WorldWideScience

Sample records for uk open university

  1. Knowledge Management Systems and Open Innovation in Second Tier UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaston, Ian

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of second tier UK universities in relation to the effectiveness of their knowledge management systems and involvement in open innovation. Data were acquired using a mail survey of academic staff in social science and business faculties in second tier institutions. The results indicate that…

  2. National Student Feedback Surveys in Distance Education: An Investigation at the UK Open University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashby, Alison; Richardson, John T. E.; Woodley, Alan

    2011-01-01

    National student feedback surveys are administered in a number of countries, and several of these encompass both campus-based and distance learning students. The UK Open University achieves a high ranking in the annual National Student Survey (NSS), but there are some anomalies in the results. The NSS questionnaire was administered to three…

  3. A comparison of three Open Universities and their acceptance of Internet Technologies

    OpenAIRE

    Jones, Chris; Aoki, Kumiko; Rusman, Ellen; Schlusmans, Kathleen

    2009-01-01

    We compare three open universities the Open Universities in the UK (OUUK), the Netherlands (OUNL) and Japan (OUJ). Originating in the modern idea of an Open University each university has developed its own pedagogical model. The OUUK developed Supported Open Learning based on: 1. Distance open learning: allowing ‘learning in your own time’ working on set activities and assignments. 2. Quality resources: printed materials, set books, audio and video and home experiments. 3. Systematic support:...

  4. Open University Learning Analytics dataset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzilek, Jakub; Hlosta, Martin; Zdrahal, Zdenek

    2017-11-28

    Learning Analytics focuses on the collection and analysis of learners' data to improve their learning experience by providing informed guidance and to optimise learning materials. To support the research in this area we have developed a dataset, containing data from courses presented at the Open University (OU). What makes the dataset unique is the fact that it contains demographic data together with aggregated clickstream data of students' interactions in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This enables the analysis of student behaviour, represented by their actions. The dataset contains the information about 22 courses, 32,593 students, their assessment results, and logs of their interactions with the VLE represented by daily summaries of student clicks (10,655,280 entries). The dataset is freely available at https://analyse.kmi.open.ac.uk/open_dataset under a CC-BY 4.0 license.

  5. The Legacy and Impact of Open University Women's/Gender Studies: 30 Years On

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkup, Gill; Whitelegg, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    In 1983, the UK Open University (OU) offered its first women's/gender studies (WGS) course. Although a late entrant to the area, OU WGS courses were influential nationally and internationally for many feminists and WGS teachers and scholars. Not only did OU WGS courses have the largest WGS student cohort of any UK institution with over 8000…

  6. The IB Diploma and UK University Degree Qualifications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank-Gemmill, Gerda

    2013-01-01

    In recent years the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma has become widely accepted as a university-entry qualification in the UK, but there has been little quantitative research into the achievements of IB students at degree level. This study investigates IB students from one selective independent school who entered UK universities between…

  7. Staffing UK University Campuses Overseas: Lessons from MNE Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salt, John; Wood, Peter

    2014-01-01

    This article suggests that as their internal labor markets become more multinational in scope, UK universities may acquire similar staffing characteristics to commercial multinational enterprises (MNEs). Comparing evidence from four UK universities with several surveys of MNEs it concludes that, although there are broad similarities in the…

  8. Universities and Economic Development Activities: A UK Regional Comparison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decter, Moira; Cave, Frank; Rose, Mary; Peers, Gill; Fogg, Helen; Smith, Susan M.

    2011-01-01

    A number of UK universities prioritize economic development or regeneration activities and for some of these universities such activities are the main focus of their knowledge transfer work. This study compares two regions of the UK--the North West and the South East of England--which have very different levels of economic performance.…

  9. International survey of research university leadership views on supporting open access scholarly & educational materials

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    This report looks closely at the attitudes on open access of a sample of 314 deans, chancellors, department chairmen, research institute directors, provosts, trustees, vice presidents and other upper level administrators from more than 50 research universities in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. The report gives detailed information on what they think of the cost of academic journal subscriptions, and how they understand the meaning of the term “open access.” The study also gives highly detailed data on what kind of policies the research university elite support or might support in the area of open access, including policies such as restricting purchases of very high-priced journals, paying publication fees for open access publications, mandating deposit of university scholarship into digital repositories, and developing open access educational materials from university resources. Just a few of the report’s many findings are that: • The lowest percentage of those interviewed considering...

  10. Towards a University of the Common: Reimagining the University in Order to Abolish It with the Really Open University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andre Pusey

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The autumn of 2010, in the UK, was characterised by a series of protests against the proposed tripling of university tuition fees and the removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA. These protests were set within a broader international background of contestation around universities and higher education reforms. This article focuses on the activities of a group, which emerged within this context, called the Really Open University (ROU, and its efforts to engender a reimagining of the university. Specifically, this article argues that the activities of the ROU were attempts to create new, radical imaginaries of the university and were linked to broader efforts to re-conceptualise knowledge production and pedagogy. The central point is that ultimately the ROU’s invitation to ‘reimagine the university’ was a provocation to abolish the university in its capitalist form, through a process of reimagining the university, exodus from the university machine and creation of a university of the common.

  11. Has Economics become an Elite Subject for Elite UK Universities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, James; Reeves, Alan; Talbot, Steven

    2014-01-01

    The decline in the number of UK universities offering undergraduate degree programmes in subjects such as sciences, mathematics, modern languages and humanities has been well documented and is now of real concern. It appears that economics may be going through a decline in new (post-1992) UK universities with many economics programmes having been…

  12. The Openness of the University of the Philippines Open University: Issues and Prospects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper is a self-reflection on the state of openness of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU. An exploratory and descriptive study, it aims not only to define the elements of openness of UPOU, but also to unravel the causes and solutions to the issues and concerns that limit its options to becoming a truly open university. It is based on four parameters of openness, which are widely universal in the literature, e.g., open admissions, open curricula, distance education at scale, and the co-creation, sharing and use of open educational resources (OER. It draws from the perception survey among peers, which the author conducted in UPOU in July and August 2012. It also relies on relevant secondary materials on the subject.

  13. Worldwide open access: UK leadership?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stevan Harnad

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The web is destined to become humankind's cognitive commons, where digital knowledge is jointly created and freely shared. The UK has been a leader in the global movement toward open access (OA to research but recently its leadership has been derailed by the joint influence of the publishing industry lobby from without and well-intentioned but premature and unhelpful over-reaching from within the OA movement itself. The result has been the extremely counterproductive ‘Finch Report’ followed by a new draft of the Research Councils UK (RCUK OA mandate, downgrading the role of cost-free OA self-archiving of research publications (‘green OA’ in favor of paying subscription publishers over and above subscriptions, out of scarce research funds, in exchange for making single articles OA (‘hybrid gold OA’. The motivation of the new policy is to reform publication and to gain certain re-use rights (CC-BY, but the likely effect would be researcher resistance, very little OA and a waste of research funds. There is still time to fix the RCUK mandate and restore the UK's leadership by taking a few very specific steps to clarify and strengthen the green component by adding a mechanism for monitoring and verifying compliance, with consequences for non-compliance, along lines also being adopted in the EC and the US.

  14. Improving Student Retention through Evidence Based Proactive Systems at the Open University (UK)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, Graham; Regan, Peter; Simpson, Ormond

    2007-01-01

    The Open University has been undertaking an extended initiative to improve student retention through enhanced support for at-risk students. This initiative has evolved through a series of stages from ad hoc small scale local interventions relying largely on tutors and student self-referral, to an institution-wide pro-active system implemented by…

  15. Library Subject Guides: A Content Management Case Study at the Open University, UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wales, Tim

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To share the experiences and challenges faced by the Open University Library (OUL) in developing a content management (CM) system for its subject guides. Design/methodology/approach: A summary of multi-format subject guide production at the OUL is provided to justify the decision to develop a new system for their production using a…

  16. How fair is access to more prestigious UK universities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boliver, Vikki

    2013-06-01

    Now that most UK universities have increased their tuition fees to £9,000 a year and are implementing new Access Agreements as required by the Office for Fair Access, it has never been more important to examine the extent of fair access to UK higher education and to more prestigious UK universities in particular. This paper uses Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) data for the period 1996 to 2006 to explore the extent of fair access to prestigious Russell Group universities, where 'fair' is taken to mean equal rates of making applications to and receiving offers of admission from these universities on the part of those who are equally qualified to enter them. The empirical findings show that access to Russell Group universities is far from fair in this sense and that little changed following the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 and their initial increase to £3,000 a year in 2006. Throughout this period, UCAS applicants from lower class backgrounds and from state schools remained much less likely to apply to Russell Group universities than their comparably qualified counterparts from higher class backgrounds and private schools, while Russell Group applicants from state schools and from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds remained much less likely to receive offers of admission from Russell Group universities in comparison with their equivalently qualified peers from private schools and the White ethnic group. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2013.

  17. Perceived peer drinking norms and responsible drinking in UK university settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Eric; Jones, Andrew; Christiansen, Paul; Field, Matt

    2014-09-01

    Heavy drinking is common among students at UK universities. US students overestimate how much their peers drink and correcting this through the use of social norm messages may promote responsible drinking. We tested whether there is an association between perceived campus drinking norms and usual drinking behavior in UK university students and whether norm messages about responsible drinking correct normative misperceptions and increase students' intentions to drink responsibly. 1,020 UK university students took part in an online study. Participants were exposed to one of five message types: a descriptive norm, an injunctive norm, a descriptive and injunctive norm, or one of two control messages. Message credibility was assessed. Afterwards participants completed measures of intentions to drink responsibly and we measured usual drinking habits and perceptions of peer drinking. Perceptions of peer drinking were associated modestly with usual drinking behavior, whereby participants who believed other students drank responsibly also drank responsibly. Norm messages changed normative perceptions, but not in the target population of participants who underestimated responsible drinking in their peers at baseline. Norm messages did not increase intentions to drink responsibly and although based on accurate data, norm messages were not seen as credible. In this UK based study, although perceived social norms about peer drinking were associated with individual differences in drinking habits, campus wide norm messages about responsible drinking did not affect students' intentions to drink more responsibly. More research is required to determine if this approach can be applied to UK settings.

  18. Enacting open disclosure in the UK National Health Service: A qualitative exploration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Reema; Birks, Yvonne; Bosanquet, Kate; Iedema, Rick

    2017-08-01

    Open and honest discussion between healthcare providers and patients and families affected by error is considered to be a central feature of high quality and safer patient care, evidenced by the implementation of open disclosure policies and guidance internationally. This paper discusses the perceived enablers that UK doctors and nurses report as facilitating the enactment of open disclosure. Semistructured interviews with 13 doctors and 22 nurses from a range of levels and specialities from 5 national health service hospitals and primary care trusts in the UK were conducted and analysed using a framework approach. Five themes were identified which appear to capture the factors that are critical in supporting open disclosure: open disclosure as a moral and professional duty, positive past experiences, perceptions of reduced litigation, role models and guidance, and clarity. Greater openness in relation to adverse events requires health professionals to recognise candour as a professional and moral duty, exemplified in the behaviour of senior clinicians and that seems more likely to occur in a nonpunitive, learning environment. Recognising incident disclosure as part of ongoing respectful and open communication with patients throughout their care is critical. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Do UK Universities Communicate Their Brands Effectively through Their Websites?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapleo, Chris; Duran, Maria Victoria Carrillo; Diaz, Ana Castillo

    2011-01-01

    This paper attempts to explore the effectiveness of UK universities' websites. The area of branding in higher education has received increasing academic investigation, but little work has researched how universities demonstrate their brand promises through their websites. The quest to differentiate through branding can be challenging in the…

  20. Knowledge Construction and Personal Relationship: Insights about a UK University Mentoring and Coaching Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hargreaves, Eleanore

    2010-01-01

    This article examines interview data from 12 mentors/coaches and eight of their clients in order to explore a mentoring and coaching service among UK university staff. Both mentors/coaches and clients were administrative or academic employees of the Institute of Education or affiliated colleges at London University, UK. Their roles related to the…

  1. Perceptions of HPV Vaccine amongst UK University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Ellen; Senior, Naomi; Abdullah, Ammar; Brown, Janine; Collings, Suzanne; Racktoo, Sophie; Walpole, Sarah; Zeiton, Moez; Heffernan, Catherine

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this small-scale focus group study is to explore the impact the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has on attitudes towards HPV, cervical cancer and sexual risk taking amongst university students in the UK. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were recruited through advertisements placed on notice boards throughout the…

  2. Performance Management in UK Universities: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, John; Baines, Claire

    2012-01-01

    In recent years, UK universities have become increasingly concerned with performance management. This trend reflects both growing competition and marketisation within higher education, and the increasing requirements for accountability. In response, institutions have begun to explore the application of formal methodologies for performance…

  3. Unwaged Posts in UK Universities: Controversies and Campaigns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirsten Forkert

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This article examines unwaged posts at UK universities, using recent examples of advertised job posts. While unpaid work is common in the UK higher education system, unwaged posts are not. The posts under scrutiny in this article differ from traditional honorary titles as they target early career academics, who are unlikely to have a paid position elsewhere, rather than established scholars. The article contextualizes the appearance of these posts in a climate of increasing marketization of higher education, entrenching managerialism in higher education institutions, and the casualization of academic work. We also discuss resistance to the posts, arguing that the controversy surrounding unpaid internships in the creative industries created a receptive environment for resisting unwaged posts in academia. We analyze the campaigns that were fought against the advertisement of the posts, mostly through social media and the University and College Union. We explore the tactics used and discuss the advantages and limitations of the use of social media, as well as the role of trade unions in the campaigns against these posts, and we reflect on what future campaigns can learn from these experiences.

  4. A Balanced Scorecard for Open Innovation: Measuring the Impact of Industry-University Collaboration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Myrna; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Magyar, Andrea

    The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) can be considered as a strategic measurement tool. Since its first publication by Norton and Kaplan in the early 1990’s, many companies have applied it to measure four key aspects of their organisations’ performance: Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process, Learning and Growth. Although it is widely used in the business arena, this original BSC was not developed to assess the impact of collaborative research projects under an open innovation strategy, where the outputs of research and development (R&D) developed by collaborative projects undertaken by industry and universities should be measured in a different way. In fact, many companies are losing important opportunities to spur their R&D results by not being able to quantify the results of such collaborations. Therefore, this paper will propose a Scorecard to measure the outcomes of collaborative research. It is important to recall that this scorecard has been developed during a collaborative research project by CEMEX Research Group AG (Switzerland) and Cranfield University (UK). During such project, a survey was developed to carry out eleven face-to-face interviews in a sample of ten companies in UK, which provided important inputs to design such strategic scorecard. It was confirmed that a collaborative balanced scorecard is a very useful tool to measure, track and improve the impact of conducting collaborative projects with universities.

  5. Research Data Management at the University of Warwick: recent steps towards a joined-up approach at a UK university

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny Delasalle

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper charts the steps taken and possible ways forward for the University of Warwick in its approach to research data management, providing a typical example of a UK research university’s approach in two strands: requirements and support. The UK government approach and funding landscape in relation to research data management provided drivers for the University of Warwick to set requirements and provide support, and examples of good practice at other institutions, support from a central national body (the UK Digital Curation Centre and learning from other universities’ experiences all proved valuable to the University of Warwick. Through interviews with researchers at Warwick, various issues and challenges are revealed: perhaps the biggest immediate challenges for Warwick going forward are overcoming scepticism amongst researchers, overcoming costs, and understanding the implications of involving third party companies in research data management. Building technical infrastructure could sit alongside and beyond those immediate steps and beyond the challenges that face one University are those that affect academia as a whole. Researchers and university administrators need to work together to address the broader challenges, such as the accessibility of data for future use and the reward for researchers who practice data management in exemplary ways, and indeed it may be that a wider, national or international but disciplinary technical infrastructure affects what an individual university needs to achieve. As we take these steps, universities and institutions are all learning from each other.

  6. Open Science: Trends in the Development of Science Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scanlon, Eileen

    2011-01-01

    This article comments on some trends in the evolution of science teaching at a distance using the Open University UK (OU UK) experience as a benchmark. Even from the first years of the university there was an understanding of the potential role for media in developing methods for teaching science at a distance, in particular the potential for…

  7. Open University

    CERN Multimedia

    Pentz,M

    1975-01-01

    Michel Pentz est née en Afrique du Sud et venu au Cern en 1957 comme physicien et président de l'associaion du personnel. Il est également fondateur du mouvement Antiapartheid de Genève et a participé à la fondation de l'Open University en Grande-Bretagne. Il nous parle des contextes pédagogiques, culturels et nationaux dans lesquels la méthode peut s'appliquer.

  8. International Students' Networks: A Case Study in a UK University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taha, Nashrawan; Cox, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    The great influx of international students into UK universities has led to internationalisation becoming an important issue. Previous studies have focused on the integration of home and international students, illustrating a lack of intercultural interaction. Yet there has been a lack of research investigating international students' networks and…

  9. Research activities of the nuclear graphite research group at the University of Manchester, UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marsden, B.J.; Fok, A.S.L.; Marrow, J.; Mummery, P.

    2004-01-01

    In 2001 the Nuclear Safety Division (NSD) of the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided to underwrite the Nuclear Graphite Research Group (NGRG) at the University of Manchester, UK with the aim of providing a source of independent research and advice to the HSE (NSD). Since then the group has rapidly expanded to 16 members and attracted considerable funding from the nuclear power industry and the regulator for a wide range of research and consultancy work. It is now also part of the Material Performance Centre within the BNFL Universities Research Alliance. Extensive collaboration exists between the group and other nuclear research institutes, both in the UK and overseas. This paper briefly describes some of the research programmes being carried out by the NGRG at Manchester. (author)

  10. Lively Bureaucracy? The ESRC's Doctoral Training Centres and UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunt, Ingrid; McAlpine, Lynn; Mills, David

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores the changing relationships between the UK government, its research councils and universities, focusing on the governing, funding and organisation of doctoral training. We use the Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs) funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as a prism through which to study the shifting nature of…

  11. Young people's experiences of managing Type 1 diabetes at university: a national study of UK university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kellett, J; Sampson, M; Swords, F; Murphy, H R; Clark, A; Howe, A; Price, C; Datta, V; Myint, K S

    2018-04-23

    Little is known about the challenges of transitioning from school to university for young people with Type 1 diabetes. In a national survey, we investigated the impact of entering and attending university on diabetes self-care in students with Type 1 diabetes in all UK universities. Some 1865 current UK university students aged 18-24 years with Type 1 diabetes, were invited to complete a structured questionnaire. The association between demographic variables and diabetes variables was assessed using logistic regression models. In total, 584 (31%) students from 64 hospitals and 37 university medical practices completed the questionnaire. Some 62% had maintained routine diabetes care with their home team, whereas 32% moved to the university provider. Since starting university, 63% reported harder diabetes management and 44% reported higher HbA 1c levels than before university. At university, 52% had frequent hypoglycaemia, 9.6% reported one or more episodes of severe hypoglycaemia and 26% experienced diabetes-related hospital admissions. Female students and those who changed healthcare provider were approximately twice as likely to report poor glycaemic control, emergency hospital admissions and frequent hypoglycaemia. Females were more likely than males to report stress [odds ratio (OR) 4.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.19-7.16], illness (OR 3.48, 95% CI 2.06-5.87) and weight management issues (OR 3.19, 95% CI 1.99-5.11) as barriers to self-care. Despite these difficulties, 91% of respondents never or rarely contacted university support services about their diabetes. The study quantifies the high level of risk experienced by students with Type 1 diabetes during the transition to university, in particular, female students and those moving to a new university healthcare provider. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  12. Theory, Practice and Policy: A Longitudinal Study of University Knowledge Exchange in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qiantao

    2018-01-01

    This article examines the progress of university knowledge exchange in the United Kingdom over a decade, linking theory, practice and policy. As indicated by the literature, the performance of university knowledge exchange is influenced by institutional and locational characteristics. Data on 133 UK universities between 2003-2004 and 2012-2013 are…

  13. Open Letter to Research Councils UK: Rebuttal of ALPSP Critique

    OpenAIRE

    Berners-Lee, Tim; De Roure, Dave; Harnad, Stevan; Shadbolt, Nigel

    2005-01-01

    The Research Councils of the UK (RCUK) propose to require that the authors of all journal articles resulting from RCUK-funded research must make them openly accessible by self-archiving them on the web in order maximise their usage and impact. ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers) claim that this will have a negative effect on journals, but the only evidence they provide fails to support their claim and all existing evidence is to the contrary: Journal publication...

  14. A Descriptive Study of Professional Staff, and Their Careers, in Australian and UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gander, Michelle

    2018-01-01

    Professional staff total approximately 23% of staff in universities in the UK, which in 2014/15 was the equivalent of 95,870 individuals (hesa.ac.uk). With their increasing span of responsibility, it is surprising that there has been little research into the careers of these staff. This study, part of a larger careers study, highlights some key…

  15. Interpretation and Implementation of Reputation/Brand Management by UK University Leaders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapleo, Christopher

    2004-01-01

    Reputation and brand management are topical issues in UK higher education but previous research has often focused on marketing practitioners within higher education (HE) institutions rather than the senior strategic leaders. This paper, however, examines university chief executives' understanding, attitudes, and interpretation of reputation and…

  16. Open-Ended Evolution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taylor, Tim; Bedau, Mark A.; Channon, Alastair

    2016-01-01

    This report describes the First Workshop on Open-Ended Evolution: Recent Progress and Future Milestones (OEE1), held during the ECAL 2015 conference at the University of York, U.K., in July 2015. We briefly summarise the content of the talks and discussions and the workshop, and provide links...

  17. Can a marginally open universe amplify magnetic fields?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shtanov, Yuri; Sahni, Varun

    2013-01-01

    In a series of recent papers, including arXiv:1210.1183, it was claimed that large-scale magnetic fields generated during inflation in a spatially open universe could remain astrophysically significant at the present time since they experienced superadiabatic amplification specific to an open universe. We reexamine this assertion and show that, on the contrary, large-scale magnetic fields in a realistic open universe decay in much the same manner as they would in a spatially flat universe. Consequently, their amplitude today is extremely small (B 0 ∼ −59 G) and is unlikely to be of astrophysical significance

  18. CHINA‘S RADIO AND TV UNIVERSITIES AND THE BRITISH OPEN UNIVERSITY: A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reviewed by Desmond KEEGAN

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This book is a major contribution to the fields of distance education research, the field of comparative education and to the history of Chinese and British education.The book undertakes an impossible task: the comparative study of China‘s Radio and TV universities and of the British Open University. The task is impossible because the two entities to be compared are essentially disparate. The British Open University (OUUK is a single university set up at Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom by Royal Charter. China‘s Radio and TV universities, known as the Dianda system, is a network of 45 open universities set up all over China. The essence of the success of the British Open University was its creation as a full university, offering its own university degrees on the same level as all the other universities in the country. The Dianda institutions were set up in what Wei calls the ‗adult higher education sector‘ in China, offering what Wei calls sub-degrees and always regarded as inferior both to the great Chinese universities (Beijing University, Qinghua University, Fudan

  19. "The Open Library at AU" (Athabasca University): Supporting Open Access and Open Educational Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Colin; Fabbro, Elaine

    2015-01-01

    To address challenges that learners, course creators, librarians and academics involved with OER and MOOCs are facing when looking for scholarly materials, Athabasca University Library has initiated the development of "the Open Library at AU." This open library is a full library website that provides easy access to open and free…

  20. Various Portraits of Finnish Open University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jauhiainen, Arto; Nori, Hanna; Alho-Malmelin, Marika

    2007-01-01

    This article describes and analyses the background and goals of students at the Finnish open university in the beginning of the twenty-first century. The material consists of statistics based on the student records of the Finnish open university in 2000 (n = 9080) and of the stories, educational autobiographies written by the adult learners (n =…

  1. The Best of Two Open Worlds at the National Open University of Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jane-frances Obiageli Agbu

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available It will be wise for educational institutions, from primary to tertiary level, globally, to reflect on their position and profile with respect to the new concepts of Open Educational Resources (OER and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs. Responses will be diverse of course but the potential is so manifest that many institutions probably will consider the benefits to outweigh the barriers. The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN has decided to combine its ‘classical’ openness with the new digital openness by fully embracing the OER approach and converting its complete course base into OER. Step-by-step, NOUN is currently implementing its strategy towards becoming an OER-based Open University with a special niche for MOOCs. During a launch event in December 2015, the first 40 OER-based courses were presented as well as the first 3 OER-based MOOCs. This paper therefore presents NOUN’s OER strategy with insight on lessons learned. To the authors’ knowledge NOUN is the first Open University in the world with such a full-fledged OER (& MOOCs implementation route.

  2. Open Science Strategies in Research Policies: A Comparative Exploration of Canada, the US and the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasthiotakis, Helen; Kretz, Andrew; Sá, Creso

    2015-01-01

    Several movements have emerged related to the general idea of promoting "openness" in science. Research councils are key institutions in bringing about changes proposed by these movements, as sponsors and facilitators of research. In this paper we identify the approaches used in Canada, the US and the UK to advance open science, as a…

  3. How OpenLearn Supports a Business Model for OER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Law, Patrina; Perryman, Leigh-Anne

    2017-01-01

    In 2013, the Open University (OU) in the UK launched a large-scale survey of users of its OpenLearn platform for open educational resources. The survey results revealed that OpenLearn is functioning as a showcase and a taster for the OU, thereby offering informal learners a bridge to formal education. In 2014 and 2015, the OpenLearn survey was…

  4. An open and transparent process to select ELIXIR Node Services as implemented by ELIXIR-UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancock, John M; Game, Alf; Ponting, Chris P; Goble, Carole A

    2016-01-01

    ELIXIR is the European infrastructure established specifically for the sharing and sustainability of life science data. To provide up-to-date resources and services, ELIXIR needs to undergo a continuous process of refreshing the services provided by its national Nodes. Here we present the approach taken by ELIXIR-UK to address the advice by the ELIXIR Scientific Advisory Board that Nodes need to develop " mechanisms to ensure that each Node continues to be representative of the Bioinformatics efforts within the country". ELIXIR-UK put in place an open and transparent process to identify potential ELIXIR resources within the UK during late 2015 and early to mid-2016. Areas of strategic strength were identified and Expressions of Interest in these priority areas were requested from the UK community. Criteria were established, in discussion with the ELIXIR Hub, and prospective ELIXIR-UK resources were assessed by an independent committee set up by the Node for this purpose. Of 19 resources considered, 14 were judged to be immediately ready to be included in the UK ELIXIR Node's portfolio. A further five were placed on the Node's roadmap for future consideration for inclusion. ELIXIR-UK expects to repeat this process regularly to ensure its portfolio continues to reflect its community's strengths.

  5. universal specific energy curve for para- bolic open channels

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DEPT OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

    UNIVERSAL SPECIFIC ENERGY CURVE FOR PARA-. BOLIC OPEN CHANNELS. K.O. Aiyesimoju. Department of Civil Engineering. University of Lagos. Lagos, Nigeria. ABSTRACT. From the general relationship between specific energy and flow depth for all open channels, the specific relationship for parabolic open ...

  6. Management and Leadership in UK Universities: Exploring the Possibilities of Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waring, Matt

    2017-01-01

    This paper considers the case for reform of management structures in UK universities and offers proposals for change. The model of top-down, performance-led management that characterises many institutions is both outmoded and ill-suited to the challenges of an increasingly turbulent higher education sector. Drawing on the experiences of a…

  7. NEW TRENDS IN LEGAL EDUCATION AT BANGLADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahid FERDOUSI

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available In Bangladesh, Formal legal education is provided by either a department of a university or an affiliated college. There are four public universities and above twenty six private universities in our country with law as a regular subject of teaching. Besides, the National University imparts teaching of law through law colleges in the country. All public and private universities providing law graduate degree by conventional system but many people deprived from this opportunities. Thus to increase equitable access to education and to develop the human resources of the country the Bangladesh Open University playing significant role. Large numbers of students of rural areas, particularly women, out of school and adults who must do work to support their families are include with the university. Bangladesh Open University is the only institution in Bangladesh which imparts education in open and distance mode and offers 23 formal programmes, the demand for the introduction of LL.B programme for the benefit of those who have been, for various reasons, deprived of the opportunity of undertaking graduate course in law in conventional mode of education. The decision to offer the programme in distance mode is being taken in response to the earnest desire of the relevant quarters expressed in various dailies and formal applications submitted to the university authority as the learners in the open and distance mode learn at his own place and any time whenever he feels convenient to learn and is not for restricted by time, space or age. Distance learning is, indeed, presently considered as a viable alternative of the conventional system of education to fulfill the growing demand for legal education.This paper presents the new academic trends in Bangladesh Open University by distance learning Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. degree and modern aspects of the legal education at School of Law in Bangladesh Open University.

  8. Open source in Experimental Psychology

    OpenAIRE

    Dalmaijer, Edwin

    2015-01-01

    Talk on using open-source software in experimental psychology. Presented on 3 March 2015, at the Attention, Brain and Cognitive Development group (http://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/research/attention-brain-and-cognitive-development-group) at the University of Oxford's Department of Experimental Psychology.

  9. Broadcasting environmental knowledge: Open University & BBC collaborations serving massive global audiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandon, M. A.; Smith, J.; Garrow, K. H.; Law, A.

    2013-12-01

    The UK Open University has a long history of working with broadcast media - indeed before it first formed over 40 years ago it was proposed to be a "University of the Air ". Originally the University made its own television programmes that were directly connected with teaching. They were usually recordings of academics giving lectures that were broadcast late at night. Over recent times we have moved into developing co-productions with mainstream broadcast media specifically designed to be of general educational interest to UK and worldwide audiences. These include both high impact one-off programmes such as Are we changing planet Earth?, multiple international award winning series such as Frozen Planet, and World Service radio such as Earth Reporters. These programmes have had global audiences; in some cases of tens of millions. Whilst we have only worked using clear scientific evidence and expertise, we have co-produced media which small sections of the general public could consider controversial. For example, in Are we changing planet Earth? the case was presented pre IPCC AR4 for anthropogenic climate change. The final episode of Frozen Planet "On thin ice" presented evidence of how the polar climate is changing and likely future global impacts. It created a large and occasionally hostile international media impact long before broadcast. This continued after broadcast in some media but we believe it stopped because the science presented was robust within the current literature. Based around broadcasting, we used a communication strategy based on our personal experience over the last decade along with our institutional experience going back 40 years. For example our outreach include social media, newspapers, radio and podcasts to speak about underpinning science. We use Twitter during actual broadcasts to circulate links to journal articles and provide context around the science presented on screen. Backed up by a large public outreach campaign at science fairs

  10. Open Innovation, Triple Helix and Regional Innovation Systems: Exploring CATAPULT Centres in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerry, Christopher; Danson, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Through the lens of UK CATAPULT Centres this conceptual paper presents an examination of the links between open innovation, the Triple Helix model and regional innovation systems. Highlighting the importance of boundary-spanning intermediaries, the combined role of these concepts is explored in detail. A conceptual model is then proposed which…

  11. The compassion gap in UK universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathryn Waddington

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Context: This critical reflection is set in the context of increasing marketisation in UK higher education, where students are seen as consumers, rather than learners with power. The paper explores the dark side of academic work and the compassion gap in universities, in order to make recommendations for practice development in higher education and the human services. Aims: The paper aims to show how reflexive dialogue can be used to enable the development of compassionate academic practice. Conclusions and implications for practice: Toxic environments and organisational cultures in higher education have compounded the crisis in compassionate care in the NHS. Implications for practice are: Narrative approaches and critical appreciative inquiry are useful methods with which to reveal, and rectify, failures of compassion Courageous conversations are required to challenge dysfunctional organisational systems and processes Leadership development programmes should include the application of skills of compassion in organisational settings

  12. The Impact of Tuition Fees and Support on University Participation in the UK. CEE DP 126

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dearden, Lorraine; Fitzsimons, Emla; Wyness, Gill

    2011-01-01

    Understanding how policy can affect university education is important for understanding how governments can promote human capital accumulation. This paper exploits historic changes to university funding policies in the UK to estimate the impact of tuition fees and maintenance grants on university participation. Previous work on this, which largely…

  13. The establishment of the Dalton Nuclear Institute by the University of Manchester in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clegg, Richard

    2005-01-01

    The University of Manchester (UoM) is taking a pioneering step in the UK by identifying nuclear research and education as one of its strategic priorities and establishing the Dalton Nuclear Institute. The UoM was created in 2004 from the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) which both had distinguished histories dating back more than 180 years. The new University has a bold strategic vision to become over the next decade one of the world's top universities. The Institute will work with government and industry to protect and develop the UK's strategic nuclear skills base. Its scope covers the broad entirety of nuclear requirements spanning reactors, fuel cycles, decommissioning, social policy and regulation, and with connections into nuclear medicine and fusion. Existing nuclear research strengths will be integrated and new capabilities grown in areas of weakness. Two initial appointments are underway in radiation sciences and decommissioning engineering with others being planned. The Institute has also established NTEC (Nuclear Technology Education Consortium) in collaboration with other supporting universities which, with government and industry support, is launching a new national programme for postgraduate-level nuclear learning. (author)

  14. Checklist "Open Access Policies": Analysis of the Open Access Policies of Public Universities in Austria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Bauer

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This checklist provides an overview of the Open Access policies implemented at Austrian universities and extramural research institutions. Furthermore, the polices adopted at nine public universities are analyzed and the respective text modules are categorized thematically. The second part of the checklist presents measures for the promotion of Open Access following the implementation of an Open Access policy.

  15. Mind That Gap! An Investigation of Gender Imbalance on the Governing Bodies of UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherer, Michael J.; Zakaria, Idlan

    2018-01-01

    This paper evaluates the factors affecting the representation of females on governing bodies of UK universities. Applying resource dependence and stakeholder theory, the paper argues that it is in the interests of the organisation that there should be an equitable gender balance on the governing bodies of universities. Using data from university…

  16. Opening the Curriculum through Open Educational Practices: International experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Ritchie

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available A successful international learning initiative focusing on student agency began with a link facilitating OE-enhanced teaching between a UK university and a US high school class. It became an international trip organised and funded by five UK students and their teacher who travelled to California, teaching and performing music across formal and informal learning settings. The project is now a credit-bearing class, retaining the original initiative’s openness within the university curriculum where final-year students collaborate with the teacher, self-organising to design and plan curricular details from travel logistics to musical interactions. Students engage in heutagogy, demonstrating the highest levels of autonomous, personal learning in this co-learning environment. Their assessment, a reflective journal, encourages engage with deeper learning processes. The original trip was documented as an eBook including 10,000 student-authored words telling their collaborative learning journey. The book was published without DRM an accessible model for other students and educators.

