Citizen science in radiation research

A growing trend in science is that research institutions reach out to members of the public for participating in research. The reasons for outreach are many, spanning from the desire to collect and/or analyse large sets of data efficiently, to the idea of including the general public on a very fundamental level in science-making and ultimately decision-making. The presented project is curriculum-based and carried out in 240 lower secondary school classes (pupils of age 13-16). The task, as designed by the participating universities, is to collect mushrooms, soil and animal droppings from different parts of Sweden, do preliminary sample preparation and analyses and send the samples to the university institutions for radioactivity measurement. Behind the project is a desire to compare today’s levels of 137Cs with those deposited right after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, but also to study the exchange of caesium between organisms as well as the impacts of biological and geological processes on uptake and retention. The scientific outcome is a geodatabase with the 137Cs activity (Bq/m2) present in the Swedish environment, where radioactivity data can be linked to the species (fungi, competing species, animals foraging), forest type, land type, land use and other environmental factors. The science question is of interest to the general public as foraging for mushrooms, as well as spending recreational time in forests is widely popular in Sweden. In this article, we will discuss the current status of the project and the observations we have made about how well the public can participate in scientific research. Focus will be on organization of the project, such as logistics, preparation of supportive material, feedback and communication between researchers and schools. We will present observations about the impact the project has had on the participants, based on quantitative and qualitative evaluations.

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Friends in high places : two essays on the importance of corporate political connections

10.32469/10355/47058 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Reza Houston

Keyword(s):

Initial Public Offering ◽

Political Connections ◽

Target Firm ◽

University Of Missouri ◽

Accounting Performance ◽

The Public ◽

Public Offering ◽

The University ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This study is an examination of the relationship between political connections and the undertaking of major firm events. In our first essay, presented in Chapter 3, we examine the impact politically connected appointments have on firm acquisition behavior. Using proxy statements, we create a unique database of politically connected bidders and merger targets. We find that bidders who hire connected individuals to the board or management team are more likely to avoid merger litigation. Connected bidders make more bids after the appointment. These firms also bid on larger targets. We determine there is a positive relation between the control premium and the relative of the target's connections. Connected acquirers have superior post-merger accounting performance, particularly when they acquire a connected target firm. In the second essay, presented in Chapter 4, we examine the relationship between political connections of private firms and the initial public offering process. Using registration statement information, we create a unique database of politically connected IPO firms. We find that political connections are substitutes to high-quality underwriters and big four auditors. Politically connected firms manage earnings more highly upward than non-connected firms prior to the public offering. Politically connected firms also exhibit less underpricing than non-connected firms. Politically connected IPO firms also have superior post-IPO returns relative to non-connected IPO firms.

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The Impact of Characteristics of Immigrant Offenders on Attitudes Towards Immigrant Crime

Drustvena istrazivanja ◽

10.5559/di.30.1.03 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 51-71

Author(s):

Mateja Vuk ◽

Dalibor Doležal ◽

Ena Jovanović

Keyword(s):

Public Attitudes ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Punitive Attitudes ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

The Public ◽

Minority Threat ◽

The University ◽

The Impact ◽

Threat Theory ◽

Research Show

Minority threat theory and existing research show that public attitudes towards certain types of offenders (e.g. ethnic and racial minorities) are often more punitive. Research also reveals that a significant proportion of the public associates the increase of immigration with higher crime rates. Negative attitudes, as well as an overall anti-immigration sentiment, have been increasing internationally. Therefore, we hypothesise that the public will have more negative and punitive attitudes towards immigrant offenders than towards citizens. Using a sample of students from the University of Zagreb, this research tested the above-mentioned hypothesis and explored whether factors like immigration status, ethnic identity, type of offense, and the age of the hypothetical offender impact student attitude on immigrant crime. To test this proposition, we used online surveys with factorial vignettes. The results show that participants ask for harsher sentences for undocumented immigrants, but immigrant status and the national origin of the immigrant are not associated with the perception of recidivism, dangerousness, or criminal typicality of offender.

