Library Publishing Projects in the Top List of Non/fictio№ 22

The article considers the content of publishing activities of the Russian State Library (RSL) in the context of the event-communication process of the International Fair of Intellectual Literature Non/fictio№ 22, held on March 24—28, 2021 in Moscow in the Gostiny Dvor complex. The author presents new products of the “Pashkov Dom” publishing house of the RSL, included in the top list of the Fair, as well as the best-selling books, which were successfully sold at the RSL stand during the forum. Special attention is paid to the presentation of the two-volume book “The Great Librarian. To the 120th Birth Anniversary of Margarita Ivanovna Rudomino” as the central event of the RSL participation program in the Fair. This publishing project has been prepared for publication in cooperation with the Margarita Rudomino All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature and is intended to open a book series about outstanding librarians.

The Imperative of Open, Shared, Trusted (FAIR) Scientific Data: Accelerating for the Future

<p>The major societal challenges—ensuring a sustainable planet and ecosystems, with food, energy, water, health, and quality of life provided equitably—depend on convergent science grounded in the Earth and space sciences and broadly open, shared, and trusted (e.g., FAIR) data. Such data already provide enormous benefits (e.g, weather prediction; hazards avoidance and mitigation; precision navigation). In addition to being needed for these solutions, the integrity and trust in science and thus the solutions follows directly from open FAIR data. But many barriers hinder widespread practices and adoption. A number of concerned stakeholders are working on the technology and practices needed for FAIR workflows, and thanks to these efforts, the technical pieces for solutions are mostly in place. But a larger coordinated effort is needed around in particular (i) supporting the infrastructure needed globally, and (ii) developing the research culture and practices needed for universal FAIR data. The first challenge includes recognizing that science is now international and thus international FAIR data culture is essential. This requires greater urgent attention by the larger science stakeholders: societies, universities and research institutions, funders, and governments.</p>

Death Penalty in Pakistan in nexus with International Human Rights Laws and Sharia’h

In the instant study, we focus to point out Islamic perspective in relation to international human rights laws pertaining to death penalty in the context of Pakistan. We have discussed the perspective certain jurists who claim qisas is an alternative prayer, and it can be abolished. However, the study maintains that Islamic injunctions support, and recommend for capital punishment for certain offences, while diyatis an alternative penalty. Further, we have deliberated death penalty in the light of human rights conventions with special focus on Article 6 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966. The debate also surrounds abolitionists or retentionists views with special reference to Pakistan. It concludes that immediate abolishment of death penalty may not be possible in Pakistan. Nevertheless, as a first step, it needs to re-interpret the phrase “most serious crimes” envisaged under Article 6 of ICCPR in its true letter and spirit, or to exercise de facto abolishment of it until its crippled criminal justice system ensures international fair trial standards. As internal peace and security situation improves in Pakistan, so it may enforce de-jure halt.

TOURIST RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS TOURISM IN SOFIA AND PLOVDIV

The article presents the resources for business tourism in Sofiya and Plovdiv. These events are described in the "Catalogue of fairs and exhibitions in Bulgaria". In Sofia, such events are held at the Inter Expo Center, the Central Department Store, the National Palace of Culture, the Universiade Hall and Sofia Tech Park, while in Plovdiv they are organized only at the International Fair. The article uses the terms exhibition day, when a fair or exhibition is held and calendar day when one or more exhibitions are held in the city. Intensity interval is the ratio between the exhibition days and the calendar days by rounding to the second decimal place and it can be explained as the number of exhibitions that residents (visitors, tourists) of (in) a city can visit in one day.

Rosso Verona marble (Italy): proposed as a candidate for "Global Heritage Stone Resource"

