scholarly journals Preface

1974 ◽  
Vol 185 (1079) ◽  
pp. 125-126
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Effluents ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Agricultural Chemicals ◽  
Technical Literature ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Press ◽  
Exhaust Fumes ◽  
Number Of Publications

In recent years much attention has been given to the hazards, actual and poten­tial, to man, wild life and the biosphere in general by the injection into the environment of ever-increasing quantities of man-made chemical substances. This is exemplified not only by increasing anxiety about pollution of air, land and waters by smoke and exhaust fumes, agricultural chemicals, oil, heavy metals and industrial effluents, of which specific incidents of gross pollution are reported in the press from time to time, but also by the very large number of publications on the subject now appearing in the scientific and technical literature. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is charged with the duty ‘to advise on matters. . . concerning the pollution of the environ­ment. . . and the future possibilities of danger to the environment’. In its second report the Royal Commission suggested the establishment of a ‘data bank’ on known correlations between chemical structure and environmental effect, no doubt with a view to anticipate ‘future possibilities of danger’. The views of the Royal Society on this suggestion were invited by the Chairman of the Royal Commission and on the recommendation of the British National Com­mittee for Problems of the Environment it was decided to hold a Discussion Meeting for the purpose of ventilating the idea of a data bank and also to promote an exchange of views about wider questions related to chemicals in the environment. The meeting took place on 27 April 1973; seven invited speakers presented contributions dealing with specific aspects, and each of their papers was dis­cussed from the floor. Their subject-matter is placed on record in the seven papers which follow, and we have appended a statement of the main conclusions reached as a result of the meeting. These conclusions have been endorsed by the National Committee and the Officers of the Society and transmitted to the Royal Commission.

The Migration-Crime Nexus and the Press in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-181
Author(s):  
Alexander A Caviedes
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
Individual Country ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Press ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Over Time

This article explores the link between migrants and crime as portrayed in the European press. Examining conservative newspapers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2016, the study situates the press coverage in each individual country within a comparative perspective that contrasts the frequency of the crime narrative to that of other prominent narratives, as well as to that in the other countries. The article also charts the prevalence of this narrative over time, followed by a discussion of which particular aspects of crime are most commonly referenced in each country. The findings suggest that while there has been no steady increase in the coverage of crime and migration, the press securitizes migration by focusing on crime through a shared emphasis on human trafficking and the non-European background of the perpetrators. However, other frames advanced in these newspapers, such as fraud or organized crime, comprise nationally distinctive characteristics.

scholarly journals Fit for Purpose? Exploring the Role of Freedom of Information Laws and Their Application for Watchdog Journalism

2021 ◽  
pp. 194016122110067
Author(s):  
Mária Žuffová
Keyword(s):  
Differential Treatment ◽  
Freedom Of Information ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Press ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
The Law ◽  
Ground Delays ◽  
Democratic Principles ◽  
State Relations

Despite great volume of research into press–state relations, we know little about how journalists use information that has been generated through independent bureaucratic processes. The present study addresses this gap by investigating the role of freedom of information (FOI) laws in journalism practice. By surveying journalists ( n = 164), interviewing activists and civil servants ( n = 7) and submitting FOI requests to twenty-one ministerial departments in the United Kingdom, this study explores press-state interactions and the limits of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) application to advance the media’s monitorial function. The results show that journalists perceive FOIA as an essential tool for their work. However, they often described their experience as negative. They reported refusals lacking legal ground, delays, not responding at all or differential treatment. In response to gating access, journalists might also adopt tactics that use loopholes in the law. The press-state interactions, already marked by suspicion, thus, continue to perpetuate distrust. These findings might have implications for journalism practices, FOIAs’ potential for government oversight and democracy. In particular, the differential treatment of requests undermines equality under the law, one of the fundamental democratic principles. The study concludes with several policy recommendations for FOIA reform to meet journalists’ needs better.

scholarly journals Association Between BCG Policy is Significantly Confounded by Age and is Unlikely to Alter Infection or Mortality Rates