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(Un)Managing Emotions at the Forefront: Stories from Shoreham Picket Line

New Sociology: Journal of Critical Praxis ◽

10.25071/2563-3694.20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Rana Sukarieh

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Social Movement ◽

General Public ◽

Comprehensive Model ◽

Front Line ◽

The Public ◽

Directional Analysis ◽

Picket Line ◽

The University ◽

Cognitive Framing

In this article, I reflect on my experience as an active rank and file member of CUPE 3903, the union representing contract faculty and graduate students at York University in Toronto, Ontario, during the 2018 York University Strike, where I volunteered as a front-line communicator, or “car talker”. Drawing on these experiences, I reflect on the ways in which picketers generally try to (un)manage the emotions of drivers passing through the picket line. My analysis is focused on a particular venue - the Shoreham picket line located at the southwest entrance of the university, and centers around my personal interactions with the drivers crossing the picket line during the morning hours from March 2018 to May 2018. My analysis aims to open up space to discuss the largely overlooked role that the emotions of the public play in shaping the picket line experience. In particular, I provide a multi-directional analysis of the encounters that occurred between the picketers and the general public at the Shoreham picket line during the 2018 strike, highlighting the multiplicity of variables, such as the environment, the pre-existing beliefs of the participants, and expressions of collective anger, which informed these encounters. In doing this, I illuminate the complexity of the intertwined relationship between emotional and cognitive framing, thereby providing a more comprehensive model for understanding the role that emotions play in social movement organizing.

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Wikipedia, a Tool for Knowledge Dissemination on Invasive Species

Biodiversity Information Science and Standards ◽

10.3897/biss.3.37386 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Quentin Groom ◽

Vanessa Lozano ◽

Sofie Meeus ◽

Carlos Olmedo Castellanos

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

General Public ◽

Information Needs ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Current Status ◽

Convention On Biological Diversity ◽

English Edition ◽

The Public ◽

Global Issue

One of the most important issues for controlling the spread of invasive species is public awareness (Dehnen-Schmutz et al. 2018). Passively, the public are responsible for the spread of invasive species, for example by moving dirty boats from one water body to another. But they also actively spread invasive species by releasing them in the wild. The spread of some invasive species could be slowed or even halted if the general public were more aware of the risks. Furthermore, this is a global issue, not restricted to one country or language, and hence needs to be tackled at an international level. The Convention on Biological Diversity has a specific target to identify pathways of introduction and manage invasive species (Convention on Biological Diversity 2014). As part of this awareness-raising, the public needs information on how to identify invasive species, as well as how to know their regulatory status, distribution and transmission. They also need to be aware of how invasive species impact biodiversity, ecosystem services and health. This information needs to be up-to-date, reliable and unbiased, but also supported by evidence. Many information platforms exist on invasive species and new information is being generated all the time on this dynamic issue. However, pre-eminent among information sources on the internet is Wikipedia. Consistently ranked in the top ten of most visited websites, with more than 15 billion page views a month across 300 language editions, it is the go-to website on many subjects (Wikimedia 2019). Invasive species such as the zebra mussel and water hyacinth receive over 500 daily page views, just on the English edition alone. Wikipedia is arguably one of the largest citizen science projects, containing information on every area of science and connecting, through its citations, scientific literature with the general public. Wikipedia has been criticized about many aspects of its content and editorship, including its quality and neutrality (Kumar et al. 2016, Wagner et al. 2016, Hargittai and Shaw 2014). Nevertheless, its dominance in the provision of information cannot be ignored and addressing Wikipedia's problems by direct engagement might be more productive than ignoring it. Increasingly, different disciplines are engaging with Wikipedia for communication, recognizing that it can be a productive communication channel (Murray 2018). Invasive species are a global problem and tackling them is a global issue. We have been investigating the current status of invasive species information on Wikipedia, whether it contains relevant information on impacts and control, and whether the information is consistent across different language versions. We will present what we have found and make recommendations on what to improve and how we can engage with Wikipedia.

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International ENGOs in China: a Significant Presence and a Fast-Changing Reality

Sinología hispánica ◽

10.18002/sin.v5i2.5413 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 113 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marco Volpe

Keyword(s):

Mainland China ◽

Current Status ◽

Font Size ◽

Republic Of China ◽

The Public ◽

China Studies ◽

International Climate ◽

The Impact ◽

Historical Profile ◽

Chinese Civil Society

Received:Revised:Accepted:Sinologia Hispanica, China Studies Review,5, 2 (2017), pp. 113-148September 2017November 2017Devember 2017The paper examines the impact that international ENGOs have had on Chinese environment situation and the implication of the Law of People’s Republic of China on the Administration of the Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organisations in Mainland China. Based on the review of historical profile of NGOs and their enhanced role within the international politics, the paper analyzes China’s leadership evolutionary behaviour in international climate change conferences and investigates the international ENGOs’ current status, strategies and projects in China. The paper argues that international ENGOs have had a positive, even if limited, impact in protecting Chinese environment and in supporting Chinese civil society to emerge and strengthening the public participation and awareness. It also argues that, the implementation of the new law certainly puts international NGOs under higher scrutiny; however, further implications are, to date, only partially predictable.