<p>Rosso Verona marble (RV) is the commercial name for an ammonite-bearing, pink-red, nodular, limestone, occurring near the city of Verona, North Italy,  hence the name “Rosso Verona marble”.</p><p>  Geologically speaking, RV belongs to the Rosso Ammonitico Veronese (RAV) Formation, a Middle-Upper Jurassic unit within the Mesozoic successions of the Trento Plateau, within which it comprises the stratigraphic interval between the top of platform carbonates (Early Jurassic) and the base of the micritic pelagic limestones of the Maiolica Formation (Uppermost Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous; “Biancone” of older authors).</p><p> </p><p> The RAV Formation dominant features are the presence of hardgrounds, highlighted by Fe and Mn oxide encrustations and recording breaks in sedimentation, colour variations, and abundance of nodular facies and bioturbation. In the Verona area, the RAV is less than 30 m thick and is subdivided into three units and eight different facies (pseudonodular, mineralized, bioclastic, nodular, thin-bedded limestone, thin-bedded cherty limestone, subnodular, stromatolitic). The lowest unit is formed by pseudonodular, mineralized and massive facies; the middle unit is formed by thin bedded<strong>, </strong>cherty and subnodular limestones; the upper unit is composed of stromatolitic, pseudonodular and nodular limestones.</p><p> </p><p>  Since Roman age, several levels of the RAV have been object of intensive excavation. Nowadays, the quarrying activity is still active in a few quarries, located in Valpolicella valley (Verona province), between the municipalities of S. Ambrogio and Monte, in the sorroundings of Mount Pastello.</p><p> </p><p>  RV relevant versatility has made possible its application almost in any field: from rural landscape to traditional building, from sculpture to architectural works, from fine crafts objects to modern 3D realizations.</p><p>  We find it in many historical artistic and architectural buildings, such as the Ducal Palace and San Marco Basilica in Venice, many famous monuments in Verona (the “Arena”, the Pietra Bridge, the Roman Theatre),  and in all the most important churches and religious building in North Italy (Bologna cathedral; Parma Cathedral, Cremona cathedral etc.).</p><p>  Sought-after and appreciated by architects, sculptors and designers for its chromatic and textural features, RV has been and still is, one of the driving marbles of the traditional Italian dimension stone production.</p><p> </p><p>  The note intends to provide a synthetic overview of RV marble and to propose it as a candidate to GHSR designation.</p><p>  Such a candidature is supported not only by its intrinsic geological and petrographic features, but also by several factors which are considered to fulfill the basic requisites for a GHSR designation. Among the most important, worth of mention are:</p><ul><li>- its enormous impact on the history, traditions and culture of the Verona area,</li> <li>- its almost ubiquitous use as a decorative stone (statues, columns, monuments, cosmatesque floors, inlays etc.),</li> <li>- the importance of MARMOMACC, the yearly Verona International Fair (considered the most important worldwide Fair of the Dimension Stone sector),</li> <li>- its current diffusion on a planetary scale,</li> <li>- the presence of an institutional body, the Verona District, which collects an impressive number of companies whose level of expertise, experience and competence has few equal all around the world.</li> </ul>

Durability tests of prototype gear pumps with reduced flow ripple

This article presents the results of a durability test of a prototype low-pulsation pump. Hydraulic measurements conducted during the test enabled visualisation of the behaviour of the unit in working conditions. The test was conducted according to a strict factory standard, which states that pump performance parameters cannot decrease by more than 8% during durability testing. The material presented in this publication is the result of a study within the project entitled The development of innovative gear pumps with a reduced level of acoustic emission. The solution developed as part of the project has been successfully implemented for a series of gear pumps consisting of twenty-two units. Among other awards, the product won the Gold Medal at the 10th International Fair of Pneumatics, Hydraulics, Drives and Controls, Kielce 2017.

Above Standard: Villas Designed by Jan Dudek-Kornecki as a Contribution to the Study of the Housing Culture of Affluent Residents of Poznań in the Last Decades of the People’s Republic of Poland

In the 1970s both sociologists and experts on housing culture correctly noted that a tendency towards consumerism was developing in Polish society. These tendencies were described as the neo-bourgeois lifestyle. This lifestyle was supposedly characterised by a focus on material possessions and prestige. The achievement of affluence was pronounced to be the life aim of this group, and the outward marks of affluence (and the acts of demonstrating them) to be an important element of favourable self-assessment. It was noted that these consumerist aspirations resulted from the citizens’ acceptance of Western models. It was also stated that the main indicators of this style were the apartment itself, its standard and equipment, and the culture of leisure time. Poznań in the last years of the communist government in Poland seems to be a particularly fitting place to exemplify the phenomena characterised herein. It has for a long time been associated (not only in popular perceptions) with the bourgeoisie, the entrepreneurial spirit, and affluence; scholarly research points to the same fact. In those days, a detached house for one family, or a villa – especially one constructed to an individually commissioned design and with equipment that exceeded standards in various aspects – was a clear and socially distinctive signal of status to a far greater extent than it is at present. Such buildings were commissioned by members of the affluent intelligentsia, but also by numerous private entrepreneurs. Jan Dudek-Kornecki (b. 1928) was particularly fashionable and sought after as a designer of such villas. His designs were a compromise between the aspirations of his clients, the restrictions imposed by construction law, and the availability of building and finishing materials. Nevertheless, in terms of equipment they differed significantly from contemporary residential quarters, mainly due to the presence of antiques and works of art, as well as unique pieces of contemporary furniture acquired from exhibitions at the Poznań International Fair or from the furniture factory in Swarzędz. The essay offers an analysis of the practices and strategies of deluxe living in Poland in the period before the 1989 breakthrough.

Odious Debts and International Fair Trade

I argue that one of the most important reasons why international trade has been unfair is that weaker parties in trading negotiations have been illegitimately forced to accept terms of trade that they would not otherwise accept under normal circumstances, and these terms of trade have been harmful for them. Odious debts are at the center of this kind of injustice. Odious debts are debts that are not binding for the citizens of a country, as they were incurred by illegitimate rulers in the name of all the citizens, but used for private purposes, such as personal benefit, or to oppress the population. Despite the fact that these debts are not binding—that is, that they should not be repaid—creditor countries have coerced debtor countries to repay them and, more importantly for the purposes of this article, they have taken advantage of the fact that countries are burdened with these debts by tailoring trade agreements in their favor. They have done so by telling debtor countries that, unless they trade under terms that creditor countries want; non-binding (i.e. odious) debts will be enforced. The resulting state of affairs is not simply a convenient one for creditor countries and an inconvenient one for debtor countries. It is also an immoral one.