  17. Slow decay of magnetic fields in open Friedmann universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrow, John D.; Tsagas, Christos G.

    2008-01-01

    Magnetic fields in Friedmann universes can experience superadiabatic growth without departing from conventional electromagnetism. The reason is the relativistic coupling between vector fields and spacetime geometry, which slows down the decay of large-scale magnetic fields in open universes, compared to that seen in perfectly flat models. The result is a large relative gain in magnetic strength that can lead to astrophysically interesting B fields, even if our Universe is only marginally open today

  18. Moving beyond "Intercultural Competence": Interculturality in the Learning of Mandarin in UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Tinghe

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports on a study of the identity perceptions of undergraduate and postgraduate students of Mandarin at UK universities. Interviews with 26 students were conducted over a three-year period, most of whom were multilingual. Approximately half spoke English as an additional language. The remainder were native speakers of English. The…

  19. Nurse-delivered universal point-of-care testing for HIV in an open-access returning traveller clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbert, R; Ashraf, A N; Yates, T A; Spriggs, K; Malinnag, M; Durward-Brown, E; Phillips, D; Mewse, E; Daniel, A; Armstrong, M; Kidd, I M; Waite, J; Wilks, P; Burns, F; Bailey, R; Brown, M

    2012-09-01

    Early diagnosis of HIV infection reduces morbidity and mortality associated with late presentation. Despite UK guidelines, the HIV testing rate has not increased. We have introduced universal HIV screening in an open-access returning traveller clinic. Data were prospectively recorded for all patients attending the open-access returning traveller clinic between August 2008 and December 2010. HIV testing was offered to all patients from May 2009; initially testing with laboratory samples (phase 1) and subsequently a point-of-care test (POCT) (phase 2). A total of 4965 patients attended the clinic; 1342 in phase 0, 792 in phase 1 and 2831 in phase 2. Testing rates for HIV increased significantly from 2% (38 of 1342) in phase 0 to 23.1% (183 of 792) in phase 1 and further increased to 44.5% (1261 of 2831) during phase 2 (P travelling to the Middle East and Europe were less likely to accept an HIV test with POCT. A nurse-delivered universal point-of-care HIV testing service has been successfully introduced and sustained in an acute medical clinic in a low-prevalence country. Caution is required in communicating reactive results in low-prevalence settings where there may be alternative diagnoses or a low population prevalence of HIV infection. © 2012 British HIV Association.

  20. Cosmic microwave background anomalies in an open universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liddle, Andrew R; Cortês, Marina

    2013-09-13

    We argue that the observed large-scale cosmic microwave anomalies, discovered by WMAP and confirmed by the Planck satellite, are most naturally explained in the context of a marginally open universe. Particular focus is placed on the dipole power asymmetry, via an open universe implementation of the large-scale gradient mechanism of Erickcek et al. Open inflation models, which are motivated by the string landscape and which can excite "supercurvature" perturbation modes, can explain the presence of a very-large-scale perturbation that leads to a dipole modulation of the power spectrum measured by a typical observer. We provide a specific implementation of the scenario which appears compatible with all existing constraints.

  1. What Do LGBTQ Students Say about Their Experience of University in the UK?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimwood, Michelle E.

    2017-01-01

    Little is known about the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) university students in the UK. One of the main reasons for this seems to be that the monitoring of sexual orientation and gender identity is not routinely undertaken and is not consistent across all Higher Education establishments. This can mean…

  2. Ukraine Open University: Its prospects in distance education development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bohdan Shunevych

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The genesis, initiation, and expansion of distance education at the Ukraine Open International University for Human Development, located in Kyiv, will be examined in this case study, starting with a brief look at the positive changes taking place in Ukraine's traditional educational system, as well as recent developments in the country's distance education (DE system. To help readers understand the University's development from an insider's perspective, societal factors that currently influence its inter- and extra-institutional environment will also be examined. Next, the history, organizational structure, institutional activities, and background of the Ukraine Open International University for Human Development, along with the reasons driving the University's dual mode activities - both traditional and distance education - will be briefly analyzed. Included in this analysis is a summary of the challenges surrounding the application of both traditional and distance education models.The author concludes his case study by reflecting upon Ukraine Open International University for Human Development's experiences within the context of its being both a traditional education provider and new dual-mode distance education provider. Also discussed are some key indicators and predictions about what the future may hold for the University.

  3. Access for all: Using mobile and open education to secure success in underserved settings

    OpenAIRE

    Henry, Fiona; Seal, Tim

    2016-01-01

    The TESS-India project (Teacher Education through School Support in India), led by the Open University UK, funded by UK Aid and in partnership with the Indian Government, addresses the urgent need to improve the quantity and quality of teacher education in India. Movement in teachers’ classroom practice towards a more learner centred participatory pedagogy is recognised as being critical to improving students’ learning in schools across the country. In realising this aim over 1000 open educat...

  4. A study of institutional spending on open access publication fees in Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahn, Najko; Tullney, Marco

    2016-01-01

    Publication fees as a revenue source for open access publishing hold a prominent place on the agendas of researchers, policy makers, and academic publishers. This study contributes to the evolving empirical basis for funding these charges and examines how much German universities and research organisations spent on open access publication fees. Using self-reported cost data from the Open APC initiative, the analysis focused on the amount that was being spent on publication fees, and compared these expenditure with data from related Austrian (FWF) and UK (Wellcome Trust, Jisc) initiatives, in terms of both size and the proportion of articles being published in fully and hybrid open access journals. We also investigated how thoroughly self-reported articles were indexed in Crossref, a DOI minting agency for scholarly literature, and analysed how the institutional spending was distributed across publishers and journal titles. According to self-reported data from 30 German universities and research organisations between 2005 and 2015, expenditures on open access publication fees increased over the years in Germany and amounted to € 9,627,537 for 7,417 open access journal articles. The average payment was € 1,298, and the median was € 1,231. A total of 94% of the total article volume included in the study was supported in accordance with the price cap of € 2,000, a limit imposed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) as part of its funding activities for open access funding at German universities. Expenditures varied considerably at the institutional level. There were also differences in how much the institutions spent per journal and publisher. These differences reflect, at least in part, the varying pricing schemes in place including discounted publication fees. With an indexing coverage of 99%, Crossref thoroughly indexed the open access journals articles included in the study. A comparison with the related openly available cost data from Austria and

  5. A study of institutional spending on open access publication fees in Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Najko Jahn

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Publication fees as a revenue source for open access publishing hold a prominent place on the agendas of researchers, policy makers, and academic publishers. This study contributes to the evolving empirical basis for funding these charges and examines how much German universities and research organisations spent on open access publication fees. Using self-reported cost data from the Open APC initiative, the analysis focused on the amount that was being spent on publication fees, and compared these expenditure with data from related Austrian (FWF and UK (Wellcome Trust, Jisc initiatives, in terms of both size and the proportion of articles being published in fully and hybrid open access journals. We also investigated how thoroughly self-reported articles were indexed in Crossref, a DOI minting agency for scholarly literature, and analysed how the institutional spending was distributed across publishers and journal titles. According to self-reported data from 30 German universities and research organisations between 2005 and 2015, expenditures on open access publication fees increased over the years in Germany and amounted to € 9,627,537 for 7,417 open access journal articles. The average payment was € 1,298, and the median was € 1,231. A total of 94% of the total article volume included in the study was supported in accordance with the price cap of € 2,000, a limit imposed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG as part of its funding activities for open access funding at German universities. Expenditures varied considerably at the institutional level. There were also differences in how much the institutions spent per journal and publisher. These differences reflect, at least in part, the varying pricing schemes in place including discounted publication fees. With an indexing coverage of 99%, Crossref thoroughly indexed the open access journals articles included in the study. A comparison with the related openly available cost data

  6. Is our universe an open system?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Page, D.N.

    1983-01-01

    The author gives a brief summary of the arguments which might indicate the universe to be an open system. The arguments concern the formation and evaporation of black holes and the asymptotic completeness or incompleteness of the Hilbert space of quantum gravity. (Auth.)

  7. Peer Mentoring during the Transition to University: Assessing the Usage of a Formal Scheme within the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collings, Rosalyn; Swanson, Vivien; Watkins, Ruth

    2016-01-01

    Although mentoring has become increasingly popular within UK higher education, there is little evaluative research. The current longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the usage of a peer mentoring scheme during a first semester at university amongst 124 students. Results indicate that during the first week at university the majority accessed the…

  8. Open FRW universes and self-acceleration from nonlinear massive gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gümrükçüoğlu, A. Emir; Lin, Chunshan; Mukohyama, Shinji

    2011-01-01

    In the context of a recently proposed nonlinear massive gravity with Lorentz-invariant mass terms, we investigate open Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universes driven by arbitrary matter source. While the flat FRW solutions were recently shown to be absent, the proof does not extend to the open universes. We find three independent branches of solutions to the equations of motion for the Stückelberg scalars. One of the branches does not allow any nontrivial FRW cosmologies, as in the previous no-go result. On the other hand, both of the other two branches allow general open FRW universes governed by the Friedmann equation with the matter source, the standard curvature term and an effective cosmological constant Λ ± = c ± m g 2 . Here, m g is the graviton mass, + and - represent the two branches, and c ± are constants determined by the two dimensionless parameters of the theory. Since an open FRW universe with a sufficiently small curvature constant can approximate a flat FRW universe but there is no exactly flat FRW solution, the theory exhibits a discontinuity at the flat FRW limit

  9. On a wave-particle in closed and open isotropic universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campos, L. M. B. C.

    2011-01-01

    The Klein-Gordon equation satisfied by the wave function in general relativity is solved for the metric of the closed and open universe corresponding to Einstein-De Sitter-Friedmann isotropic cosmological model. The angular dependences are specified by spherical harmonics for the longitude and latitude, and for the hyperlatitude by modified spherical harmonics having as variable circular functions for the closed universe and hyperbolic functions for the open universes. The time dependence of the probabilistic wave function is similar for the closed and open universes and is obtained in the following three cases: (I) constant Hubble parameter, (II) constant decceleration parameter, and (III) uniform matter and energy distribution, which corresponds to the Hubble parameter a linear function of time. Thus six solutions are obtained, namely, the three cases I-III each for closed and open isotropic universes. For each of these six solutions is considered: (i) the existence of singularities in space-time including asymptotic time in the future or past, (ii) the square integrability of the wave function over the full extent of the four-dimensional space-time, and (iii) the existence or otherwise of a positive probability density associated with the wave function.

  10. Alcohol industry sponsorship and hazardous drinking in UK university students who play sport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Kerry S; Ferris, Jason; Greenlees, Ian; Jowett, Sophia; Rhind, Daniel; Cook, Penny A; Kypri, Kypros

    2014-10-01

    To examine whether receipt of alcohol industry sponsorship is associated with problematic drinking in UK university students who play sport. University students (n = 2450) participating in sports were invited to complete a pen-and-paper questionnaire by research staff approaching them at sporting facilities and in university settings. Respondents were asked whether they, personally, their team and/or their club were currently in receipt of sponsorship (e.g. money, free or subsidized travel or sporting products) from an alcohol-related industry (e.g. bars, liquor stores, wholesalers), and whether they had solicited the sponsorship. Drinking was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Questionnaires were completed by 2048 of those approached (response rate = 83%). Alcohol industry sponsorship was reported by 36% of the sample. After accounting for confounders (age, gender, disposable income and location) in multivariable models, receipt of alcohol sponsorship by a team (adjusted βadj  = 0.41, P = 0.013), club (βadj  = 0.73, P = 0.017), team and club (βadj  = 0.79, P = 0.002) and combinations of individual and team or club sponsorships (βadj  = 1.27, P 8). Respondents who sought out sponsorship were not at greater risk than respondents, or whose teams or clubs, had been approached by the alcohol industry. University students in the United Kingdom who play sport and who personally receive alcohol industry sponsorship or whose club or team receives alcohol industry sponsorship appear to have more problematic drinking behaviour than UK university students who play sport and receive no alcohol industry sponsorship. Policy to reduce or cease such sponsorship should be considered. © 2014 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  11. FORMS OF DEMOCRACY IN EDUCATION: Open Access and Distance Education–Athens, Greece

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reviewed by Antonis LIONARAKIS

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The 4th International Conference in Open and Distance Learning - Forms of Democracy in Education: Open Access and Distance Education (ICODL 2007 had a special role to play this time: it was focused on the relationship between distance education and democratic principles which are connected and interrelated to eachother. These principles identify a new social role of distance education. Educational applications can be more flexible and effective when they follow some basic From the early beginning open universities and alternative forms of education have defined e democratic framework for educational systems. Their connection with the conventional educational system has influenced to a great extend new innovations in the system. With this approach we can realize that distance learning may become a bridge between these innovations and the initial ideals of democracy and human ICODL 2007 took place in Athens, Greece, from 23 to 25 of November 2007. There were 160 papers presented from 36 countries: Greece, Cyprus, Belgium, Spain, Iran,Canada, Turkey, South Africa, Italy, Palestine, France, Ireland, Japan, Nigeria,Bulgaria, USA, Austria, Finland, Pakistan, Great Britain, Ukraine, Egypt, Lithuania, Israel, India, Czech Republic, Brazil, Portugal, Botswana, Barbados–West Indies,The key–note speakers of ICODL 2007 were Professor Alan Tait, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, The Open University/UK, with the title ―What are Open Universities for?‖, Professor Michael Grahame Moore, the Pennsylvania State University and Editor of the American Journal of Distance Education with the title ―The scholarship of distance education: a review of the 40 years of growth and achievement‖ and Professor Paul Clark, Senior Research Fellow in the IET at the UK Open University with the title

  12. Politics, Policies and Practice: Assessing the Impact of Sexual Harassment Policies in UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Alison M.

    2004-01-01

    Since sexual harassment was first named and identified as an obstacle to women's equality in the mid 1970s, concern about both its prevalence and its damaging effects has resulted in the widespread introduction of anti-harassment policies in UK universities, as in other work and educational settings. The study reported here sought to assess the…

  13. The Influence of Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Motives among UK-Based University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Simon; Reeves, Matthew; Ryrie, Angus

    2015-01-01

    Recent evidence suggests that the majority of the adult population fails to achieve the recommended target of 30-minutes moderate intensity exercise, days a week. This includes university students who often have the time to engage in physical activity. The aim of this study was to determine exercise motives for a UK-based student population. The…

  14. The UK National Quantum Technologies Hub in sensors and metrology (Keynote Paper)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bongs, K.; Boyer, V.; Cruise, M. A.; Freise, A.; Holynski, M.; Hughes, J.; Kaushik, A.; Lien, Y.-H.; Niggebaum, A.; Perea-Ortiz, M.; Petrov, P.; Plant, S.; Singh, Y.; Stabrawa, A.; Paul, D. J.; Sorel, M.; Cumming, D. R. S.; Marsh, J. H.; Bowtell, R. W.; Bason, M. G.; Beardsley, R. P.; Campion, R. P.; Brookes, M. J.; Fernholz, T.; Fromhold, T. M.; Hackermuller, L.; Krüger, P.; Li, X.; Maclean, J. O.; Mellor, C. J.; Novikov, S. V.; Orucevic, F.; Rushforth, A. W.; Welch, N.; Benson, T. M.; Wildman, R. D.; Freegarde, T.; Himsworth, M.; Ruostekoski, J.; Smith, P.; Tropper, A.; Griffin, P. F.; Arnold, A. S.; Riis, E.; Hastie, J. E.; Paboeuf, D.; Parrotta, D. C.; Garraway, B. M.; Pasquazi, A.; Peccianti, M.; Hensinger, W.; Potter, E.; Nizamani, A. H.; Bostock, H.; Rodriguez Blanco, A.; Sinuco-Leon, G.; Hill, I. R.; Williams, R. A.; Gill, P.; Hempler, N.; Malcolm, G. P. A.; Cross, T.; Kock, B. O.; Maddox, S.; John, P.

    2016-04-01

    The UK National Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Metrology is one of four flagship initiatives in the UK National of Quantum Technology Program. As part of a 20-year vision it translates laboratory demonstrations to deployable practical devices, with game-changing miniaturized components and prototypes that transform the state-of-the-art for quantum sensors and metrology. It brings together experts from the Universities of Birmingham, Glasgow, Nottingham, Southampton, Strathclyde and Sussex, NPL and currently links to over 15 leading international academic institutions and over 70 companies to build the supply chains and routes to market needed to bring 10-1000x improvements in sensing applications. It seeks, and is open to, additional partners for new application development and creates a point of easy open access to the facilities and supply chains that it stimulates or nurtures.

  15. Teaching and Technology Transfer as Alternative Revenue Streams: A Primer on the Potential Legal Implications for UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Hoorebeek, Mark; Marson, James

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the financial and intellectual issues facing the university sector as many institutions in the UK pursue alternative revenue streams. As a consequence to the increasing financial pressures, university departments are increasingly exposed to new forms of potential litigation and also face the risk to…

  16. Universal design of public open spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petra Krajner

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Urban open spaces are public places that must assure access for all users. They should be designed for equal use despite disabilities and special recreational needs. Their design must be functional and must meet user’s special requirements, either everyday functional or special (recreational needs. It is not just about overcoming architectural obstacles by building ramps of suitable slope and size; it is about inclusive, universal landscape design of urban space made for all citizens. For this matter, different ways of public use for each group of users is defined, functional criteria are determined, and examples of good and bad design are assembled to present the differences between technically accomplished ramps, and slope paths that include quality landscape inclusive design. To prove the unsuitability of public open spaces in Ljubljana, various analyses were made, including the measurement of steepness, lengths and wideness of certain urban elements. As an application of results, the universal designing principles are summarized in new proposal for entrance into Tivoli Park.

  17. Researchers' perspectives on open access scholarly communication in Tanzanian public universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.W. Dulle

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available This research explored the awareness, usage and perspectives of Tanzanian researchers on open access as a mode of scholarly communication. A survey questionnaire targeted 544 respondents selected through stratified random sampling from a population of 1088 university researchers of the six public universities in Tanzania. With a response rate of 73%, the data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The study reveals that the majority of the researchers were aware of and were positive towards open access. Findings further indicate that the majority of researchers in Tanzanian public universities used open access outlets more to access scholarly content than to disseminate their own research findings. It seems that most of these researchers would support open access publishing more if issues of recognition, quality and ownership were resolved. Thus many of them supported the idea of establishing institutional repositories at their respective universities as a way of improving the dissemination of local content. The study recommends that public universities and other research institutions in the country should consider establishing institutional repositories, with appropriate quality assurance measures, to improve the dissemination of research output emanating from these institutions.

  18. EXPERIENCE OF USING ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TRAINING FUTURE TRANSLATORS IN UK UNIVERSITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.V. Dolinskyi

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The quality of teaching is not only to use the Internet or e-learning. The novelty of the information and communication technology is to change the orientation of training, the transition to the creation of online and e-learning systems, but also remains an unsolved problem of adaptation of new materials. With IT students develop creativity, independence, professionalism. Interactive technologies provide various kinds of user interaction (sound, images, animations, etc. and is a basic tool for the creation of computer training programs. The synthesis of traditional and modern information technology is based on the activity- when learning activities are the subject of training and help to create an overview of the professional activities of an interpreter as a purposeful, active, long-term process of learning. Using an interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to seamlessly integrate the knowledge of linguistics and computer science, linguistics and psychology. The purpose of this paper is the analysis of experience in the use of new information technologies in the training of future translators in UK universities. In this research we identified the most common programs used in the preparation of translators, substantiated the possibility of their application, named the city and universities in the UK where such training is carried out.

  19. Assembling university learning technologies for an open world

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hannon, John; Riddle, Matthew; Ryberg, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    This paper considers the emergence of social media in university teaching and learning and the capacity or universities as complex organisations with disparate interacting parts to respond to the shift of pedagogies and practices to open networks. Institutional learning technology environments...... reflect a legacy of prescriptive, hierarchical arrangements associated with enterprise systems, and are a poor fit with the heterarchical and self-organised potential for learning associated with social media and open education practices. In this paper we focus on the tensions that arise from...... the juxtaposition of these two orientations to learning technologies, and focus on how an emerging online sociality can destabilise established boundaries of learning and connect to other domains of practice...

  20. The Open Education System, Anadolu University, Turkey: E-Transformation in a Mega-University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latchem, Colin; Ozkul, Ali Ekrem; Aydin, Cengiz Hakan; Mutlu, Mehmet Emin

    2006-01-01

    Anadolu University in Turkey is one of the world's largest and least known mega-universities. Well over one million students in Turkey, the European Union and Northern Cyprus are enrolled in its Open Education System and yet few accounts of this dual-mode provider appear in the international literature. This article describes the evolution of the…

  1. Teaching and technology transfer as alternative revenue streams: a primer on the potential legal implications for UK universities

    OpenAIRE

    van Hoorebeek, Mark; Marson, James

    2005-01-01

    Abstract: \\ud Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the financial and intellectual issues facing the university sector as many institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) pursue alternative revenue streams. As a consequence to the increasing financial pressures, university departments are increasingly exposed to new forms of potential litigation and also face the risk to the prestige of their university and departmental brand.\\ud Design: A theoretical and analytical approach is adopted ...

  2. Challenges of University Adjustment in the UK: A Study of East Asian Master's Degree Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wenli; Hammond, Michael

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports on the adjustment of East Asian Master's level students who came to study at a campus-based university in the UK during 2004-05. International students face challenges in respect to language proficiency, academic expectations and social participation. In this longitudinal study the experiences of a group of students from East…

  3. Comparison of attitudes and beliefs regarding the causes of low back pain between UK students and International students studying at Sheffield Hallam University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yousef Shanib

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Background & Aim Low Back Pain (LBP is a widespread problem. Very few past studies which focus on the attitudes and beliefs regarding the causes of LBP of UK and international students exist. This study compares attitudes and beliefs regarding the causes of low back pain between UK students and International students studying at Sheffield Hallam University. Methods The study involved 12 participants (6 UK and 6 international students studying at Sheffield Hallam University. Data was collected by conducting face to face semi structured, recorded interviews. Interviews were later transcribed verbatim. In order to analyse the data obtained, thematic analysis was carried out, using themes found in data transcriptions. Results Four main themes were identified from the data obtained from interviews. These were; personal health and medical related, work related, everyday day life and culture related and government policy and law related. Main themes identified consisted of other smaller themes. Conclusion Attitudes and beliefs belonging to UK and international students at Sheffield Hallam University are related to four main themes; personal health and medical, work, everyday day life and culture and government policy and law. The study identified differences in attitudes and beliefs between UK and International students. As students are the next generation of employees, the study could aid in increasing knowledge of causes of LBP of students in the UK and Internationally, therefore preventing low back pain incidences in the future.

  4. Similarity and Difference in Fee-Paying and No-Fee Learner Expectations, Interaction and Reaction to Learning in a Massive Open Online Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cross, Simon; Whitelock, Denise

    2017-01-01

    The new pedagogical opportunities that massive open online course (MOOC) learning environments offer for the teaching of fee-paying students on university-accredited courses are of growing interest to educators. This paper presents a case study from a postgraduate-taught course at the Open University, UK, where a MOOC performed the dual role of a…

  5. Access to Knowledge Southern Africa : Universities, Open Research ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Journal articles. Research productivity-visibility-accessibility and scholarly communication in Southern African universities. Download PDF ... Call for new OWSD Fellowships for Early Career Women Scientists now open. In partnership with ...

  6. An examination of Chinese students'decision making behavior on the choice of UK University for a master’s degree

    OpenAIRE

    Liang, Junqing

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the factors which can influence Chinese students’ intention to study in the UK for a master’s degree. Variables to be investigated include attitudes, subjective norms, internal control, external control, and intention. In addition, the effects of past experience were also examined. This dissertation employed questionnaire survey to collect primary data in both Chinese campus and UK campus of Nottingham University. A total of 100 students part...

  7. The University of the Third Age in the UK: An Interpretive and Critical Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chin-Shan

    2006-01-01

    The idea of the University of the Third Age (U3A) in the UK was originated from France. However, the British formed their own model of U3As, which is different from that of French U3As. What are the reasons that the British U3As developed in a different way? The purpose of this article is to interpret and criticize in-depth the reasons why British…

  8. Challenges Facing Chinese Academic Staff in a UK University in Terms of Language, Relationships and Culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Hui-hua

    2012-01-01

    The recruitment of international academic staff is viewed as one of the strategies to internationalise the universities. International academic staff, however, usually encounter many challenges when in a foreign context. This study aims to investigate the challenges of Chinese academic staff teaching in the UK in terms of language, relationships…

  9. Calibrating the parameters: changing hearts and minds about open access monographs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Professor Michael C R Davies

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The advent of open access (OA publishing presents welcome new opportunities for reducing the barriers of cost and time to the dissemination of research work in UK universities. However, it does present some challenges to the traditional model of monograph publication in the humanities and social sciences. In common with many other academic institutions, the University of Sussex is developing policies that will permit it to embrace OA publication. This paper describes how, in doing this, Sussex is addressing the challenges associated with OA to ensure that the careers of doctoral students, academics and researchers are not affected adversely by the change in the publishing landscape for monographs both in the UK and internationally.

  10. Workshop for Open Source Universal Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Tohme, Walid G

    2006-01-01

    .... The "Open Source Universal PACS Archive" workshop focused on current challenges of and open source solutions to the management of images and other clinical information in multi-center settings...

  11. Is the UK triple-A?

    OpenAIRE

    Polito, Vito; Wickens, Michael R.

    2013-01-01

    The immediate background to this paper is the downgrade of the U.K.'s credit rating in February 2013, the market's view that this should have occurred earlier and the emphasis in fiscal policy on reducing debt rather than recovery from recession. We propose a measure of the U.K. sovereign credit rating based on an open economy macroeconomic model that is simple to compute and easily automated. Whether based on an ad hoc debt-GDP limit or a DSGE model of an open economy, our measure downgrades...

  12. Design Principles of Open Innovation Concept – Universal Design Viewpoint

    OpenAIRE

    Mustaquim, Moyen; Nyström, Tobias

    2013-01-01

    The concept of open innovation is becoming an increasingly popular topic of interest and seems to promise a lot in organizational development. However, to date there are no certain design principles that can be followed by organizations on how to use open innovation successfully. In this paper seven design principles of open innovation concept have been proposed. The derived principles are the outcome which is based on the principles of universal design. The open innovation design, based on t...

  13. Climate Change and Sustainability Open Educational Resources: Lessons learned and challenges to tackle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Zoe; Whitfield, Stephen; Gertisser, Ralf; Krause, Stefan; McKay, Deirdre; Pringle, Jamie; Szkornik, Katie; Waller, Richard

    2010-05-01

    The UK's Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) is currently running a project entitled ‘C-Change in GEES: Open licensing of climate change and sustainability resources in the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences' as part of a national Open Educational Resource project. The C-Change project aims to explore the challenges involved in ‘repurposing' existing teaching materials on the topics of climate change and sustainability to make them open access. This project has produced an open access resource of diverse climate change and sustainability-related teaching materials across the subjects of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. The process of repurposing existing face-to-face teaching resources requires consideration of a wide variety of issues including the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) associated with images and other material included in the teaching resources, in addition to issues of quality, accessibility and usability of resources. Open access education is an issue that will have implications across the whole of the organizational structure of a university, from legal advisors with commitments to University research and enterprise activities, to the academics wishing to produce open access resources, through to all levels of senior management. The attitudes, concerns and openness to Open Educational Resources of stakeholders from all positions within a HE institution will have implications for the participation of that institution within the OER movement. The many barriers to the whole-scale adoption of Open Educational Resources within the UK Higher Education system and the willingness of UK Higher Education Institutions to engage in the OER movement include institutional perspectives on the IPR of teaching materials developed by members of staff within the institution and financial viability, in addition to more sceptical attitudes of potential contributors. Keele University is

  14. Creating Open Textbooks: A Unique Partnership Between Oregon State University Libraries and Press and Open Oregon State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faye A. Chadwell

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This article presents Oregon State University’s experience launching an innovative Open Textbook initiative in spring 2014. The partners, Open Oregon State and the Oregon State University Libraries and Press, aimed to reduce the cost of course materials for students while ensuring the content created was peer-reviewed and employed multimedia capabilities. This initiative sought to showcase existing and emerging disciplinary strengths of the University thus creating unique course content that could be shared globally. This article briefly describes the U.S. landscape for open textbook creation and adoption. It demonstrates how this unique partnership has developed, covering barriers and benefits, and what the future could hold for new projects.

  15. Reflections on a Degree Initiative: The UK's Birmingham Royal Ballet Dancers Enter the University of Birmingham

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benn, Tansin

    2003-01-01

    This paper provides an opportunity to share experiences and perceptions of the first 5 years of a degree programme for professional dancers. A partnership developed in the mid-1990s between the UK's Birmingham Royal Ballet and the University of Birmingham, Westhill (now School of Education), to provide a part-time, post-experience, flexible study…

  16. Cosmic strings in an open universe: Quantitative evolution and observational consequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avelino, P.P.; Caldwell, R.R.; Martins, C.J.

    1997-01-01

    The cosmic string scenario in an open universe is developed - including the equations of motion, a model of network evolution, the large angular scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, and the power spectrum of density fluctuations produced by cosmic strings with dark matter. We first derive the equations of motion for a cosmic string in an open Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) space-time. With these equations and the cosmic string stress-energy conservation law, we construct a quantitative model of the evolution of the gross features of a cosmic string network in a dust-dominated, Ω 2 /Mpc. In a low density universe the string+CDM scenario is a better model for structure formation. We find that for cosmological parameters Γ=Ωh∼0.1 - 0.2 in an open universe the string+CDM power spectrum fits the shape of the linear power spectrum inferred from various galaxy surveys. For Ω∼0.2 - 0.4, the model requires a bias b approx-gt 2 in the variance of the mass fluctuation on scales 8h -1 Mpc. In the presence of a cosmological constant, the spatially flat string+CDM power spectrum requires a slightly lower bias than for an open universe of the same matter density. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

  17. Compte-rendu des journées des rencontres orales en ligne pour l'apprentissage les 22-23 juin 2007, The Open University, Royaume-Uni

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-Noëlle Lamy

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available L'association Baal-CUP (British Association for Applied Linguistics avec Cambridge University Press http://www.baal.org.uk/ finance régulièrement des journées destinées à susciter des débats entre une vingtaine de chercheurs très actifs d'un domaine bien ciblé. Soutenue par Baal-CUP, l'Open Universitya organisé en juin dernier deux journées sur le thème des rencontres orales en ligne pour l'apprentissage (Spoken Online Learning Events ou Sole. Sole a réuni principalement mais non exclusivem...

  18. Opening access to African scholarly content: Stellenbosch University's AOARI platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr Reggie Raju

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Africa is viewed as a consumer of the world's knowledge production. A significant factor influencing this status is the low research output, with the main contributor to this status being minimum access to scholarly content to support research. Stellenbosch University, a leading research institution on the African continent, is committed to contributing to changing this status quo through the distribution of its own research output utilizing open sources. Given the challenges that have plagued Africa in developing processes for the distribution of their research, Stellenbosch University has developed the African Open Access Repository Initiative (AOARI which uses open source software for two platforms that support the ‘green’ and ‘gold’ route to sharing scholarly literature: Ubuntu is used as the operating system, DSpace is used for its repository and Open Journal Systems for its publication platform. It is anticipated that AOARI will be the bridge that facilitates the sharing of research output and nurtures a culture of research production in Africa.

  19. Open Access Publishing in Canada: Current and Future Library and University Press Supports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Waller

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Canadian university libraries, Canadian university presses, and non-university scholarly presses at Canadian universities were surveyed in the first part of 2010 as to the level of their support of Open Access (OA journal publishing. Respondents were asked about journal hosting services in their organization as well as their thoughts on internal and external support for open access publishing. Results showed that most of the organizations are hosting OA journals, largely between one and five in number, and many supply journal hosting services, including some technical support. Personnel resources are a notable factor in the ability to host journals. Most respondents engage in some sort of internal support for open access publishing and are open to options that they are presently not utilizing. They are particularly amenable to OA publishing support from outside of their organizations, especially assistance at a consortial level.

  20. Robust resilience and substantial interest: a survey of pharmacological cognitive enhancement among university students in the UK and Ireland.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilina Singh

    Full Text Available Use of 'smart drugs' among UK students is described in frequent media reports as a rapidly increasing phenomenon. This article reports findings from the first large-scale survey of pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE among students in the UK and Ireland. Conducted from February to September 2012, a survey of a convenience sample of 877 students measured PCE prevalence, attitudes, sources, purposes and ethics. Descriptive and logistic regression statistical methods were used to analyse the data. Lifetime prevalence of PCE using modafinil, methylphenidate or Adderall was under 10%, while past regular and current PCE users of these substances made up between 0.3%-4% of the survey population. A substantial majority of students was unaware of and/or uninterested in PCE; however about one third of students were interested in PCE. PCE users were more likely to be male, British and older students; predictors of PCE use included awareness of other students using PCEs, ADHD symptomatology, ethical concerns, and alcohol and cannabis use. The survey addresses the need for better evidence about PCE prevalence and practices among university students in the UK. We recommend PCE-related strategies for universities based on the survey findings.

  1. Analysis of Turkey’s Institutional Open Repositories: An Example of Dokuz Eylül University Institutional Open Repository

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korhan Levent Ertürk

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available After the declaration of the Budapest Open Access Initiative in 2001, institutional open repositories are known as the most important tool of the self archiving, which is also known as green road. There are 26 institutional repositories, which are all compatible to international standards. All the institutional open repositories of Turkey mentioned before are listed in international open archive directories. In this study institutional open repository of Dokuz Eylül University is examined and institutional open repositories of Turkey are discussed.

