Scientific freedom and integrity in the 21st century: roles and power of scientists

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Jesus-Rydin
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Review System ◽  
Scientific Cooperation ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
Scientific Freedom ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Building Walls ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Scientific Endeavour

<p>Science is rooted in basic values. Freedom is one of them. History is rich in examples of struggles by scientists for freedom. They often had to struggle to find patrons and avoid persecution. Religious authority, often associated with political power, was a permanent challenge to freedom of thought and freedom of movement, which is a major requirement for scientific cooperation and dissemination.</p><p>We live in worrying times, where some politicians are tempted to deglobalise economies and trade by closing borders and even building walls. Letting scientific collaboration be affected and reshaped by these vision is concerning. Especially when we know that the challenges we face are global. Nationalism conditions the impact research and science can have.</p><p>The power of hierarchical structures can also lead to limitations to freedom. Scientists themselves are part of a system that makes decisions about people. There is the peer review system, making decisions on who, what and when is published. Another example of power in the hands of the scientific communities is promotion, nomination and awards. However, this power is also a remarkable opportunity for scientists to stand above political flows. Remaining loyal to principles of integrity is the only way for scientists to safeguard freedom for their own sake.</p><p>Scientific freedom from funders is crucial but impactful only if supported by independent and forward-looking decisions by scientific communities. Reviewers, promotion and award committees need a wide and integral understanding of scientific development and the vital conditions that favour this.</p><p>Freedom and integrity lies at the heart of the scientific endeavour and its ability to develop new knowledge and challenge beliefs. Scientific communities have great responsibilities and roles to play.</p>

Elemental status of the adult able-bodied population of the Republic of Buryatia

2019 ◽  
pp. 308-313
Author(s):  
Inna Yu. Tarmaeva ◽  
Anatoliy V. Skalny ◽  
Olga G. Bogdanova ◽  
Andrey R. Grabeklis ◽  
Alexandr I. Belykh
Keyword(s):  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Electrolyte Imbalance ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Elemental Status ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

Introduction.The study of the elemental status of the population of individual regions of the Russian Federation with the purpose of scientific development and implementation of measures for elimination of revealed elementosis is a promising direction for preventive medicine.The aim of the studyis to study the elemental status of the adult able-bodied population of the Republic of Buryatia, which was part of the Siberian Federal district (SFD) until 2018.Materials and methods.The analysis was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on the basis of the accredited laboratory of “Center of biotic medicine”. (Moscow; ISO 9001: 2008 certificate 54Q10077 from 21.05.2010). The content of chemical elements in the hair of 130 adults (102 women and 28 men) aged 25–50 years was studied. This indicator serves as an indicator in assessing the impact of the environment on the human body. Methods of nonparametric statistics were used for mathematical processing of the data.Results.For women living in the Republic of Buryatia, the maximum values of Zn, increased levels of Cu, Li, Si were revealed; for men — the maximum values of Mg, Cr, Si, increased levels of P, Li, Se, V, Pb. Minimum values were found for P, Fe, V. Elemental status indicates a significant degree of prevalence of essential trace element deficiencies and electrolyte imbalance. The obtained data can be used as reference values for the content of chemical elements in the hair of adults living in the Republic of Buryatia.Conclusions:Elemental analysis of the population of the Republic of Buryatia indicates imbalances among the adult working-age population.

