scholarly journals University patenting and licensing practices in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic - implications for global equitable access to COVID-19 health technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarai Mirjam Keestra ◽  
Florence Rodgers ◽  
Rhiannon Osborne ◽  
Sabrina Wimmer
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Freedom Of Information ◽  
Equitable Access ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Technology Managers ◽  
Institutional Strategies ◽  
University Of Bristol ◽  
The University

Universities play a vital role in developing health technologies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the measures the top 35 UK universities receiving most Medical Research Council funding have taken to ensure global equitable access to health technologies in technology transfer. In October 2020 we sent Freedom Of Information requests and analysed universities' websites, to (i.) assess institutional strategies on the patenting and licensing of COVID-19-related health technologies, (ii.) identify all COVID-19-related health technologies licensed or patented, and (iii.) record whether universities engaged with the Open-COVID pledge, COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), or Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) COVID-19 licensing guidelines. Except for the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh, UK universities have not updated their institutional strategies during the pandemic. Nine universities licensed 22 COVID-19 health technologies. Imperial College London disclosed 10 patents relevant to COVID-19. No UK universities participate in the Open-COVID Pledge or C-TAP, but discussions are ongoing. The University of Bristol signed up to the AUTM guidelines. Despite several COVID-19 health technologies being developed by UK universities, our findings suggest minimal engagement with measures that may promote equitable access. We suggest that universities review their technology transfer policies and implement global equitable access strategies for COVID-19 health technologies.

scholarly journals Climate Emergency: UK Universities' Declarations and Their Role in Responding to Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Briony Latter ◽  
Stuart Capstick
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Promotional Material ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
University Of Bristol ◽  
The University

On April 17, 2019, the University of Bristol became the first university in the United Kingdom (UK) to declare a climate emergency. Against a backdrop of high visibility and public concern about climate change, as well as climate emergency declarations from other sectors, another 36 UK universities followed suit over the next year. This paper explores what these climate emergency declarations show about how UK universities are responding to climate change and wider sustainability concerns, as well as how they view and present themselves in relation to this. Critical Discourse Analysis of the declarations allowed for in-depth scrutiny of the purpose and wider social context of the documents, demonstrating that they function as promotional statements, as presenting a collective voice, and showing a commitment from the universities to action. We argue that while these provide the potential for advancing sustainability within the sector, the tendency to use declarations as publicity and promotional material does detract from new commitments and action. The research contributes to the discussion around the role of universities as institutions with a responsibility both to act on climate change and to shape the broader societal response to it. It also provides insights as to how future research can evaluate universities in relation to their commitments and strategies, and provides suggestions to help ensure they live up to the promises and intentions that they have publicly made.

A New Syndrome in Cats

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-586
Author(s):  
I. ROCHLITZ
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Striking Similarity ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Veterinary Surgeons ◽  
University Of Bristol ◽  
The University ◽  
Clinical Cases

To the Editor.— I read with interest the article on acquired postganglionic cholinergic dysautonomia.1 It bears a striking similarity to a syndrome recently recognized in cats in the United Kingdom; the syndrome is known as the Key-Gaskell syndrome, feline autonomic polyganglionopathy or dilated pupil syndrome. The first clinical cases were reported in February 1982. Since then more than 35 cats with this condition have been treated at the University of Bristol. I have reports of more than 200 cases from veterinary surgeons in practice throughout the United Kingdom.

Charles Livesey Walton (1881–1953): from marine to veterinary to agricultural zoology

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-156
Author(s):  
P. G. Moore ◽  
R. B. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Research Station ◽  
Sea Anemones ◽  
Never Married ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
North Wales ◽  
University College ◽  
Ashton Research Station ◽  
University Of Bristol ◽  
The University