  2. Bringing together the work of subscription and open access specialists: challenges and changes at the University of Sussex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eleanor Craig

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The rise in open access (OA publishing has required library staff across many UK academic institutions to take on new roles and responsibilities to support academics. At the same time, the long-established work of negotiating with publishers around journal subscriptions is changing as such deals now usually include OA payment or discount plans in many different forms that vary from publisher to publisher. This article outlines some of the issues we encountered at the University of Sussex Library whilst trying to pull together the newer strand of OA advocacy and funder compliance work with existing responsibilities for managing subscription deals. It considers the challenges faced in effectively bringing together Library staff with knowledge in these areas, and outlines the steps we have taken so far to ensure OA publishing is taken into account wherever appropriate.

  3. The Impediments to the Change to UK University Accounting Education, a Comparison to the USA Pathways Commission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellington, Peter

    2017-01-01

    There is much debate in the literature concerning the changes necessary for university accounting education to meet the needs of the business environment and broader society. In the USA the Pathways Commission has responded by implementing a programme of evaluation and improvement. In the UK there is no formal agenda for change. This paper…

  4. The case of National Open University of Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    2012-01-24

    Jan 24, 2012 ... technology media on effective distance learning education in Nigeria. It ... The Open University is perhaps the most comprehensive of existing distance ... numbers of people through a single act of writing or broadcasting, very many ... Provide for an egalitarian society reaching people of all age, sex,.

  5. Students' Perception of the National Open University of Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nekky Umera

    Hence the need for distance education (National Open University of Nigeria) ... students was used and with a single hypothesis formulated, a t-test analysis .... whether the students' apprehension to NOUN scheme is influenced by sex.

  6. The international business of higher education – a managerial perspective on the internationalisation of UK universities.

    OpenAIRE

    Warwick, P.

    2014-01-01

    This paper employs a managerial perspective to examine the internationalisation of higher education (HE). Using four case studies of United Kingdom (UK) universities, the research identifies the differences between organisations that are making good progress toward implementing their internationalisation strategy and those that are finding it more difficult. The literature review combines three sets of literature on: the internationalisation of HE, management of HE institutions and strategic ...

  7. U.K. nuclear data progress report for the period April 1975 to March 1976

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gayther, D.B.

    1976-08-01

    The Progress Report describes the activities of the UK Nuclear Data Committee, lists the UK data in a CINDA type index, and reports briefly on each UK activity under the organization concerned (AERE Harwell, AEE Winfrith, NPL, AWRE Aldermaston, University of Aston in Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of London Reactor Centre). (U.K.)

  8. Industry-university collaborations in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA--with emphasis on publication freedom and managing the intellectual property lock-up problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneller, Robert; Mongeon, Marcel; Cope, Jeff; Garner, Cathy; Ternouth, Philip

    2014-01-01

    As industry-university collaborations are promoted to commercialize university research and foster economic growth, it is important to understand how companies benefit from these collaborations, and to ensure that resulting academic discoveries are developed for the benefit of all stakeholders: companies, universities and public. Lock up of inventions, and censoring of academic publications, should be avoided if feasible. This case-study analysis of interviews with 90 companies in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA assesses the scope of this challenge and suggests possible resolutions. The participating companies were asked to describe an important interaction with universities, and most described collaborative research. The most frequently cited tensions concerned intellectual property management and publication freedom. IP disagreements were most frequent in the context of narrowly-focused collaborations with American universities. However, in the case of exploratory research, companies accepted the IP management practices of US universities. It might make sense to let companies have an automatic exclusive license to IP from narrowly defined collaborations, but to encourage universities to manage inventions from exploratory collaborations to ensure development incentives. Although Canada, the UK and US have strong publication freedom guarantees, tensions over this issue arose frequently in focused collaborations, though were rare in exploratory collaborations. The UK Lambert Agreements give sponsors the option to control publications in return for paying the full economic cost of a project. This may offer a model for the other three countries. Uniquely among the four countries, Japan enables companies to control exclusively most collaborative inventions and to censor academic publications. Despite this high degree of control, the interviews suggest many companies do not develop university discoveries to their full potential. The steps suggested above may rebalance the

  9. Industry-university collaborations in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA--with emphasis on publication freedom and managing the intellectual property lock-up problem.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Kneller

    Full Text Available As industry-university collaborations are promoted to commercialize university research and foster economic growth, it is important to understand how companies benefit from these collaborations, and to ensure that resulting academic discoveries are developed for the benefit of all stakeholders: companies, universities and public. Lock up of inventions, and censoring of academic publications, should be avoided if feasible. This case-study analysis of interviews with 90 companies in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA assesses the scope of this challenge and suggests possible resolutions. The participating companies were asked to describe an important interaction with universities, and most described collaborative research. The most frequently cited tensions concerned intellectual property management and publication freedom. IP disagreements were most frequent in the context of narrowly-focused collaborations with American universities. However, in the case of exploratory research, companies accepted the IP management practices of US universities. It might make sense to let companies have an automatic exclusive license to IP from narrowly defined collaborations, but to encourage universities to manage inventions from exploratory collaborations to ensure development incentives. Although Canada, the UK and US have strong publication freedom guarantees, tensions over this issue arose frequently in focused collaborations, though were rare in exploratory collaborations. The UK Lambert Agreements give sponsors the option to control publications in return for paying the full economic cost of a project. This may offer a model for the other three countries. Uniquely among the four countries, Japan enables companies to control exclusively most collaborative inventions and to censor academic publications. Despite this high degree of control, the interviews suggest many companies do not develop university discoveries to their full potential. The steps suggested

  10. Nuclear skills and education training in the UK through the Dalton nuclear institute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richard Clegg

    2006-01-01

    The UK demand for nuclear skills and research requirements is showing signs of a significant upturn. More capacity is being needed to support the UK's national programmes on clean-up and decommissioning, keeping the nuclear option open, and longer term advanced reactors technology. In response to this, The University of Manchester has launched the Dalton Nuclear Institute. The Institute is working with government and industry to strengthen and develop the UK's strategic nuclear skills base in the university sector. The Institute's scope covers the broad entirety of the UK's nuclear requirements spanning reactors, fuel cycles, decommissioning, disposal, social policy and regulation, and with connections into nuclear medicine and fusion. The rational behind the setting up of the Dalton Nuclear Institute including its research and education strategies are explained below, together with a description of the areas of current strength and the areas where major university investment is being targeted to uplift UK capacity and infrastructure. A big driver is also to forge links with other world leading centres internationally that will complement Manchester's in house capability. In the UK, the Dalton Nuclear Institute is working in partnership with Nexia Solutions and the NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) to match the Institute's plans with end-user industry and sector requirements. A key driver is to maximize the utilisation of the UK's specialist research facilities, notably the new Sellafield Technology Centre in West Cumbria. Discussions are underway with Nexia Solutions and the NDA to grant academic access for the Dalton Nuclear Institute and its collaborators to the Sellafield Technology Centre, to utilize it along the lines akin to a 'teaching hospital' model. The paper also explains the steps Dalton has taken by setting up and leading a consortium with ten other higher education providers in the UK, to launch a national programme for postgraduate

  11. The UK-DALE dataset, domestic appliance-level electricity demand and whole-house demand from five UK homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Jack; Knottenbelt, William

    2015-01-01

    Many countries are rolling out smart electricity meters. These measure a home's total power demand. However, research into consumer behaviour suggests that consumers are best able to improve their energy efficiency when provided with itemised, appliance-by-appliance consumption information. Energy disaggregation is a computational technique for estimating appliance-by-appliance energy consumption from a whole-house meter signal. To conduct research on disaggregation algorithms, researchers require data describing not just the aggregate demand per building but also the 'ground truth' demand of individual appliances. In this context, we present UK-DALE: an open-access dataset from the UK recording Domestic Appliance-Level Electricity at a sample rate of 16 kHz for the whole-house and at 1/6 Hz for individual appliances. This is the first open access UK dataset at this temporal resolution. We recorded from five houses, one of which was recorded for 655 days, the longest duration we are aware of for any energy dataset at this sample rate. We also describe the low-cost, open-source, wireless system we built for collecting our dataset.

  12. Heading for the Open Road: Costs and Benefits of Transitions in Scholarly Communications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Jubb

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a study — overseen by representatives of the publishing, library and research funder communities in the UK — investigating the drivers, costs and benefits of potential ways to increase access to scholarly journals. It identifies five different but realistic scenarios for moving towards that end over the next five years, including gold and green open access, moves towards national licensing, publisher-led delayed open access, and transactional models. It then compares and evaluates the benefits as well as the costs and risks for the UK. The scenarios, the comparisons between them, and the modelling on which they are based, amount to a benefit-cost analysis to help in appraising policy options over the next five years. Our conclusion is that policymakers who are seeking to promote increases in access should encourage the use of existing subject and institutional repositories, but avoid pushing for reductions in embargo periods, which might put at risk the sustainability of the underlying scholarly publishing system. They should also promote and facilitate a transition to gold open access, while seeking to ensure that the average level of charges for publication does not exceed circa £2,000; that the rate in the UK of open access publication is broadly in step with the rate in the rest of the world; and that total payments to journal publishers from UK universities and their funders do not rise as a consequence.

  13. An open and transparent process to select ELIXIR Node Services as implemented by ELIXIR-UK [version 2; referees: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John M. Hancock

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available ELIXIR is the European infrastructure established specifically for the sharing and sustainability of life science data. To provide up-to-date resources and services, ELIXIR needs to undergo a continuous process of refreshing the services provided by its national Nodes. Here we present the approach taken by ELIXIR-UK to address the advice by the ELIXIR Scientific Advisory Board that Nodes need to develop “mechanisms to ensure that each Node continues to be representative of the Bioinformatics efforts within the country”. ELIXIR-UK put in place an open and transparent process to identify potential ELIXIR resources within the UK during late 2015 and early to mid-2016. Areas of strategic strength were identified and Expressions of Interest in these priority areas were requested from the UK community. Criteria were established, in discussion with the ELIXIR Hub, and prospective ELIXIR-UK resources were assessed by an independent committee set up by the Node for this purpose. Of 19 resources considered, 14 were judged to be immediately ready to be included in the UK ELIXIR Node’s portfolio. A further five were placed on the Node’s roadmap for future consideration for inclusion. ELIXIR-UK expects to repeat this process regularly to ensure its portfolio continues to reflect its community’s strengths.

  14. Institutional Evaluation in Poles of the Open University System of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexciano de Sousa Martins

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The study wanted to know the institutional evaluation in poles of distance education, of the Open University of Brazil (UAB system, analyzing the poles of the State of Ceará. The UAB system of the Brazilian Ministry of Education makes it possible to offer courses of higher level agreements with public universities. Ceará counts on UAB poles, since 2006, that form teachers and other professionals, even in regions lacking public higher education. The objective of this study was to discuss the importance of the institutional evaluation in the poles of the Open University of Brazil program through an exploratory and descriptive field research, showing that the institutional evaluation at the poles is minimal and out of line with the legislation in force. Suggestions on how to develop the evaluative practice.

  15. Industry-University Collaborations in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA – With Emphasis on Publication Freedom and Managing the Intellectual Property Lock-Up Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneller, Robert; Mongeon, Marcel; Cope, Jeff; Garner, Cathy; Ternouth, Philip

    2014-01-01

    As industry-university collaborations are promoted to commercialize university research and foster economic growth, it is important to understand how companies benefit from these collaborations, and to ensure that resulting academic discoveries are developed for the benefit of all stakeholders: companies, universities and public. Lock up of inventions, and censoring of academic publications, should be avoided if feasible. This case-study analysis of interviews with 90 companies in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA assesses the scope of this challenge and suggests possible resolutions. The participating companies were asked to describe an important interaction with universities, and most described collaborative research. The most frequently cited tensions concerned intellectual property management and publication freedom. IP disagreements were most frequent in the context of narrowly-focused collaborations with American universities. However, in the case of exploratory research, companies accepted the IP management practices of US universities. It might make sense to let companies have an automatic exclusive license to IP from narrowly defined collaborations, but to encourage universities to manage inventions from exploratory collaborations to ensure development incentives. Although Canada, the UK and US have strong publication freedom guarantees, tensions over this issue arose frequently in focused collaborations, though were rare in exploratory collaborations. The UK Lambert Agreements give sponsors the option to control publications in return for paying the full economic cost of a project. This may offer a model for the other three countries. Uniquely among the four countries, Japan enables companies to control exclusively most collaborative inventions and to censor academic publications. Despite this high degree of control, the interviews suggest many companies do not develop university discoveries to their full potential. The steps suggested above may rebalance the

  16. Potentiality of Disaster Management Education through Open and Distance Learning System in Bangladesh Open University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saima AHMAD

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Bangladesh Open University (BOU is the only public educational institution in Bangladesh, where, a dual-mode method of learning system has been introduced. Established in 21st October, 1992, the University now accommodates 1,74,459 learners in 2012. The wide range networking of this university provides it a great prospect to execute a broad spectrum of activities to accomplish its social responsibilities. Despite the aims of BOU at continuous quantitative improvement and greater equity in the society, like most of the ODL method universities in the world, BOU framed a limited objective to create awareness and preparedness about the contemporary global disaster proneness among its learners. Bangladesh for its geographical location, experiences several natural disasters like annual flood, heavy rainfall, cyclone and tidal surge, earth quake, river bank erosion, drought, etc. Lack of awareness of the sustainable use of the natural resources, and the consequences of the heedless consumption of them by the inhabitants enhanced the degree and frequency of these natural disasters during the last decades. The present study emphasizes on the role of Bangladesh Open University in creating awareness among its learners about the causes and pattern of disasters, pre and post disaster management strategies, etc. The study proves that BOU is a unique educational institution which, through the ODL method of teaching, using various educational medium like, tutorial support, printed study materials, electronic media, internet, and cellular phone, etc. can provided a wide range of knowledge about the disaster vulnerability, risk reduction and management strategies to its learners.

  17. The Anatomy of International Students' Acculturation in UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gbadamosi, Ayantunji

    2018-01-01

    The diversity of the student population in the United Kingdom's higher education sector evokes a vision of the world as a global village. The effect of this diversity on the UK economy has been considerable. Nevertheless, the research attention given to how overseas students can become integrated into UK culture remains inadequate. This…

  18. EXPERIENCES AND TENSIONS OF TUTURING AT ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY (AIOU PAKISTAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nabi Bux JUMANI

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Pakistan is a country with thick population of 160 million. Its geographical area is 796,096-sq. Km. Its 69% of population lives in rural areas and rest in urban. Since the education of rural people is a difficult task for the government therefore, there emerged a need of open and distance in Pakistan. Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU is the first Open University in Asia. It was established in 1974 and now has earned the status of Mega University. AIOU is a Distance Education institution, which provides multi disciplinary education from basic to doctoral level programs. The university employs non-formal method of correspondence, radio and television broadcasts, special textbooks and reading materials prepared on self-learning basis, part-time teachers (tutors engaged nearest to the student's residences. The university has more than 36 regional campuses and centers in various parts of the country to coordinate and facilitate decentralized system of education of the university. The regional directors keep a roster of qualified teachers and experts in each field of study in their area and enlist them as the university’s part-time tutors.The number of registered tutors with AIOU is more than 30,000. Each group of students is entrusted to a tutor for guidance. Assignments written by the students are evaluated by the tutors and returned to them, with comments. The regional campuses also arrange practical training, teaching practice, workshops and seminars and facilitate holding of examinations in their own areas. This study presents data from a study of experiences of distance education tutors at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU, Pakistan, in the use of face-to-face tuition to support their students undertaking teacher training programmes at a distance. It explores the tensions for ‘face-to-face’ teachers involved in ‘distance teaching’ courses, and discusses these in terms of the tutors’ perceptions of the ways in which face

  19. Estimating the Economic Payoff to Virtual University Education: A Case Study of the Open University of Catalonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castaño-Muñoz, Jonatan; Carnoy, Martin; Duart, Josep M.

    2016-01-01

    There is surprisingly little analysis of the employment and earnings impact on students of taking and completing Internet-based programs and of how it compares with earnings outcomes for graduates of face-to-face universities. This paper analyzes a follow-up survey of students who began attending the virtual Internet-based Open University of…

  20. University Supports for Open Access: A Canadian National Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greyson, Devon; Vezina, Kumiko; Morrison, Heather; Taylor, Donald; Black, Charlyn

    2009-01-01

    The advent of policies at research-funding organizations requiring grantees to make their funded research openly accessible alters the life cycle of scholarly research. This survey-based study explores the approaches that libraries and research administration offices at the major Canadian universities are employing to support the…

  1. Nutritional value of foods sold in vending machines in a UK University: Formative, cross-sectional research to inform an environmental intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Hanla; Papadaki, Angeliki

    2016-01-01

    Vending machine use has been associated with low dietary quality among children but there is limited evidence on its role in food habits of University students. We aimed to examine the nutritional value of foods sold in vending machines in a UK University and conduct formative research to investigate differences in food intake and body weight by vending machine use among 137 University students. The nutrient content of snacks and beverages available at nine campus vending machines was assessed by direct observation in May 2014. Participants (mean age 22.5 years; 54% males) subsequently completed a self-administered questionnaire to assess vending machine behaviours and food intake. Self-reported weight and height were collected. Vending machine snacks were generally high in sugar, fat and saturated fat, whereas most beverages were high in sugar. Seventy three participants (53.3%) used vending machines more than once per week and 82.2% (n 60) of vending machine users used them to snack between meals. Vending machine accessibility was positively correlated with vending machine use (r = 0.209, P = 0.015). Vending machine users, compared to non-users, reported a significantly higher weekly consumption of savoury snacks (5.2 vs. 2.8, P = 0.014), fruit juice (6.5 vs. 4.3, P = 0.035), soft drinks (5.1 vs. 1.9, P = 0.006), meat products (8.3 vs. 5.6, P = 0.029) and microwave meals (2.0 vs. 1.3, P = 0.020). No between-group differences were found in body weight. Most foods available from vending machines in this UK University were of low nutritional quality. In this sample of University students, vending machine users displayed several unfavourable dietary behaviours, compared to non-users. Findings can be used to inform the development of an environmental intervention that will focus on vending machines to improve dietary behaviours in University students in the UK. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Financing small scale wind energy projects in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, Catherine

    1993-01-01

    This paper shows how wind energy projects in the UK have obtained finance. It attempts to list the financing options open to small scale developments and to note any likely problems which may occur. (UK)

  3. The UK-DALE dataset, domestic appliance-level electricity demand and whole-house demand from five UK homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Jack; Knottenbelt, William

    2015-03-01

    Many countries are rolling out smart electricity meters. These measure a home’s total power demand. However, research into consumer behaviour suggests that consumers are best able to improve their energy efficiency when provided with itemised, appliance-by-appliance consumption information. Energy disaggregation is a computational technique for estimating appliance-by-appliance energy consumption from a whole-house meter signal. To conduct research on disaggregation algorithms, researchers require data describing not just the aggregate demand per building but also the ‘ground truth’ demand of individual appliances. In this context, we present UK-DALE: an open-access dataset from the UK recording Domestic Appliance-Level Electricity at a sample rate of 16 kHz for the whole-house and at 1/6 Hz for individual appliances. This is the first open access UK dataset at this temporal resolution. We recorded from five houses, one of which was recorded for 655 days, the longest duration we are aware of for any energy dataset at this sample rate. We also describe the low-cost, open-source, wireless system we built for collecting our dataset.

  4. An open and transparent process to select ELIXIR Node Services as implemented by ELIXIR-UK [version 1; referees: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John M. Hancock

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available ELIXIR is the European infrastructure established specifically for the sharing and sustainability of life science data. To provide up-to-date resources and services, ELIXIR needs to undergo a continuous process of refreshing the services provided by its national Nodes. Here we present the approach taken by ELIXIR-UK to address the advice by the ELIXIR Scientific Advisory Board that Nodes need to develop “mechanisms to ensure that each Node continues to be representative of the Bioinformatics efforts within the country”. ELIXIR-UK put in place an open and transparent process to identify potential ELIXIR resources within the UK during late 2015 and early to mid-2016. Areas of strategic strength were identified and Expressions of Interest in these priority areas were requested from the UK community. A set of criteria were established, in discussion with the ELIXIR Hub, and prospective ELIXIR-UK resources were assessed by an independent committee set up by the Node for this purpose. Of 19 resources considered, 14 were judged to be immediately ready to be included in the UK ELIXIR Node’s portfolio. A further five were placed on the Node’s roadmap for future consideration for inclusion. ELIXIR-UK expects to repeat this process regularly to ensure its portfolio continues to reflect its community’s strengths.

  5. In Search for the Open Educator: Proposal of a Definition and a Framework to Increase Openness Adoption among University Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nascimbeni, Fabio; Burgos, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    The paper explores the change process that university teachers need to go through in order to become fluent with Open Education approaches. Based on a literature review and a set of interviews with a number of leading experts in the field of Open Educational Resources and Open Education, the paper puts forward an original definition of Open…

  6. Open Praxis, volumen 4 issue 1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Editor Open Praxis

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available - Correlation between Performance and Quality of Academic Staff in National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN Olubiyi Adeniyi Adewale, Timothy Olugbenga Ajadi & Juliet O.Inegbedion (1-7 - Benchmarking E-Learning in UK Universities: Lessons from and for the International Context Paul Bacsich (9-17 - Structural equation modelling of factors affecting success in student’s performance in ODL-Programs: Extending Quality Management concepts Per Bergamin, Simone Ziska & Rudolf Groner (18-25 - Quality Assurance in Open and Distance Learning in India S.K. Gandhe (26-32 - Leading innovative approaches to the financial crisis Sarah Guri-Rosenblit (33-38 - TOWARDS KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMIES - the contribution of open distance learning strategies in addressing equity and inclusiveness issues in small states like Mauritius Jheengut (39-63 - New Approaches to Quality Assurance in the Changing World of Higher Education Maria Jose Lemaitre (64-75 - Entrepreneurship: New Challenges for Higher Education Institutions Josep Lladós (76-87 - A Psychometric Study in the Performance of Distance learners Ravi K Mahajan (88-94 - Managing Quality Assurance for Distance Learning Programs in Malaysia Mohd Ismail Ramli (95-101 - Employability and lifelong learning Hazel Simmons-McDonald (102-113

  7. The Impact of Role Conflict, Role Ambiguity and Organizational Climate on the Job Satisfaction of Academic Staff in Research-Intensive Universities in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, John

    2013-01-01

    This study focuses on academics in research-intensive universities in the UK and explores their perceptions of organizational climate, role conflict, role ambiguity and job satisfaction. The findings suggest that the universities have multiple organizational climates. Three organizational climate types -- the Clan, the Hierarchy and the Adhocracy…

  8. Acceptance and Adoption of Open Access Publication (OAP) in University Libraries in South East Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sambe, Manasseh Tyungu; Raphael, Gabriel Okplogidi

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the kinds of open access scholarly publication or information resources accepted and adopted by federal university libraries in South East Nigeria. The purpose was to determine the factors that affect open access scholarly publication or information resources acceptance and adoption in university libraries. The study adopted…

  9. Assessment of reading habits of national open university of Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Assessment of reading habits of national open university of Nigeria students in Abuja. ... A general recommendation was made to the ministry of education in Nigeria to make reading a subject of its own which ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  10. Distance Teaching of Environmental Engineering Courses at the Open University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porteous, Andrew; Nesaratnam, Suresh T.; Anderson, Judith

    1997-01-01

    Describes two integrated distance learning environmental engineering degree courses offered by the environmental engineering group of the Open University in Great Britain. Discusses admission requirements for courses, advantages offered by distance learning, professional accreditation, site visits, and tutors. (AIM)

  11. The ISIS Open GENIE user manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akeroyd, F.A.; Ashworth, R.L.; Campbell, S.I.; Johnston, S.D.; Martin, J.M.; Moreton-Smith, C.M.; Sivia, D.S.

    2000-01-01

    This manual should enable you to become familiar with Open GENIE quickly and easily. It therefore complements the Open GENIE Reference Manual which should be used to understand the full meaning of Open GENIE commands. The reference manual is accessible on the ISIS web server at: http://www.isis.rl.ac.uk/GENIEReferenceManual/ and the user manual is planned to be accessible by January '98 at http://www.isis.rl.ac.ukIGENIEUserManual/. The Open GENIE User Manual is separated into two parts: Part A. The User Manual. An introduction to the use of Open GENIE. Part B. The Installation Guide. General information on how to install and run Open GENIE. Assuming that you are new to Open GENIE and have just downloaded a copy you will need to consult the Installation Guide to get Open GENIE installed on your machine. After this we recommend you experiment with some of the example files to get an idea of the capabilities of Open GENIE. For further information, comments, additions of routines that you feel should be included, please contact us at genie at isise.rl.ac.uk

  12. Teachers as a Special Target Population at the Open University of Israel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guri-Rozenblit, Sarah

    1992-01-01

    Examines the programs of the Open University of Israel (OUI) that offer preservice and in-service teacher training. Policies and trends that led to a new model of Israeli teacher education are discussed, and the role of distance teaching universities in teacher training is considered. (15 references) (LRW)

  13. Depressive symptoms in elderly participants of an open university for elderly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samila Sathler Tavares Batistoni

    Full Text Available Abstract Although the prevalence of depressive disorders among the elderly is lower than among the younger population, the presence of significant symptoms of depression is common in this group. Studies report that participation in social, educational and leisure activities is related to fewer depressive symptoms in this population. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression among elderly participants of an Open University for the Third Age, in terms of the time studying. Methods: The study had a cross-sectional design and the participation of 95.2% (n=184 of total enrollers in the first half of 2010 on the activities of the Third Age Open University's School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities of the University of São Paulo. All participants answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15. Results: An association between studying time of over one semester at the University of the Third Age and a lower rate of depressive symptoms, was observed. Conclusion: Study time of over one semester was associated with less depressive symptoms, acting as a possible protective factor against depression.

  14. What have we learnt? A year on from the first UK Community Partner Summit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Aumann

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Following an observed need to build community partner infrastructure and support to enhance community-university partnerships, a successful bid was made to the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. This funding provided an opportunity for community partners to come together with engaged academics at the first ever UK Community Partner Summit. They resolved to set up a community partner network to help build capacity for effective community-university partnerships, and to influence the policy environment which supports this work. This article reflects on the activity of the working group in seeking to establish the network, and introduces some of the concepts that have proved critical to its development. Drawing on a wealth of perspectives from a range of sources including academic and grey literature, community partner experiences, and international work, we open up some of the challenges that we have faced, and explore some of the implications of our first year’s work together. We reflect on the time it takes to establish any form of network, the need to be clear about definitions and boundaries, and the challenge of changing cultures. We conclude that the progress with the network to date is encouraging, and we look forward to building on our learning thus far, to develop stronger community-university partnerships of the future. Keywords: community partner infrastructure and networks, partnership resilience, community-university partnership

  15. UK Government: New postgraduate scheme - Dorothy Hodgkin awards

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    The UK Prime Minister today announced a new GBP10m initiative, the Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards, which will allow over 100 PhD students from India, China, Hong Kong, Russia and the developing world to study in top UK universities (1 page).

  16. A 10-year case study on the changing determinants of university student satisfaction in the UK.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian Burgess

    Full Text Available Higher Education (HE, once the prerogative of a tiny elite, is now accessible to larger numbers of people around the world than ever before yet despite the fact that an understanding of student satisfaction has never been more important for today's universities, the concept remains poorly understood. Here we use published data from the UK's National Student Survey (NSS, representing data from 2.3 million full-time students collected from 2007 to 2016, as a case study of the benefits and limitations of measuring student satisfaction that might have applicability for other countries, particularly those that, like the UK, have experienced significant growth in student numbers. The analyses showed that the factor structure of the NSS remained generally stable and that the ability of the NSS to discriminate between different subjects at different universities actually improved over the ten-year sample period. The best predictors of overall satisfaction were 'Teaching Quality' and 'Organisation & Management', with 'Assessment & Feedback' having relatively weak predictive ability, despite the sector's tangible efforts to improve on this metric. The tripling of student fees in 2012 for English students (but not the rest of the UK was used as a 'natural experiment' to investigate the sensitivity of student satisfaction ratings to the real economic costs of HE. The tuition fee increase had no identifiable negative effect, with student satisfaction steadily improving throughout the decade. Although the NSS was never designed to measure perceived value-for-money, its insensitivity to major changes in the economic costs of HE to the individual suggest that the conventional concept of student satisfaction is incomplete. As such we propose that the concept of student satisfaction: (i needs to be widened to take into account the broader economic benefits to the individual student by including measures of perceived value-for-money and (ii should measure students

  17. A 10-year case study on the changing determinants of university student satisfaction in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgess, Adrian; Senior, Carl; Moores, Elisabeth

    2018-01-01

    Higher Education (HE), once the prerogative of a tiny elite, is now accessible to larger numbers of people around the world than ever before yet despite the fact that an understanding of student satisfaction has never been more important for today's universities, the concept remains poorly understood. Here we use published data from the UK's National Student Survey (NSS), representing data from 2.3 million full-time students collected from 2007 to 2016, as a case study of the benefits and limitations of measuring student satisfaction that might have applicability for other countries, particularly those that, like the UK, have experienced significant growth in student numbers. The analyses showed that the factor structure of the NSS remained generally stable and that the ability of the NSS to discriminate between different subjects at different universities actually improved over the ten-year sample period. The best predictors of overall satisfaction were 'Teaching Quality' and 'Organisation & Management', with 'Assessment & Feedback' having relatively weak predictive ability, despite the sector's tangible efforts to improve on this metric. The tripling of student fees in 2012 for English students (but not the rest of the UK) was used as a 'natural experiment' to investigate the sensitivity of student satisfaction ratings to the real economic costs of HE. The tuition fee increase had no identifiable negative effect, with student satisfaction steadily improving throughout the decade. Although the NSS was never designed to measure perceived value-for-money, its insensitivity to major changes in the economic costs of HE to the individual suggest that the conventional concept of student satisfaction is incomplete. As such we propose that the concept of student satisfaction: (i) needs to be widened to take into account the broader economic benefits to the individual student by including measures of perceived value-for-money and (ii) should measure students' level of

  18. Automated Mobility Transitions: Governing Processes in the UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debbie Hopkins

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary systems of mobility are undergoing a transition towards automation. In the UK, this transition is being led by (often new partnerships between incumbent manufacturers and new entrants, in collaboration with national governments, local/regional councils, and research institutions. This paper first offers a framework for analyzing the governance of the transition, adapting ideas from the Transition Management (TM perspective, and then applies the framework to ongoing automated vehicle transition dynamics in the UK. The empirical analysis suggests that the UK has adopted a reasonably comprehensive approach to the governing of automated vehicle innovation but that this approach cannot be characterized as sufficiently inclusive, democratic, diverse and open. The lack of inclusivity, democracy, diversity and openness is symptomatic of the post-political character of how the UK’s automated mobility transition is being governed. The paper ends with a call for a reconfiguration of the automated vehicle transition in the UK and beyond, so that much more space is created for dissent and for reflexive and comprehensive big picture thinking on (automated mobility futures.

  19. Location of existing Case Studies on Open Education

    OpenAIRE

    Burke, Siobhan

    2014-01-01

    Members of the Open Education Special Interest Group have collected a selection of short case studies on Open Education. View all of the case studies at http://repository.alt.ac.uk/view/divisions/CaseStudies/ Location of existing Case Studies on Open Education: The following lists aims to capture and amalgamate the various different case study sources which have been created and developed within the UK around experiences of Open Educational Resources.

  20. The UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshop Programme...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albone, Eric; Okano, Toru

    2012-01-01

    The authors have been running UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshops at universities in Britain and Japan since 2001: for the past three years in England with Cambridge University and, last year, also with Kyoto University and Kyoto University of Education. For many years they have worked jointly with colleagues in a group of Super Science High…

  1. Are UK undergraduate Forensic Science degrees fit for purpose?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welsh, Charles; Hannis, Marc

    2011-09-01

    In October 2009 Skills for Justice published the social research paper 'Fit for purpose?: Research into the provision of Forensic Science degree programmes in UK Higher Education Institutions.' The research engaged employers representing 95% of UK Forensic Science providers and 79% of UK universities offering Forensic Science or Crime Scene degree programmes. In addition to this, the research collected the views of 430 students studying these degrees. In 2008 there were approximately 9000 people working in the Forensic Science sector in the UK. The research found that the numbers of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees in the UK have more than doubled since 2002-03, from 2191 in to 5664 in 2007-08. Over the same period there were twice as many females as males studying for these degrees. The research concluded that Forensic Science degree programmes offered by UK universities were of a good quality and they provided the student with a positive learning experience but the content was not relevant for Forensic Science employers. This echoed similar research by the former Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on graduates from wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programmes. The research also found that 75% of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees expected to have a career in the Forensic Science sector, meaning that ensuring these courses are relevant for employers is a key challenge for universities. This paper reflects on the original research and discusses the implications in light of recent government policy. Copyright © 2011 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes toward Teaching Science and Their Science Learning at Indonesia Open University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suprapto, Nadi; Mursid, Ali

    2017-01-01

    This study focuses on attitudes toward (teaching) science and the learning of science for primary school among pre-service teachers at the Open University of Indonesia. A three-year longitudinal survey was conducted, involving 379 students as pre-service teachers (PSTs) from the Open University in Surabaya regional office. Attitudes toward…

  3. International outreach for promoting open geoscience content in Finnish university libraries - libraries as the advocates of citizen science awareness on emerging open geospatial data repositories in Finnish society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rousi, A. M.; Branch, B. D.; Kong, N.; Fosmire, M.

    2013-12-01

    In their Finnish National Spatial Strategy 2010-2015 the Finland's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry delineated e.g. that spatial data skills should support citizens everyday activities and facilitate decision-making and participation of citizens. Studies also predict that open data, particularly open spatial data, would create, when fully realizing their potential, a 15% increase into the turnovers of Finnish private sector companies. Finnish libraries have a long tradition of serving at the heart of Finnish information society. However, with the emerging possibilities of educating their users on open spatial data a very few initiatives have been made. The National Survey of Finland opened its data in 2012. Finnish technology university libraries, such as Aalto University Library, are open environments for all citizens, and seem suitable of being the first thriving entities in educating citizens on open geospatial data. There are however many obstacles to overcome, such as lack of knowledge about policies, lack of understanding of geospatial data services and insufficient know-how of GIS software among the personnel. This framework examines the benefits derived from an international collaboration between Purdue University Libraries and Aalto University Library to create local strategies in implementing open spatial data education initiatives in Aalto University Library's context. The results of this international collaboration are explicated for the benefit of the field as a whole.