Regional determinants in the development of the Lviv startup ecosystem

2019 ◽  
pp. 74-86
Author(s):  
Marianna Kokhan ◽  
Anastasiya Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Global Market ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
It Industry ◽  
Successful Development ◽  
Corporate Universities ◽  
Regional Leadership ◽  
Focus Strategy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The article considers the concept of startups and ecosystems of startup development. It investigates the innovativeness ratings of countries and regional ecosystems of startups and the factors influencing the successful development of startups. The article considers the ranking of the best regional startup ecosystems in the world. It covers the experience of the leading regions, whose effectiveness is driven by attention to financing, networking, expanding access to markets, attracting and nurturing talents, accumulating experience and scientific development. Particular attention is given to the impact of the specialization and effectiveness of the regional focus strategy. Based on the methodology and results of the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking 2019, authors have empirically investigated the startup ecosystem of the Lviv city. Authors described and systemized the startups operating in the city, the elements, and dynamics of the urban startup infrastructure. The preconditions for successful development of startups - financing, talents, experience, connectedness, access to markets - have been identified. The effectiveness of the activity of city authorities, the local policy of promoting the startup environment development - documents, measures and results – have been investigated. The main factors of Lviv’s regional leadership in the development of digital startups in Ukraine are: the dynamic development of the IT industry, the development of digital competencies and the concentration of talent in leading universities, the development of corporate universities and innovative infrastructure, the development of infrastructure and comfort in the city. For the development of the Lviv startup ecosystem, it is recommended to focus the efforts on further accumulation and transfer of experience, retention of talents, improvement of technology transfer systems, focusing on areas of exclusive competence while expanding access to finance and the global market.

scholarly journals Detecting anomalous citation groups in journal networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadamori Kojaku ◽  
Giacomo Livan ◽  
Naoki Masuda
Keyword(s):  
Null Model ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Academic Publishing ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
Citation Behavior ◽  
Journal Editors ◽  
Journal Citation Reports ◽  
Academic Climate ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Publication Standards

AbstractThe ever-increasing competitiveness in the academic publishing market incentivizes journal editors to pursue higher impact factors. This translates into journals becoming more selective, and, ultimately, into higher publication standards. However, the fixation on higher impact factors leads some journals to artificially boost impact factors through the coordinated effort of a “citation cartel” of journals. “Citation cartel” behavior has become increasingly common in recent years, with several instances being reported. Here, we propose an algorithm—named CIDRE—to detect anomalous groups of journals that exchange citations at excessively high rates when compared against a null model that accounts for scientific communities and journal size. CIDRE detects more than half of the journals suspended from Journal Citation Reports due to anomalous citation behavior in the year of suspension or in advance. Furthermore, CIDRE detects many new anomalous groups, where the impact factors of the member journals are lifted substantially higher by the citations from other member journals. We describe a number of such examples in detail and discuss the implications of our findings with regard to the current academic climate.

scholarly journals Preliminary groundwater modelling by considering the interaction with superficial water: Aosta plain case (northern Italy)

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tullia Bonomi ◽  
Letizia Fumagalli ◽  
Valeria Benastini ◽  
Marco Rotiroti ◽  
Pietro Capodaglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Kriging Interpolation ◽  
Public Water Supply ◽  
Scientific Cooperation ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Hydrogeological Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

The study is developed through scientific cooperation between the University of Milano-Bicocca and the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) of the Valle d’Aosta Region. Its aim is to produce a decision-support tool to help the Public Administration’manage groundwater and public water supply. The study area is the plain of Aosta, between the cities of Aymavilles and Brissogne; in this area groundwater represents the main source of public water supply. The valley is oriented east-west, along the Baltea for a length of 13.1 km and a width of 4.6 km. The textural and hydrogeological properties of the deposits are strictly connected to glacial deposition and to the subsequent sedimentary processes which took place in glacial, lacustrine and fluvial systems. The study is based on available well information in the Aosta plain - including water wells (133) and piezometers (121) - which have been coded and stored in the well database TANGRAM,. The database facilitates interpretation of the well data, and it allows three-dimensional mapping of subsurface hydrogeological characteristics through database codification and ordinary kriging interpolation. The study is designed to achieve two objectives. The first is to provide the Aosta Public Authorities with a well database in order to simplify groundwater management. The second is to provide Public Authorities with a groundwater flow model of the local aquifer. The model integrates surface and subsurface flows in order to fully account for all important stresses, both natural and anthropogenic, on the groundwater system. It provides a tool for testing hypotheses (such as the impact of new wells) and thereby allows science-based management of the aquifer resource.