Charles Livesey Walton (1881–1953) was born on the Isle of Man, but moved in childhood via Yorkshire to the south coast of Pembrokeshire (Wales). Later, having become a man of private means, he relocated to Devon. He was associated with the Marine Biological Laboratory of the United Kingdom in Plymouth from 1907 until 1912, where he developed expertise on sea anemones. His first publication was on these animals, in 1907 with Professor Herbert John Fleure of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he eventually gained employment in 1912. There, he changed course to work on various aspects of veterinary and agricultural zoology, themes he pursued at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. He considered his major contribution to have been his work there on “liver rot” (fasciolosis) in sheep, carried out from 1919 and during the economic depression of the 1920s. As a marine zoologist, he is probably best known for his co-authorship of The biology of the sea-shore (1922) with Frederick William Flattely. He moved from Bangor in 1927 to the Long Ashton Research Station, University of Bristol, as an agricultural entomologist. As part of a multidisciplinary team there, he developed and tested chemical treatments against a wide variety of plant pests and diseases. Retiring to St David's, Pembrokeshire, he catalogued plants of the peninsula. Walton apparently never married. The comprehensive bibliography presented here constitutes an appropriate memorial alongside his influential final book, Farmers' warfare (1947).

Tertiary English-majored Students’ Perceptions toward the Role of Pronunciation in English Language Learning and their Practicing Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-279
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The University

Accurate pronunciation has a vital role in English language learning as it can help learners to avoid misunderstanding in communication. However, EFL learners in many contexts, especially at the University of Phan Thiet, still encounter many difficulties in pronouncing English correctly. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the role of pronunciation in English language learning and examine their pronunciation practicing strategies (PPS). It involved 155 English-majored students at the University of Phan Thiet who answered closed-ended questionnaires and 18 English-majored students who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that students strongly believed in the important role of pronunciation in English language learning; however, they sometimes employed PPS for their pronunciation improvement. Furthermore, the results showed that participants tended to use naturalistic practicing strategies and formal practicing strategies with sounds, but they overlooked strategies such as asking for help and cooperating with peers. Such findings could contribute further to the understanding of how students perceive the role of pronunciation and their PPS use in the research’s context and other similar ones. Received 10th June 2019; Revised 12th March 2020; Accepted 12th April 2020

Disposing of John Lindley's library and herbarium: the offer to Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. LUCAS
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Final Disposal ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Royal Horticultural Society ◽  
Royal Botanic Gardens ◽  
United Kingdom Government ◽  
The University ◽  
Joseph Hooker

Shortly before he died, John Lindley decided to dispose of his herbarium and botanical library. He sold his orchid herbarium to the United Kingdom government for deposit at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and then offered his library and the remainder of his herbarium to Ferdinand Mueller in Melbourne. On his behalf, Joseph Hooker had earlier unsuccessfully offered the library and remnant herbarium to the University of Sydney, using the good offices of Sir Charles Nicholson. Although neither the University of Sydney nor Mueller was able to raise the necessary funds to purchase either collection, the correspondence allows a reconstruction of a catalogue of Lindley's library, and poses some questions about Joseph Hooker's motives in attempting to dispose of Lindley's material outside the United Kingdom. The final disposal of the herbarium to Cambridge and previous analyses of the purchase of his Library for the Royal Horticultural Society are discussed. A list of the works from Lindley's library offered for sale to Australia is appended.

The Roman Retail Revolution

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. R. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
Roman World ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Bodies Of Evidence ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University

Tabernae were ubiquitous among all Roman cities, lining the busiest streets and dominating their most crowded intersections, and in numbers not known by any other form of building. That they played a vital role in the operation of the city—indeed in the very definition of urbanization—is a point too often under-appreciated in Roman studies, or at best assumed. The Roman Retail Revolution is a thorough investigation into the social and economic worlds of the Roman shop. With a focus on food and drink outlets, and with a critical analysis of both archaeological material and textual sources, Ellis challenges many of the conventional ideas about the place of retailing in the Roman city. A new framework is forwarded, for example, to understand the motivations behind urban investment in tabernae. Their historical development is also unraveled to identify three major waves—or, revolutions—in the shaping of retail landscapes. Two new bodies of evidence underpin the volume. The first is generated from the University of Cincinnati’s recent archaeological excavations into a Pompeian neighborhood of close to twenty shop-fronts. The second comes from a field survey of the retail landscapes of more than a hundred cities from across the Roman world. The richness of this information, combined with an interdisciplinary approach to the lives of the Roman sub-elite, results in a refreshingly original look at the history of retailing and urbanism in the Roman world.

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.

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