  4. Globalisation of Researcher Mobility within the UK Higher Education: Explaining the Presence of Overseas Academics in the UK Academia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khattab, Nabil; Fenton, Steve

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we argue that the power structure that lies within the UK elite universities dictates a division of labour through which the inflows of overseas academics into the UK academic labour markets are skewed towards these elite academic institutions where they are employed primarily in research-only posts. These posts, are less valued and…

  5. News UK public libraries offer walk-in access to research Atoms for Peace? The Atomic Weapons Establishment and UK universities Students present their research to academics: CERN@school Science in a suitcase: Marvin and Milo visit Ethiopia Inspiring telescopes A day for everyone teaching physics 2014 Forthcoming Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-05-01

    UK public libraries offer walk-in access to research Atoms for Peace? The Atomic Weapons Establishment and UK universities Students present their research to academics: CERN@school Science in a suitcase: Marvin and Milo visit Ethiopia Inspiring telescopes A day for everyone teaching physics 2014 Forthcoming Events

  6. A Qualitative Study of the UK Academic Role: Positive Features, Negative Aspects and Associated Stressors in a Mainly Teaching-Focused University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darabi, Mitra; Macaskill, Ann; Reidy, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    The literature demonstrates that stress in the working life of academics has increased over recent years. However, qualitative research on how academics cope with this is very scarce. Using online interviewing with thematic analysis, this paper examines how 31 academics in a post-92 predominantly teaching-focused UK university cope with the…

  7. Optimising the Blended Learning Environment: The Arab Open University Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamdi, Tahrir; Abu Qudais, Mohammed

    2018-01-01

    This paper will offer some insights into possible ways to optimise the blended learning environment based on experience with this modality of teaching at Arab Open University/Jordan branch and also by reflecting upon the results of several meta-analytical studies, which have shown blended learning environments to be more effective than their face…

  8. Assessing Perseverance in Studies at the Open University of Israel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guri-Rozenblit, Sarah

    1990-01-01

    A study at the Open University of Israel found students who study in organized groups and get weekly tutorials have a higher persistence rate than those with tutorials every three weeks. More experienced students and those in liberal arts and social sciences have a higher course completion rate. Age, sex, and educational background have little…

  9. Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science and Their Science Learning at Indonesia Open University

    OpenAIRE

    Nadi SUPRAPTO; Ali MURSID

    2017-01-01

    This study focuses on attitudes toward (teaching) science and the learning of science for primary school among pre-service teachers at the Open University of Indonesia. A three-year longitudinal survey was conducted, involving 379 students as pre-service teachers (PSTs) from the Open University in Surabaya regional office. Attitudes toward (teaching) science’ (ATS) instrument was used to portray PSTs’ preparation for becoming primary school teachers. Data analyses were used, including descrip...

  10. An Evaluation of the Informedia Digital Video Library System at the Open University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kukulska-Hulme, Agnes; Van der Zwan, Robert; DiPaolo, Terry; Evers, Vanessa; Clarke, Sarah

    1999-01-01

    Reports on an Open University evaluation study of the Informedia Digital Video Library System developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Findings indicate that there is definite potential for using the system, provided that certain modifications can be made. Results also confirm findings of the Informedia team at CMU that the content of video…

  11. Stress among UK Academics: Identifying Who Copes Best

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darabi, Mitra; Macaskill, Ann; Reidy, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    This article examined levels of stress and associated coping strategies among UK academics. Adopting a positive psychology approach, the influence of the character strengths of hope, optimism, gratitude and self-efficacy on stress, subjective well-being (SWB), and mental health was examined in 216 academics in a UK university. The study explored…

  12. Butterflies Diversity in Brawijaya University, Veteran, Jakarta and Velodrom Green Open Space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayu Raisa Khairun Nisa'

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Butterflies have some roles in environmental as pollinator and bioindicator. Habitat is one of important factor to support butterflies growth. The aim of this research was to describe butterflies diversity in some green open spaces in Malang. Direct observations of butterflies diversity, vegetation structures and abiotic factors in Brawijaya University, Veteran, Jakarta and Velodrom Green Open Space were conducted on June 2012. Sampling was took place in each sites using cruising method in three times observation at 07.00, 11.00 a.m. and 3.30 p.m . Data were analyzed by statistical descriptive using Microsoft Excel 2007 and PAST. The result showed that butterflies composition in all sites dominated by Delias sp., Leptosia nina and Eurema venusta. The diversity index of all sites showed moderate rank that indicate communities equilibrium in environment was still good. In this case, Velodrom Green Open Space has the highest one of diversity index, it was about 2,199. Brawijaya University and Jakarta Green Open Space have a high similarity index based on Morisita Index. The highest abundance of butterflies was observed at 11.00-12.30 a.m. Delias sp. and Leptosia nina has temporal spread all day long, while Eurema venusta just in day light.

  13. Support open access publishing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekstrøm, Jeannette

    2013-01-01

    Projektet Support Open Access Publishing har til mål at få opdateret Sherpa/Romeo databasen (www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo) med fagligt relevante, danske tidsskrifter. Projektet skal endvidere undersøge mulighederne for at få udviklet en database, hvor forskere på tværs af relevante tidsskriftsinformati......Projektet Support Open Access Publishing har til mål at få opdateret Sherpa/Romeo databasen (www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo) med fagligt relevante, danske tidsskrifter. Projektet skal endvidere undersøge mulighederne for at få udviklet en database, hvor forskere på tværs af relevante...

  14. Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science and Their Science Learning at Indonesia Open University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadi SUPRAPTO

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on attitudes toward (teaching science and the learning of science for primary school among pre-service teachers at the Open University of Indonesia. A three-year longitudinal survey was conducted, involving 379 students as pre-service teachers (PSTs from the Open University in Surabaya regional office. Attitudes toward (teaching science’ (ATS instrument was used to portray PSTs’ preparation for becoming primary school teachers. Data analyses were used, including descriptive analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The model fit of the attitudes toward (teaching science can be described from seven dimensions: self-efficacy for teaching science, the relevance of teaching science, gender-stereotypical beliefs, anxiety in teaching science, the difficulty of teaching science, perceived dependency on contextual factors, and enjoyment in teaching science. The results of the research also described science learning at the Open University of Indonesia looks like. Implications for primary teacher education are discussed.

  15. Towards Development of OER Derived Custom-Built Open Textbooks: A Baseline Survey of University Teachers at the University of the South Pacific

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepak Prasad

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Textbook prices have soared over the years, with several studies revealing many university students are finding it difficult to afford textbooks. Fortunately, two innovations – open educational resources (OER and open textbooks – hold the potential to increase textbook affordability. Experts, though, have stated the obvious: that students can save money through open textbooks only if teachers are willing to develop and use them. Considering both the high price of textbooks and the benefits offered by OER and open textbooks, the aim of this study was to assess the University of the South Pacific (USP teachers’ willingness towards development of custom-built OER derived open textbooks for their courses with a focus on providing a foundation for strategies to promote open textbook development at USP. This paper reports the findings of an online survey of 39 USP teachers. The results show that 17 teachers were willing to develop OER derived custom-built open textbooks for their courses. Besides this, there are findings relating to six important areas: teachers’ motivation to develop open textbooks; the frequency of more than one prescribed textbook per course; teachers’ awareness of the costs of the prescribed textbooks; the average cost of prescribed textbooks in a course; teachers’ awareness and utilization of OER and open textbooks; and teachers’ perceived barriers to using OER and types of challenges they encounter while using OER. These findings have been discussed in relation to research studies on OER and open textbooks.

  16. "I've Never Heard of It Before": Awareness of Open Access at a Small Liberal Arts University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocken, Gregory J.; Wical, Stephanie H.

    2013-01-01

    Small colleges and universities, often late adopters of institutional repositories and open access initiatives, face challenges that have not fully been explored in the professional literature. In an effort to gauge the level of awareness of open access and institutional repositories at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC), the authors of…

  17. A Blueprint for Success: A Model for Developing Engineering Education in the UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melanie Rose Nova King

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper details the emergence and development of the ‘Centre for Engineering and Design Education’ (CEDE at Loughborough University, UK, and provides a blueprint for success. With ample evidence that such a Centre can prove to be a highly effective support mechanism for discipline-specific academics and can develop and maintain valuable national and international networks and collaborations along with considerable esteem for the host university. The CEDE is unique in the UK and has achieved considerable success and recognition within the local engineering education community and beyond for the past 16 years. Here we discuss the historical background of the Centre’s development, the context in which it operates, and its effective management and operation strategy. The success it has enjoyed is described through examples, with much evidence of the generation of a significant amount of external funding; the development of high quality learning spaces; learning technology systems, open source software and improvements in curriculum design; a strong record of research and publication on the pedagogy of engineering; strong links with industry and employers; and a wealth of connections and know-how built up over the years. This paper provides the institutions with a model blueprint for success in developing engineering education.

  18. Open Source in Higher Education: Towards an Understanding of Networked Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quint-Rapoport, Mia

    2012-01-01

    This article addresses the question of understanding more about networked universities by looking at open source software developers working in academic contexts. It sketches their identities and work as an emerging professional community that both relies upon and develops digitally mediated networks and contributes to the progress of academic…

  19. Massive open online courses: The new vector in classical university education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mozhaeva Galina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The influence of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC on classical university education is investigated. Opportunities and prospects of development of MOOC at classical universities, requirements to development and implementation of qualitative MOOC-projects, conditions and mechanisms of integration of MOOC into professional education are studied. Work is performed on the basis of the analysis of experience of the world MOOС-platforms and the Russian universities. The new vector in development of classical university under the influence of MOOC is considered on the example of National Research Tomsk State University (http://www.lektorium.tv/mooc. Questioning more than 5000 participants of MOOС-projects was carried out, motivators of learning are revealed, and marketing potential of MOOC and possibility of analytical work on an assessment of the contingent, quality of education and efficiency of the applied technologies are analyzed. The quantitative analysis of basic data is made; results of he analysis are described and presented in the graphic form

  20. Bridging Gaps and Jumping through Hoops: First-Year History Students' Expectations and Perceptions of Assessment and Feedback in a Research-Intensive UK University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, Kate

    2014-01-01

    The wider context of arts and humanities education in the UK has demanded that university teachers and administrators focus on "end points." Increased emphasis on the generic and transferable skills attained through arts and humanities programmes, along with intense concern to raise students' reported levels of satisfaction, do not…

  1. Towards Development of OER Derived Custom-Built Open Textbooks: A Baseline Survey of University Teachers at the University of the South Pacific

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Deepak; Usagawa, Tsuyoshi

    2014-01-01

    Textbook prices have soared over the years, with several studies revealing many university students are finding it difficult to afford textbooks. Fortunately, two innovations--open educational resources (OER) and open textbooks--hold the potential to increase textbook affordability. Experts, though, have stated the obvious: that students can save…

  2. A Proposed Model for Measuring Performance of the University-Industry Collaboration in Open Innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anca Draghici

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper aims to present a scientific approach to the creation, testing and validation of a model for performance measurement for university-industry collaboration (UIC. The main idea of the design process is to capitalize on existing success factors, facilitators and opportunities (motivation factors, knowledge transfer channels and identified benefits and to diminish or avoid potential threats and barriers that might interfere with such collaborations. The main purpose of the applied methodology is to identify solutions and measures to overcome the disadvantages, conflicts or risk issues and to facilitate the open innovation of industrial companies and universities. The methodology adopted was differentiated by two perspectives: (1 a business model reflecting the university perspective along with an inventory of key performance indicators (KPIs; (2 a performance measurement model (including performance criteria and indicators and an associated methodology (assimilated to an audit that could help companies increase collaboration with universities in the context of open innovation. In addition, in order to operationalize the proposed model (facilitating practical implementation, an Excel tool has been created to help identifying potential sources of innovation. The main contributions of the research concern the expansion of UICs knowledge to enhance open innovation and to define an effective performance measurement model and instrument (tested and validated by a case study for companies.

  3. The Universal Primer - An open source solution for archiving, organizing and streaming live lectures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Marc Juul; Panton, Hans Christian Hansen; Krajowski-Kukiel, Maciej

    2011-01-01

    . The goal of the Universal Primer is to address these problems, and allow anyone, anywhere, to teach or learn anything that can be reasonably taught or learned through a computer. The Universal Primer is 1: A fully open source solution for streaming live lectures. And 2: A Wikipedia-like website...

  4. Large-angle cosmic microwave background anisotropies in an open universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamionkowski, Marc; Spergel, David N.

    1994-01-01

    If the universe is open, scales larger than the curvature scale may be probed by observation of large-angle fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We consider primordial adiabatic perturbations and discuss power spectra that are power laws in volume, wavelength, and eigenvalue of the Laplace operator. Such spectra may have arisen if, for example, the universe underwent a period of `frustated' inflation. The resulting large-angle anisotropies of the CMB are computed. The amplitude generally increases as Omega is decreased but decreases as h is increased. Interestingly enough, for all three Ansaetze, anisotropies on angular scales larger than the curvature scale are suppressed relative to the anisotropies on scales smaller than the curvature scale, but cosmic variance makes discrimination between various models difficult. Models with 0.2 approximately less than Omega h approximately less than 0.3 appear compatible with CMB fluctuations detected by Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) and the Tenerife experiment and with the amplitude and spectrum of fluctuations of galaxy counts in the APM, CfA, and 1.2 Jy IRAS surveys. COBE normalization for these models yields sigma(sub 8) approximately = 0.5 - 0.7. Models with smaller values of Omega h when normalized to COBE require bias factors in excess of 2 to be compatible with the observed galaxy counts on the 8/h Mpc scale. Requiring that the age of the universe exceed 10 Gyr implies that Omega approximately greater than 0.25, while requiring that from the last-scattering term in the Sachs-Wolfe formula, large-angle anisotropies come primarily from the decay of potential fluctuations at z approximately less than 1/Omega. Thus, if the universe is open, COBE has been detecting temperature fluctuations produced at moderate redshift rather than at z approximately 1300.

  5. Use and Mastery of Virtual Learning Environment in Brazilian Open University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez, Margarita Victoria

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes and analyses the dynamics of the use and/or mastery of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) by educators and students Open University, important part of the Brazilian Educational System. A questionnaire with 32 items was answered by 174 students/instructors/coordinators of the Media in Education and Physics courses, of two…

  6. What factors influence UK medical students’ choice of foundation school?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miah S

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Saiful Miah,1,2 Karl H Pang,3 Wayne Rebello,4 Zoe Rubakumar,4 Victoria Fung,5 Suresh Venugopal,6 Hena Begum4 1Division of Surgery and Interventional science, University College London, London, UK; 2Department of Urology, Charing Cross Hospital Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK; 3Academic Urology Unit, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; 4Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; 5Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK; 6Department of Urology, Chesterfield Royal Infirmary, Chesterfield, UK Background: We aimed to identify the factors influencing UK medical student applicants’ choice of foundation school. We also explored the factors that doctors currently approaching the end of their 2-year program believe should be considered. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2013–2014 academic year. An online questionnaire was distributed to 2092 final-year medical students from nine UK medical schools and 84 foundation year-2 (FY2 doctors from eight foundation schools. Participants were asked to rank their top 3 from a list of 12 factors that could potentially influence choice of foundation school on a 5-point Likert scale. Collated categorical data from the two groups were compared using a chi-square test with Yates correction. Results: Geographic location was overwhelmingly the most important factor for medical students and FY2 doctors with 97.2% and 98.8% in agreement, respectively. Social relationships played a pivotal role for medical student applicants. Clinical specialties within the rotations were of less importance to medical students, in comparison to location and social relationships. In contrast, FY2 doctors placed a significantly greater importance on the specialties undertaken in their 2-year training program, when compared to medical students (chi-square; p=0.0001. Conclusion: UK medical schools should make their foundation program applicants aware

  7. Communicating geohazard information for emergency responders, a case study from the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, Vanessa; Cooper, Anthony

    2016-04-01

    SSS11.4/ESSI4.6/HS11.39/NH9.13 Communication of uncertain information in earth sciences: data, models and visualization Communicating geohazard information for emergency responders, a case study from the UK. Cooper, A. H.1, Banks, V.J.1, Cowup, P.2, Curness, J.3, Davis, R.4, Dawson, L3. and Gazzard, L.4 1 British Geological Survey, Keyworth, NG12 5GG, UK 2 London Fire Brigade, 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL, UK 3.Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK 4.Avon Fire and Rescue, Temple Back, Bristol, BS1 6EU, UK. In February 2013 a sinkhole opened beneath a Florida Home resulting in the loss of a life and demolition of the affected home. The resulting void was in the order of 15 m deep. Neighbouring homes also had to be demolished. Television footage of this unfortunate incident resonated with an Assistant Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade who questioned whether or not such a feature would be recognised in the UK and if so, how the emergency response would be managed. Stemming from this, the British Geological Survey was invited to work with the Chief Fire Officers Association Urban Search and Rescue working group on geohazards. The aim of this group was to develop national tactical operational guidance on geohazards that would form the basis for regional guidance and training. The project was addressed collaboratively providing opportunities for two students from the Coventry University Disaster Management course, that were on placements with Avon Fire and Rescue, to work with the BGS to develop the guidance. Key to the success of the project was an iterative approach to knowledge exchange with respect to firstly, the characterization of the geohazards, and the processes and uncertainties associated with them and secondly, with respect to emergency responders' needs and priorities. Effective communication was achieved through challenging and rationalising the geoscience language for the end user and through a series of customised

  8. The permanent education protagonized by the elderly in the open university for the third age/UEPG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rita de Cássia da Silva Oliveira

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The Brazilian age pyramid shows an aging population. The Active Aging Paradigm is now evident, in which education assumes relevance. Brazilian universities have offered specific projects / programs for the elderly, which are Open Universities for the Elderly. They focus on valuing the elderly, placing them at the center of the educational process. This article aims to present the UATI / UEPG Program; explain the objectives and structure of this extensionist action. This research was bibliographical and documentary. The State University of Ponta Grossa created the UATI in 1992. The UATI is based on 4 articulating axes, offers theoretical and practical disciplines in the different areas of knowledge, totaling 240 hours. The UATI program consists of the Open University Courses for the Elderly and the Continuing University Course for the Elderly. UATI is a program of success and social and academic recognition in its 26 years of activities.

  9. Open access, open education resources and open data in Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvo, Ivana Di; Mwoka, Meggie; Kwaga, Teddy; Rukundo, Priscilla Aceng; Ernest, Dennis Ssesanga; Osaheni, Louis Aikoriogie; John, Kasibante; Shafik, Kasirye; de Sousa, Agostinho Moreira

    2015-01-01

    As a follow up to OpenCon 2014, International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) students organized a 3 day workshop Open Access, Open Education Resources and Open Data in Kampala from 15-18 December 2014. One of the aims of the workshop was to engage the Open Access movement in Uganda which encompasses the scientific community, librarians, academia, researchers and students. The IFMSA students held the workshop with the support of: Consortium for Uganda University Libraries (CUUL), The Right to Research Coalition, Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), Makerere University, International Health Sciences University (IHSU), Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ) and the Centre for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD). All these organizations are based or have offices in Kampala. The event culminated in a meeting with the Science and Technology Committee of Parliament of Uganda in order to receive the support of the Ugandan Members of Parliament and to make a concrete change for Open Access in the country.

  10. Universe of Particles” opens in the Globe

    CERN Multimedia

    Carolyn Lee

    2010-01-01

    CERN’s brand new permanent exhibition provides a high-tech experience with virtual interactive stations and pieces of actual detectors to intrigue the general public about some of the world’s most sophisticated physics tools and experiments.   Universe of Particles exhibition will open on 1 July in the Globe of Science and Technology. Upon entering the dark interior of the Globe, one has a sense of emerging into a portal to the outer universe. Large projections that fill the walls and a 6 m large diameter circle screen in the middle of the ground where space swirls with stars and planets, as well as particle collisions from the LHC experiments. Questions such as where do we come from? What are the laws of Nature? Why did antimatter and matter not destroy each other just after the Big Bang? Will we find particles that make up the mysterious dark matter or the Higgs particle? are linked to the research being done at the LHC. Visitors are invited to explore the unique spherica...

  11. QUALITY AND PROCESSES OF BANGLADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY COURSE MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. M. Rezanur RAHMAN

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available A new member of the mega-Universities, Bangladesh Open University (BOU introduced a course team approach for developing effective course materials for distance students. BOU teaching media includes printed course books, study guides, radio and television broadcasts, audiocassettes and occasional face-to-face tutorials. Each course team comprises specialist course writer(s, editor, trained style editor, graphic designer,illustrator, audio-visual producer and anonymous referees. An editorial board or preview committee is responsible for the final approval for publishing or broadcasting materials for learners. This approach has been proved to be effective, but appeared to be complicated and time-consuming. This report focuses on the quality and processes of BOU course materials development taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the current approach.

  12. Widening Access through Openness in Higher Education in the Developing World: A Bourdieusian Field Analysis of Experiences from the National Open University of Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olakulehin, Felix Kayode; Singh, Gurmit

    2013-01-01

    Bourdieu has argued that higher education is a field that reproduces social inequality, thus complicating how openness widens access to higher education in the developing world. Drawing on the experiences of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), this paper critically analyses and evaluates the rationale, approach, difficulties,…

  13. Knowledge and attitudes of UK university students in relation to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure and their sun-related behaviours: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirk, Lucy; Greenfield, Sheila

    2017-03-13

    To explore whether knowledge about the harms of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) influences UK university students' sun-related behaviours and examine in depth their attitudes towards: sun protection, natural and artificial tanning behaviours. Qualitative methodology with 15 semistructured, individual interviews. Thematic analysis using the Framework Method with analyst triangulation and member validation. One university in the West Midlands, UK. 15 Caucasian male (n=4) and female (n=11) students, aged 18-22 years, from a UK university. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling from the university's main campus followed by purposive sampling for: gender, course and sun-related behaviours. Five main themes emerged: (1) knowledge of UVR; (2) sun-protection practices; (3) attitudes towards tanning; (4) external influences and (5) internal influences . All students knew the associated skin cancer risks from the sun and sunbed use, but this did not appear an important influence in their sun-related behaviours. Body image strongly motivated sun-protection practices and the desire to tan naturally or artificially, across both genders. However, participants' final decision-making appeared to be influenced by their beliefs that practising known harmful sun-related behaviours would not affect them or the perceived susceptibility to sunburn. Beliefs about sunbathing and sunscreen use prompted improper use of sun protection and inadvertently caused more harmful practices. Participants' peers, family and the media had dual roles influencing the development of attitudes towards sun protection and tanning, which contributed to how participants behaved in the sun and their engagement in tanning methods. Knowledge about the risk of skin cancer associated with UVR did not strongly influence sun-related behaviours, whereas body image appeared as a key motivator. Attitudes towards sun protection and tanning stemmed from the media, peers and family, and particularly from

  14. An investigation into international business collaboration in higher education organisations: a case study of international partnerships in four UK leading universities

    OpenAIRE

    Ayoubi, R; Al-Habaibeh, A

    2006-01-01

    Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a comparative analysis of the main objectives of international institutional partnerships in four UK leading universities. Based on the presented case studies, the paper outlines a model for objectives and implementation of international partnership. Design/methodology/approach - Using a multiple case study approach, the paper employs three sources of data: templates of international partnerships, actual agreements of international partnership...

  15. Initial behavior of a quantized scalar field and the associated pair-creation in several isotropic closed and open universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nariai, Hidekazu.

    1981-01-01

    The concept of a positive frequency part near the initial epoch in a big-bang universe or its counterpart in other (say, de Sitter) one for a canonically quantized scalar field is important in discussing the associated pair-creation of those particles. Therefore, an attempt is made to define the positive frequency part in such isotropic closed and open universes that the scalar wave equation can be exactly solved. Except for some closed universe, the parts in question and, therefore, the Feynman propagators in the remaining universes are uniquely settled. Then it is shown that (1) the pair-creation in the Friedmann open universe (which is very interesting not only from observational, but also from theoretical viewpoints) is essentially equivalent to that in the Chitre-Hartle universe with flat 3-space and (2) the respective pair-creations in expanding metrics with open and flat 3-spaces of the de Sitter universe are different from each other, as insisted upon by Gibbons and Hawking basing on the original static metric. (author)

  16. Initial behavior of a quantized scalar field and the associated pair-creation in several isotropic closed and open universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nariai, Hidekazu

    1982-01-01

    The concept of a positive frequency part near the initial epoch in a big-bang universe or its counterpart in other (say, de Sitter) one for a canonically quantized scalar field is important in discussing the associated pair-creation of those particles. Therefore, an attempt is made to define the positive frequency part in such isotropic closed and open universes that the scalar wave equation can be exactly solved. Except for some closed universe, the parts in question and, therefore, the Feynman propagators in the remaining universes are uniquely settled. Then it is shown that (1) the pair-creation in the Friedmann open universe (which is very interesting not only from observational, but also from theoretical viewpoints) is essentially equivalent to that in the Chitre-Hartle universe with flat 3-space and (2) the respective pair-creations in expanding metrics with open and flat 3-spaces of the de Sitter universe are different from each other, as insisted upon by Gibbons and Hawking basing on the original static metric. (author)

  17. The inflationary universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guth, A.; Steinhardt, P.

    1989-01-01

    The new inflationary cosmological model discussed here in terms of grand unified theories (GUTs) seems to offer solutions to all the problems associated with the big bang model, such as the existence of magnetic monopoles. Before the first 10 -30 s of the existence of the universe, a brief period of extraordinarily rapid expansion occurred according to the ''inflation'' model. Successes of the big bang model include the three standard testable predictions, but relate to time a second or two after the big bang, namely red-shifts of distant, receding galaxies, measured in the 1920s, the existence of a microwave background radiation, confirmed in 1964, and the abundance of light atomic nuclei such as Helium, Hydrogen and Lithium. Two problems posed by the big bang theory are the horizon problem which seeks an answer to the large-scale uniformity of the universe and the question of energy density which leads to questions about whether the universe is closed, open, or flat. In this new inflationary model the phase transition is driven by random fluctuations of the Higgs fields, thus overcoming the flaw in the original model. (U.K.)

  18. Workshop Report from June 8, 2017 at University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, UK BS8 1TQ Report of the Synthetic Biology, Politics, and Philosophy Workshop

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meacham, Darian; Bond, Molly; Reinsborough, Michael

    2017-01-01

    This report summarises the outputs of a workshop that took place at the University of Bristol, UK, in conjunction with the Social Science Research Group at the University of West England, Bristol and the BrisSynBio Synthetic Biology Research Centre on the 8th June 2017. This report has been adapted

  19. Countdown to open competition in the UK gas market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, K.

    1996-01-01

    As the deregulation of the United Kingdom's domestic gas market approaches, marketing campaigns aimed at the domestic gas customers in the pilot areas of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, some 60,000 gas users, are being bombarded with sales information from various media sources. The changes expected following the introduction of new suppliers are set out, together with likely effects on prices and regulatory frameworks. New gas producers will still have to use TransCo, British Gas' transport arm, to pipe their product to customers. (UK)

  20. The Extent of and Reasons for Non Re-Enrollment: A Case of Korea National Open University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Hyoseon; Lee, Yekyung; Jung, Insung; Latchem, Colin

    2013-01-01

    Despite continuous efforts to increase retention, dropout rates are high in distance universities. The objectives of this study were: 1) to investigate the extent and causes of non re-enrollment at a mega university, Korea National Open University; and 2) to suggest actions to improve the retention of students, in general, and those with higher…

  1. Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenny, Lorcan; Hattersley, Caroline; Molins, Bonnie; Buckley, Carole; Povey, Carol; Pellicano, Elizabeth

    2016-05-01

    Recent public discussions suggest that there is much disagreement about the way autism is and should be described. This study sought to elicit the views and preferences of UK autism community members - autistic people, parents and their broader support network - about the terms they use to describe autism. In all, 3470 UK residents responded to an online survey on their preferred ways of describing autism and their rationale for such preferences. The results clearly show that people use many terms to describe autism. The most highly endorsed terms were 'autism' and 'on the autism spectrum', and to a lesser extent, 'autism spectrum disorder', for which there was consensus across community groups. The groups disagreed, however, on the use of several terms. The term 'autistic' was endorsed by a large percentage of autistic adults, family members/friends and parents but by considerably fewer professionals; 'person with autism' was endorsed by almost half of professionals but by fewer autistic adults and parents. Qualitative analysis of an open-ended question revealed the reasons underlying respondents' preferences. These findings demonstrate that there is no single way of describing autism that is universally accepted and preferred by the UK's autism community and that some disagreements appear deeply entrenched. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. The One Universal Graph — a free and open graph database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Liang S.; Champion, Corbin

    2016-02-01

    Recent developments in graph database mostly are huge projects involving big organizations, big operations and big capital, as the name Big Data attests. We proposed the concept of One Universal Graph (OUG) which states that all observable and known objects and concepts (physical, conceptual or digitally represented) can be connected with only one single graph; furthermore the OUG can be implemented with a very simple text file format with free software, capable of being executed on Android or smaller devices. As such the One Universal Graph Data Exchange (GOUDEX) modules can potentially be installed on hundreds of millions of Android devices and Intel compatible computers shipped annually. Coupled with its open nature and ability to connect to existing leading search engines and databases currently in operation, GOUDEX has the potential to become the largest and a better interface for users and programmers to interact with the data on the Internet. With a Web User Interface for users to use and program in native Linux environment, Free Crowdware implemented in GOUDEX can help inexperienced users learn programming with better organized documentation for free software, and is able to manage programmer's contribution down to a single line of code or a single variable in software projects. It can become the first practically realizable “Internet brain” on which a global artificial intelligence system can be implemented. Being practically free and open, One Universal Graph can have significant applications in robotics, artificial intelligence as well as social networks.

  3. The effect of fossil energy and other environmental taxes on profit incentives for change in an open economy: Evidence from the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Webster, Allan; Ayatakshi, Sukanya

    2013-01-01

    This paper argues that the underlying supply and demand analysis of fossil energy and other environmental taxes needs further elaboration when a country (a) introduces national fossil energy or environmental taxes and (b) is open to international trade at given world prices. We provide evidence that such conditions are plausible for many sectors in the UK. A key implication is that the short run effects of such taxes should not be felt in final good prices, since these are determined in world markets, but in terms of underlying profitability. These changes in underlying profits provide two key incentives for producers—to change to more environmentally friendly production techniques and to switch resources to production of less environmentally harmful goods. Using input—output techniques we provide evidence for the UK to show how existing fossil energy and other “green” taxes have affected underlying profitability. The evidence shows quite strong profit incentives to shift resources from a small number of energy intensive industries to others. - Highlights: • Energy taxes affect profits more than prices for sectors trading at world prices. • This study suggests that many sectors in the UK satisfy these conditions. • Our evidence suggests that few sectors are strongly affected by energy taxes. • Energy taxes have a strong effect relative to other possible environmental taxes

  4. Migrant cap 'may damage' UK physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Margaret

    2011-01-01

    Scientists have expressed concern that changes to UK immigration rules - including a sharp drop in the number of visas available for the most highly skilled migrants - could make it more difficult for universities and other institutions to recruit talented researchers from overseas.

  5. Mobile Learning via SMS at Open University Malaysia: Equitable, Effective, and Sustainable

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Tina; Fadzil, Mansor; Mansor, Norziati

    2011-01-01

    This article describes Open University Malaysia's efforts at enhancing the blended learning approach for undergraduate distance learners with the successful implementation of the Mobile Learning via SMS initiative. The pilot project was implemented in the May 2009 semester, and this coming January 2011 semester will be in its sixth consecutive…

  6. University Knowledge Exchange (KE) Framework: Good Practice in Technology Transfer. Report to the UK Higher Education Sector and HEFCE by the McMillan Group

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higher Education Funding Council for England, 2016

    2016-01-01

    As part of its commitment to keeping the UK at the leading edge as a global knowledge-based economy, the last Government asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2014 to develop a knowledge exchange (KE) performance framework that would secure effective practice in universities on key productive elements in the…

  7. Policy delivery for low carbon energy infrastructure in the UK, april 5th 2013: Conference overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heffron, Raphael J.; Johnston, Angus; McCauley, Darren; Jenkins, Kirsten

    2013-01-01

    The ambition of this conference was to deliver a first examination of how policy is delivered in the context of low-carbon energy infrastructure in the UK. The UK has been developing policy in this area since 2002 (Heffron, 2013). Finally, as the decade passed, in November 2012 an Energy Bill was put before the UK Parliament. One of the chief purposes of this Energy Bill is to establish the right environment for new electricity generation infrastructure in the low-carbon sector. There is significant debate on how this will be achieved and, indeed, whether this piece of legislation will actually deliver this outcome. This conference aimed to examine the dynamics of policy delivery. Throughout the day, there was entertaining discussion as a variety of conference presenters provided interesting contributions on how to deliver such policy goals. In total, there were twelve speakers throughout the day representing the UK (University of Oxford, Pinsent Masons Law Firm, University of Stirling, University of Dundee and University of Aberdeen), and also those who provided lessons from abroad from the University of Copenhagen, Central European University, Milieu Ltd., Pillsbury Law Firm (Washington DC, US) and the Conservation Law Foundation (MA, US)

  8. Large-scale innovation and change in UK higher education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Brown

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper reflects on challenges universities face as they respond to change. It reviews current theories and models of change management, discusses why universities are particularly difficult environments in which to achieve large scale, lasting change and reports on a recent attempt by the UK JISC to enable a range of UK universities to employ technology to deliver such changes. Key lessons that emerged from these experiences are reviewed covering themes of pervasiveness, unofficial systems, project creep, opposition, pressure to deliver, personnel changes and technology issues. The paper argues that collaborative approaches to project management offer greater prospects of effective large-scale change in universities than either management-driven top-down or more champion-led bottom-up methods. It also argues that while some diminution of control over project outcomes is inherent in this approach, this is outweighed by potential benefits of lasting and widespread adoption of agreed changes.

