising awareness throughout a full school year. The first goal of this study is to analyze whether the project was effective, based on three aspects: (a) students’ awareness of online risks; (b) students’ perception of the schools’ policy both on ICTs risk prevention and incidents; and (c) cyberbullying involvement. The second aim is related to the evaluation of the moderating role of intervention dosage on the outcomes. Two trials of intervention were carried out, one for each goal. In the first, we involved students from control schools (N = 675) and experimental schools (N = 775). In the second, we compared two experimental groups: Higher (N = 251, online and face-to-face components) and Lower (N = 315, only the online component) dosage of intervention. Using pre/post-intervention design, we found a significant increase over time in the experimental group on the schools’ commitment to preventing and dealing with online risks. While the students in experimental schools felt themselves significantly more aware of online risks, no significant decrease over time was found in the involvement in cyberbullying. Besides, no dosage effect was found, showing that face-to-face component in our project did not have additional benefits. Implications for future implementations are discussed.

Urban Competitiveness: Identification and Analysis of Sustainable Key Drivers (A Case Study in Iran)

From the mid-1990s onwards, the concept of competitiveness was introduced to firms at the level of countries, regions, and cities. It was used as an index of the success and superiority of places. The present study used quantitative (survey) and qualitative methods in the framework of the exploratory paradigm to achieve key driving variables affecting the competitiveness of Kermanshah. The present study was applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive–analytical nature and research method. The study’s statistical population consisted of experts related to the Kermanshah competitiveness index, which studied 30 experts using the snowball method. MICMAC software was used to analyze the research data. Findings indicated that out of a total of 54 variables affecting the competitiveness of Kermanshah, 11 variables were in this group, which were the role of Kermanshah city in the power structure (MIN1); geographical and strategic location (MIN4); national, regional, and local plans (MIN5); management (MIN6); clean and healthy air (ENV1); potential sources of soil and water (ENV2); security of space (SEC2); the agricultural sector (ECO7); domestic tourism (ECO16); foreign tourism (ECO17); and sustainable sources of income (ECO19). The final model of Kermanshah’s future competitiveness will be that in the first stage, if the government (administration and government structure), in the form of national, regional, and local programs, pays attention to the competitive advantages of places. Especially, in large cities, and eliminating regional inequalities and in the next stage, local government (officials, managers, and all planners as the executive department) will need to act in order to operationalize the competitiveness of the city. With the correct use of opportunities and potentials (economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and security), in the 20-year horizon, Kermanshah will be a city with national and even transnational competitiveness. Otherwise, in addition to burning opportunities and destroying the capabilities of Kermanshah, other places adjacent to Kermanshah province will gradually be involved in challenges; tensions; and economic, cultural, social, environmental, security, and other crises.

Aberdeen, City of Culture?

Aberdeen, City of Culture?

Efficient Storage and Encryption of 32-Slice CT Scan Images Using Phase Grating.

Medical images are treated as sensitive as it carries patients’ confidential information and hence must be protected from unauthorized access. So, a strong encryption mechanism is a primary criterion to transmit these images over the internet to protect them from intruders. In many existing algorithms, noise affection in the extracted images is high, hence not suitable for medical data encryption. Here, we present a new method using phase grating to multiplex as well as encrypting 32 cross-sectional CT scan images (slices) in a single canvas for optimization of storage space and improvement of security. The entire process is divided into a few steps. Before transmission, the main canvas is encrypted with the help of a random phase matrix. The main canvas is further encrypted by the transposition method to enhance security. After decryption, inverse Fourier transform is applied at the proper location of the decrypted canvas to extract the images from the spectra. Quality is measured with peak-signal-to-noise ratio and correlation coefficient methods. Here, it is greater than 38 and the correlation coefficient is close to 1 for all images, thereby indicating of good quality of extracted images. The effect of three common cyber-attacks (viz. known-plaintext attack, chosen-plaintext attack, and chosen-ciphertext attack) is also presented here. The correlation coefficient during cyber-attacks is found to be close to zero, which implies the robustness of the algorithm against cyber-attacks. Finally, a comparison with existing techniques shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.

