Achieving interoperability between the CARARE schema for monuments and sites and the Europeana Data Model

Mapping between different data models in a data aggregation context always presents significant interoperability challenges. In this paper, we describe the challenges faced and solutions developed when mapping the CARARE schema designed for archaeological and architectural monuments and sites to the Europeana Data Model (EDM), a model based on Linked Data principles, for the purpose of integrating more than two million metadata records from national monument collections and databases across Europe into the Europeana digital library.Comment: The final version of this paper is openly published in the proceedings of the Dublin Core 2013 conference, see http://dcevents.dublincore.org/IntConf/dc-2013/paper/view/17

On the Philosophy of Taoism

The question of whether what is known as ‘Eastern Philosophy’ qualifies as real philosophical venture engenders lingering divergent positions among scholars.  Edmund Husserl, for instance, view the entire corpus as some forms of religion embodying specific systems of belief and mystical practices bereft of Greco-European model of philosophy. This paper is an attempt to further, in the context of ‘Receiving Asian Philosophy’, the project of consolidating the reality of that Philosophy. The paper attends to the project by exposing and examining, the philosophy of Taoism, which advances the interconnection between nature and reality, with special attention to its principles of nature. As a research based on qualitative method, this paper relies on library and web sources for data collection. It combines the methods of phenomenology and analysis (Phenomenalysis) for its enquiry. The paper finds that against the polemical viewpoints of Husserlian like minds, some other scholars including Joseph Adler, Chen Chung-Ying, Bina Gupta and Cheng Derong endeavoured to establish the philosophical appropriateness of Eastern Philosophy. It also finds that since philosophy can be viewed, in line with the thought of Theophilus Okere, as hermeneutics of culture, Chinese philosophy, an important aspect of Eastern philosophy is the critical presentation and interpretation of the Chinese culture. The paper further finds that Taoism with its emphasis on nature represents the oriental perspective to the entire corpus of humanism, although with minor content on scientific and technological progress.  The uniqueness of this paper lies in its attempt to reinvent the import of Taoism especially its theory of quiescence in the contemporary world driven so much by the blare of homocentric humanism. Nevertheless, the paper’s appraisal of Taoism shows that its tenets cannot be taken in its totality. Rather any adherent of Tao ought to find a balance of life by developing intellectual capacity and proper disposition to the human preservation driven progress of the modern time. Keywords: Philosophy, Taoism, Quiescence, Humanism DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/50-08 Publication date:October 31st 202

ANALISIS PROGRAM ELECTRONIC TRAFFIC LAW ENFORCEMENT (ETLE) DALAM RANGKA MENCIPTAKAN KAMSELTIBCARLANTAS (STUDI KASUS KOTA SERANG)

Penelitian ini membahas tentang Analisis Program Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement dan menganalisis mekanisme serta sanksi hukum program Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement dalam rangka menciptakan Kamseltibcarlantas di wilayah Kota Serang. Sebagai ibu kota Provinsi Banten, Kota Serang Memiliki mobilitas yang cukup tinggi, Direktorat Lalu Lintas memiliki tantangan untuk menciptakan lalu lintas yang Aman, selamat, tertib dan lancar kepada seluruh masyarakat Kota Serang. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah menggunakan metode kualitatif deskriptif.  Keamanan, keselamatan, ketertiban, kelancaran lalu lintas (Kamseltibcarlantas) merupakan tujuan yang diinginkan setiap pengguna jalan. Perilaku pengguna jalan sangat berpengaruh terhadap terwujud atau tidaknya Kamseltibcarlantas. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa Kehadiran Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement di Kota Serang ini sebetulnya mampu untuk memberikan pengaruh kepada masyarakat untuk semakin meningkatkan kesadaran hukum akan tertib lalu lintas. Akan tetapi, dalam praktik di lapangan masih belum dilaksanakan secara maksimal dikarenakan beberapa faktor kendala, yaitu Sumber Daya Manusia, anggaran, sarana/ prasarana, dan budaya masyarakat. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan adanya perbaikan dan evaluasi terkait dengan penerapan Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement agar lebih maksimal dalam penerapannya