  9. Putting Business at the Heart of Higher Education: On Neoliberal Interventionism and Audit Culture in UK Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin Cruickshank

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Neoliberalism is a form of interventionism that seeks to pursue elite – corporate – interests. This means constructing a market rationality and constructing markets to better meet what the state takes to be elite interests. In the first phase of neoliberal interventionism in English higher education maintenance grants were replaced with loans, the National Student Survey was introduced to measure ‘satisfaction’, and the inadvertent creation of a £9000 fee-norm all helped to construct a market rationality in students. The second phase, which concerns the proposed reconstruction of the higher education market, started in November 2015 with the publication of the ‘Fulfilling our Potential’ Green Paper. This proposes to make it less bureaucratically cumbersome for ‘for-profits’ to enter the market. In terms of audit culture, a Teaching Excellence Framework is proposed, which would include representatives from employers and professional groups, along with academic experts on teaching, and students, on the assessment panels. Further, universities need to be ‘open to involving employers and learned societies representing professions in curriculum design [and developing] a positive work ethic, so [graduates] can contribute more effectively to our efforts to boost the productivity of UK economy’ (BIS, 2015(a: 11. The Green Paper also holds that ‘at least 20% of graduates are not working in high skilled employment three and a half years after graduation and most employers of STEM graduates are concerned about shortages of high quality applicants’ (BIS 2015(a: 10–11. This contributes to prior messages from the Conservatives that non-STEM subjects are less useful for employment.

  10. Students and Sex Work in the UK: Providers and Purchasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Ron; Jones, Amy; Sanders, Teela

    2013-01-01

    Available evidence suggests that changes in the funding of UK higher education in recent years have been accompanied by an increased student presence in the sex industry, ostensibly for financial reasons and to make ends meet. The current study comprises a sample of students ("N" = 200) drawn from several universities in the UK. Data…

  11. The OPEN-ADAS Approach to Atomic Data Provision

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Mullane, M [University of Strathclyde, Department of Physics, Glasgow (United Kingdom)

    2011-11-15

    Dr O'Mullane of University of Strathclyde presented an overview of the ADAS project (Atomic Data and Analysis Structure, http://www.adas.ac.uk/) and of OPEN-ADAS (http://open.adas.ac.uk/). ADAS is maintained as a self-funding consortium of fusion laboratories. The project provides an interconnected set of computer codes and data collections for modeling the radiating properties of ions and atoms in plasmas. The ADAS data fall into 3 broad classes: 1) Fundamental data such as A- values, cross-sections and effective collision strengths obtained from ADAS collaborators, the literature or data centres. 2) Derived data processed for modeling such as electron temperature and density dependent effective emission coefficients, effective ionization/recombination rates, radiated power and spectral emissivities. 3) Driver data which allow complete regeneration of all ADAS derived data in conjunction with the various ADAS codes. ADAS data uses high quality data as well as baseline data for fall-back when high quality data is not available. The data is mostly embedded in codes and the update without expert help is problematic. The ADAS data formats (adf) are precisely defined and Fortran codes are supplied to read the data sets for easy access. IDL can be used for interactive manipulation. The OPEN-ADAS project is a joint development between the ADAS Project and the IAEA to make the extensive fundamental and derived atomic data for fusion more widely available. It is designed to appeal to both plasma modelers and those interested in the detailed atomic physics. It has been searchable through the Google Scholar and appears in citations, which gives greater visibility and credits to the data producers. The OPEN-ADAS server was replaced due to a series of attacks since June 2011 and was off-line for 8 weeks. The new service removed the registration requirement and hence the user statistics is limited.

  12. The OPEN-ADAS Approach to Atomic Data Provision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Mullane, M.

    2011-01-01

    Dr O'Mullane of University of Strathclyde presented an overview of the ADAS project (Atomic Data and Analysis Structure, http://www.adas.ac.uk/) and of OPEN-ADAS (http://open.adas.ac.uk/). ADAS is maintained as a self-funding consortium of fusion laboratories. The project provides an interconnected set of computer codes and data collections for modeling the radiating properties of ions and atoms in plasmas. The ADAS data fall into 3 broad classes: 1) Fundamental data such as A- values, cross-sections and effective collision strengths obtained from ADAS collaborators, the literature or data centres. 2) Derived data processed for modeling such as electron temperature and density dependent effective emission coefficients, effective ionization/recombination rates, radiated power and spectral emissivities. 3) Driver data which allow complete regeneration of all ADAS derived data in conjunction with the various ADAS codes. ADAS data uses high quality data as well as baseline data for fall-back when high quality data is not available. The data is mostly embedded in codes and the update without expert help is problematic. The ADAS data formats (adf) are precisely defined and Fortran codes are supplied to read the data sets for easy access. IDL can be used for interactive manipulation. The OPEN-ADAS project is a joint development between the ADAS Project and the IAEA to make the extensive fundamental and derived atomic data for fusion more widely available. It is designed to appeal to both plasma modelers and those interested in the detailed atomic physics. It has been searchable through the Google Scholar and appears in citations, which gives greater visibility and credits to the data producers. The OPEN-ADAS server was replaced due to a series of attacks since June 2011 and was off-line for 8 weeks. The new service removed the registration requirement and hence the user statistics is limited.

  13. Mathematical E-Learning: State of the Art and Experiences at the Open University of Catalonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juan, A.; Huertas, A.; Steegmann, C.; Corcoles, C.; Serrat, C.

    2008-01-01

    In this article we present a review of the state of the art in mathematical e-learning and some personal experiences on this area developed during the last eleven years at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), a completely online university located in Spain. The article discusses important aspects related to online mathematics courses offered in…

  14. U.K. nuclear data progress report January-December 1986

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sene, M.R.; Cookson, J.A.

    1987-06-01

    The paper is the United Kingdom Nuclear Data (UKND) progress report, and summarises nuclear data research in the UK between January and December 1986. The contents of the report contains nuclear data work presented by:- UKAEA Harwell, UKAEA Winfrith, National Physical Laboratory, and the Universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh and Oxford. Included in these contributions are collaborative studies involving institutions in Holland, Italy, West Germany and the United States. The report also contains contributions on Chemical Nuclear Data, as well as the summaries of three invited lectures presented at the 19th UK Nuclear Data Form, Harwell Laboratory, 1986. (U.K.)

  15. Open access e-books: the role of the institution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Ayris

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This article explains the policy position taken by University College London (UCL in establishing the UCL Press. It sets the creation of the Press against the background of national open access (OA policy development in the UK. UCL Press, repatriated from a commercial provider, was relaunched as an OA press as part of UCL Library Services on 1 August 2013. The Press will publish both OA electronic journals and OA monographs, with a particular emphasis in the latter on the arts, humanities and social sciences. UCL is largely funding Press activity from its own internal funds, seeing OA as an opportunity rather than a threat.

  16. STAY HERE, GO FURTHER: The Status of Open and Distance Education in Bangladesh Open University (BOU in comparison to two other South Asian Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monira JAHAN

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Distance education has emerged out of social compulsion, the dynamics of change and new cultures. It was the failure of traditional systems to be able to meet the demand in countries, where the resources available for tertiary education are limited, which basically gave birth to the new trend of education known as open and distance education. This new and innovative system of education has received a high level of acceptance in different countries as it offers flexible educational opportunities for continuing education to a large segment of their population. The increasing number of older adult learners with varying lifestyles in the population, increasing competitiveness of getting places in tertiary institutions, higher cost of education and a shortage of teachers are the main factors for increasing the popularity of distance education (Duncan, et al., 2003. Bangladesh has also taken the opportunity to provide a uniform and mass oriented universal system of education through open and distance education establishing Bangladesh Open University (BOU in 1992. Objectives of the Study: The main objectives of this study are- to assess the overall status of BOU in comparison with the open universities of two neighboring South Asian countries considering the following aspects:•Administrative structural functions, •Courses and instructional strategies, •Learning opportunities, and •Library, laboratory and counselling facilities to explore the potential of improvement for BOU to enable it to meet the challenges of the country’s educational needs in the next millennium.

  17. Huria: Journal of the Open University of Tanzania - Vol 18, No 1 (2014)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Huria: Journal of the Open University of Tanzania. ... Convergence of Distance Education and Conventional Learning: ... Challenges of Implementing Quality Assurance Systems in Blended Learning in Uganda: ... Learning Programmes: A Case Study of the Institute of Adult Education · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT

  18. Stress among UK academics : identifying who copes best?

    OpenAIRE

    Darabi, Mitra; Macaskill, Ann; Reidy, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    This paper examined the levels of stress and coping strategies among UK academics. Adopting a positive psychology approach, the influence of the character strengths of hope, optimism, gratitude and self-efficacy, on stress, subjective well-being (SWB), and mental health (GHQ) was examined in 216 academics in a UK university. The study explored the relationship between coping styles and work-coping variables of sense of coherence and work locus of control and stress. No significant differences...

  19. The One Universal Graph — a free and open graph database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ng, Liang S.; Champion, Corbin

    2016-01-01

    Recent developments in graph database mostly are huge projects involving big organizations, big operations and big capital, as the name Big Data attests. We proposed the concept of One Universal Graph (OUG) which states that all observable and known objects and concepts (physical, conceptual or digitally represented) can be connected with only one single graph; furthermore the OUG can be implemented with a very simple text file format with free software, capable of being executed on Android or smaller devices. As such the One Universal Graph Data Exchange (GOUDEX) modules can potentially be installed on hundreds of millions of Android devices and Intel compatible computers shipped annually. Coupled with its open nature and ability to connect to existing leading search engines and databases currently in operation, GOUDEX has the potential to become the largest and a better interface for users and programmers to interact with the data on the Internet. With a Web User Interface for users to use and program in native Linux environment, Free Crowdware implemented in GOUDEX can help inexperienced users learn programming with better organized documentation for free software, and is able to manage programmer's contribution down to a single line of code or a single variable in software projects. It can become the first practically realizable “Internet brain” on which a global artificial intelligence system can be implemented. Being practically free and open, One Universal Graph can have significant applications in robotics, artificial intelligence as well as social networks. (paper)

  20. AUPress: A Comparison of an Open Access University Press with Traditional Presses

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGreal, Rory; Chen, Nian-Shing

    2011-01-01

    This study is a comparison of AUPress with three other traditional (non-open access) Canadian university presses. The analysis is based on the rankings that are correlated with book sales on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Statistical methods include the sampling of the sales ranking of randomly selected books from each press. The results of one-way…

  1. A Pre-Post Evaluation of OpenMinds: a Sustainable, Peer-Led Mental Health Literacy Programme in Universities and Secondary Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patalay, Praveetha; Annis, Jennifer; Sharpe, Helen; Newman, Robbie; Main, Dominic; Ragunathan, Thivvia; Parkes, Mary; Clarke, Kelly

    2017-11-01

    Engaging young people in the design and delivery of mental health education could lead to more effective interventions; however, few of these interventions have been evaluated. This study aimed to gain preliminary evidence with regards to the efficacy and acceptability of OpenMinds: a peer-designed and facilitated mental health literacy programme for university and secondary school students. The programme involves a structured programme of education and training for university medical students, who then deliver workshops in secondary schools. Pre- and post-surveys were completed by 234 school students who received two workshops and 40 university medical students who completed the OpenMinds programme and delivered the workshops. The main outcomes in both groups were components of mental health literacy (non-stigmatising attitudes, knowledge, social distance and helping attitudes). Perceived teaching efficacy and interest in mental health careers (university medical students) and workshop acceptability (school students) were also examined. University and school student participation in OpenMinds was associated with significant improvements in three of four mental health literacy elements in both samples. Knowledge and attitudes improved in both samples, social distance improved only in the university sample and knowledge of helping behaviours increased in the school sample. University students' perceived teaching efficacy improved but there was no change in their reported interest in pursuing psychiatry in their career. Acceptability was high; over 70% of the school students agreed that they enjoyed the workshops and liked being taught by a university student. This study provides preliminary evidence for the acceptability and efficacy of OpenMinds as a sustainable peer-led model of mental health education for young people. The OpenMinds programme is ready for efficacy testing in a randomised trial.

  2. ALOUD: Adult Learning Open University Determinants Study: Association between biological and psychological determinants and study success in adult formal distance education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Groot, Renate; Neroni, Joyce; Gijselaers, Jérôme; Kirschner, Paul A.

    2012-01-01

    De Groot, R. H. M., Neroni, J., Gijselaers, J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2012, 6 December). ALOUD: Adult Learning Open University Determinants Study: Associations between biological and psychological determinants and study success in adult formal distance education. Presented at the Open University for

  3. A Technical Mode for Sharing and Utilizing Open Educational Resources in Chinese Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Yang

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Open educational resources just supply potentials to help equalize the access to worldwide knowledge and education, but themselves alone do not cause effective learning or education. How to make effective use of the resources is still a big challenge. In this study, a technical mode is proposed to collect the open educational resources from different sources on the Internet into a campus-network-based resource management system. The system facilitates free and easy access to the resources for instructors and students in universities and integrates the resources into learning and teaching. The technical issues regarding the design the resource management system are examined, including the structure and functions of the system, metadata standard compatibility and scalability, metadata file format, and resource utilization assessment. Furthermore, the resource collecting, storage and utilization modes are also discussed so as to lay a technical basis for extensive and efficient sharing and utilization of the OER in Chinese universities.

  4. Use of Information and Communication Technologies in India's First Open University: Experience and Perceptions of Learners and Learner Support Providers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satyanarayana, P.; Meduri, Emmanuel D. K.

    2015-01-01

    Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU), the first distance teaching university in India, was a great educational event. It started a new chapter in the history of India's distance higher education. The general objects this research studies are: (1) to identify the information and communication technologies used in open distance education…

  5. University Language Policies, Internationalism, Multilingualism, and Language Development in South Africa and the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balfour, Robert J.

    2007-01-01

    This paper examines legislation concerning language policy and language choice in the UK and South Africa. In particular an account of the pressures and imperatives to which such policy development must respond is provided. The paper suggests that the comparison between South Africa and the UK is relevant and compelling, not least because both…

  6. How Are University Gyms Used by Staff and Students? A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Gym Use, Motivation, and Communication in Three UK Gyms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frances Rapport

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study examined university gym use by staff and students using mixed methods: participant observation and an e-survey. Research in three UK universities entailed 16 observation sessions and an e-survey that reached 3396 students and staff. The research focused on gym use, the gym environment, the presentation of the self, and social interaction within gym spaces. The gyms were found to have a difficult role to play in providing functionality for some, while helping others to be active and minimize feelings of isolation and lack of control. This led to these gyms developing spaces of exercise rather than therapeutic spaces, and divisions in use of space, with some areas rarely used and often highly gendered, resulting in contested meanings produced within Healthy University discourses and physical activities.

  7. Problem-solving activities in Biology for Open University students [poster session

    OpenAIRE

    Ash, P.; Robinson, D.

    2006-01-01

    Problem-based learning is a valuable tool for enhancing student learning and for providing remedial help in grasping difficult concepts in Biology. Most teaching at the Open University is by course texts, DVDs and television. Teaching material is written by academics and\\ud expert consultants. An important feature of the material is that it includes interactive in-text and self-assessed questions, and also activities which may be home experiments or computer-based.\\ud Students are provided wi...

  8. Effects of text messaging in addition to emails on physical activity among university and college employees in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suggs, Suzanne; Blake, Holly; Bardus, Marco; Lloyd, Scott

    2013-04-01

    To test the effects of adding text messages to weekly email communications on recipients' total physical activity (leisure-time; workplace; domestic and garden; and active transportation) in employees of universities and colleges in the UK. A randomised trial with two study groups (email only or email plus text messaging for 12 weeks) was implemented at five workplaces. Data were collected at baseline, immediately after, and four weeks after the intervention. Intervention effects on physical activity were evaluated using latent growth modelling. Total physical activity decreased over time in both groups but the decrease was non-significant. The only significant difference between groups was found for workplace physical activity, with the group receiving emails and text messages having a linear decrease of 2.81 Metabolic Equivalent h/week (β = -0.31, p = 0.035) compared to the email only group. Sending employees two additional text messages resulted in less physical activity. Further investigation is needed to understand whether text messaging may play a beneficial role in promoting physical activity in workplace settings. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  9. Prior Education of Open University Students Contributes to Their Capability in Critical Thinking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Repo, Saara; Lehtinen, Taina; Rusanen, Erja; Hyytinen, Heidi

    2017-01-01

    The focus of this study is on Open University students' entry-level critical thinking skills. The research questions were: how are students' age, and level and discipline of previous education related to critical thinking skills; is the level and discipline of previous education connected to the accuracy of students' self-evaluation of their…

  10. Transactional Distance among Open University Students: How Does it Affect the Learning Process?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassandrinou, Amanda; Angelaki, Christina; Mavroidis, Ilias

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the presence of transactional distance among students, the factors affecting it, as well as the way it influences the learning process of students in a blended distance learning setting in Greece. The present study involved 12 postgraduate students of the Hellenic Open University (HOU). A qualitative research was conducted,…

  11. Widening access through openness in higher education in the developing world: A Bourdieusian field analysis of experiences from the National Open University of Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felix Kayode Olakulehin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Bourdieu has argued that higher education is a field that reproduces social inequality, thus complicating how openness widens access to higher education in the developing world. Drawing on the experiences of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN, this paper critically analyses and evaluates the rationale, approach, difficulties, opportunities, outcomes and benefits of NOUN’s experience in widening access to higher education in Nigeria using Bourdieu’s field theory. We argue that the success of efforts for openness in higher education in a developing world context involves steering the contradictory tensions of openness and access across competing policy and practice fields. We offer this theorisation as a future social theoretical agenda for reflexive research for improving the effectiveness of praxis to widen access through openness in higher education in the developing world.

  12. Establishment of the Slovenian Universities' Repositories and of the National Open Science Portal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milan Ojsteršek

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available AbstractThe paper presents the legal, organisational and technical perspectives regarding the implementation of the Slovenian national open access infrastructure for electronic theses and dissertations as well as for research publications. The infrastructure consists of four institutional repositories and a national portal that aggregates content from the university repositories and other Slovenian archives in order to provide a common search engine, recommendation of similar publications, and similar text detection. We have developed the software which is integrated with the universities' information and authentication systems and with the COBISS.SI. During the project the necessary legal background was defined and processes for mandatory submission of electronic theses and dissertations as well as of research publications were designed. The processes for data exchange between the institutional repositories and the national portal, and the processes for similar text detection and recommendation system were established. Bilingual web and mobile applications, a recommendation system and the interface suitable for persons with disabilities are provided to the users from around the world. The repositories are an effective promotion tool for universities and their researchers. It is expected that they will improve the recognition of Slovenian universities in the world. The complex national open access infrastructure with similar text detection support and integration with other systems will enable the storage of almost eighty percent of peer-reviewed scientific papers, annually published by Slovenian researchers. The majority of electronic theses and dissertations yearly produced at the Slovenian higher education institutions will also be accessible.

  13. Building it together: collaboration in university-based open access book publishing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr Andrea Hacker

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Open access (OA book publishing in the humanities and social sciences is becoming technically more feasible and financially more desirable. After securing funding for the development of a business model based on a pilot book series, the University of Heidelberg is joining this development and building an infrastructure to publish OA books on campus. The challenges facing such new publishing outlets are considerable. This article argues that the best strategy to build the prestige, affordability and competitiveness necessary to succeed is collaboration. Accomplishing this within the OA community will prove less difficult than extending collaboration beyond it because many agencies and individuals still lack information about, and are often unconvinced of, the merits of open access. The key lies in offering excellence in manuscript development to revitalize the most important collaboration of all: that between publisher and author.

  14. Going for (Nano)Gold: A University Open Day Experiment for Year 13 Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Christopher; Patel, Bhavik Ani; Cragg, Alexander S.; Cragg, Peter J.

    2013-01-01

    Open day activities rarely give applicants a real sense of the practical and intellectual work that goes on in university chemistry departments. We devised an experiment for year 13 (age 17-18) students based on the size-dependent colours of gold nanoparticles and linked this to current research in diagnostic medicine. The experience was designed…

  15. The opening of the domestic gas market in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jego, H.

    1998-01-01

    The deregulation of the gas market in the UK raises several difficulties. The door-to-door canvassing which has been used to incite customers to change their suppliers has led sometimes to complaint actions. Thus, price reductions were preferentially attributed to direct-debit customers and not to those that use gas meters with pre-payment tokens. In this context, the commercial reaction of British Gas company has been to propose new services concerning not only natural gas but also electric power and water distribution and sometimes also telephone. (J.S.)

  16. Open Innovation Practice: A Case Study of University Spin-Offs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuliya Shutyak

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper investigates the practice of Open Innovation (OI of university spin-offs. Three interviews were conducted to discuss the knowledge of spin-offs about OI, their attitude to this innovation management strategy based on perceived advantages and disadvantages, and their motivation towards OI practice in the future. Problems with planning, control and trust appear to be some of the most important for OI success. Focusing on these and other urgent aspects of OI, the article discusses a research agenda that can help in formulating research questions and hypothesis, thus directing their efforts to search for solutions to identified problems

  17. Marketing Strategies of United Kingdom Universities during Clearing and Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogaji, Emmanuel

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The clearing system in the UK enables students without a university place after exam results have been announced to find suitable vacancies, as it is important for universities to fill their vacancies as any shortfall loses them a lot of money. The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing strategies adopted by UK universities on…

  18. Globalisation and MATESOL Programmes in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasrati, Mostafa; Tavakoli, Parvaneh

    2015-01-01

    This article reports the results of a mixed-methods approach to investigating the association between globalisation and MATESOL in UK universities. Qualitative and quantitative data collected from academic staff through eight emails, four interviews and 41 questionnaires indicate that the globalised context of higher education has affected these…

  19. The End of the Botany Degree in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drea, Sinead

    2011-01-01

    The last student enrolled in a pure "Botany" degree in the UK began in the University of Bristol this year, 2010. In recent years only the University of Reading also offered the Botany degree, before it was dropped there 3 years ago. This short article is written to draw attention to this fact and to a more general relative decline in…

  20. The Supply of Part-Time Higher Education in the UK. Research Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callender, Claire; Birkbeck, Anne Jamieson; Mason, Geoff

    2010-01-01

    This report explores the supply of part-time higher education in the UK, with particular consideration to the study of part-time undergraduate provision in England. It is the final publication in the series of reports on individual student markets that were commissioned by Universities UK following the publication of the reports on the Future size…

  1. Current Capabilities, Requirements and a Proposed Strategy for Interdependency Analysis in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloomfield, Robin; Chozos, Nick; Salako, Kizito

    The UK government recently commissioned a research study to identify the state-of-the-art in Critical Infrastructure modelling and analysis, and the government/industry requirements for such tools and services. This study (Cetifs) concluded with a strategy aiming to bridge the gaps between the capabilities and requirements, which would establish interdependency analysis as a commercially viable service in the near future. This paper presents the findings of this study that was carried out by CSR, City University London, Adelard LLP, a safety/security consultancy and Cranfield University, defense academy of the UK.

  2. BioContainers: an open-source and community-driven framework for software standardization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Veiga Leprevost, Felipe; Grüning, Björn A; Alves Aflitos, Saulo; Röst, Hannes L; Uszkoreit, Julian; Barsnes, Harald; Vaudel, Marc; Moreno, Pablo; Gatto, Laurent; Weber, Jonas; Bai, Mingze; Jimenez, Rafael C; Sachsenberg, Timo; Pfeuffer, Julianus; Vera Alvarez, Roberto; Griss, Johannes; Nesvizhskii, Alexey I; Perez-Riverol, Yasset

    2017-08-15

    BioContainers (biocontainers.pro) is an open-source and community-driven framework which provides platform independent executable environments for bioinformatics software. BioContainers allows labs of all sizes to easily install bioinformatics software, maintain multiple versions of the same software and combine tools into powerful analysis pipelines. BioContainers is based on popular open-source projects Docker and rkt frameworks, that allow software to be installed and executed under an isolated and controlled environment. Also, it provides infrastructure and basic guidelines to create, manage and distribute bioinformatics containers with a special focus on omics technologies. These containers can be integrated into more comprehensive bioinformatics pipelines and different architectures (local desktop, cloud environments or HPC clusters). The software is freely available at github.com/BioContainers/. yperez@ebi.ac.uk. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  3. Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles from The International Meeting on Developments in Materials, Processes and Applications of Nanotechnology (MPA 2008), UK

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ali, Nasar; De Hosson, Jeff. Th. M.; Ahmed, W.

    The International Meeting on Developments in Materials, Processes and Applications of Nanotechnology (MPA 2008) held at Robinson College, University of Cambridge, UK was the second event of the MPA conference series. The first MPA-2007, held at the University of Ulster, UK officially launched the

  4. Virtual Attendance: Analysis of an Audiovisual over IP System for Distance Learning in the Spanish Open University (UNED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esteban Vázquez-Cano

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This article analyzes a system of virtual attendance, called “AVIP” (AudioVisual over Internet Protocol, at the Spanish Open University (UNED in Spain. UNED, the largest open university in Europe, is the pioneer in distance education in Spain. It currently has more than 300,000 students, 1,300 teachers, and 6,000 tutors all over the world, besides Spain. This university is redefining, on the lines of other universities, many of its academic processes to meet the new requirements of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA. Since its inception, more than 30 years ago, the methodology chosen by UNED has been blended learning. Today, this university combines face-to-face tutorial sessions with new methodological proposals, mediated by ICT. Through a quantitative methodology, the perception of students and tutors of the new model of virtual tutoring, called AVIP Classrooms, was analyzed. The results show that the new model greatly improves the orientation and teaching methodology of tutors. However, it requires training and new approaches to provide a more collaborative and participatory environment for students.

  5. Alcohol and other substance use among medical and law students at a UK university: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogowicz, Paul; Ferguson, Jennifer; Gilvarry, Eilish; Kamali, Farhad; Kaner, Eileen; Newbury-Birch, Dorothy

    2018-03-01

    To examine the use of alcohol and other substances among medical and law students at a UK university. Anonymous cross-sectional questionnaire survey of first, second and final year medical and law students at a single UK university. 1242 of 1577 (78.8%) eligible students completed the questionnaire. Over half of first and second year medical students (first year 53.1%, second year 59.7%, final year 35.9%) had an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score suggestive of an alcohol use disorder (AUDIT≥8), compared with over two-thirds of first and second year law students (first year 67.2%, second year 69.5%, final year 47.3%). Approximately one-quarter of medical students (first year 26.4%, second year 28.4%, final year 23.7%) and over one-third of first and second year law students (first year 39.1%, second year 42.4%, final year 18.9%) reported other substance use within the past year. Over one-third of medical students (first year 34.4%, second year 35.6%, final year 46.3%) and approximately half or more of law students (first year 47.2%, second year 52.7%, final year 59.5%) had a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety score suggestive of a possible anxiety disorder. Study participants had high levels of substance misuse and anxiety. Some students' fitness to practice may be impaired as a result of their substance misuse or symptoms of psychological distress. Further efforts are needed to reduce substance misuse and to improve the mental well-being of students. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  6. Fabricated World Class: Global University League Tables, Status Differentiation and Myths of Global Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    UK media coverage of global university league tables shows systematic bias towards the Russell Group, although also highlighting tensions within its membership. Coverage positions UK "elite" institutions between US superiority and Asian ascent. Coverage claims that league table results warrant UK university funding reform. However,…

  7. The politicisation of UK immigration policy

    OpenAIRE

    Onslow-Cole, Julia

    2005-01-01

    Article by Julia Onslow-Cole (A senior partner and head of CMS Cameron McKenna's global immigration business practice) examining the development of UK business immigration law from 2003-4. Published in Amicus Curiae - Journal of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London.

  8. Oil and gas operational and policy issues in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howard, D.

    1992-01-01

    The method of arriving at monthly values under Schedule 3 OTA 1975 applies to all oil which can include LPG and condensate as well as crude oil and gas. The majority of crude oil is now sold spot and in 1987 the method of arriving at monthly values was amended better to reflect this aspect of the crude oil market. The UK gas market was such that the proceeds of sale of large amounts of natural gas were exempt from PRT under Section 10 OTA 1975 and very little gas was disposed of other than at arms length to British Gas. British Gas no longer buys virtually all gas produced from the UK Continental Shelf and neither does it sell all the gas used by UK customers. The use of natural gas to generate electricity has opened up a new market for UK landed gas. How do these changes affect gas valuation.?. (Author)

  9. Potential influence of e-learning and Open Source solutions for education at Palacký University in Olomouc inspired by Polytechnic University in Valencia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rostislav Nétek

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper assesses different approaches in education between Western and Eastern Europe. It is based on a case study, comparing which compares universityies conventions inbetween Spain and Czech Republic, focusinged on e-learning and Open Source softwareources. The Eeducation system at Polytechnic University in Valencia (UPV puts much more emphasis on open source solutions and elearning compared to the situation in Czech Republic. gvSIG is an open source geographic information system (GIS, co-developed at UPV as ain collaboration of commercial companies with research institutions. Lecturers at UPV significantly integrate free and open source (FOSS into classes as well as they participate in open source communities like Planet gvSIG, gvSIG Outreach or Association for the promotion of FOSS4G and the development of gvSIG. In fact, a complex system for self-education in the field of GIS has been developed there. It combines positive relationship to open source solutions and takes advantage from all sections together. The “Aula Virtual” project is a virtual training classroom using the virtual educational platform. Great emphasis is put on step-by-step video tutorials.  300 videos are uploaded on PoliTube Channel, which contain both video and audio and “time-stamps-links”. Time-stamp allows the possibility to switch among videos and other sources (annotation, webpages, etc. dependent on the student’s individual requirements. Compared to the situation in the Czech Republic, where proprietary software is still preferred in the academic sphere, this topic brings place for discussion. This paper discusses two different points of views, benefits of both of them and proposes a solution with regard to the specifics of Czech university education.

  10. The UK education of overseas students in speech and language therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, J; Goldbart, J; Phillips, J; Evans, R

    2001-01-01

    Informal evidence suggests that many overseas speech and language therapists (SLTs) either do not return to their home country on qualification or do not work as SLTs in the public sector. Many factors may contribute to this situation. However, concern that it may result in part from a poor match between UK SLT education and the demands of the role in other countries, led the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) to fund a study of overseas SLT students' experiences of UK qualifying courses. The study involved questionnaires and interviews with current students and those qualifying since May 1994. The focus of this paper is the respondents' experiences of studying and working in the UK, their views of the advantages and disadvantages of working in their home countries and the UK and supportive strategies that UK universities and other agencies might adopt. Implications of the findings are discussed.

  11. Graphite core design in UK reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, M.W.

    1996-01-01

    The cores in the first power producing Magnox reactors in the UK were designed with only a limited amount of information available regarding the anisotropic dimensional change behaviour of Pile Grade graphite. As more information was gained it was necessary to make modifications to the design, some minor, some major. As the cores being built became larger, and with the switch to the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) with its much higher power density, additional problems had to be overcome such as increased dimensional change and radiolytic oxidation by the carbon dioxide coolant. For the AGRs a more isotropic graphite was required, with a lower initial open pore volume and higher strength. Gilsocarbon graphite was developed and was selected for all the AGRs built in the UK. Methane bearing coolants are used to limit radiolytic oxidation. (author). 5 figs

  12. REGION NORTH OF TEACHER EDUCATION POLICY AND EVALUATION OF POLES OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF BRAZIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celso José da Costa

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available This text aims to present, in general, the north region and policies for teacher training implemented in the last 5 years, locating in this context the importance of the Brazil Open University system and its supporting poles face as methodology research linked to the project "Institutionalization of Distance Education in Brazil." Greater emphasis will be given to data from the states of Pará and Acre, given that two authors of this text act as coordinators of the poles supporting attendance System Open University of Brazil in these states. We design the text, based on testimony of poles coordinators who participated in participatory research, conducted by the Research Group "Teacher education and information and communication technologies", LANTE / UFF. We aim also to identify the structure and functioning of the Poles face Supporting UAB in the North as well as the assessment tool applied in this region.

  13. 23rd May 2011 - University of Liverpool Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Public Orator K. Everest (UK) Mrs Everest in the ATLAS visitor centre with Collaboration Deputy Spokesperson D. Charlton, in LHCb surface building with Collaboration Spokesperson A. Golutvin, accompanied throughout by P. Wells and Liverpool University T. Bowcock and M. Klein.

    CERN Multimedia

    Maximilen Brice

    2011-01-01

    23rd May 2011 - University of Liverpool Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Public Orator K. Everest (UK) Mrs Everest in the ATLAS visitor centre with Collaboration Deputy Spokesperson D. Charlton, in LHCb surface building with Collaboration Spokesperson A. Golutvin, accompanied throughout by P. Wells and Liverpool University T. Bowcock and M. Klein.

  14. IMO and Internal Branding Outcomes: An Employee Perspective in UK HE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Qionglei; Asaad, Yousra; Yen, Dorothy A.; Gupta, Suraksha

    2018-01-01

    This study extends our knowledge of internal branding in the context of employees in the higher education sector. Employing a quantitative methodology in UK universities, a conceptual model is presented and tested on 235 employees. Internal market orientation (IMO) is examined as a management tool to drive employees' university brand commitment…

  15. UK Minister enthusiastic after visit to CERN

    CERN Multimedia

    2008-01-01

    ON Tuesday 5 August the UK Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, came to CERN. The UK continues its strong links with CERN.The Minister was welcomed on arrival at CERN by Robert Aymar, the Director-General, and senior British scientists. Following a short presentation, he began a comprehensive tour of the Laboratory with a visit to both the LHC at point 5 and the CMS experiment. After lunch the Minister’s busy schedule continued, completing his overview of the main areas of UK participation at CERN. As soon as he had signed the guest book, he was whisked off to visit the LHCb experiment, the LHC computing grid project (LCG) and the ATLAS control room. However, the last item on his itinerary was perhaps the most illuminating. Meeting a diverse group of British scientists, from technical and summer students to staff members with more than 30 years of experience, the Minister had the opportunity...