“You Are Blessed to Be a Blessing”: Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches and the Politics of Redistribution in Harare

Abstract Drawing on ethnographic research in Zimbabwe, this article examines the ways through which a new Pentecostal-Charismatic Church (PCC), Good Life Church (GLC), engages in charity and redistributive activities in Harare. From the mid-2000s, there has been a remarkable Pentecostal explosion in Zimbabwe. This explosion coincided with a protracted socio-economic and political crisis. This crisis was marked by deepening poverty, skyrocketing unemployment, hyperinflation, and the withdrawal of state welfare. This was worsened by rapid emigration, which dismembered kinship-based social safety nets. In response, new PCCs emerged as new and alternative spaces of welfare provision, redistribution and social security. I argue that GLC’s engagement in acts of charity should be understood within the broader discourse of spiritual warfare against the demons of poverty. By addressing “this-worldly” concerns, GLC attempts to make a holistic contribution to sustainable development by attending to the spiritual and material needs of people. Indeed, a culture of giving is cultivated and habituated in everyday life and practices within the church. I assert that acts of individual and collective charity provision in GLC enable many people to navigate uncertainties and precarities wrought by the postcolonial economic crisis. This article draws on Bourdieu’s theory of practice, and particularly his concepts of field, habitus and forms of anticipation to unpack the acts of charity in GLC. A specific kind of Pentecostal habitus is (re)produced through teachings, rituals, socialities and convivialities forged within the church.

A present from the forest: Focus group interviews on cancer survivors’ forest experiences

ObjectiveTo explore cancer survivors' forest experiences and to understand the relevance of these experiences from their perspectives in the context of the growing interest in nature's impact on health and quality of life. MethodsFrom July 29 to August 12, 2021, four focus group interviews were conducted with cancer survivors who visited forests in South Korea. The data were analyzed using qualitative content and thematic analysis. ResultsThe participants were 21 female cancer survivors with a mean age of 58.4 (age range 44–69) years. The focus group interviews revealed three themes and 10 sub-themes regarding subjective perceptions and experiences related to forests. The overarching themes were as follows: (1) awakened bodily senses and fascination with the forest; (2) remedial effect; and (3) a source of inspiration. These three themes capture the impact of forest experiences on participants’ lives and the value they derived from these experiences. The participants considered these experiences a gift from forests. In particular, they experienced aesthetic enrichment and restorative effects such as boosted energy levels, reduced fatigue, and a buffer against mood swings. Finally, forests were a source of inspiration that led the participants toward personal growth. ConclusionsBy gaining a better understanding of survivors' forest experiences, we identified that forest-based interventions for supportive cancer care can align with patients’ values and preferences and serve as a secure space where they can feel cared for. This study can contribute to the development of forest-based interventions for cancer survivorship care.

Propovijedanje u liturgijskom kontekstu

Preaching or service of the Word represents a significant part of every liturgy or worship which is why this liturgical context is worth closer examination. In this paper, this issue is addressed through an overview of other contexts that, together with liturgy, shape the dynamics of preaching: historical, pastoral, and theological contexts. What follows is an analysis of four models of worship structure that differ in the way preaching relates to other elements of worship – Word and table as complementary (Roman Catholic perspective), Word and table as complementary (Protestant perspective), Word as the center of worship, and Word as a catalyst. The account of each model presents the key arguments used to support this particular understanding of preaching, the crucial features of the proclamation of the Word, its most significant hallmarks, as well as its main advantages and disadvantages. Toward the end of the paper, the author suggests an additional model, partly endorsed by the findings of his empirical research. According to this model, preaching can be perceived as a space of freedom, surprise, deliverance, and change within the wider liturgical environment as a space of security, stability, order, and identity affirmation. In conclusion, it is suggested that our understanding of preaching is enriched every time we manage to lift our eyes above the limitations of our church traditions and personal experiences, and that study of the liturgical context serves as a good choice for the beginning of such research.