Establishment of the Invasive Island Apple Snail Pomacea insularum (Gastropoda: Ampullaridae) and Eradication Efforts in Mobile, Alabama, USA

Species invasions are thought to be among the most detrimental of all anthropogenic disturbances. Invasive consumers severely impact native ecosystems through the consumption of and competition with native species. Worldwide, snails of the Family Ampullaridae have successfully colonized a wide range of habitats outside their native range. This is of great ecological concern because once established, these snails frequently exhibit rampant herbivory in the recipient ecosystem. Here, we chronicle the recent invasion of island apple snails (Pomacea insularum; d’Orbigny 1837) in a tributary of the Mobile–Tensaw Delta, Alabama, in order to establish a baseline against which future assessments of apple snail expansion can be measured. In addition, we discuss the current, albeit largely unsuccessful, efforts to eradicate these invaders post-invasion as well as the possible implications of the continued growth of this population should geographic expansion occur. We also provide the first genetic evidence, from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequence, positively identifying these snails as P. insularum. All individuals were identical for COI and genetically identical to invasive animals in Georgia and portions of Florida, as well as native animals near Buenos Aires, Argentina, indicating a possible secondary invasion from nearby invasive U.S. populations but, ultimately, an Argentinian origin. Based on our evidence, we suggest that the best control measures for apple snail invasions include increased proactive enforcement to prevent future invasions elsewhere in the southeastern United States (and similar areas), the adoption of research into new management strategies designed to prevent future invasions and slow the spread of established invasive populations, and rapid and overwhelming control and eradication efforts at the first sign of invasion

Use of Shallow Estuarine Habitats by Nekton in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Alabama

We compared nekton density, composition, and biomass in fall 2009 and spring 2010 among three major habitat types (marsh, SAV=submerged aquatic vegetation dominated by Vallisneria americana, SNB=shallow nonvegetated bottom) commonly found throughout the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta (MTD) using 1-m2drop samplers. In the sampling design, habitat selection was based on vegetation composition. Sample locations (TR=Tensaw River, CB=Chocolatta Bay, and BC=Below Causeway) were selected based on their degree of tidal connectivity with the wider estuary (BC \u3e TR \u3e CB). Nekton distributional patterns varied among both locations and habitat types. Species richness was greater at BC than CB. The young of most estuarine-dependant fishery species (e.g., white shrimp, blue crab, gulf menhaden) were more abundant, and had more biomass, at BC and TR than CB. Estuarine residents (e.g., riverine grass shrimp, rainwater killifish) dominated the nekton in CB. Within locations, mean densities and biomass of abundant species were concentrated in vegetated (marsh, SAV) habitat types, and most species associated with vegetation structure were more abundant in SAV than marsh. Tidally unrestricted areas of the MTD may provide an important nursery for fishery species such as white shrimp, blue crab, gulf menhaden, and southern flounder. Additional studies will be needed to determine if these fishery species represent strong conduits for cross ecosystem transfer of energy and nutrients between the MTD and northern Gulf of Mexico

Europeana and (many) linked open vocabularies

LOV Symposium: Linking and Opening Vocabularies = Simposium LOV: abriendo y enlazando vocabularios. Getafe (Madrid), 18th June 201

Western Rangeland Noxious Weeds: Collecting, Sharing and Using Information

Western rangeland weeds such as yellow starthistle, leafy spurge, Canada thistle and Russian knapweed are causing tremendous losses to agricultural industries including both crop and livestock production. Concurrently, many public lands managed by federal agencies are being steadily invaded. As a result, these lands held in the public trust are experiencing reductions in commodity yields, recreational opportunities, biodiversity and ecosystem function. Consequently, every state in the West has noxious weed management programs that endeavor to enhance the financial and technical resources available for weed management and to assist in coordination across the diverse public and private land ownership mosaic common to the region. The opportunities for increasing cooperation and collaboration on information systems associated with western rangeland weeds are perhaps unique because of these circumstances. Thus, western rangeland weeds were selected by the Riley Memorial Foundation for special emphasis in exploring ways to enhance collecting, sharing and using information on invasive species