  16. Challenges Faced by Cantonese Speakers in a UK University Mandarin Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Lan

    2016-01-01

    After Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, those in the Chinese migrant community in the UK who anticipated returning to China saw the significant benefits of learning Mandarin. The challenges are not only related to the social and cultural differences between the Cantonese and Mandarin migrant groups, but also the intrinsic linguistic differences…

  17. Examination Management as a Way of Achieving Quality Assurance in ODL Institutions: The Case of Zimbabwe Open University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mafa, Onias; Gudhlanga, Enna Sukutai

    2012-01-01

    An examination is an important component of any institution that educates people. It is a form of assessment used to measure the students' understanding of the concepts and principles they would have learnt. Zimbabwe Open University, an Open and Distance Learning institution has been setting its own examinations for the academic programmes…

  18. E-learning course design in teacher design teams. Experiences in the Open University of Tanzania

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nihuka, Kassimu A.; Voogt, Joke

    2009-01-01

    Collaborative course design in teacher design teams (TDTs) has proved to be a promising professional development arrangement. This study explored the potential of TDTs in orienting teachers on course redesign for e-learning delivery at the context of Open University of Tanzania (OUT). Three teachers

  19. Inflation in the Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrow, J.D.; California Univ., Berkeley; Turner, M.S.; Chicago Univ., IL

    1981-01-01

    The problems of explaining the observed isotropy, homogeneity, flatness and specific entropy of the Universe are discussed in the context of an inflationary Universe which has recently been suggested. It is shown that the isotropy cannot be ignored as a Universe with a large amount of anisotropy will not undergo the inflationary phase. A Universe with only moderate anistropy will undergo inflation and will be rapidly isotropized. (U.K.)

  20. Positioning University as a Brand: Distinctions between the Brand Promise of Russell Group, 1994 Group, University Alliance, and Million+ Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furey, Sheila; Springer, Paul; Parsons, Christine

    2014-01-01

    Branding is now widely used by higher education (HE) institutions, yet questions still surround the transference of private sector concepts to a university context. This article reports on findings from studies that investigated the brand promises of four UK universities--one from each of the HE "mission groups." The evidence indicated…

  1. Student Representations of Psychology in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banyard, Philip; Duffy, Karen

    2014-01-01

    Psychology is a popular choice for UK students in their secondary school curriculum. Policy makers and elite universities, however, express concern about the subject. The British Psychological Society (2013) commissioned a detailed study of the provision of school curricula in psychology and as part of this work a survey of students was conducted.…

  2. UK Higher Education Institutions' Technology-Enhanced Learning Strategies from the Perspective of Disruptive Innovation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flavin, Michael; Quintero, Valentina

    2018-01-01

    The publication of institutional strategies for learning, teaching and assessment in UK higher education is practically ubiquitous. Strategies for technology-enhanced learning are also widespread. This article examines 44 publicly available UK university strategies for technology-enhanced learning, aiming to assess the extent to which…

  3. Tuition fees and funding – barriers for non-traditional students? First results from the international research project Opening Universities for Lifelong Learning (OPULL)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moissidis, Sonja; Schwarz, Jochen; Yndigegn, Carsten

    2011-01-01

    Project OPULL – Opening Universities for Lifelong Learning – is undertaking research into ways of opening up higher education to vocationally qualified and experienced target groups in four European countries. Open university models in Germany, Denmark, Finland and the United Kingdom are being...... investigated in three research phases between 2009 and 2012 with the aim of identifying critical success factors for building open universities for Europe. This paper presents the first phase, in which educational systems in the participant countries have been mapped and interviews with lifelong learning...... experts undertaken. The current situation and perspectives in each country together with critical issues on how fees and funding influence higher education access for non-traditional students in these countries are discussed and explored through the interview evidence. The initial findings of the first...

  4. Mind the gap: gender disparities still to be addressed in UK Higher Education geography

    OpenAIRE

    Maddrell, Avril; Strauss, Kendra; Thomas, Nicola J.; Wyse, Stephanie

    2016-01-01

    This paper evidences persistent gender inequalities in UK higher education (HE) geography departments. The two key sources of data used are: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data for staff and students, which affords a longitudinal response to earlier surveys by McDowell and McDowell and Peake of women in UK university geography departments, and a qualitative survey of the UK HE geography community undertaken in 2010 that sought more roundly to capture respondent reflections on their...

  5. Predicting a Taxonomy of Organisational Effectiveness in U.K. Higher Educational Institutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lysons, Art; Hatherly, David

    1996-01-01

    The framework of a study of organizational effectiveness in Australian higher education institutions was applied to a similar study in the United Kingdom. The approach was found useful for classifying U.K. institutions as classical universities, former polytechnics and colleges of advanced technology, and greenfield universities. (Author/MSE)

  6. A Backstairs to a Degree. Demands for an Open University in Late Victorian England. Leeds Studies in Adult and Continuing Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marriott, Stuart

    This book examines the proposal of individuals in England's university extension movement in the final 2 decades of the 19th century to create a part-time teaching university that shared the following similarities with present-day open universities: a policy of admitting all individuals likely to benefit from the university irrespective of their…

  7. Open Access Monitor - DK

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svendsen, Michael; Hansen, Lars Asger Juel; Andersen, Dorte

    2017-01-01

    Open Access Monitor - DK (OAM-DK) is a 2-year DEFF funded [DEFF.2016-0018] national project running in 2017-2018 with the aim of collecting, documenting and administrating Open Access publishing costs. OAM-DK is lead by Copenhagen University Library under the Royal Danish Library with participation...... of all Danish University Libraries. This poster presents the first results of Open Access costs related to 2015 publications at the The University of Copenhagen....

  8. Open access publishing in the biomedical sciences: could funding agencies accelerate the inevitable changes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glover, Steven William; Webb, Anne; Gleghorn, Colette

    2006-09-01

    Open access is making a noticeable impact on access to information. In 2005, many major research funders, including the Wellcome Trust, National Institutes for Health (NIH), and the Research Councils UK (RCUK), set out their position in a number of statements. Of particular note was the stipulation that authors receiving grants must deposit their final manuscript in an open access forum within 6-12 months of publication. The paper will look at the open access position statements issued by some of the major funding bodies in the biomedical sciences. The paper will also look at the models used by publishers to provide open or delayed access, such as Oxford Open from Oxford University Press, HighWire Press' delayed access policy, BioMed Central, and Public Library of Science (PLoS). There are now over 1.2 million articles in PubMed that are freely accessible via publishers' websites.(1) Could funding agencies accelerate the move to open access? The list of funding agencies supporting open access is growing. The National Institutes for Health and the Wellcome Trust have been joined by many of the world's major funders in biomedical research whose goal it is to make their research findings available with no barriers.

  9. Burnout Syndrome in Students of a Distance Learning Program: The Open University of Cyprus Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavlakis, Andreas; Kaitelidou, Dafni

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: Distance learning seems to have a crucial impact on the social and emotional life of students. Within the framework of distance learning at the Open University of Cyprus, the "Healthcare Management" department conducted a study regarding the levels of stress, anxiety and depression reported by the student population. The…

  10. University Physics Students' Ideas of Thermal Radiation Expressed in Open Laboratory Activities Using Infrared Cameras

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haglund, Jesper; Melander, Emil; Weiszflog, Matthias; Andersson, Staffan

    2017-01-01

    Background: University physics students were engaged in open-ended thermodynamics laboratory activities with a focus on understanding a chosen phenomenon or the principle of laboratory apparatus, such as thermal radiation and a heat pump. Students had access to handheld infrared (IR) cameras for their investigations. Purpose: The purpose of the…

  11. From Data to Development: Exploring the Emerging Impact of Open ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    A UK study valued the economic impact of open government data at GBP6 billion per year. ... Africa, and Asia who will undertake case studies to assess existing initiatives ... Open data, public budget and its relations to people's rights in Brazil.

  12. Giving to Excellence: Generating Philanthropic Support for UK Higher Education. Ross-CASE Report 2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Yashraj

    2016-01-01

    This report presents findings from the 2016 Ross-CASE Survey of Philanthropic Giving to Universities in UK. The project was conducted by CASE Europe and funded by HEFCE and the Ross-Group. This year's survey comes at a time of great change for the UK charity sector. The historical trend data of previous surveys will be invaluable in helping…

  13. BTC the UK focus for nuclear fission R and D in the post NDA era

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rice, T.G.; Carpenter, J.C.; Williamson, R.

    2005-01-01

    The BNFL Technology Centre at Sellafield, UK, will provide the focal point for nuclear fission R and D in the UK for the 21th Century. The facility provides a range of non-active, trace active, plutonium active and high active facilities enabling NSTS to support the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's remit to manage the UK's nuclear legacy and other requirements The facilities also provide an environment for academic research and foster the development of University Research Alliances. (Author)

  14. Training at the masters degree level in physics and technology of nuclear reactors in the uk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weaver, D.R.

    2000-01-01

    This paper discusses the current situation of university-based training for the nuclear power industry in the UK, drawing on information gathered as part of the survey for a review currently being undertaken by the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and Fuel Cycle (NDC) of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the OECD. A particular focus will be the Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors MSc course at the University of Birmingham. In the past there were other similar MSc courses in the UK, but through the evolution of time the Birmingham course is now unique in its role of providing masters level training so specifically aimed at the commercial nuclear programme. Mention will, however, be made of other training at the postgraduate level elsewhere in the UK. A description is given of the need to consider a new form of relationship between industry and university in order to provide optimise the provision of masters level training. (author)

  15. Public health research in the UK: a report with a European perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Mark; Dyakova, Mariana; Clarke, Aileen

    2014-06-01

    Public health research is of growing interest within Europe. Bibliometric research shows the UK with a high absolute output of public health publications, although lower per capita than Nordic countries. UK contributed to a European Union (EU) project PHIRE to assess public health research and innovation. UK health research structures, and programmes funded in 2010, were determined from internet search. Expert informants were asked to comment on national uptake of eight projects EU collaborative health projects. The Faculty of Public Health and the UK Society for Social Medicine discussed the findings at a meeting with stakeholders. Health research in UK is funded by research councils, the National Health Service (NHS) and independent foundations. Reviews and reports on public health research have encouraged diversified funding. There were 15 programmes and calls in 2010. The UK participated in all eight EU projects, and there was uptake of results for four. Strategic coordination between public health researchers and practitioners, and the UK research councils, ministries of health and medical charities would strengthen research for policy and practice. With growing expertise and capacity across other EU countries, the UK should take more active leadership in European collaboration. © The Author 2013, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.

  16. The Federal University of Minas Gerais into context of open access to scientific information: identification of their information systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ráisa Mendes Fernandes de Souza

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The obstacles faced by the scientific community in the dissemination and access to their own productions, contextualized in need of open access to scientific information, boosted the creation of Institutional Repositories. These are technologies adopted by educational institutions and research that aim to manage and provide scientific production site. Objective: to characterize Federal University of Minas Gerais’ information systems, analyzing the perception of the actors responsible for their existence / maintenance within the context of open access to scientific information. Methodology: This is a descriptive and qualitative research, which is engaged in the information systems developed within the university to support the teaching, research and extension, which contain the records of productions or productions, scientific or not, the local academic community. Results: we found some awareness of the actors interviewed in relation to the existence of other systems, although such awareness is not ideal. Generally, UFMG has Managers and depositors competent enough to manage a repository greater, as is the case of an RI. Conclusion: It is necessary an information policy that is born of consolidated scientific sectors hierarchically superior and inferior sectors to be transferred to, well, be possible to articulate the entire university community in support of a common cause. The study emphasizes the community of UFMG and optimization of open access to publications of the University as the scope for possible future studies.

  17. OpenCL Implementation of a Parallel Universal Kriging Algorithm for Massive Spatial Data Interpolation on Heterogeneous Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Huang

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In some digital Earth engineering applications, spatial interpolation algorithms are required to process and analyze large amounts of data. Due to its powerful computing capacity, heterogeneous computing has been used in many applications for data processing in various fields. In this study, we explore the design and implementation of a parallel universal kriging spatial interpolation algorithm using the OpenCL programming model on heterogeneous computing platforms for massive Geo-spatial data processing. This study focuses primarily on transforming the hotspots in serial algorithms, i.e., the universal kriging interpolation function, into the corresponding kernel function in OpenCL. We also employ parallelization and optimization techniques in our implementation to improve the code performance. Finally, based on the results of experiments performed on two different high performance heterogeneous platforms, i.e., an NVIDIA graphics processing unit system and an Intel Xeon Phi system (MIC, we show that the parallel universal kriging algorithm can achieve the highest speedup of up to 40× with a single computing device and the highest speedup of up to 80× with multiple devices.

  18. Gold or green: the debate on open access policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abadal, Ernest

    2013-09-01

    The movement for open access to science seeks to achieve unrestricted and free access to academic publications on the Internet. To this end, two mechanisms have been established: the gold road, in which scientific journals are openly accessible, and the green road, in which publications are self-archived in repositories. The publication of the Finch Report in 2012, advocating exclusively the adoption of the gold road, generated a debate as to whether either of the two options should be prioritized. The recommendations of the Finch Report stirred controversy among academicians specialized in open access issues, who felt that the role played by repositories was not adequately considered and because the green road places the burden of publishing costs basically on authors. The Finch Report's conclusions are compatible with the characteristics of science communication in the UK and they could surely also be applied to the (few) countries with a powerful publishing industry and substantial research funding. In Spain, both the current national legislation and the existing rules at universities largely advocate the green road. This is directly related to the structure of scientific communication in Spain, where many journals have little commercial significance, the system of charging a fee to authors has not been adopted, and there is a good repository infrastructure. As for open access policies, the performance of the scientific communication system in each country should be carefully analyzed to determine the most suitable open access strategy.

  19. An investigation into breast imaging as part of the undergraduate (UG) education of diagnostic radiography students in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strudwick, R.M.; Taylor, K.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: How mammography is incorporated into undergraduate (UG) radiography training may influence student perception of the speciality and its potential as a future career option. An overview is provided of the academic and clinical content of UG radiography courses relating to mammography across the UK. Methods: Using mixed methods and an iterative, inductive approach supplying quantitative and qualitative data, we identify any variations and discuss possible causes which may help influence future training strategies. A self-designed questionnaire containing open and closed questions was sent online using SurveyMonkey™ to course leaders of all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offering BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography courses in the UK. Responses were analysed for trends which were further explored by semi structured telephone interviews. These were transcribed and evaluated using a thematic analysis, the themes being categorised and coded. Results: 19 of 24 (79%) HEIs responded to the questionnaire. Follow up telephone interviews were conducted with five course leaders to further explore themes. Academic teaching ranged from 3 to 25 h over the 3 year course. Compared to other specialities 10 (53%) HEIs spent less time on mammography with 12 (63%) citing HCPC standards as the reason. 11 (65%) HEIs sent students on mammography placements, 2 (12%) sent females only. Placement times ranged between 2 days and 2 weeks. Influences included availability of expert teaching and relationship with clinical departments. Conclusion: There is variation in undergraduate exposure to mammography. Students views should be sought to add validity to these findings - Highlights: • A summary of undergraduate (UG) breast imaging in the UK. • Themes around the delivery of UG breast imaging education in university and practice. • Opinions of UG course leaders and other stakeholders about UG breast imaging education. • There is a variation across UK universities in

  20. CHANGES OF LEARNERS’ SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT AFTER COMPLETING A PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION FROM BANGLADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. K. M. Iftekhar KHALID

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Creating same opportunity in term of social and economic context for the learners of distance education as the students from conventional education is a challenging task since professional education through distance method is a new genre in Bangladesh. This genre of professional education starts successfully with the establishment of the Bangladesh Open University (BOU in 1992. The university creates immense opportunities to study anytime and anywhere. This paper explains what social and economic changes happened to the students who completed a professional programme like B.Ag.Ed, MBA, CEMBA and CEMPA at the Bangladesh Open University. As BOU is the first and pioneer organization, which provides education in distance mode, a study has been necessary for BOU to know what contribution it provides to the nation in social and economic aspects. This paper should be able to elevate the morale of the organizations like BOU in involving more effort for expanding the organization and also to understand how successful these organization in imparting the knowledge and skill and how effectively the students are able to use those knowledge and skill in their professional life which in turn affects the learners’ income and social esteem. The university has been established with aims to raise the standard of education and to give the people educational opportunities by democratizing education and to create a class of competent people by raising the standard of education of the people generally. The paper also shows how the professional programmes of BOU supports to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Bangladesh.

  1. International study for an international career: a survey of the motivations and aspirations of international students in the UK

    OpenAIRE

    Packwood, Helen; Findlay, Allan; McCollum, David

    2015-01-01

    There are currently 435,000 international students studying in UK Universities. This paper investigates the forces driving student mobility and the relationship between student migration and future mobility plans. The research, based on a survey of over 3000 international students and interviews with senior staff in International Offices at ten UK Universities confirms the importance of understanding international student mobility as part of wider mobility trajectories.

  2. Open digital badges in Open edX

    OpenAIRE

    Hickey, Daniel T.; Barba, Lorena A.; Lemoie, Kerri; Amigot, Michael; Ewens, Damian

    2014-01-01

    Slides for the presentation at the Open edX Conference, Cambridge, MA 2014.   This talk presented the first public update of our collaboration to implement open digital badges in Dr. Barba's new MOOC, "Practical Numerical Methods with Python." It's a collaboration between Indiana University's Center for Research on Learning and Technology (led by Prof. Daniel T. Hickey);  Prof. Lorena Barba and her team at George Washington University, with her partners at IBL Studios Education, and...

  3. A diary study to open up the black box of overtime work among university faculty members

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beckers, D.G.J.; Hooff, M.L.M. van; Linden, D. van der; Kompier, M.A.J.; Taris, T.W.; Geurts, S.A.E.

    2008-01-01

    Objectives: This study aimed at opening up the black box of overtime work among university faculty members by providing information on (i) when faculty members work overtime, (ii) what activities are undertaken during overtime, and (iii) how overtime is experienced. Methods: Data were collected

  4. A diary study to open up the black box of overtime work among university faculty members

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beckers, D.G.J.; Hooff, M.L.M. van; Linden, D. van der; Kompier, M.A.J.; Taris, T.W.; Geurts, S.A.E.

    2008-01-01

    Objectives - This study aimed at opening up the black box of overtime work among university faculty members by providing information on (i) when faculty members work overtime, (ii) what activities are undertaken during overtime, and (iii) how overtime is experienced. Methods - Data were collected

  5. Bullying amongst University Students in the UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helen Cowie

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This study with 20 university students examined perspectives in three different participant roles: the perpetrator, the target and the bystander. The purpose of the exercise was to resolve the outcome of an alleged incident of cyberbullying using a social network site via the means of a restorative conference. The findings suggest that the power of the peer group needs to be fully understood if cyberbullying, is to be tackled efficiently. The bystanders tended to blame the victim and were reluctant to intervene, the victim felt let down and marginalised by peers’ indifference and hostility, and the bully failed to realise or understand the consequences of their actions. The study offers ideas for strategies and policies to address the issue of cyberbullying with university students.

  6. Department Involvement in Instructional Materials Development for ODL Study at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanyanyiwa, Vincent Itai; Mutambanengwe, Betty

    2015-01-01

    The teaching and designing of modules at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is the principal responsibility of a single body of teaching staff, although some authors and content reviewers could be sourced from elsewhere if they are not available in ZOU. This survey, through a case study, examines the involvement of lecturers and staff in the…

  7. Charting a Course through CORAL: Texas A&M University Libraries' Experience Implementing an Open-Source Electronic Resources Management System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartnett, Eric; Beh, Eugenia; Resnick, Taryn; Ugaz, Ana; Tabacaru, Simona

    2013-01-01

    In 2010, after two previous unsuccessful attempts at electronic resources management system (ERMS) implementation, Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries set out once again to find an ERMS that would fit its needs. After surveying the field, TAMU Libraries selected the University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries-developed, open-source ERMS,…

  8. Abriendo la historia, abriendo la enseñanza. Una aproximación al proyecto OpenLIVES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine Borthwick

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The OpenLIVES project (Learning Insights from the Voices of Émigrés will digitise and publish materials documenting the experiences of Spanish migrants especially to France, Germany and the UK during the decade of 50s, 60s and 70s and returning migrants to Spain, repurposing this data as open educational resources. Such primary research data on migration has potential relevance to a wide range of academic disciplines including history, politics, economics, sociology, etc. and is of ongoing interest and debate in the wider world. The project will demonstrate that a set of research data collected using an ethnographic methodology for a specific purpose can be used in a range of ways within humanities and social science disciplines. The data and open education resources will be released, in the first instance using the community repository for the humanities, Humbox, developed with funding from JISC by the University of Southampton.

  9. The Impact of "Virtualization" on Independent Study Course Completion Rates: The British Columbia Open University Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giguere, Louis

    2009-01-01

    In 1997 the British Columbia Open University (BCOU) adopted a virtualization strategy based primarily on twinning off-line independent study distance education courses (textbook-based with study guide and telephone and e-mail tutor support) with alternate online versions (textbook-based with integrated conferencing and communications provided…

  10. Increasing Public Access to University Qualifications: Evolution of The University of the West Indies Open Campus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael L. Thomas

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper traces the evolution of The University of the West Indies’ Open Campus (UWIOC, which is expected to expand service and increase access to the underserved communities of the Eastern Caribbean. At present, UWI, which caters to the needs of the 16 far flung countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean, has not been able to fully serve these countries, the UWI-12, in a way that is commensurate with their developmental needs. Historically, the institution has been dominated by campus-based education, and its three campuses have been poles of attraction for scholars and scholarship to the significant advantage of the countries in which they are located: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados. The University’s creation of an open campus, a fourth campus, enables it to expand its scope, enhance its appeal, and improve the efficiency of its services to individuals, communities, and countries. This new campus, a merger of UWI’s Outreach sector, which comprises the School of Continuing Studies, the Tertiary Level Institute Unit, and The UWI Distance Education Centre, will have a physical presence in each contributing country and will function as a network of real and virtual modes to deliver education and training to anyone with access to Internet facilities.

  11. Exploring Synthetic and Systems Biology at the University of Edinburgh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, Liz; Rosser, Susan; Elfick, Alistair

    2016-06-15

    The Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology ('SynthSys') was originally established in 2007 as the Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Today, SynthSys embraces an extensive multidisciplinary community of more than 200 researchers from across the University with a common interest in synthetic and systems biology. Our research is broad and deep, addressing a diversity of scientific questions, with wide ranging impact. We bring together the power of synthetic biology and systems approaches to focus on three core thematic areas: industrial biotechnology, agriculture and the environment, and medicine and healthcare. In October 2015, we opened a newly refurbished building as a physical hub for our new U.K. Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology funded by the BBSRC/EPSRC/MRC as part of the U.K. Research Councils' Synthetic Biology for Growth programme. © 2016 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  12. The Modern University, Ltd.

    OpenAIRE

    Frost, Tom

    2015-01-01

    Today, the university in the United Kingdom (UK) appears to be being led far from its educational, egalitarian roots. It appears to be a corporate beast, increasingly marketised, commodified and commercialised. In recent years, many words have been written on this matter. In this article, I wish to consider how these perceived changes could affect a cherished notion for academics – academic freedom. I connect the marketisation of UK higher education to the (comparatively) recent economic chan...

  13. What Makes a MOOC? Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCSs) Compared to Mainstream Online University Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Timothy C.

    2014-01-01

    A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is a model for delivering learning content online to any person who wants to take a course, with no limit on attendance. The MOOC industry is growing rapidly, fueled by students interested in free higher-education learning, and the universities and venture capitalists willing to fund the courses. This paper…

  14. Through the Open Door--Today's Revolution in Open Access and Distance Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Roger, Ed.

    1986-01-01

    Consists of eight articles discussing the topic of open learning. Articles address (1) definitions, (2) corporate training, (3) further education programs, (4) university-based training, (5) distance learning, (6) learning to learn, (7) Britain's Open University, (8) the Business-Technical Education Council. (CH)

  15. UNIVERSAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OF THE KHMARA’S SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECT OF OPEN EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Volodymyr I. Bessarabov

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to actual problems of the choice of technological platform and creation of a universal system of management of educational resources. The advantages of cloud technologies of distributed computing compared to server-side technologies for the purpose of creating a universal system of management of educational resources are shown. The choice of the service Google Apps for Education as a technological basis for constructing the system of management of educational resources was substantiated. It is concluded about the high efficiency of cloud technologies for creating the universal system of management of educational resources to integrate education and training on a single technology platform in projects of open education.

  16. Akanidomo ibanga University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Corresponding author: Akanidomo Ibanga, Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, ... sexual behaviour and lack of self-protection ... al abuse in childhood use drugs and alcohol to .... One of the primary aims was to examine the.

  17. The OpenPMU Platform for Open Source Phasor Measurements

    OpenAIRE

    Laverty, David M.; Best, Robert J.; Brogan, Paul; Al-Khatib, Iyad; Vanfretti, Luigi; Morrow, D John

    2013-01-01

    OpenPMU is an open platform for the development of phasor measurement unit (PMU) technology. A need has been identified for an open-source alternative to commercial PMU devices tailored to the needs of the university researcher and for enabling the development of new synchrophasor instruments from this foundation. OpenPMU achieves this through open-source hardware design specifications and software source code, allowing duplicates of the OpenPMU to be fabricated under open-source licenses. Th...

  18. Experience with open prostatectomy in Bingham University ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Vol 8, No 4 (2017) > ... The standard of care for benign prostatic hyperplasia is still the open prostatectomy ... Keywords: Open prostatectomy, benign prostatic hyperplasia, Complications, Assisted robotic radical prostatectomy ...

  19. Does On-Line Distance Higher Education Pay off for Adult Learners? The Case of the Open University of Catalonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnoy, Martin; Rabling, Brenda Jarillo; Castano-Munoz, Jonatan; Montoliu, Josep Maria Duart; Sancho-Vinuesa, Teresa

    2012-01-01

    The increasing opportunities created for adults by on-line distance universities raise important issues about the payoff to such education. This study uses a unique set of survey data gathered by the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) in 2009 to estimate the earnings gains of the 2000-2003 cohorts of UOC students in six programmes of study over an…

  20. Towards a Moral Ecology of Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement in British Universities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vagwala, Meghana Kasturi; Bicquelet, Aude; Didziokaite, Gabija; Coomber, Ross; Corrigan, Oonagh; Singh, Ilina

    2017-01-01

    Few empirical studies in the UK have examined the complex social patterns and values behind quantitative estimates of the prevalence of pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE). We conducted a qualitative investigation of the social dynamics and moral attitudes that shape PCE practices among university students in two major metropolitan areas in the UK. Our thematic analysis of eight focus groups ( n  = 66) suggests a moral ecology that operates within the social infrastructure of the university. We find that PCE resilience among UK university students is mediated by normative and cultural judgments disfavoring competitiveness and prescription drug taking. PCE risk can be augmented by social factors such as soft peer pressure and normalization of enhancement within social and institutional networks. We suggest that moral ecological dynamics should be viewed as key mechanisms of PCE risk and resilience in universities. Effective PCE governance within universities should therefore attend to developing further understanding of the moral ecologies of PCE.

  1. The Hellenic Open University: providing opportunities for personal and professional development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Koziori

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines and discusses the position of the Hellenic Open University (HOU as the main provider of higher adult education via Open and Distance Education (ODE in Greece, and the role it plays both locally and internationally. It also attempts a clear, albeit brief, presentation of the structure and organisation of the MEd course for English as a Foreign Language (EFL teachers provided by the HOU, which along with a postgraduate course in ODE, were the first courses offered by the HOU in 1998 when it admitted its first students. Such presentation is followed by a discussion of the true training and developmental nature of the course based on the elements constituting O’Brien’s EROTI model. Finally, suggestions are made with regard to the improvement of the postgraduate course under examination so as the effects thereof are granted permanence status and, therefore, being really beneficial for its participants, who then will not only be able to constantly pursue their personal and professional development through a reflective approach to teacher education, but also integrate more learner-centred techniques in their daily practice for the benefit of their students.

  2. Research on OpenStack of open source cloud computing in colleges and universities’ computer room

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Zhang, Dandan

    2017-06-01

    In recent years, the cloud computing technology has a rapid development, especially open source cloud computing. Open source cloud computing has attracted a large number of user groups by the advantages of open source and low cost, have now become a large-scale promotion and application. In this paper, firstly we briefly introduced the main functions and architecture of the open source cloud computing OpenStack tools, and then discussed deeply the core problems of computer labs in colleges and universities. Combining with this research, it is not that the specific application and deployment of university computer rooms with OpenStack tool. The experimental results show that the application of OpenStack tool can efficiently and conveniently deploy cloud of university computer room, and its performance is stable and the functional value is good.

  3. UK position paper on sodium fires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vaughan, G J [National Nuclear Corporation Ltd., Risley, Warrington, Cheshire (United Kingdom); Glass, D [United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment, Thurso, Caithness (United Kingdom); Newman, R N [Central Electricity Generating Board, Berekely Nuclear Laboratory, Berkeley, Gloucestershire (United Kingdom); Ramsdale, S A [United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Safety and Reliability Directorate, Culcheth, Cheshire (United Kingdom); Snelling, K W [United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Atomic Energy Establishment, Winfrith, Dorchester, Dorset (United Kingdom)

    1989-07-01

    The UK has over several years developed a philosophy for the prevention, mitigation and extinguishment of sodium fires. The systems which were developed for PFR have been continuously revised and modified and from these considerations systems were proposed for CDFR. The latest phases of this development are described with reference to the CDFR plant. The current analytical and experimental work on fires, aerosols and sodium concrete reactions is also discussed. The UK are developing codes to analyse the effects of a sodium fire in a building and to model aerosol behaviour following a fire. Experimental work on small scale fires, aerosol behaviour, filtration devices and sodium concrete reaction is being carried out on a laboratory scale. Techniques for aerosol measurement and characterisation have also been developed and used both In the laboratory and large scale tests. Larger scale tests of sodium fire extinguishment techniques have also been performed. Currently a programme of tests (SOFA) of large scale fires in the open to investigate the chemical and physical changes in the aerosol and its dispersion in the atmosphere are just beginning. The UK studies are intended to both assist in the development of prevention and mitigation systems for design base and beyond design base accidents in any building which contains sodium (or sodium potassium alloy) and also to provide methods for assessing the risks from such accidents. (author)

  4. UK position paper on sodium fires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaughan, G.J.; Glass, D.; Newman, R.N.; Ramsdale, S.A.; Snelling, K.W.

    1989-01-01

    The UK has over several years developed a philosophy for the prevention, mitigation and extinguishment of sodium fires. The systems which were developed for PFR have been continuously revised and modified and from these considerations systems were proposed for CDFR. The latest phases of this development are described with reference to the CDFR plant. The current analytical and experimental work on fires, aerosols and sodium concrete reactions is also discussed. The UK are developing codes to analyse the effects of a sodium fire in a building and to model aerosol behaviour following a fire. Experimental work on small scale fires, aerosol behaviour, filtration devices and sodium concrete reaction is being carried out on a laboratory scale. Techniques for aerosol measurement and characterisation have also been developed and used both In the laboratory and large scale tests. Larger scale tests of sodium fire extinguishment techniques have also been performed. Currently a programme of tests (SOFA) of large scale fires in the open to investigate the chemical and physical changes in the aerosol and its dispersion in the atmosphere are just beginning. The UK studies are intended to both assist in the development of prevention and mitigation systems for design base and beyond design base accidents in any building which contains sodium (or sodium potassium alloy) and also to provide methods for assessing the risks from such accidents. (author)

  5. Open globe injury in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia - A 10-year review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madhusudhan A/L Paramananda

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To identify the aetiology of open globe injuries at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia over a period of 10y and the prognostic factors for visual outcome.METHODS:Retrospective review of medical records of open globe injury cases that presented from January 2000 to December 2009. Classification of open globe injury was based on the Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology (BETT. Records were obtained with hospital permission via the in-house electronic patient management system, and the case notes of all patients with a diagnosis of open globe injury were scrutinised. Patients with prior ocular trauma, pre-existing ocular conditions affecting the visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, central vision or corneal thickness, as well as those with a history of previous intraocular or refractive surgery were excluded. Analysis of data was with SPSS version 20.0. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between prognostic factors and visual outcome.RESULTS: This study involved 220 patients (n=222 eyes. The most common place of injury was the home (51.8%, followed by the workplace (23.4%. Among children aged less than 16y of age, domestic-related injury was the predominant cause (54.6%, while in those aged 16y and above, occupational injuries were the most common cause (40.0%. Most eyes (76.5% had an initial visual acuity worse than 3/60, and in half of these, the visual acuity improved. The visual outcome was found to be significantly associated with the initial visual acuity (P<0.005, posterior extent of wound (P<0.001, length of wound (P<0.001, presence of hyphaema (P<0.001 and presence of vitreous prolapse ((P<0.005.CONCLUSION:The most common causes of open globe injury are domestic accidents and occupational injuries. Significant prognostic factors for final visual outcome in patients with open globe injury are initial visual acuity, posterior extent and length of wound, presence of hyphaema and presence of vitreous

  6. U.K. nuclear data progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Findlay, D.J.S.; Cookson, J.A.

    1984-06-01

    The report summarises nuclear data research in the United Kingdom between January and December 1984. The nuclear data presented includes contributions from government research laboratories and Universities, as well as from various collaborations. The section on nuclear data forum includes three individual papers (being processed separately), these are: the DIMPLE criticality experiments, the potential use of criticality benchmark experiments in nuclear data evaluation, and the use of benchmark experiments for the validation of nuclear data. (U.K.)