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kirov
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Confounding Factors ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Bcg Vaccination ◽  
Start Date ◽  
The Press ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Public Policy Decisions ◽  
Mandatory Vaccination

AbstractRecently a number of publications looked at the association between COVID-19 morbidity and mortality on one hand and countries’ policies with respect to BCG vaccination on the other. This connection arises from differences in the rates of infection in countries where BCG vaccination is mandatory compared to countries where mandatory vaccination no longer exists or was never implemented in the first place. In at least 2 preprint publications the authors expressed the view that the “known immunological benefits” of BCG vaccination may be behind the biological mechanism of such observation.One study accounted for different income levels in different groups. Another study did not attempted to do so, instead exploring the differences between countries where a booster shot is given vs others where no such practice exists (finding no connection).Both of these studies did not explore other potential confounding factors. Meanwhile the press has focused on these headlines and pushed the narrative that BCG vaccination is causally linked to infection and mortality rates. This poses a serious challenge, demonstrated by the recently initiated clinical trials on BCG vaccination within the COVID19 context.This study shows that population age is a very significant confounding factor that explains the rates of infections much better and has a solid biology mechanism which explains this correlation. It suggests that BCG vaccination may have little or no causal link to infection rates and advises that any follow up studies should control for several confounding factors, such as population age, ethnicity, rates of certain chronic diseases, time from community spread start date, major public policy decisions and income levels.

Origins and organisation

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
The Public ◽  
Crystal Palace ◽  
Opening Ceremony ◽  
The Press

Chapter 1 presents material that records the origins of the ideas for the Exhibition in the discussions of Prince Albert, Henry Cole, and others. It contains the original Minutes of the Royal Commission and transcripts of the public speeches that were made to promote the Exhibition amongst politicians and industrialists. Documents that attest to the objections of influential figures, the press and the general public can also be found in this chapter along with information about the construction of the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park and accounts of the opening ceremony. The chapter demonstrates that, before the Exhibition could take place, an ideological battle had to be won.

scholarly journals Scientific communication or a qualification for an academic career? What use is publishing papers in psychology journals?

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Osca-Lluch ◽  
Francisco González-Sala ◽  
Julia Haba-Osca ◽  
Francisco Tortosa ◽  
Maria Peñaranda-Ortega
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Scientific Communication ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychology Research ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Number Of Publications

This paper analyses all psychology journals included in the different categories of the JCR (SCI and SSCI) and SJR databases during the period 2014-2016 in order to identify the journals that are better positioned in the discipline, and the specialities and countries with the highest number of publications indexed in such databases. Method: The distribution of psychology journals by country, quartile, and subject category was studied in order to determine the total number and position of journals in each country, and to identify the countries with more journals of ‘excellence’ in psychology in the international scene. Results: The United States and the United Kingdom had the highest number of journals included in the databases, as well as the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain. Only 11 countries have psychology journals in quartile 1 in JCR, and 14 in SJR databases. Conclusions: As a result of the application of new evaluation criteria in psychology research in Spain, the paper addresses the difficulties and consequences that some of these measures may have for the survival of psychology journals that do not have a position in quartile 1 or 2 in the databases used for the evaluation of professionals’ research in this discipline

The Glass Ceiling in IT

2011 ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Glass Ceiling ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Management Level ◽  
Department Of Labor ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Number Of Publications

The term “glass ceiling,” first coined in 1986, is a metaphor for “those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” (U.S. Department of Labor, 1991, p. 1). In has been noted in a number of publications that information technology (IT) is a particularly enlightening field for the study of gender inequalities, such as the glass ceiling. For example, Ramsay (2000) noted that while inequalities in more established industries might be considered a historical leftover of obsolete gender stereotypes, the newness of computing presents researchers with the chance to examine how gender relations develop in an industry apparently less fettered by tradition. IT presents an exemplar case study for those who wished to examine “… whether the dynamics of disadvantage have their roots as deeply in today’s employment settings …” (Ramsay, 2000, p. 215). Research indicates that IT has, however, developed to reflect precisely the same forms of gendered inequalities that have been documented in older industries (Suriya, 2003). The metaphor of the glass ceiling is equally applicable to IT. Panteli, Stack, and Ramsay (2001), in a comment on the United Kingdom (UK), which nonetheless resonates internationally, state, “The growth in IT should have opened up new possibilities for women to enter these occupations. However, its growth so far has been used to construct and maintain gender differences and to sustain male hierarchies” (p. 15).