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O impacto da universidade pública no desenvolvimento regional sob a luz da literatura internacional / The Impact of the public university in regional development from the perspective of international literature

Redes ◽

10.17058/redes.v22i1.5915 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 510

Author(s):

Débora Nayar Hoff ◽

Camila Amaral Pereira ◽

Luis Gustavo Nascimento De Paula

Keyword(s):

Regional Development ◽

Analytical Model ◽

Public University ◽

Business Community ◽

International Literature ◽

The Public ◽

The Subject ◽

The University ◽

The Impact ◽

San Martín

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é rever, a partir de seu confronto com a discussão internacional sobre o assunto, o modelo analítico proposto por Hoff, San Martin e Sopeña (2011) para a análise do impacto das universidades públicas no desenvolvimento regional. O modelo, originalmente, foi desenvolvido a partir de referências nacionais para o tema. Para tanto, utiliza-se a técnica de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. O referencial teórico estudado demonstra que o modelo analítico estabelecido com referências nacionais mostra-se correspondente à discussão apresentada pela literatura internacional sobre o tema. Destaca-se, no entanto, que a literatura internacional apresenta enfoque direcionado às relações com o ambiente externo à universidade, principalmente com o meio empresarial, fato não tão presente na literatura nacional. Conclui-se que a literatura internacional ratifica o modelo proposto por Hoff, San Martin e Sopeña (2011). Abstract The purpose of this article is to review, from its confrontation with the international discussion, the analytical model proposed by Hoff, San Martin and Sopeña (2011) to analyze the impact of public universities in regional development. The model originally was developed from national reference to the subject. Therefore using the bibliographic and documentary research technique. The studied theoretical framework shows that the analytical model established with national references is shown corresponding to the discussion presented in the international literature on the subject. Noteworthy, however, that the present international literature focusing mainly on relations with the external environment to the university, especially with the business community, which was not so present in the national literature. We conclude that the international literature confirms the model proposed by Hoff, San Martin and Sopeña (2011).

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The Austrian Act on the Protection against Domestic Violence

Temida ◽

10.2298/tem0203015d ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 15-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Albin Dearing

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

General Public ◽

The State ◽

Public Authorities ◽

The Public ◽

The Past ◽

The Impact

The past few years have seen a fundamental and broadly based change in the response to domestic violence perpetrated by men against women. The Act on Protection against Domestic Violence which entered into force on May 1st, 1997 reflects this new orientation, or rather this shift in paradigm, which has led to a new understanding of the phenomenon of domestic violence and defines appropriate response by the state by it. The impact of this shift in paradigm is considerable: not only have public authorities and private women?s institutions changed their attitudes towards domestic violence, but the general public now responds to this phenomenon in a manner that is entirely different from what it was prior to the approach. Reports on cases of violence no longer merely state the facts indifferently, but now invariably end with the question whether the authorities had been informed and whether they had taken any action to prevent the crime. Thus the public authorities have come to assume responsibility for combating domestic violence as a result of societal developments.

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Experts and Questions: Exploring Perceptions of Corruption

Politics in Central Europe ◽

10.2478/pce-2021-0014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 317-345

Author(s):

Aneta Pinková ◽

Jakub Jusko

Keyword(s):

General Public ◽

Representative Sample ◽

The Public ◽

Governance Indicators ◽

Survey Experiments ◽

Corruption Perception ◽

Using Data ◽

Original Survey ◽

The Impact ◽

Control Of Corruption

Abstract This article is a contribution to the ‘know your data’ approach to the issue of measuring corruption, in two specific areas: the impact of the way questions are formulated on the results of surveys on corruption perception; and the potential pitfalls of using businesspeople as expert respondents in surveys measuring corruption. The article first presents and analyses the sources of two most frequently used indicators to measure corruption perceptions – the Corruption Perception Index and the Control of Corruption, one of the Worldwide Governance Indicators. Based on this analysis, hypotheses are posed on how the formulation of the questions will influence the out-comes of surveys, and what differences there will be between studies conducted on the general public and businesspeople. These are tested using data obtained from two original survey experiments conducted concurrently, one on a representative sample of the public and another on businesspeople.