  7. A Point of View on the UK Energy Policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lescoeur, Bruno

    2017-02-01

    The United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union at a crucial moment for the Energy Union, and in a period when the necessity of leading a coherent energy transition is strongly shared by EU countries. In the light of this conjunction of events, this study analyses the determining factors of the UK energy policy. The industrial revolution started in England, a country endowed with abundant coal supplies but also with robust policies and the right technical, economic and social conditions for making the most out of these natural resources. Likewise, the UK developed effective domestic and foreign policies in the first half of the 20. century and successfully managed the second industrial revolution, which was based on the use of oil and electricity. The UK energy system has gone through significant changes over the past forty years, with the gradual phase out of coal, the development of oil and gas production in the North Sea, the transformation of the electricity system, the re-building of a credible nuclear strategy and the rise of a low-carbon economy. These changes have been implemented at a reasonable cost, at least compared to the cost incurred by the other EU energy systems. The consistency and stability of the UK energy policies are striking, and one must admit that they are driven by a great sense of pragmatism. They are developed through trial and error and their results are openly debated and confronted to the three objectives of having secure, affordable and sustainable energy supplies. There is no doubt about who is the main beneficiary from these policies: it should always be the UK national community. Its interests are well-defended, government after government, and this national focus is probably the main reason why the UK energy policy appears to be very consistent. The EU has often tried to replicate the UK initiatives in the field of energy, but probably without taking proper account of the specificities of the UK context

  8. QuTiP: An open-source Python framework for the dynamics of open quantum systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansson, J. R.; Nation, P. D.; Nori, Franco

    2012-08-01

    We present an object-oriented open-source framework for solving the dynamics of open quantum systems written in Python. Arbitrary Hamiltonians, including time-dependent systems, may be built up from operators and states defined by a quantum object class, and then passed on to a choice of master equation or Monte Carlo solvers. We give an overview of the basic structure for the framework before detailing the numerical simulation of open system dynamics. Several examples are given to illustrate the build up to a complete calculation. Finally, we measure the performance of our library against that of current implementations. The framework described here is particularly well suited to the fields of quantum optics, superconducting circuit devices, nanomechanics, and trapped ions, while also being ideal for use in classroom instruction. Catalogue identifier: AEMB_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEMB_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License, version 3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 16 482 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 213 438 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Python Computer: i386, x86-64 Operating system: Linux, Mac OSX, Windows RAM: 2+ Gigabytes Classification: 7 External routines: NumPy (http://numpy.scipy.org/), SciPy (http://www.scipy.org/), Matplotlib (http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/) Nature of problem: Dynamics of open quantum systems. Solution method: Numerical solutions to Lindblad master equation or Monte Carlo wave function method. Restrictions: Problems must meet the criteria for using the master equation in Lindblad form. Running time: A few seconds up to several tens of minutes, depending on size of underlying Hilbert space.

  9. Research Notes ~ Combating HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Nigeria: Responses from National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terhemba Nom Ambe-Uva

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Universities have come under serious attack because of their lackluster response to HIV/AIDS. This article examines the response of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN and its strategic responses in combating HIV/AIDS epidemic. This is achieved by examining NOUN’s basic structures that position the University to respond to the epidemic; and second, by assessing HIV/AIDS strategies and policy framework the University has put in place. An interpretative epistemological stance was used for this study, and a qualitative research involving focus group discussion (FGD and analysis of secondary data was carried out. Results showed that NOUN has identified the impact the epidemic has on the university, although it has yet to institutionalize an HIV/AIDS policy. NOUN’s Draft Service Charter, however, has identified the fight against HIV/AIDS as a core mandate of the University, and the introduction of HIV/AIDS certification programs can be viewed as proactive policies in response to the epidemic. Results of this study are discussed in terms of their relevance to future research and the impact such policy frameworks may have on combating the epidemic, both within the University and the wider community.

  10. UK nuclear data progress report for the period January - December 1981

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lees, E.W.

    1982-06-01

    Summaries are given of work by AERE Harwell, AEEW Winfrith, National Physical Laboratory, NRPB, Birmingham Radiation Centre and the Universities of Birmingham and Edinburgh. A paper on fission product decay heat from 235 U and 239 Pu is included. (U.K.)

  11. EC tells Bonn let in UK coal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-06-23

    The European Commission has told the German federal government to open the door for coal imports from other EC member countries. As an initial step, the Commission is suggesting that some of the power station coal which was to be sourced from German stockpiles under the November 1991 agreement between Rurhkohle AG, the state mining company and the generators, be supplied by other member states such as the UK. The implications of this move for the German coal industry are discussed. 2 tabs.

  12. Gender Inequality in British and German Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pritchard, Rosalind

    2007-01-01

    Gender inequality exists within higher education in the UK and Germany. In the UK only 15.3% of professors in pre-and post-1992 universities were women (2003), whilst in Germany only 8.6% attained the highest grade of professorship (2003). The research uses existing data sets combined with theoretical constructs to investigate the reasons for…

  13. Mock-up experiment at Birmingham University for BNCT project of Osaka University – Neutron flux measurement with gold foil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamaki, S.; Sakai, M.; Yoshihashi, S.; Manabe, M.; Zushi, N.; Murata, I.; Hoashi, E.; Kato, I.; Kuri, S.; Oshiro, S.; Nagasaki, M.; Horiike, H.

    2015-01-01

    Mock-up experiment for development of accelerator based neutron source for Osaka University BNCT project was carried out at Birmingham University, UK. In this paper, spatial distribution of neutron flux intensity was evaluated by foil activation method. Validity of the design code system was confirmed by comparing measured gold foil activities with calculations. As a result, it was found that the epi-thermal neutron beam was well collimated by our neutron moderator assembly. Also, the design accuracy was evaluated to have less than 20% error. - Highlights: • Accelerator based neutron source for BNCT is being developed in Osaka University. • Mock-up experiment was carried out at Birmingham University, UK. • Neutronics performance of our assembly was evaluated from gold foil activation. • Gold foil activation was determined by using HPGe detectors. • Validity of the neutronics design code system was confirmed.

  14. Employing Discourse: Universities and Graduate "Employability"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boden, Rebecca; Nedeva, Maria

    2010-01-01

    What constitutes graduate employability is discursively framed. In this paper we argue that whilst universities in the UK have long had an involvement in producing useful and productive citizens, the ongoing neoliberalisation of higher education has engendered a discursive shift in definitions of employability. Traditionally, universities regarded…

  15. Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use among Dental Undergraduates at One UK University in 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Puryer

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was determine the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and illicit substance use among dental undergraduates at one UK university in 2015. A cross-sectional survey of all 344 dental undergraduates using an anonymous self-report questionnaire was carried out. The response rate was 77%, of which 29% were male and 71% female. Tobacco smoking was reported by 23.6% of males and 12.2% of females, with only 1.6% of females reporting to smoke ≥10 cigarettes per day. Alcohol consumption was reported by 85.5% of males and 84% of females, and reported levels of alcohol consumption increased since becoming undergraduates. Binge drinking was reported by 35.3% of males and 41% of female students. Only 2.6% of males and 0.5% of females reported to be current regular users of cannabis. The vast majority of respondents claimed to have never used any illicit substance. The only other reported regularly used substances by males was Ecstasy (1.3% and by females were LSD (0.5%, Ecstasy (1.5%, Cocaine (0.5%, Inhalants (0.5% and Ketamine (0.5%. These results are encouraging. Fewer students reported smoking than in the general population, levels of binge drinking were considerably lower than previously reported figures, as were the numbers of regular users of cannabis and other illicit substances.

  16. Quasi-open inflation

    CERN Document Server

    García-Bellido, J; Montes, X; Garcia-Bellido, Juan; Garriga, Jaume; Montes, Xavier

    1998-01-01

    We show that a large class of two-field models of single-bubble open inflation do not lead to infinite open universes, as it was previously thought, but to an ensemble of very large but finite inflating `islands'. The reason is that the quantum tunneling responsible for the nucleation of the bubble does not occur simultaneously along both field directions and equal-time hypersurfaces in the open universe are not synchronized with equal-density or fixed-field hypersurfaces. The most probable tunneling trajectory corresponds to a zero value of the inflaton field; large values, necessary for the second period of inflation inside the bubble, only arise as localized fluctuations. The interior of each nucleated bubble will contain an infinite number of such inflating regions of comoving size of order $\\gamma^{-1}$, where $\\gamma$ depends on the parameters of the model. Each one of these islands will be a quasi-open universe. Since the volume of the hyperboloid is infinite, inflating islands with all possible values...

  17. The University as an Open Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birx, Donald L.; Ford, Ralph M.; Payne, Carrie A.

    2013-01-01

    Colleges and universities are two of the most formidable resources a country has to reinvent and grow its economy. This is the second of two papers that outlines a process of building and strengthening research universities that enhances regional technology development and facilitates flexible networks of collaboration and resource sharing. In the…

  18. Domestic heat pumps in the UK. User behaviour, satisfaction and performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caird, S.; Roy, R.; Potter, S. [Design Innovation Group, Dept. Design, Development, Environment and Materials, Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA (United Kingdom)

    2012-08-15

    Consumer adoption of microgeneration technologies is part of the UK strategy to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. Domestic heat pumps are viewed as a potentially important carbon saving technology, given the ongoing decarbonisation of the electricity supply system. To address the lack of independent evaluation of heat pump performance, the Energy Saving Trust undertook the UK's first large-scale heat pump field trial, which monitored 83 systems in real installations. As part of the trial, the Open University studied the consumers' experience of using a domestic heat pump. An in-depth user survey investigated the characteristics, behaviour, and satisfactions of private householders and social housing residents using ground source and air source heat pumps for space and/or water heating, and examined the influence of user-related factors on measured heat pump system efficiency. The surveys found that most users were satisfied with the reliability, heating, hot water, warmth and comfort provided by their system. Analysis of user characteristics showed that higher system efficiencies were associated with greater user understanding of their heat pump system, and more continuous heat pump operation, although larger samples are needed for robust statistical confirmation. The analysis also found that the more efficient systems in the sample were more frequently located in the private dwellings than at the social housing sites and this difference was significant. This is explained by the interaction between differences in the systems, dwellings and users at the private and social housing sites. The implications for heat pump research, practice and policy are discussed.

  19. Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) | Advancing Open-Source Research, Instrumentation, and Dissemination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udell, C.; Selker, J. S.

    2017-12-01

    The increasing availability and functionality of Open-Source software and hardware along with 3D printing, low-cost electronics, and proliferation of open-access resources for learning rapid prototyping are contributing to fundamental transformations and new technologies in environmental sensing. These tools invite reevaluation of time-tested methodologies and devices toward more efficient, reusable, and inexpensive alternatives. Building upon Open-Source design facilitates community engagement and invites a Do-It-Together (DIT) collaborative framework for research where solutions to complex problems may be crowd-sourced. However, barriers persist that prevent researchers from taking advantage of the capabilities afforded by open-source software, hardware, and rapid prototyping. Some of these include: requisite technical skillsets, knowledge of equipment capabilities, identifying inexpensive sources for materials, money, space, and time. A university MAKER space staffed by engineering students to assist researchers is one proposed solution to overcome many of these obstacles. This presentation investigates the unique capabilities the USDA-funded Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) Lab affords researchers, within Oregon State and internationally, and the unique functions these types of initiatives support at the intersection of MAKER spaces, Open-Source academic research, and open-access dissemination.

  20. U.K. nuclear data progress report for the period January - December 1980

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lees, E.W.

    1981-06-01

    This report was prepared at the request of the United Kingdom Nuclear Data Committee and presents contributions from the Harwell and Winfrith laboratories of the UKAEA, the National Physical Laboratory, the National Radiological Protection Board, the University of Birmingham and the University of Edinburgh. Work is included from various collaborations between laboratories of Harwell, Dounreay, Winfrith, Windscale, MOD Aldermaston, Imperial College and Manchester University. Contributions on Chemical Nuclear Data gathered by the Chemical Nuclear Data Committee are grouped under that heading. (U.K.)

  1. Medical student fitness to practise committees at UK medical schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aldridge Jocelyne

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim was to explore the structures for managing student fitness to practise hearings in medical schools in the UK. We surveyed by email the named fitness to practise leads of all full members of the UK Medical Schools Council with a medical undergraduate programme. We asked whether student fitness to practise cases were considered by a committee/panel dedicated to medicine, or by one which also considered other undergraduate health and social care students. Findings All 31 medical schools responded. 19 medical schools had a fitness to practise committee dealing with medical students only. Three had a committee that dealt with students of medicine and dentistry. One had a committee that dealt with students of medicine and veterinary medicine. Eight had a committee that dealt with students of medicine and two or more other programmes, such as dentistry, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, dietetics, social work, pharmacy, psychology, audiology, speech therapy, operating department practice, veterinary medicine and education. Conclusion All 31 UK medical schools with undergraduate programmes have a fitness to practise committee to deal with students whose behaviour has given rise to concern about their fitness to practise. The variation in governance structures for student fitness to practise committees/panels can in part be explained by variations in University structures and the extent to which Universities co-manage undergraduate medicine with other courses.

  2. TEACHERS TRAINING THROUGH DISTANCE MODE IN ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY (AIOU PAKISTAN: A case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nabi Bux JUMANI

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU is the first Open University in Asia and established in 1974 on the model of UKOU. AIOU uses different media for the delivery of instruction. It has a well established Institute of Educational Technology which has radio and TV production facilities and advance level of work in computer technology. AOU offers diversified courses and programs ranging from literacy to PhD level in its four faculties. The Faculty of Education established in 1984 is the largest faculties of the university with 47% enrolment of the university and contributor of 53% to the total annual university exchequer.At present 30 programs and 135 courses in its eight department/Institutes being run by the faculty. The Faculty offers variety of programs in education and training of teachers and educational professionals. These academic programs range from primary teachers training to M.S/M.Phil and Ph.D. levels in various areas of specializations by its following departments: Secondary Teacher Education, Distance Non Formal and Continuing Education, Educational Planning, Policy studies and leadership, Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, Special Education and Science Education. The faculty has also chalked out B.Ed (Honors 4 year degree programme in various specializations. The mode of delivery is absolutely a distance learning mode and various components are devised as teaching methodology which is based on; Study centers and information technology, Radio and TV programs, tutorials, assignments/formative evaluation, workshops/practical, face to face teaching, internship and final examination. The university employs non-formal method of correspondence, radio and television broadcasts, special textbooks and reading materials prepared on self-learning basis, part-time teachers (tutors engaged nearest to the student's residences. And a system of study centers for applied training is spread throughout Pakistan.There is an effective

  3. The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS-62): Acceptance, feasibility, and initial psychometric properties in a UK student population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broglia, Emma; Millings, Abigail; Barkham, Michael

    2017-09-01

    The burden and severity of student mental health continue to increase in parallel with increasing financial pressures on students and services alike. There is a need for a student-specific measure of distress that acknowledges their unique context. This study examined the feasibility, acceptance, and initial psychometric properties of a US measure, the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS), in a UK student sample. A sample of 294 UK help-seeking students from two universities completed the CCAPS-62 and Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10) as a comparator. The factor solution and reliability of the CCAPS-62 were examined. Correlations and clinical boundaries were determined between the CCAPS-62 subscales and CORE-10, and comparisons were made with US published norms. The CCAPS-62 demonstrated a strong factor solution that matched the intended subscales. All subscales had good reliability and correlated significantly with the CORE-10. The agreement on caseness between the two measures was 92.8% with 86.3% reaching clinical threshold on both the CCAPS-62 and CORE-10. Severity was most noticeable for academic distress, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Compared to US data, UK students showed higher clinical severity for all psychological symptoms. The CCAPS-62 is a reliable and psychometrically valid assessment measure to use with UK students without revision. The overall distress indicated is similar to that of the CORE-10, but the individual subscales are more informative of specific student concerns including academic distress, social anxiety, and substance abuse. Potential benefits of administering a student-focused assessment measure in student counselling services are discussed. University students attending counselling in the UK demonstrate clinical severity for academic distress, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Compared to university students in the US, UK students present with higher clinical severity on

  4. Exploring the Experiences of International Students in UK Higher Education: Possibilities and Limits of Interculturality in University Life

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schweisfurth, Michele; Gu, Qing

    2009-01-01

    This article is based on a two-year multi-method research project, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, investigating the experiences of international undergraduate students in UK higher education. In investigating the influences on their experiences and the strategies that students employ, the study has also revealed something…

  5. The evidence-based practice profiles of academic and clinical staff involved in pre-registration nursing students' education: a cross sectional survey of US and UK staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Upton, Penney; Scurlock-Evans, Laura; Williamson, Kathleen; Rouse, Joanne; Upton, Dominic

    2015-01-01

    Competency in evidence-based practice (EBP) is a requirement for graduate nurses. Despite a growing body of research exploring the EBP profiles of students, little research has explored the EBP profiles of nurse educators. To explore: the differences/similarities in the EBP profiles of US and UK clinical and academic faculty; the barriers nurse educators experience when teaching EBP; the impact of postgraduate education on EBP profile and; what nurse educators perceive "success" in implementing and teaching EBP to be. A cross-sectional online survey design was employed. Two Universities delivering undergraduate nursing education in the US and UK, in partnership with large hospital systems, small community hospitals, community settings, and independent sector health organisations. Eighty-one nurse educators working in academic and clinical contexts in the US and UK (US academic=12, US clinical=17, UK academic=9, UK clinical=43) were recruited opportunistically. Participants were emailed a weblink to an online survey, comprising demographic questions, the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire and open-ended questions about EBP barriers, facilitators and successes. Quantitative results indicated that academic faculty scored significantly higher on knowledge and skills of EBP, than clinical faculty, but revealed no other significant differences on EBP use or attitudes, or between US and UK professionals. Participants with postgraduate training scored significantly higher on EBP knowledge/skills, but not EBP attitudes or use. Qualitative findings identified key themes relating to EBP barriers and facilitators, including: Evidence-, organisational-, and teaching-related issues. Perceptions of successes in EBP were also described. Nurse educators working in the UK and US face similar EBP barriers to teaching and implementation, but view it positively and use it frequently. Clinical staff may require extra support to maintain their EBP knowledge and skills in

  6. Bullying amongst University Students in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowie, Helen; Myers, Carrie-Anne

    2014-01-01

    This study with 20 university students examined perspectives in three different participant roles: the perpetrator, the target and the bystander. The purpose of the exercise was to resolve the outcome of an alleged incident of cyberbullying using a social network site via the means of a restorative conference. The findings suggest that the power…

  7. Close connections between open science and open-source software

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YouHua Chen

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Open science is increasingly gaining attention in recent years. In this mini-review, we briefly discuss and summarize the reasons of introducing open science into academic publications for scientists. We argue that open-source software (like R and Python software can be the universal and important platforms for doing open science because of their appealing features: open source, easy-reading document, commonly used in various scientific disciplines like statistics, chemistry and biology. At last, the challenges and future perspectives of performing open science are discussed.

  8. Open access and knowledge sharing: reflections on the Pathfinder projects and Open Access Good Practice initiative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannah DeGroff

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The following article provides a selection of reflections from a number of higher education institutions and their staff about participation in the UK-wide Pathfinder project scheme. These nine projects (comprising 30 institutions form the core of the Jisc-funded Open Access Good Practice initiative. They have produced a wide range of outputs which endorse and encourage best practice when implementing open access across institutions. Each project has a blog where progress and outputs can be tracked. Details are listed at the end of this article.

  9. The intelligent Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoyle, F.

    1983-01-01

    The subject is covered in chapters, entitled: chance and the universe (synthesis of proteins; the 'primordial soup'); the gospel according to Darwin (discussion of Darwin theory of evolution); life did not originate on earth (fossils from space; life in space); the interstellar connection (living dust between the stars; bacteria in space falling to the earth; interplanetary dust); evolution by cosmic control (microorganisms; genetics); why aren't the others here (a cosmic origin of life); after the big bang (big bang and steady state); the information rich universe; what is intelligence up to; the intelligent universe. (U.K.)

  10. Predicting future UK housing stock and carbon emissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Natarajan, Sukumar; Levermore, Geoffrey J.

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a novel method for exploring future transformations in the UK housing stock. The method is shown to be more robust and faster than existing methods through various tests. A Java-based implementation of the method in a new model of the UK housing stock, DECarb, is examined using a back-cast scenario from 1970 to 1996. The results show an average difference of -5.4% between predicted and actual energy demand. Comparison with predicted carbon emissions from the BRE's BREHOMES model shows a difference of around -0.9% for the same period. These results suggest that DECarb is likely to be an effective tool in examining future scenarios since the same objects and processes used in back-casting in the model are also used in forecasting. The model has an open framework and could therefore significantly benefit ongoing domestic and non-domestic climate futures research. (author)

  11. What is Good University Financial Management?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Mark P.

    2013-01-01

    In the current and foreseeable harsh UK higher education environment, aspiring to best-practice financial management will be key to ensuring the prosperity--and indeed the survival--of any university. In this article I argue that good university financial management should provide stability to the institution, allow for investment as well as…

  12. Maturity and Interculturality: Chinese Students' Experiences in UK Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Qing

    2009-01-01

    Increasing global competition for students has witnessed an ever more rapid internationalisation of higher education. In the case of the UK, there has been a major influx of Chinese students to British universities since the launch of the British Government's long-term worldwide educational campaign in 1999. Drawing upon evidence from an extensive…

  13. UK medical students’ perceptions, attitudes, and interest toward medical leadership and clinician managers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rouhani MJ

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Maral J Rouhani,1 Eleanor J Burleigh,2 Chloe Hobbis,2 Charlotte Dunford,1 Nadir I Osman,3 Christine Gan,1 Norma B Gibbons,1 Hashim U Ahmed,1,4 Saiful Miah1,5 1Department of Urology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK; 2Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; 3Department of Urology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK; 4Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK; 5Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK Background: We aimed to determine UK medical students’ perceptions and attitudes and interest toward medical leadership and clinician managers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the academic year 2015–2016. An online questionnaire was distributed to 2,349 final-year students from 10 UK medical schools. Participants were asked to complete a 5-point Likert scale on their current perceptions, attitudes, and interest toward medical leadership and clinician managers. They were also asked to self-rate their leadership competences set by the Medical Leadership Competency Framework and to rate the quality of management and leadership training they received from their medical school. Results: In total, we received 114 complete responses. Only 7.9% of respondents were in agreement (strongly agree or agree when asked whether they felt they were well informed about what a managerial position in medicine entails. When asked whether clinicians should influence managerial decisions within a clinical setting, 94.7% of respondents were in agreement with the statement. About 85% of respondents were in agreement that it is important for clinicians to have managerial or leadership responsibilities, with 63.2% of students in agreement that they would have liked more management or leadership training during medical school. Over half the respondents rated their management and leadership

  14. The isotropic Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raine, D.J.

    1981-01-01

    This introduction to contemporary ideas in cosmology differs from other books on the 'expanding Universe' in its emphasis on physical cosmology and on the physical basis of the general theory of relativity. It is considered that the remarkable degree of isotropy, rather than the expansion, can be regarded as the central observational feature of the Universe. The various theories and ideas in 'big-bang' cosmology are discussed, providing an insight into current problems. Chapter headings are: quality of matter; expanding Universe; quality of radiation; quantity of matter; general theory of relativity; cosmological models; cosmological tests; matter and radiation; limits of isotropy; why is the Universe isotropic; singularities; evolution of structure. (U.K.)

  15. Implementing Open Data: The Open Data Commons Project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordan Hatcher

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Free and libre/open source software (F/LOSS movements have spawned similar solutions in many other contexts, each at differing stages of development. As F/LOSS enters the routine and familiarity of middle age, the open content movement--open source for non-software copyright and best embodied by the work of Creative Commons--has just graduated university and is getting a feel for the world. Even younger is the open data movement, whose legal tools have just started to come online.

  16. Geometric universality of currents in an open network of interacting particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinitsyn, Nikolai A.; Chernyak, Vladimir Y.; Chertkov, Michael

    2010-01-01

    We discuss a non-equilibrium statistical system on a graph or network. Identical particles are injected, interact with each other, traverse, and leave the graph in a stochastic manner described in terms of Poisson rates, possibly dependent on time and instantaneous occupation numbers at the nodes of the graph. We show that under the assumption of the relative rates constancy, the system demonstrates a profound statistical symmetry, resulting in geometric universality of the particle currents statistics. The phenomenon applies broadly to many man-made and natural open stochastic systems, such as queuing of packages over internet, transport of electrons and quasi-particles in mesoscopic systems, and chains of reactions in bio-chemical networks. We illustrate the utility of the general approach using two enabling examples from the two latter disciplines.

  17. Perceptions of diversity and attitudes of tolerance in the 'fragmented' U.K

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duru, Deniz Neriman; Hanquinet, Laurie; Cesur, Nazli Sila

    2017-01-01

    reveal the role of younger age, diverse networks, higher education, attachment to city/region and supranational identifications in more open attitudes towards diversity. The qualitative findings illustrate how diverse these three groups’ attitudes of tolerance can be and how they are affected...... by their position and status in the U.K. The British’ attitudes show their tolerance can reflect diverse forms of acceptance of ethnic and cultural differences but can also draw lines in terms of civic values opposing ‘those who contribute to society’ versus those who ‘live as parasites’. The Turks are in favour......Relying on a quantitative survey (n = 1497) and semi-structured interviews (n = 30) conducted in the U.K., we explore British nationals’, Romanian and Turkish migrants’ attitudes of tolerance and the factors influencing them in the current socio-political context in the U.K. The quantitative data...

  18. The future of UK healthcare: problems and potential solutions to a system in crisis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery, H E; Haines, A; Marlow, N; Pearson, G; Mythen, M G; Grocott, M P W; Swanton, C

    2017-08-01

    The UK's Health System is in crisis, central funding no longer keeping pace with demand. Traditional responses-spending more, seeking efficiency savings or invoking market forces-are not solutions. The health of our nation demands urgent delivery of a radical new model, negotiated openly between public, policymakers and healthcare professionals. Such a model could focus on disease prevention, modifying health behaviour and implementing change in public policy in fields traditionally considered unrelated to health such as transport, food and advertising. The true cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions must be balanced against the opportunity cost of their implementation, bolstering the central role of NICE in such decisions. Without such action, the prognosis for our healthcare system-and for the health of the individuals it serves-may be poor. Here, we explore such a new prescription for our national health. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. PRINCIPLES OF MODERN UNIVERSITY "ACADEMIC CLOUD" FORMATION BASED ON OPEN SOFTWARE PLATFORM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olena H. Hlazunova

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In the article approaches to the use of cloud technology in teaching of higher education students are analyzed. The essence of the concept of "academic cloud" and its structural elements are justified. The model of academic clouds of the modern university, which operates on the basis of open software platforms, are proposed. Examples of functional software and platforms, that provide the needs of students in e-learning resources, are given. The models of deployment Cloud-oriented environment in higher education: private cloud, infrastructure as a service and platform as a service, are analyzed. The comparison of the cost of deployment "academic cloud" based on its own infrastructure of the institution and lease infrastructure vendor are substantiated.

  20. A supply sided analysis of leading MOOC platforms and universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georg Peters

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Investing in education is generally considered as a promising strategy to fight poverty and increase prosperity. This applies to all levels of an economy reaching from individuals to local communities and countries and has a global perspective as well. However, high-quality education is often costly and not available anytime anywhere. Therefore, any promising concept that might help to democratize education is worth pursuing, in a sense that it makes education accessible for everybody without any restrictions. The characteristics attributed to MOOC – Massive Open Online Courses are promising to contribute to this objective. Hence, our objective is to analyse MOOC as it currently operates. Obviously, there is a huge demand for free high-quality education anytime anywhere but a shortage on the supply side. So, we will concentrate on supply-sided effects and study MOOC platforms as well as content providers, particularly universities. We focus our research on some of the leading platforms and universities worldwide. Relative to their size Australia and the Netherlands are very active players in the MOOC sector. Germany is lagging behind and leading universities in the UK seem to virtually refrain from offering MOOC. Our research also shows the leading role of US universities and platform providers.

  1. Psychosocial working conditions and stress in UK social workers

    OpenAIRE

    Ravalier, J.M

    2018-01-01

    It is well documented that exposure to chronic negative working conditions leads to stress. This subsequently impacts sickness absence and attrition, making it a key consideration for policymakers and academics alike. This study therefore seeks to investigate the influence of psychosocial working conditions on stress and related outcomes: sickness presenteeism, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions in UK social workers (SWs). A cross-sectional survey was used, in addition to a single open...

  2. UK Student Alcohol Consumption: A Cluster Analysis of Drinking Behaviour Typologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craigs, Cheryl L.; Bewick, Bridgette M.; Gill, Jan; O'May, Fiona; Radley, Duncan

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To assess the extent to which university students are following UK Government advice regarding appropriate consumption of alcohol, and to investigate if students can be placed into distinct clusters based on their drinking behaviour. Design: A descriptive questionnaire study. Setting: One hundred and nineteen undergraduate students from…

  3. Exploring Strategies of Assessment and Results in the Spanish Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia and the United Kingdom Open University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Arthur

    The strategies of student evaluation and the patterns of results are compared for The Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) in Spain and The Open University of The United Kingdom. Both universities operate a system of undergraduate subject credits leading to a degree, but the length of the courses of the two systems differ. UNED…

  4. Preservation and re-use of nuclear knowledge in the UK nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Workman, R.

    2004-01-01

    This paper addresses the need for the UK nuclear industry to preserve knowledge generated during the 6 decades of its existence for re-use by future generations. It outlines the major government restructuring of the industry and its impact on knowledge preservation. Work within British Nuclear Fuels plc to meet the knowledge preservation requirements of its business is described. The focus is shown to be the alignment of tacit knowledge - gained through interviews with key specialists - with the explicit knowledge contained within the major knowledge base (Corporate Memory). The creation of knowledge packages to hold key knowledge on core technologies and nuclear plants is described. The paper also covers developments in securing the nuclear skill base through University Research Alliances and the Dalton Nuclear Institute. Returning to the major new challenges ahead it is shown how a knowledge portal could be implemented, linking the knowledge repositories present within the organisations that will feature in the restructured UK nuclear industry in 2005. The UK nuclear industry is facing its greatest challenge in terms of its organisation and commercial interests, at a time when the technical challenges presented by the decommissioning of old nuclear plants and the remediation of its nuclear sites are building up. In terms of knowledge preservation there has never been a greater need to ensure that knowledge associated with the key technologies that underpin the nuclear plants, and the plants themselves, is made available for use now and in the future. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority [NDA] - a new government body that will come into being in April 2005 - will own the liabilities (the nuclear plants). Those organisations bidding to operate and decommission plants on the UK nuclear sites will utilise the assets to best effect as Site Licensing Companies [SLC] under contract to the NDA. The key asset is knowledge. Knowledge is present in explicit forms within

  5. Open Access, Open Source and Digital Libraries: A Current Trend in University Libraries around the World

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnamurthy, M.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the open access and open source movement in the digital library world. Design/methodology/approach: A review of key developments in the open access and open source movement is provided. Findings: Open source software and open access to research findings are of great use to scholars in developing…

  6. Driving Economic Growth: Higher Education--A Core Strategic Asset to the UK. Higher Education in Focus: Driving Economic Growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Universities UK, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This publication highlights the critical role UK universities will continue to play in reviving and sustaining economic growth across the country. Using a range of visual data and statistics, it highlights that the UK's future success depends on developing innovation and the knowledge economy in what is an increasingly competitive global…

  7. Storageless and caching Tier-2 models in the UK context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadellin Skipsey, Samuel; Dewhurst, Alastair; Crooks, David; MacMahon, Ewan; Roy, Gareth; Smith, Oliver; Mohammed, Kashif; Brew, Chris; Britton, David

    2017-10-01

    Operational and other pressures have lead to WLCG experiments moving increasingly to a stratified model for Tier-2 resources, where “fat” Tier-2s (“T2Ds”) and “thin” Tier-2s (“T2Cs”) provide different levels of service. In the UK, this distinction is also encouraged by the terms of the current GridPP5 funding model. In anticipation of this, testing has been performed on the implications, and potential implementation, of such a distinction in our resources. In particular, this presentation presents the results of testing of storage T2Cs, where the “thin” nature is expressed by the site having either no local data storage, or only a thin caching layer; data is streamed or copied from a “nearby” T2D when needed by jobs. In OSG, this model has been adopted successfully for CMS AAA sites; but the network topology and capacity in the USA is significantly different to that in the UK (and much of Europe). We present the result of several operational tests: the in-production University College London (UCL) site, which runs ATLAS workloads using storage at the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) site; the Oxford site, which has had scaling tests performed against T2Ds in various locations in the UK (to test network effects); and the Durham site, which has been testing the specific ATLAS caching solution of “Rucio Cache” integration with ARC’s caching layer.

  8. Pulsed power opening switch research at the University of New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Humphries, S. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    Opening switch research at the University of New Mexico (UNM) is directed toward moderate-current (--10 kA) devices with potential applications to high-power charged particle accelerators. Two devices with the capacity for controlling gigawatt high-voltage circuits, the grid-controlled plasma flow switch and the scanned-beam switch, are under investigation. Both switches are conceptually simple; they involve little collective physics and are within the capabilities of current technology. In the plasma flow switch, the flux of electrons into a high-voltage power gap is controlled by a low-voltage control grid. Plasma generation is external to, and independent of, the power circuit. In the closed phase, plasma fills the gap so that the switch has a low on-state impedance. Pulse repetition rates in the megahertz range should be feasible. In single-shot proof-of-principle experiments, a small area switch modulated a 3-MW circuit; a 20-ns opening time was observed. The scanned-beam switch will utilize electric field deflection to direct the power of a sheet electron beam. The beam is to be alternately scanned to two inverse diodes connected to output transmission lines. The switch is expected to generate continuous-wave pulse trains for applications such as high-frequency induction linacs. Theoretical studies indicate that 10-GW devices in the 100-MHz range with 70-percent efficiency should be technologically feasible

  9. The role of the University in relation to the nuclear industry is apparently very different in the U.S. and U.K. - is this appropriate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, R.S.; Young, J.D.