In Defense of the National Health Service

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
National Health ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
Surgical Practice ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
Private Medicine

Many influential British groups have taken the opportunity provided by the Royal Commission on the National Health Service to put forward proposals which would fundamentally damage that service. In this paper we discuss the implications of some of these proposals, and explain why we defend the NHS as the basis of an equitable method of providing health care. We consider the various methods which have been suggested to increase the revenue of the NHS. We compare the experiences of several Western countries, and show that the method of financing inevitably affects the pattern of medical care and the indices of health and illness. We examine the underlying motives of many critics of the NHS, and document the development of private medicine in the United Kingdom. We continue by discussing ways in which less money could be spent on health care without detriment to the patient. As an example, we look at several surgical procedures in detail and demonstrate the costs of uncertainty in surgical practice. Finally, we consider the continuing power of the medical profession, how it is maintained, and its implications. We conclude by summarizing why we support the NHS despite its imperfections, and why attempts to undermine it should be resisted.

scholarly journals III. Account of the observations and computations made for the purpose of ascertaining the amount of the deflection of the plumb-line at Arthur’s seat, and the mean specific gravity of the Earth; with an account of the observed and computed amount of the local attraction at Arthur’s seat and at the Royal Observatory at Edinburgh

1857 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 45-47
Keyword(s):  
Plumb Line ◽  
Great Pleasure ◽  
Ordnance Survey ◽  
The Public ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Royal Observatory ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Mean

Col. James begins by observing, that as the Royal Society has, from the very commencement of the Ordnance Survey of the United Kingdom, taken a deep interest in its progress, he has great pleasure in announcing to the Society that all the computations connected with the Primary Triangulation, the measurement of the Arcs of Meridians and the determination of the figure and dimensions of the earth are now completed, and that the account of all the operations and calculations which have been undertaken and executed is now in the press, and will shortly be in the hands of the public. In the progress of these operations it has been found, on determining the most probable spheroid from all the astronomical and geodetic amplitudes in Great Britain, that the plumb-line is considerably deflected at several of the principal Trigonometrical Stations, and at almost every station the cause of the deflection is apparent in the configuration of the surrounding country.

The National Institute of Oceanography

Polar Record ◽  
1951 ◽  
Vol 6 (41) ◽  
pp. 88-90
Author(s):  
G. E. R. Deacon
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Marine Biology ◽  
National Committee ◽  
British Government ◽  
Marine Biological ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Biological Aspects ◽  
Set Up

In 1944 Vice-Admiral Sir John Edgell, K.B.E., C.B., F.R.S., then Hydrographer of the Navy, advised the British Government that in its contribution to research in oceanography this country had fallen seriously behind other countries, including many which had no comparable traditions of interest in the oceans and their navigation, and that an oceanographical institute should be set up in Great Britain. The subject was referred to the Royal Society, and the Oceanographical Sub-Committee of the National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics showed itself, in a report which was accepted by the Society, to be strongly in favour of setting up a national oceanographical institute. It urged the primary need for researches of physical character because marine physical investigations had taken a secondary place to marine biology ever since the Challenger Expedition of 1872–76, and because the biological aspects were well looked after by existing authorities such as the Marine Biological Associations of the United Kingdom and Scotland, the Fisheries Laboratories at Lowestoft and Aberdeen, the Discovery Investigations, and marine biological laboratories associated with universities.

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