THE LEBANESE STUDY COMMITTEE: A CHRISTIAN THINK TANK IN WARTIME LEBANON (1975–1982)

This article seeks to shed light on the Lebanese Study Committee, an overlooked centre of intellectual production and political activity during the Lebanese Civil War. It was comprised of legal experts and Maronite monks of the Lebanese Maronite Order, and emerged at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in 1975. The committee was created at the initiative of the Catholic clergy in order to endow the Christian war effort with an ‘intellectual pole’ capable of studying recent developments and provide solutions aimed at defending the interests of the Christian society. By making use of hitherto inaccessible primary sources, its internal and external publications, the article elucidates the activities and ideas of the committee, which worked to counteract leftist discourse and propaganda. By paying attention to the context of the Lebanese Study Committee's emergence, the article also brings to light a history of interaction between lay, clerical, state, and para-military institutions. It concludes that its creation is the direct consequence of the grassroots mobilization of conservative agents, which is reminiscent of the ways in which Western conservatism was revived in the same years.

Leadership, recognition awards, and publication by men and women in the American Academy of Neurology

ObjectiveTo study sex differences with respect to publications, leadership, and recognition awards in the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in light of recent research highlighting inequities in these domains.MethodsWe examined medical school graduation, neurology residency (using American Medical Association and American Council for Graduate Medical Education data), membership in the AAN, first and last authorship in Neurology®, membership on AAN committees, and AAN recognition awards by sex for 1997, 2007, and 2017.ResultsFemale medical students were less likely to enter neurology residency in 1997 only. In 2007 and 2017, there was no proportionate difference between men and women as last author, a surrogate for senior member of the author panel. In 2017, women were proportionately more likely to be first authors than men, a surrogate for principal investigator of the study. Committee membership was less for women in 1997 and 2007 (p < 0.001) but was not proportionately different in 2017 (p = 0.534). Women were proportionately more likely to receive recognition awards in all years studied (1997 p = 0.008, 2007 p < 0.001, 2017 p < 0.001), although absolute numbers of women were lower.ConclusionsFemale membership, leadership (through committee membership), and publications as last author were lower in 1997 in the AAN. These same metrics demonstrated substantial proportionate changes, with no differences in last authorship in 2007 and 2017, greater likelihood for women to be first author in 2017, no differences in committee membership in 2017, and greater likelihood of receiving awards determined by merit in all 3 years.

Church and State Criteria for Obtaining Scientific Titles

Основная цель исследования - сопоставление основных критериев получения ученых званий, присваиваемых Министерством науки и высшего образования Российской Федерации и Номинационной комиссией Учебного комитета Русской Православной Церкви, а также изучение мотивации и обоснование необходимости получения учёных званий руководящими, научными и научно-педагогическими работниками высших духовных учебных заведений Русской Православной Церкви. Главным противоречием в получении работниками духовных образовательных организаций государственных учёных званий на сегодняшний день является половинчатая позиция Министерства науки и высшего образования по отношению к богословским учёным степеням и званиям. Это выражается в том, что при прохождении процедуры государственной аккредитации богословские учёные степени и звания учитываются, а при присвоении учёных званий и при приёме на работу (на должности профессора и доцента) - нет. Однако, сам факт признания богословских степеней при прохождении процедуры государственной аккредитации является значимым фактором обоснования необходимости получения церковных учёных званий руководящими, научными и научно-педагогическими работника ми высших духовных учебных заведений Русской Православной Церкви. Сопоставление основных критериев получения учёных званий, присваиваемых Министерством науки и высшего образования Российской Федерации и Номинационной комиссией Учебного комитета Русской Православной Церкви, показывает, что основные различия в том, что Номинационная комиссия признаёт государственные учёные степени и звания, а Министерство образования и науки не признаёт богословские степени и звания. The main goal of the study is to compare the main criteria for obtaining academic titles assigned by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Nomination Commission of the Study Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as to study the motivation and justification for the need to obtain academic titles by leading, scientific and scientific pedagogical workers of higher theological educational institutions Russian Orthodox Church. The main contradiction in the receipt of state academic ranks by employees of spiritual educational organizations today is the halfhearted position of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in relation to theological academic degrees and ranks. This is expressed in the fact that when passing the procedure of state accreditation, theological academic degrees and ranks are taken into account, but when awarding academic ranks and when hiring (for the positions of professor and associate professor) - not. However, the very fact of recognition of theological degrees during the state accreditation procedure is a significant factor in substantiating the need for church scholars to receive leading, scientific and scientificpedagogical workers of high er theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church. A comparison of the main criteria for obtaining academic degrees assigned by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Nomination Commission of the Study Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church shows that the main differences are that the Nomination Commission recogniz es state academic degrees and titles, and the Ministry of Education and Science does not recognize theological degrees and ranks.

The Nuffield Physics Ordinary-level Curriculum Project in the 1960s: a Transnational Project?

The Nuffield Physics curriculum project was the first national curriculum project held in the UK. The Ordinary-level Nuffield physics project, developed between 1962 and 1966 for academic pupils in grammar schools, was one of the most interesting and innovative projects of the 1960s. It had many transnational features, with influences of ideas and practices running across national borders, as well as national characteristics. It owed many of its distinctive ideas around physics for the inquiring mind to Eric Rogers, and ultimately to the progressive school Bedales in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as American reform under the banner of the Physical Science Study Committee. These were played out at a local level, for example in Worcester, led by Ted Wenham and John Lewis. During and after the project, although there was some resistance to sharing these ideas as they developed, key figures began to engage with other national systems and projects in spreading the word about Nuffield physics. Transnationalism was at the heart of the significance and achievements of Nuffield O-level physics, no less than of its problems and limitations.

Developments affecting New Hampshire foundations

In 2018, New Hampshire’s legislature established a study committee charged with re-evaluating the state’s laws governing foundations, trusts, and trust companies. After a series of hearings, the committee generally affirmed the integrity of those laws but recommended a handful of legislative changes. Some of those changes will potentially affect licensed private trust companies, including those organized as foundations. Meanwhile, a set of proposed technical corrections to the Foundation Act remain abeyant.

Questions of transformer engineering at the Colloquium of the research Committee A2 of SIGRE in 2019

The article addresses the work conducted by CIGRE Study Committee A2 «Power Transformers and Reactors» and reflects the key events that took place at the colloquium of this committee that was held in November 2019 in New Delhi (India). Based on generalization of the colloquium proceedings, the key lines in the development of transformer equipment around the world, innovative investigations, solutions, and pilot projects presented at the colloquium, as well as the most intensely discussed matters, are pointed out.