Verbal Irony in the Discourse of Sungusungu Vigilantism in Suneka Township, Kisii County, Kenya

When the state cannot provide adequate security, or citizens do not trust the state to do so, alternatives have been sought. In most cases, the alternatives lie in the nexus between the rich and the poor who opt for private security companies or vigilante groups (or gangs) respectively. Vigilantes have dominated security spaces in urban slums and rural areas in Kenya. This paper focuses on the discourse of Sungusungu vigilante groups in Kisii with reference to the Suneka township from the late 1990s to the present. The study that directed this paper was qualitative. Primary data were obtained using in-depth interviews, while secondary data were collected through a review of relevant literature. Irony was revealed through the way Sungusungu managed to control crime considerably within the short time of their emergence in Kisii, which the state had failed to address adequately. Thus, resenting attitudes were expressed towards the state. Secondly, after controlling crime rates, Sungusungu ironically engaged in the same crimes, besides degenerating into other illegal activities, including extortion, torture and illegal arrests. Consequently, the government dissociated from Sungusungu, banned them and reorganised community policing groups. Strangely, some members of Sungusungu found their way into community policing groups. Over time, Sungusungu have been associated with different identities, including community policing and Nyumba Kumi (Ten Households) on the one hand, and terror groups, underground movements, extortionists and “these people” on the other hand. There is no clear-cut identity difference between Sungusungu and community policing. As a result, the term “sungusungu” has been used as a generic identity for community policing, Nyumba Kumi or any group of people who partner with the state in the maintenance of social order in the community. Still, the debate around Sungusungu, community policing and Nyumba Kumi remains fluid and hazy, and as Kenya approaches the 2022 general elections, Sungusungu are getting involved in the murky waters of politics.

Space and Well-Being in High Security Environments.

Research into the spatial dimensions of deprivation of liberty and psychiatric hospitalization has a long and complex tradition. In this context, the increasing numbers of prisoners and patients in forensic hospitals have impressively shown how difficult it is to ensure security, therapy and rehabilitation when space is scarce or not well-suited. In this narrative review, we present the main findings of recent lines of research on spaces in prisons and forensic psychiatric wards, with particular attention to the links between overcrowding in prisons and secure forensic psychiatric hospitals and violence, the foundations of prison and hospital architecture, and on how the design of spaces in prisons and hospitals can influence well-being. We assess and discuss these findings in the context of the current debate on how well-being in secure spaces can support the achievement of rehabilitation goals even in overcrowded institutions.

Geographical Imagination and Experiences of Violence and Violence Prevention in Post-Soviet Space

Institutional actors in urban areas in Latvia are increasingly concerned about reducing violence on multiple scales and temporalities. Imagining such achievements, however, often too easily focuses on the aesthetics of security and infrastructure in public space that obscure the social causes of violence and effects this has on unequal development and social marginalization. Drawing on fieldwork on practices of domestic violence prevention in three Latvian urban areas during the autumn and winter of 2019, this paper examines how the geographical imagination of where violence resides connects violence prevention and spatial development as projects of European modernisation in post-Soviet space. We identify four spatial fields most often associated with violence: (1) neighbourhoods and infrastructural elements, (2) dark and isolated spaces, (3) spaces associated with intoxication, and (4) private spaces. We analyse the most common individual and institutional strategies for violence prevention in each of these fields, noting the logics of dispossession, surveillance, and connectivity behind them. We show how gendered practices and disciplining are emphasised on an individual level, while spatial fixes to violence in public space often focus on men’s violence against men. All in all, we show how violence prevention figures in imagining living in ‘European’ spatial and institutional infrastructural regimes.

Taxonomical Challenges for Cyber Incident Response Threat Intelligence

As attackers continue to devise new means of exploiting vulnerabilities in computer systems, security personnel are doing their best to identify loopholes and threats. Analysis of threats to come up with effective mitigation techniques requires all-encompassing information about them. Security analysts can represent and share cyber threat information with semantic knowledge graphs within cyber security space to access. However, there should be no conflicting information because the response to threats must be immediate. This calls for a standardized taxonomy that is generally accepted within the cybersecurity space to represent information, ultimately making cyber threat intelligence (CTI) credible. This review looks into existing CTI-based ontologies, taxonomies, and knowledge graphs. The absence of standardized taxonomy identified could be responsible for limited taxonomy encoding and integration among existing CTI-based ontologies, as well as missing interconnections between taxonomies and existing ontologies. Hence, the development of a standardized taxonomy will enhance CTI effectiveness.