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The Impact of the Internet on the Public Library: Current Status and Signs for the Future

Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS / Actes du congrès annuel de l'ACSI ◽

10.29173/cais492 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Corinne Jörgensen ◽

Geogre D'Elia ◽

Joseph Woelfel ◽

Eleanor Jo Rodger

Keyword(s):

Market Segmentation ◽

Time Use ◽

Telephone Survey ◽

Public Library ◽

Current Status ◽

The Internet ◽

Consumer Market ◽

The Public ◽

Library Use ◽

The Impact

This paper presents the results of a research project to evaluate the impacts of the Internet on public library use. A national telephone survey was conducted using a market segmentation model for use of information services and resources at the public library and on the Internet. This research provides baseline data describing the current consumer market for library and Internet services. The data suggest that at this time use of the...

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The feasibility of investment in the religious heritage in anti-corruption efforts in Palestinian public organizations

Journal of Money Laundering Control ◽

10.1108/jmlc-06-2020-0071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad W. Hanini

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Public Organizations ◽

Public Institutions ◽

Public Institution ◽

Current Status ◽

Moderate Degree ◽

Future Expectations ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of the study is to investigate the feasibility of investing the religious heritage in anti-corruption efforts in public organizations in Palestine. The study sought to measure the current status of public organizations, if they are investing the religious heritage in the efforts of encountering corruption. Further, the study sought to measure the attitudes and future expectations if there is an integration of the religious heritage in the current anti-corruption efforts. Design/methodology/approach This study combines two folds: First, theoretical and qualitative, through research in previous studies, texts and religious attitude of corruption, historical models and international experiences that have tried to invest in it and incorporate it in anti-corruption efforts, which are generalizable generic models; and the second: a field empirical part, through the researcher use of a questionnaire tool and analyzing it statistically, in addition to ensuring the possibility of using religion in anti-corruption efforts within the Palestinian public institutions which will eventually enable us to answer the study questions. Findings The study found that the reality of investment in the religious heritage in anti-corruption efforts in the Palestinian public sector is present in a moderate degree (56.8%), both in rules and regulations, in strategic plans or policies, or in the internal systems and the organizational culture of the public institutions. With regard to the attitudes of the employees toward corruption and the way of their formulation to these attitudes either if they are influenced by the religious heritage or the law or by the eight reasons mentioned previously in this study, it is obvious that the employees attitudes toward corruption are formulated first from a religious perspectives and second from a legal perspective. Regarding their attitudes and their agreement level toward the investment of the religious heritage in anti-corruption in the Palestinian public sector was high (75.9%), as well as their future expectations in case the religious heritage is invested in anti-corruption efforts was in a high degree (74.1%). Therefore, the authors conclude that there is a feasibility of religious heritage investment in anti-corruption efforts in the Palestinian public sector in case it is accredited and integrated in anti-corruption strategies as a supportive factor but not as a substitute of other efforts. The study recommended that decision makers should adopt new anti-corruption policies and strategies compatible with these striking results through the rules, regulations and administrative decisions, or in the internal institutional system and the cultural organization, in the publications and declarations of the public institution, in special code of conduct based on the religious heritage, in the training of the employees and designing new proposals to integrate the religious heritage in anti-corruption efforts in parallel with the permanent evaluation of these efforts after its application. Originality/value This study, The feasibility of investing in religious heritage in anti-corruption efforts, is different from the previously reviewed studies, as the previous studies were either philosophical or theoretical in nature, looking at the relationship between religion and corruption or empirical, but in a different environment and society than the society of this study. The general purpose of this research is to identify the impact of religious perceptions on corruption in the behavior of public officials in the Palestinian public sector as it is on the ground, and whether their attitudes were affected by corruption with their religious beliefs? Do they welcome the investment of religion in the fight against corruption and what are their expectations if this is done in institutional, strategic or policy context.

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