scholarly journals ESSENCE OF INNOVATIVE POLICY OF RECREATION-TOURISM SPHERE DEVELOPMENT

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-67
Author(s):  
Larysa Mykhaylivna Chepurda ◽  
Ganna Mykolayivna Chepurda ◽  
Igor Volodymyrovych Bezugliy
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Common Information ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Realization Process ◽  
The Impact

Urgency of the research. The need to improve the ter-minology of the recreation and tourism sector is due to the emergence of new forms of business organization and the emergence of innovative institutions that significantly affect the processes of socio-economic development. Target setting. There is a scientific problem with the disclosure of the content of innovation in tourism, the innova-tion policy in the recreation-tourism sector, the definition of the innovation policy components, the mechanisms for its formation and implementation. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The literature reflects the evolution of the concept of "innovation in tourism." There are typologies and examples of such innovations. The examples of application of the latest innova-tive technologies at the Ukrainian tourism market are ana-lyzed and presented. Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. The accumulated theoretical material requires the synthesis and development of methodological recommendations for the formation and implementation of innovation policy in the rec-reational and tourist sector of Ukraine. There is not a single standardized definition of innovation and innovation policy in tourism in the scientific community. The research objective. To reveal the meaning of the definitions: "Innovations in tourism", "Innovation policy in the recreation-tourism sphere". To generalize existing typologies of innovations in tourism. Identify the main factors hampering the implementation of information technology in the recrea-tion-tourism sector of Ukraine. To reveal the main directions of information support of the innovation policy realization process in the recreation-tourism sphere. The statement of basic materials. The article presents the existing definitions of the terms "innovation in tourism", "innovation policy in tourism". The author's interpretation of these terms is given. The existing classification of innova-tions in tourism is generalized. Examples of such innovations are given. The most common information technologies of-fered for use in tourism are presented. These factors re-strain the effective implementation of information technology in tourism. Conclusions. The effectiveness of state innovation poli-cy can be estimated by the impact on the pace of entrepre-neurship, the level of harmonization of innovation policy in society and stimulation of scientific development.

scholarly journals Bibliometric analysis of publications from post-Soviet countries in psychological journals in 1992–2017

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Lovakov ◽  
Elena Agadullina
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
The West ◽  
World Average ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The World ◽  
Academic Psychology ◽  
Psychology Community ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Highly Cited

For several decades the Soviet academic psychology community was isolated from the West, yet after the collapse of the Soviet Union each of the 15 countries went their own way in economic, social, and scientific development. The paper analyses publications from post-Soviet countries in psychological journals in 1992–2017, i.e. 26 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Over the period in question, 15 post-Soviet countries had published 4986 papers in psychology, accounting for less than one percent of the world output in psychological journals. However, the growth of post-Soviet countries’ output in psychological journals, especially that of Russia and Estonia, is observed during this period. Over time, post-Soviet authors began to write more papers in international teams, constantly increasing the proportion of papers in which they are leaders and main contributors. Their papers are still underrepresented in the best journals as well as among the most cited papers in the field and are also cited lower than the world average. However, the impact of psychological papers from post-Soviet countries increases with time. There is a huge diversity between 15 post-Soviet countries in terms of contribution, autonomy, and impact. Regarding the number of papers in psychological journals, the leading nations are Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Georgia. Estonia is the leader in autonomy in publishing papers in psychological journals among post-Soviet countries. Papers from Estonia and Georgia are cited higher than the world average, whereas papers from Russia and Ukraine are cited below the world average. Estonia and Georgia also boast a high number of Highly cited papers.

scholarly journals The impact of Holocene climate setbacks on Neolithic societies in Eastern Europe: ways of scientific cooperation and exchange