Space Security and the Transatlantic Relationship

Since the end of World War II, outer space has been an arena in which both high and low politics have played out, and both the US and Europe have been heavily invested. This article examines the case study of space exploration as a window into the evolving nature of the transatlantic relationship. With the US government regularly deprioritizing Europe in its foreign policy and at times taking the transatlantic relationship for granted, the author argues that transnational and non-state actors have played an important role in maintaining the stability of the alliance. In terms of space, this means that the space community—space agencies, private actors, space enthusiasts, engineers, and scientists, among others—often enable transatlantic cooperation despite initial conflictual rhetoric stemming from political leaders. Importantly, while these transnational or non-state actors tend to view space as a peaceful domain for all of humankind, governments and militaries often treat space as the next battlefield. To support this argument, the article considers two major transatlantic space developments: the US’s Space Force, which reflects a US desire to be dominant in space, and Europe’s Galileo satellite system, which reflects a European goal to have strategic autonomy from the US. The author argues that the idea that space should be a peaceful domain for all of humankind is more strongly reflected in outcomes, despite the presence of conflictual, militaristic rhetoric.

Application-Based Cab Services in India: Commuters’ Barriers due to COVID-19

The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. The constant increase in the rise of cases and deaths has compelled nearly all countries to impose lockdowns and other restrictive measures. The restrictions on travel and other non-essential activities have raised some serious business concerns for ridesharing, carpooling, and cab rental services. This study aims to identify, analyze, and prioritize the commuters’ barriers to App-based Ridesharing Services during COVID-19’s first and second waves, and potential ways of adaptation for an anticipated third wave in Indian contexts. The hierarchy of barriers is established using the responses from sixty respondents and their analysis using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). ‘Safety from contagion’ was found to be the most significant and strong factor followed by the desire for personal space and personal security as the most important inhibitors for not choosing ridesharing services during COVID-19. Socio-economic status and the lack of reliability of service were not given much importance by the respondents. The current and potential implications for sustainable business and the environment are also discussed.

Modernising Security: Vernacular (In)securities in the Public Space of Tbilisi after the Rose Revolution

Abstract This article explores the perceptions of personal (in)security in the public space of Tbilisi, Georgia following the Rose Revolution in 2003. Based on the concept of vernacular security, I suggest a bottom-up approach to the subject, focusing on its culturally and socially specific character and observing the production of the discourses of (in)security at the intersecting notions of modernisation/backwardness, formality/informality, criminality/lawfulness, and the West/Russia, reflecting post-revolutionary political, social, and cultural transformations. While the government of the Rose Revolution introduced full-scale reforms formalising security in Georgia, the article reveals that citizens’ perceptions of personal (in)security in the public space are often ambiguous and even self-contradicting, as they waver between the notions of formality and informality, often interpreting the same phenomenon as a source of both their security and insecurity.

Detecting Fake Faces In Smart Cities Security Surveillance Using Image Recognition And Convolutional Neural Networks

Smart cities are planned to have millions of Internet-connected sensors and devices. Sensors can create a huge amount of data in a range of applications. In modern urban environments, quality of life in a Smart City is heavily dependent on the safety of its residents. For a long time, public safety has been a major source of anxiety. For everyone, stopping a breach of private space security has become a priority. Traditional security systems raise an alarm whenever they detect a breach of safety. It is possible to find a breach of an advanced model by using image processing and a deep analysis of convolutional neural networks to classify images. Because of the ability to reduce complicated aspects from photographs using exact algorithms for facial and body detection. The results of specific machine learning, such as deep learning techniques are outstanding. The processing time of the proposed system is reduced, and true rate of face recognition is 72.7% under varying distance from 2m to 5m.This paper aims to show that when used together the security sector, the two can achieve more than might have been previously assumed models.

Introduction: Civicness in conflict

ABSTRACT This article is the introduction to a special issue on ‘Civicness in Conflict’. Civicness is defined in three ways: (i) as a logic of public authority, that speaks to ideas of rights-based, inclusive rather than exclusive political orders; (ii) as a form of behaviour, acting ‘as if’ such a logic existed; and (iii) as a political position, articulated against uncivic politics, in particular the combination of endemic corruption, ethnic or religious sectarianism and economic and social injustice. The introduction traces some conceptual, historical and vernacular entry points, before summarizing empirical research that points to the prevalence of civicness in all three senses in contemporary conflicts. It emerges even without free and secure spaces, and it often represents a strategy of survival. We also suggest that whether or not civicness is merely a way of surviving in conflict contexts or whether it represents an opening for challenging the dominant war logics depends to a degree on the character of international involvement.

Actual Problems of Administrative Responsibility in the Field of Information Security

The article emphasizes the relevance of drawing attention to the increasing role of administrative and legal provision of information security. The current administrative legislation is analyzed, and proposals are formulated aimed at finding administrative and legal means and methods, problems of ensuring information security. Based on the current administrative legislation, the article presents the author's approach to the problem of legal responsibility in the field of security in the global cybernetic space. The article examines the legal and organizational aspects of the implementation of administrative responsibility measures in the mechanism of ensuring information security, the importance of administrative coercion in the mechanism of building an information society is noted in the work. The main conclusions of the study are that over the last period of time a number of changes have been made to the administrative legislation in terms of legal regulation of information security. These changes indicate that in the Russian Federation, state control is being strengthened to prevent information threats and risks, while the legislator responds in a timely manner to changes in society in the context of the digitalization of law and geopolitical instability in the world. To date, measures of administrative responsibility for offenses in the field of information security are constantly being developed and improved.With the advent of new information technologies, means of communication and objects of critical information infrastructure in the Russian Federation, it is necessary on an ongoing basis to conduct scientific research on issues of legal liability for unlawful influence on such information objects with the active participation of public authorities in order to introduce scientific and technical developments into practical activities.

The mobile and carceral logics of Haifa Port

This article investigates Haifa Port’s carceral and mobile geographies by examining how Israel is being re-made, rebranded, and harnessed as ‘safe and secure space’ for the transits of global capital. The article contends with ports as key protagonists of empire, situated in an enduring and ongoing history of colonial routes and route-making that are raced and moving with/through the transits of colonised bodies and commodities. Haifa Port – and Israel itself – are examined as nodes in a matrix of global colonial-capitalist relations, moulded to an essential geographic rationale, in which everything moves and must continue circulating. Yet, in exploring the specific dense and durable materialities of Haifa Port – and the racial logics of the settler colonial state – the article also works to understand that which becomes contained and fixed in particular sites, spaces, bodies, and lives. This also helps point to whom and what sits outside them – vulnerable and threatening to Israel’s participation in global economic circuits and orders.

New Dawn for Space Security

Space infrastructure provides vital services for a number of critical industries, including; defence, transportation, energy, utilities, emergency services, banking, environment, academia, and others. These services range from global communications to remote sensing and geolocation, with many new applications undoubtedly on the horizon, including plans for further exploration and even human settlement. It is therefore essential that space technologies are protected from unwanted interferences – a task that is becoming more challenging by the day. Adding to the already complex space security environment, we are experiencing the beginnings of a second space race that is seeing the rapid deployment of space systems containing a vast array of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced onboard processing. This is subsequently introducing new vulnerabilities to an already aged and vulnerable satellite ecosystem, hence increasing the risk of potentially catastrophic security events. Although well-articulated in political, legal, and international relations literature, the engineering, science, and technology aspects of space security are currently under-studied and disjointed, leading to fragmented research and inconsistent terminology. This paper examined space security from an engineering perspective by conceptually tying existing space and security literature together to detail the space threat landscape and identify research gaps and opportunities. Additionally, this paper identifies the need for wider recognition of space systems security as a specialist inter-disciplinary domain in order to break down disciplinary silos, enhance collaboration, and unify definitions, taxonomies, and research objectives.