Vita Antiqua ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 7-14
Author(s):  
Marta Andriiovych ◽  
◽  
Pavlo Shydlovskyi ◽  
Albert Hafner ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Holocene Climate ◽  
Scientific Cooperation ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 as a harbinger for the elimination of unlawful detention in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Tarh-Akong Eyongndi
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Federal Republic ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Justice System ◽  
National Assembly ◽  
Reasonable Time ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Personal Liberty ◽  
High Courts ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARY Sections 34, 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 CFRN) guarantee the rights to dignity of the person, personal liberty and freedom of movement. These rights connote that no one shall be arbitrarily arrested; anyone arrested shall be brought before a court of competent jurisdiction within a reasonable time, otherwise such detention is unlawful; where a person is lawfully detained, it shall be under humane conditions. Despite these constitutional safeguards, people continue to be detained in detention centres beyond the permissible periods without an order of court and in inhumane conditions. Thus, unlawful detention is one of the challenges confronting the administration of the criminal justice sector in Nigeria. In 2015 the National Assembly, in a bid to address the challenges in the sector, particularly unlawful and inhumane detention, enacted the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) which is generally perceived as revolutionary legislation owing to provisions such as sections 29, 33 and 34 thereof. These sections require the chief judges of the various High Courts to appoint a judge or magistrate to visit detention centres at least once in a month to review cases of unlawful detention and awaiting trial detainees. This article adopts a doctrinal research methodology in examining the impact of these provisions in overcoming the menace of unlawful detention in Nigeria. It examines the challenges that may confront the implementation of these sections of the Act, such as administrative bottlenecks and unscrupulous attitudes of the personnel of the various detention centres. The article makes vital recommendations on how to overcome the challenges of taming the negative tides of unlawful detention in Nigeria. Key words: Constitution; criminal justice system; detention centres; magistrate; Nigeria

Digital ‘Lakshman Rekhas’: Understanding the Impact of Safety Apps on Women’s Freedom of Movement in Urban Spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushiki Das
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Women's Movements ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Subjective Evaluations ◽  
Crowd Density ◽  
Current Location ◽  
Universal Category ◽  
The Impact

The paper examines how technologies intended for ensuring women’s safety affect freedom of movement and reproduce masculine domination over space. Since times immemorial, humans have had an innate desire to explore and discover new spaces. However, for women, this desire has often been curtailed, due to the fear of being harassed or assaulted. Women tend to live by the ‘rape clock’; their daily routines, clothes, travel schedules and companions are constantly adjusted according to the location they have to visit. The recent proliferation of safety apps seek to offer a more secure way to travel through neighbourhoods. Inbuilt with safety audits, these apps prescribe the routes that women can take to travel to their destinations. The apps allow users to evaluate their current location in terms of seemingly objective parameters like security, openness, crowd density, lighting and transportation. In addition, the users can proactively determine the ‘safety score’ of the locality depending on how they feel about it and can also share its photos to justify the score. However, the paper argues, safety apps tend to circumscribe women’s desire to loiter. By recommending routes to travel safely and by constantly prescribing the parameters that women need to keep in mind while venturing out, these apps narrow down the spaces women can access. It enhances the fear of being assaulted and curtails the pleasure of loitering. Secondly, the apps neglect the fact that conceptions of safety vary according to one’s social location. Most safety apps begin with the notion that their users comprise of an abstract, universal category of women. But, individuals hailing from different backgrounds, including class, caste, education, region and religion experience the world differently. What counts as a safe neighbourhood for one may be considered unsafe by another. The subjective evaluations in safety apps tend to present a lopsided notion of safety which may tilt the scales against localities frequented by people hailing from minority communities. This may have other cascading effects such as overpolicing, non-access to goods and financial services, etc. In addition, these apps tend to shift the onus of safety onto the woman. Moreover, the GPS tracking feature of apps is undergirded in the misogynistic logic that women’s movements are to be controlled. The paper therefore critically analyses intriguing questions — How do safety apps determine what constitutes a safe neighbourhood for women? To what extent do these apps encourage freedom of movement for women? How can safety apps be restructured to accommodate women’s desire to loiter?

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