    1980-01-01

    We do not set out to provide answers but hope to stimulate discussion in those areas where we think that there could be a change in the role of the University in relation to the Nuclear Industry. The development of the U.S. and U.K. Nuclear Industries is briefly reviewed to illustrate differences in the funding, organisation and implementation of the research, design and construction, operation and regulation functions in the two countries. The centralised British scene contrasts strongly with the American one, and it is suggested that in limited but important technical areas there is scope for significantly closer association between the Industry and the Universities in the country. This would lead to a broader based national framework with which to meet the growing pressures for independent assessment, comment and advice. There are potential dangers in an indiscriminate or unbalanced association, and these are identified. (author)

  10. Building the universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutton, Christine

    1985-01-01

    The book 'In Building the Universe' contains a collection of articles from the magazine 'New Scientist', compiled and edited to provide an overview of the field of particle physics. A picture of the basic constituents of matter (quarks and leptons) is given, together with the four fundamental forces that hold them together. The operation of these forces in the first instance of the hot young Universe is described. Also, the development of the accelerators and detectors used in elementary particle physics, is discussed. (UK)

  11. Engineering Careers in the UK: Still Not What Women Want?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodgkinson, Liz; Hamill, Les

    2006-01-01

    Of all professions, engineering is ranked near the bottom in the UK in terms of the proportion of female applicants for university places, so the engineering industry is missing out on some of the best young talent available. Despite initiatives to increase the number of women entering engineering, there has been little change over the last…

  12. Olympic and Paralympic Games: The Impact of Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Universities UK, 2012

    2012-01-01

    This report is published as part of Universities Week 2012. It includes research by Podium, the further and higher education unit for London 2012, about the level of engagement that universities have had in the 2012 Games. It demonstrates the diverse contribution that universities are making to the Games, their overall impact on the UK sports…

  13. Learning to listen. Institutional change and legitimation in UK radioactive waste policy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mackerron, G. [SPRU Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, Brighton (United Kingdom); Berkhout, F. [Institute for Environmental Studies IVM, VU University, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2009-04-15

    Over the course of 50 years, UK radioactive waste policy change has been coupled with institutional change, without much progress towards the ultimate goal of safe, long-term stewardship of wastes. We explain this history as a search for legitimacy against a shifting context of legitimation needs and deficits. Following Habermas, we argue that legitimation is derived from a process of justificatory discourse. In principle, there must be a reasonable exchange of arguments between diverse parties in society, based on common norms, for legitimacy to be achieved. We show that the work of legitimation in UK radioactive waste policy has moved from a focus on factual validity claims towards an increasing emphasis on deliberative processes. This reframing of legitimation needs explains institutional and policy changes in UK radioactive waste policy. The most recent phase of policy and institutional change, which placed public deliberation about long-term management and disposal options centre-stage, represents a new step towards bridging legitimation deficits. Plans to build new nuclear reactors in the UK based on a more closed 'streamlined' decision process risk reversing the legitimacy gains that have been achieved through growing openness on radioactive waste management.

  14. ELECTRONIC MEDIA LEARNING MATERIALS OF INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, INDIA: An Analytical Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manoj Roy. V.

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The establishment of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU in 1985 has been a milestone in the growth of higher education in India. A very special feature of the University is that a composite of several instructional methods in practice are aimed at giving effective support to distance learners. Self-instructional print materials are the mainstay of the courseware. Besides this, at the support centres, the learners attend a few face-to-face counselling sessions and get access to audio-video materials stocked in the library. Gyandarshan and Gyanvani, the educational television and radio channels broadcast programmes with academic content. The curriculum-based audio-video programmes developed by the University are supplementary in nature. This blending of traditional printed self-learning materials with electronic courseware is a conscious decision of the University which is intended to enhance the quality and effectiveness of learning. Over the years, audio and video cassettes have made way for digital compact discs. Resultant development in information and communication technology heralded virtual campus initiatives of IGNOU, conspicuous among them being the creation of eGyanKosh, the digital repository of the learning materials of IGNOU. Nevertheless, majority of the academic programmes are not being provided audio video supports. The paper analyses the application of electronic media in IGNOU’s course delivery platform.

  15. Chinese Postgraduate Choices When Considering a UK Business and Management Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manns, Yihan; Swift, Jonathan

    2016-01-01

    This research investigated Chinese students' decision making processes for enrolling on a postgraduate taught business and management programme in a UK university, based on structured interviews, followed by a survey of just over 450 respondents. The validity and reliability of the research instrument were assessed prior to issuing the survey.…

  16. Work Stressors, Health and Sense of Coherence in UK Academic Employees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinman, Gail

    2008-01-01

    This cross-sectional study examined relationships between job-specific stressors and psychological and physical health symptoms in academic employees working in UK universities. The study also tests the main and moderating role played by sense of coherence (SOC: Antonovsky, 1987 in work stress process). SOC is described as a generalised resistance…

  17. ONLINE SERVICES FOR 'OPEN' COOPERATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Manzhula

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available In this article the basic stages of creating open educational resources were defined (creation, storing, protection, publication, social assessment, search of creative partners, forming a culture of social exchange and collaboration, as well as analysis of tools for such type of creative activity was made, following free online service were described: Google docs, Google Drive, Yandex Disc, Creative Commons, Innovative Teachers Net. The intensity of ICT and open educational resources use, general attitude and position toward open educational resources among teachers were analyzed.

  18. Managing the Tensions between Maintaining Academic Standards and the Commercial Imperative in a UK Private Sector Higher Education Institution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitcher, Graham Simons

    2013-01-01

    In a changing landscape of higher education, universities have been moving towards a market-led approach to strategic management. This paper examines the case of a UK private sector education provider that gained degree-awarding powers following changes made in 2004 by the UK Government to the accreditation criteria for recognised degree-awarding…

  19. Funding bombshell hits UK physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, Michael; Durrani, Matin

    2008-01-01

    Physicists and astronomers in the UK are coming to terms with a massive funding crisis that engulfed one of the country's main funding agencies last month. As a result of an £80m black hole in the budget of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), it has decided to stop funding research into the International Linear Collider (ILC), withdraw from the Gemini telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, and cease all support for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and ground-based solar-terrestrial physics. Research grants in particle physics and astronomy could also be cut by up to 25%, which may lead to job losses at university departments.

  20. Information needs and barriers to information sources by open and distance learners: A case of Mzuzu University, Malawi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Winner D. Chawinga

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: The Centre for Open and Distance Learning at Mzuzu University was established in 2006 with the aim to increase and broaden access to higher education to most Malawians who despite meeting entry requirements into higher education were not selected because of shortage of space on campus and other learning and teaching resources. Although Open and Distance Learning (ODL is hyped as a practical option for making higher education available to many people as widely reported in the literature, universities need to address several issues for it to hold its ground. Objectives: The study set out to investigate information needs and barriers to information sources by ODL students by addressing three objectives, namely information needs of ODL students, information sources of ODL students and challenges that ODL students face when seeking information for their courses of study. Method: A survey questionnaire with a mix of closed-ended and open-ended questions was distributed to 350 students to find out the information sources and challenges that the ODL students face when searching for information to accomplish their academic activities. Results: According to the findings, all 258 (100% students who answered the questionnaire need information to prepare for the end-of-semester examinations. Information sources that are used most by students include lecture notes, Internet and library books with scores of 238 (92.6%, 207 (80.5% and 199 (77.4%, respectively. Conclusion: ODL students have limited access to information materials for accomplishing their academic activities and Mzuzu University can resolve this challenge by introducing satellite information centres in the three geographical regions of Malawi.

  1. Opening remarks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Southwood, Richard

    1987-01-01

    General opening remarks to a conference on the effects of low-level radiation on man, exploring particularly areas where disagreements have most frequently been voiced. The author comments on two approaches: a) the study, stepwise of putative cause and effect chains, using models which are tested by comparing calculated and observed effects. b) the epidemiological approach by extensive correlative study of cause, correlations and effect. Attention is drawn to the confidence to be accorded to any quantitative theory supported by both approaches, and the need for further analysis if the approaches give different indications. (U.K.)

  2. Open-Access-Kooperationen in Österreich: Open Access Network Austria und E-Infrastructures Austria – aktuelle Entwicklungen seit 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bauer, Bruno

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available [english] The Berlin Declaration on Open Access to scientific knowledge was published in October 2003. All over the world initiatives and projects were started. However, in Austria Open Access got little attention over many years. This was confirmed by a study among Austrian universities on behalf of the Council of Austrian University Libraries. Finally at the turn of the year 2012/2013 the Open Access Network Austria and the university infrastructure project E-Infrastructure Austria were started to push Open Access in Austria on a national level. So 10 years after the Berlin Declaration Austria set up the preconditions to establish sustainable Open Access.

  3. The CT Scanner Facility at Stellenbosch University: An open access X-ray computed tomography laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    du Plessis, Anton; le Roux, Stephan Gerhard; Guelpa, Anina

    2016-10-01

    The Stellenbosch University CT Scanner Facility is an open access laboratory providing non-destructive X-ray computed tomography (CT) and a high performance image analysis services as part of the Central Analytical Facilities (CAF) of the university. Based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, this facility offers open access to the general user community, including local researchers, companies and also remote users (both local and international, via sample shipment and data transfer). The laboratory hosts two CT instruments, i.e. a micro-CT system, as well as a nano-CT system. A workstation-based Image Analysis Centre is equipped with numerous computers with data analysis software packages, which are to the disposal of the facility users, along with expert supervision, if required. All research disciplines are accommodated at the X-ray CT laboratory, provided that non-destructive analysis will be beneficial. During its first four years, the facility has accommodated more than 400 unique users (33 in 2012; 86 in 2013; 154 in 2014; 140 in 2015; 75 in first half of 2016), with diverse industrial and research applications using X-ray CT as means. This paper summarises the existence of the laboratory's first four years by way of selected examples, both from published and unpublished projects. In the process a detailed description of the capabilities and facilities available to users is presented.

  4. The CT Scanner Facility at Stellenbosch University: An open access X-ray computed tomography laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Plessis, Anton du, E-mail: anton2@sun.ac.za [CT Scanner Facility, Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch (South Africa); Physics Department, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch (South Africa); Roux, Stephan Gerhard le, E-mail: lerouxsg@sun.ac.za [CT Scanner Facility, Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch (South Africa); Guelpa, Anina, E-mail: aninag@sun.ac.za [CT Scanner Facility, Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch (South Africa)

    2016-10-01

    The Stellenbosch University CT Scanner Facility is an open access laboratory providing non-destructive X-ray computed tomography (CT) and a high performance image analysis services as part of the Central Analytical Facilities (CAF) of the university. Based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, this facility offers open access to the general user community, including local researchers, companies and also remote users (both local and international, via sample shipment and data transfer). The laboratory hosts two CT instruments, i.e. a micro-CT system, as well as a nano-CT system. A workstation-based Image Analysis Centre is equipped with numerous computers with data analysis software packages, which are to the disposal of the facility users, along with expert supervision, if required. All research disciplines are accommodated at the X-ray CT laboratory, provided that non-destructive analysis will be beneficial. During its first four years, the facility has accommodated more than 400 unique users (33 in 2012; 86 in 2013; 154 in 2014; 140 in 2015; 75 in first half of 2016), with diverse industrial and research applications using X-ray CT as means. This paper summarises the existence of the laboratory’s first four years by way of selected examples, both from published and unpublished projects. In the process a detailed description of the capabilities and facilities available to users is presented.

  5. Stem cell research funding policies and dynamic innovation: a survey of open access and commercialization requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lévesque, Maroussia; Kim, Jihyun Rosel; Isasi, Rosario; Knoppers, Bartha Maria; Plomer, Aurora; Joly, Yann

    2014-08-01

    This article compares and contrasts the pressures of both open access data sharing and commercialization policies in the context of publicly funded embryonic stem cell research (SCR). First, normative guidelines of international SCR organizations were examined. We then examined SCR funding guidelines and the project evaluation criteria of major funding organizations in the EU, the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, Canada and the United States. Our survey of policies revealed subtle pressures to commercialize research that include: increased funding availability for commercialization opportunities, assistance for obtaining intellectual property rights (IPRs) and legislation mandating commercialization. In lieu of open access models, funders are increasingly opting for limited sharing models or "protected commons" models that make the research available to researchers within the same region or those receiving the same funding. Meanwhile, there still is need for funding agencies to clarify and standardize terms such as "non-profit organizations" and "for-profit research," as more universities are pursuing for-profit or commercial opportunities.

  6. Wind energy - current status in the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindley, D.

    1995-01-01

    Twenty two windfarms are operational or are under construction in the U.K. They have a total installed capacity of approximately 140 MW and will generate about 360 GWh in a full year and provide the electricity needs of about 250 000 individuals and save the emission of about 400 000 tonnes of CO 2 each year. Developments so far have required an investment of about Pound 140 million provided mostly by banks and large corporate investors. Financing these projects has broken new ground for renewable technologies and established a framework for the financing of windfarms built using future NFFO contracts. Obtaining planning consents for these windfarms has involved thirteen public inquiries, eight of which have been successful. Four of these remain unused and the result of another is awaited. Statutory and other bodies have responded to the rapid deployment of windfarms by issuing guidelines and these together with Public Inquiry documentation now provide invaluable guidance for the industry. The U.K. market is arguably the most 'open' in Europe and Danish Wind Turbine manufacturers have gained over 50 per cent of the total market. A Japanese manufacturer has gained 25 per cent whilst the major U.K. turbine supplier has gained 17 per cent market share. There are still over thirty manufacturers worldwide and signs that a combination of innovation and market pressures are continuing to reduce the costs of wind energy. (author)

  7. Climate change and the UK house building sector: perceptions, impacts and adaptive capacity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hertin, J.; Berkhout, F.; Gann, D.; Barlow, J.

    2003-01-01

    This paper explores how climate change could affect the UK house-building sector, focusing on the question of how companies can adapt to changing climatic conditions. It presents the results of in-depth interviews in five house-building companies in the UK. We start from the assumption that climate change is only one driver among many, including technological innovation, shifting consumer expectations and changing regulation, that the industry faces. This approach draws on insights that are well established in the management and innovation literatures, but have often been neglected in studies of climate change. We report research about the perceptions of house builders about future impacts of climate change, potential adaptation measures that may be open to them and their ability to carry out these measures. The paper draws conclusions about the challenges that climate change presents to the UK house building industry. (author)

  8. University Community Engagement and the Strategic Planning Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Newton Miller

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract  Objectives – To understand how university libraries are engaging with the university community (students, faculty, campus partners, and administration when working through the strategic planning process.  Methods – Literature review and exploratory open-ended survey to members of CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians, CARL (Canadian Association of Research Libraries, CONZUL (Council of New Zealand University Librarians, and RLUK (Research Libraries UK who are most directly involved in the strategic planning process at their library.  Results – Out of a potential 113 participants from 4 countries, 31 people (27% replied to the survey. Libraries most often mentioned the use of regularly-scheduled surveys to inform their strategic planning, which helps to truncate the process for some respondents, as opposed to conducting user feedback specifically for the strategic planning process. Other quantitative methods include customer intelligence and library-produced data. Qualitative methods include the use of focus groups, interviews, and user experience/design techniques to help inform the strategic plan. The focus of questions to users tended to fall towards user-focused (with or without library lens, library-focused, trends and vision, and feedback on plan.  Conclusions – Combining both quantitative and qualitative methods can help give a fuller picture for librarians working on a strategic plan. Having the university community join the conversation on how the library moves forward is an important but difficult endeavour.  Regardless, the university library needs to be adaptive to the rapidly changing environment around it. Having a sense of how other libraries engage with the university community benefits others who are tasked with strategic planning.

  9. Revenue Sharing: An Assessment of Current Policies at UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gazzard, James; Brown, Sarah A.

    2012-01-01

    The transfer of academic technologies to industry is an important process underpinning innovation and economic development. Various approaches have been adopted by universities to encourage academics to participate in commercial activities. Many have implemented revenue sharing policies, through which the revenues generated from university-owned…

  10. Open innovation in the power & energy sector: Bringing together government policies, companies’ interests, and academic essence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greco, Marco; Locatelli, Giorgio; Lisi, Stefano

    2017-01-01

    The Power and Energy (P&E) sector needs to respond to several challenges fostering investments in research and development. According to the Open Innovation (OI) paradigm, key stakeholders like utilities, vendors, laboratories, universities etc. should take advantage of external knowledge to improve their innovation performance. Several studies have demonstrated that firms adopting the OI paradigm are more likely to innovate. Despite the interest of P&E firms in enhancing their innovation capabilities, surprisingly few articles (usually case studies) described the implementation of the OI paradigm in P&E firms. This article fills the gap by identifying the key drivers that encourage a firm in the P&E sector to embrace the OI paradigm. The authors adopt a hybrid research approach collecting evidence from the literature and through a multiple case-study analysis involving seven British firms and universities operating in the P&E industry. As the drivers of OI have mutual influence, this article describes them with a fuzzy cognitive map. Finally, the authors identify appropriated policies to enhance the OI adoption and, consequently, the sustainability of innovation in the P&E sector. A salient research agenda closes the paper. - Highlights: • Stakeholders are increasingly adopting the Open Innovation (OI) paradigm. • OI can enhance firms and universities innovation performance. • Few studies analyzed the OI implementation in the Power and Energy (P&E) sector. • We identify the factors encouraging the adoption of the OI paradigm in the P&E sector. • We show benefits of OI obtained by P&E firms, universities, and associates in the UK.

  11. INTERROGATING THE TEACHING AND LEARNING MODES IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF QUALITY EDUCATION: A Case Study of The Zimbabwe Open University; Department of Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wellington SAMKANGE,

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available There have been concerns about the teaching and learning modes in both conventional and Open and Distance Learning (ODL institutions globally. Such concerns emanate from issues of quality and standards in education. In view of such concerns, the study examined the teaching and learning modes in Open and Distance Learning (ODL. These were examined in relation to how they contribute to quality and standards within the the context of ODL. The study focused on the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU, an ODL university in Zimbabwe. It used the qualitative methodology and the case study design. A purposively selected sample of twenty students on the Bachelor of Education in Educational Management (BEDM programme, another twenty on the Masters of Education in Educational Management (MEDM programme and and thirty students on the teacher development programmes were selected from a population of one hundred and sixty two students in the Department of Education in Harare region. In total, the sample was made up of seventy students and fifteen tutors who were observed teaching. Data was collected through the use of interviews, open-ended questionnaires and analysis of documents. Data was collected from current students in the Faculty of Arts and Education in the Departments of Educational Studies and Teacher Development. Data was also collected through the evaluation instruments and other related documents used at ZOU. Furthermore, students evaluated the different teaching and learning modes used in the university. These included reading material, modules, tutors and tutorials. The study concluded that whilst students expressed satisfaction in areas such as the work and efforts of their tutors and the relevance of the courses to their jobs and promotion prospects, they were concerns about the non-availability of learning materials in some cases, the coverage of some topics in some modules and the language of instruction used by the tutors. The cases observed

  12. Approach to the open advanced facilities initiative for innovation (strategic use by industry) at the University of Tsukuba, Tandem Accelerator Complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasa, K.; Tagishi, Y.; Naramoto, H.; Kudo, H.; Kita, E.

    2010-01-01

    The University of Tsukuba, Tandem Accelerator Complex (UTTAC) possesses the 12UD Pelletron tandem accelerator and the 1 MV Tandetron accelerator for University's inter-department education research. We have actively advanced collaborative researches with other research institutes and industrial users. Since the Open Advanced Facilities Initiative for Innovation by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology started in 2007, 12 industrial experiments have been carried out at the UTTAC. This report describes efforts by University's accelerator facility to get industrial users. (author)

  13. Access under Siege: Are the Gains of Open Education Keeping Pace with the Growing Barriers to University Access?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olcott, Don, Jr.

    2013-01-01

    Traditional and affordable access to a university education is under siege from all sides. National realpolitiks and global economic downturns have driven open education into the mainstream to stand against educational elitism, the growing digital divide, and to support the core values that give education its fundamental credence as a human right.…

  14. PLAB and UK graduates’ performance on MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations: data linkage study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakeford, Richard

    2014-01-01

    Objectives To assess whether international medical graduates passing the two examinations set by the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB1 and PLAB2) of the General Medical Council (GMC) are equivalent to UK graduates at the end of the first foundation year of medical training (F1), as the GMC requires, and if not, to assess what changes in the PLAB pass marks might produce equivalence. Design Data linkage of GMC PLAB performance data with data from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners on performance of PLAB graduates and UK graduates at the MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations. Setting Doctors in training for internal medicine or general practice in the United Kingdom. Participants 7829, 5135, and 4387 PLAB graduates on their first attempt at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments from 2001 to 2012 compared with 18 532, 14 094, and 14 376 UK graduates taking the same assessments; 3160 PLAB1 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP AKT during 2007-12 compared with 14 235 UK graduates; and 1411 PLAB2 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP CSA during 2010-12 compared with 6935 UK graduates. Main outcome measures Performance at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments, and MRCGP AKT and CSA assessments in relation to performance on PLAB1 and PLAB2 assessments, as well as to International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. MRCP(UK), MRCGP, and PLAB results were analysed as marks relative to the pass mark at the first attempt. Results PLAB1 marks were a valid predictor of MRCP(UK) Part 1, MRCP(UK) Part 2, and MRCGP AKT (r=0.521, 0.390, and 0.490; all PIELTS scores correlated significantly with later performance, multiple regression showing that the effect of PLAB1 (β=0.496) was much stronger than the effect of IELTS (β=0.086). Changes to PLAB pass marks that would result in international medical graduate and UK medical graduate equivalence were assessed in two

  15. PLAB and UK graduates' performance on MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations: data linkage study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McManus, I C; Wakeford, Richard

    2014-04-17

    To assess whether international medical graduates passing the two examinations set by the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB1 and PLAB2) of the General Medical Council (GMC) are equivalent to UK graduates at the end of the first foundation year of medical training (F1), as the GMC requires, and if not, to assess what changes in the PLAB pass marks might produce equivalence. Data linkage of GMC PLAB performance data with data from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners on performance of PLAB graduates and UK graduates at the MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations. Doctors in training for internal medicine or general practice in the United Kingdom. 7829, 5135, and 4387 PLAB graduates on their first attempt at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments from 2001 to 2012 compared with 18,532, 14,094, and 14,376 UK graduates taking the same assessments; 3160 PLAB1 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP AKT during 2007-12 compared with 14,235 UK graduates; and 1411 PLAB2 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP CSA during 2010-12 compared with 6935 UK graduates. Performance at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments, and MRCGP AKT and CSA assessments in relation to performance on PLAB1 and PLAB2 assessments, as well as to International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. MRCP(UK), MRCGP, and PLAB results were analysed as marks relative to the pass mark at the first attempt. PLAB1 marks were a valid predictor of MRCP(UK) Part 1, MRCP(UK) Part 2, and MRCGP AKT (r=0.521, 0.390, and 0.490; all PIELTS scores correlated significantly with later performance, multiple regression showing that the effect of PLAB1 (β=0.496) was much stronger than the effect of IELTS (β=0.086). Changes to PLAB pass marks that would result in international medical graduate and UK medical graduate equivalence were assessed in two ways. Method 1 adjusted PLAB pass marks to equate median performance of PLAB

  16. An analysis of male cultural hegemony in senior management in UK academia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Bagilhole

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article examines how academia in the UK is created and perpetuated by men for men. It is based on three of the author’s research projects whose findings indicate patterns of discrimination in UK Higher Education (HE institutes. The research projects collected both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative research involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 80 academics, both women and men at all levels in the UK academic hierarchy. The quantitative research was undertaken via a website survey of the profiles of senior managers in UK HE institutes. The hypothesis is explored that an important mechanism for the continued narrow male-dominated senior management of HE is the disjuncture between formal and informal processes around university promotion. On the one hand, while transparent formal processes seek to locate promotions policies within Equal Opportunity (EO legislation, other important informal processes are opaque, if not invisible, e.g. definitions of merit, and ways of fostering career development. Rather, these latter rely on particular forms of self-promotion, promotion by certain influential others, and subjective interpretation of policies in a way that tends to marginalise women. It is argued that male cultural hegemony, in replicating itself, perpetuates structures and practices that are insular and designed to primarily benefit a narrow group of men in senior management. These tend to be predominantly, from the disciplines in the physical sciences or engineering where men predominate. It argues that women need to challenge these structures and processes to make universities more compatible with the aspirations of women in academia and to make them more successful institutionally.

  17. Opening stages of the marathon at the Maltings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1983-01-01

    In this report on the opening stages of the public inquiry into plans to build a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk based on the pressurised water reactor system, the opening address of Lord Silsoe QC and the evidence of J. Baker, R. Mathews and J. Wright, all appearing for the CEGB, are summarized. Arguments examined included, economy, siting, safety, diversification of fuel supplies, and the question of using renewable energy sources for alternative power generation. (U.K.)

  18. Practice in a dispersed professional community : a case study of associate lecturers at the Open University

    OpenAIRE

    Cox, Graham; Saunders, Murray

    2006-01-01

    This thesis examines in depth the work of four associate lecturers at the Open University. Given that they see colleagues infrequently, it explores how they resource their practice, in what has been termed a dispersed community that lacks the social interaction associated with more traditional lecturing. This research identifies what knowledge resources and professional practices are used, and what the relationships are between these and the process of occupational identity-building. It also ...

  19. Jorum: The UK’s national repository for open educational resources

    OpenAIRE

    Burke , Shiobhan; Egan, Louise

    2014-01-01

    Members of the Open Education Special Interest Group have collected a selection of short case studies on Open Education. View all of the case studies at http://repository.alt.ac.uk/view/divisions/CaseStudies/ Jorum: The UK’s national repository for open educational resources: With a collection of over 15,000 free resources, which is growing daily, Jorum can offer those who teach in FE or HE the chance to find and share resources from a broad range of topics to enhance teaching and save ti...

  20. UK-trained junior doctors' intentions to work in UK medicine: questionnaire surveys, three years after graduation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surman, Geraldine; Goldacre, Michael J; Lambert, Trevor W

    2017-12-01

    Objective To report on the career intentions, three years after qualification, of 12 national cohorts of UK-trained doctors who qualified between 1974 and 2012, and, specifically, to compare recent UK medical graduates' intentions to work in medicine in the UK with earlier graduates. Design Questionnaire surveys of cohorts of UK medical graduates defined by year of graduation. Setting UK. Participants 30,272 UK medical graduates. Main outcome measures Stated level of intention to pursue a long-term career in medicine in the UK. Results The response rate was 62% (30,272/48,927). We examined responses to the question ' Apart from temporary visits abroad, do you intend to practise medicine in the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future?' Of doctors from UK homes, 90% had specified that they would 'definitely or probably' practise medicine in the UK in the surveys of 1977-1986, 81% in 1996-2011 and 64% in 2015. Those who said that they would probably or definitely not practise medicine in the UK comprised 5% in 1977-1986, 8% in 1996-2011 and 15% in 2015. Most who were not definite about a future career in UK medicine indicated that they would wish to practise medicine outside the UK rather than to leave medicine. Conclusions The wish to remain in UK medical practice in the 2015 survey was unprecedentedly low in this unique series of 40 years of surveys.

  1. An evaluation of a Books on Prescription scheme in a UK public library authority.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furness, Rebecca; Casselden, Biddy

    2012-12-01

    This article discusses an evaluation of a Books on Prescription (BOP) scheme in a UK public library authority. The research was carried out by Rebecca Furness and submitted as a dissertation for the MSc Information and Library Management to Northumbria University. The dissertation was supervised by Biddy Casselden at Northumbria University and was awarded a distinction. The dissertation identified areas for development for BOP schemes and made specific recommendations that could make the schemes more accessible, enabling significant numbers of people to lead more fulfilling lives. Because this study focuses on mental health and the role that UK public libraries have in supporting well-being, it is a good illustration of the wide-ranging nature of subjects welcomed for the Dissertations into practice feature. © 2012 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2012 Health Libraries Group.

  2. Experiencing ERASMUS: Reflections on Integrating Polish Psychology Students onto a Year of a Degree in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercer, Jenny

    2011-01-01

    The European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) supports students to pursue temporary periods of study in other European universities. During the academic year 2007/08 the UK received 15, 975 ERASMUS students. Although much research exists about the experiences of international students less attention has…

  3. Open-Heart surgery and cerebrovascular accident: retrospective study at King Khalid University Hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Satli, R.A.; Takrouri, Mohammad S.M.; Al-Daif, A.; Fouda, Mohamed N.; Maher, S.; Al-Khwsky, F.

    2000-01-01

    Stroke after coronary by-pass grafting (CABG) is often disabling. The incidence of ischemic stroke may approach 3% to 5%. Several risk factors have been identified including previous history of stroke, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, and postoperative atrial fibrillation. Objective was to determine the incidence and risk factors of neurological deficit after open heart surgery. Retrospective study was done during the period 1992-1995 at the King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There were 350 patients who were subjected to (CABG), 10 patients (2.8%) found to suffer from cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) following open-heart surgery. In 8 patients, the complaint lasted more than 24 hours (stroke), while 2 patients developed transient ischemic attacks (TIA). Five factors were found to be associated with increased risk of post cardiac surgery CVA. These factors are postoperative atrial fibrillation, carotid bruit, past history of heart failure, past history of CVA and smoking. The authors concluded that it is necessary to start a prospective study to verify the area of improvement with regards to technique, selection of patients and mode of perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) Arabia. (author)

  4. The UK-SEA-ME Psychosocial-Cultural Cancer Research Network: setting the stage for applied qualitative research on cancer health behaviour in southeast Asia and the Middle East.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jennifer N W

    2011-01-01

    Psychosocial and cultural factors influencing cancer health behaviour have not been systematically investigated outside the western culture, and qualitative research is the best approach for this type of social research. The research methods employed to study health problems in Asia predominantly are quantitative techniques. The set up of the first psychosocial cancer research network in Asia marks the beginning of a collaboration to promote and spearhead applied qualitative healthcare research in cancer in the UK, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. This paper sets out the rationale, objectives and mission for the UK-SEA-ME Psychosocial-Cultural Cancer Research Network. The UK-SEA-ME network is made up of collaborators from the University of Leeds (UK), the University of Malaya (Malaysia), the National University of Singapore (Singapore) and the University of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The network promotes applied qualitative research to investigate the psychosocial and cultural factors influencing delayed and late presentation and diagnosis for cancer (breast cancer) in partner countries, as well as advocating the use of the mixed-methods research approach. The network also offers knowledge transfer for capacity building within network universities. The mission of the network is to improve public awareness about the importance of early management and prevention of cancer through research in Asia.

  5. Editorial - Open Access and accessing openness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yngve Nordkvelle

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Seminar.net enters it’s fourth year, and has reached a state of maturity in a number of meanings: it receives manuscripts from all continents, the articles are read from 134 countries, of which India represents the highest number of readers, a number of articles have been read by more than 10 000 interested persons, and the frequency of issues is now three per year, and will reach four by next year. Interested parties now approach us in order to learn about our policies and practices.It takes time to become established and influential in the sense that articles are cited and referred to in prestigious publications. Still, the most prestigious publications are on paper. Many countries now embark on a policy that rewards researchers that publish in international journals, preferably in English. National languages are rendered less significant. In the UK, the research assessment exercise (RAE, and several other countries with a publication or citation based reward system in research, tend to favour quantitative dimensions at the expense of the quality of the publication. International publishing houses are huge profit-making companies that over years have increased their profit rates, charging increasingly economically pressured higher education institution with high subscription rates. With the advent of electronic publishing their position is severely challenged. It has been noted that the most significant publication of the last couple of decades was an electronic publication: Tim Berners Lee published the protocol for the World Wide Web in 1990. It was never refereed, nor was controlled by appointed gatekeepers of the “establishment”. The number of Open Access publications is rising every day, and the number of e-journals for academic publishing is reaching higher and higher numbers. In a recent case The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University decided, that Harvard employees must publish all their material simultaneously on the

  6. Differences in the sodium content of bread products in the USA and UK: implications for policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coyne, Kasey J; Baldridge, Abigail S; Huffman, Mark D; Jenner, Katharine; Xavier, Dagan; Dunford, Elizabeth K

    2018-02-01

    Americans consume Na in excess of daily recommendations. Most dietary Na comes from packaged foods, and bread is a major contributor. In the UK, national Na reduction strategies contributed to lower Na levels in packaged foods and lower population Na intake. Similar initiatives are emerging in the USA and require surveillance to assess effectiveness. We aimed to examine Na levels in bread products in the USA and compare levels with similar UK products. Na data for bread products were obtained from the US Label Insight Open Data Initiative (n 4466) and the FoodSwitch UK database (n 1651). Mean, median and range of Na content, and proportion of products meeting Na targets established by the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) and the UK Department of Health (DH) were calculated overall, by bread type and by country. Mean (sd) Na content in bread was 455 (170) mg/100 g in the USA and 406 (179) mg/100 g in the UK. In both countries, savoury bread had the highest mean Na (USA=584 mg/100 g, UK=543 mg/100 g) and fruit bread the lowest mean Na (USA=345 mg/100 g, UK=277 mg/100 g). Na content of US bread products was 12 % higher than in the UK, with 21 % of US bread products and 31 % of UK bread products meeting the NSRI and DH targets, respectively. US bread products have, on average, 12 % more Na than similar products in the UK. Variation in Na content within product categories, and between countries, suggests the feasibility of manufacturing products with lower Na to lower dietary Na intake.

  7. Rate coefficients of open shell molecules and radicals: R-matrix ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2017-04-07

    Apr 7, 2017 ... Rate coefficients of open shell molecules and radicals: R-matrix method. JASMEET SINGH1 ... lasers, study of structure of DNA and astrophysics which require a ..... [6] CCPForge, http://ccpforge.cse.rl.ac.uk/projects/ukrmol-in/.

  8. Norway slowly opens up to speed oil development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoltenberg, J.

    1994-01-01

    The Norwegian government continues to hold large stakes in companies producing petroleum from fields on its Continental Shelf. In this article, the Norwegian Minister for Industry and Energy defends this position and discusses tax, oil company inventives and the opening of new areas of the Norwegian shelf for exploration. (UK)

  9. Open access for REF2020

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon Kerridge

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Open access (OA may have been the ‘big thing’ in 2013 but the OA juggernaut is still rolling and plans are now afoot for the requirements for the ‘next REF’ (which from now on we will refer to as REF2020. In 2013, on behalf of the four UK Funding Councils, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE undertook a two-stage consultation exercise on open access requirements for articles submitted to REF2020. There are a number of nuances and caveats to the current proposals. This article will reflect on what the probable rules might be, and their implications for research managers, administrators and institutional repository managers alike.

  10. Using choice architecture to exploit a university Distinct Urban Mine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierron, Xavier; Williams, Ian D; Shaw, Peter J; Cleaver, Victoria

    2017-10-01

    There are widespread concerns regarding the potential future scarcity of ferrous and non-ferrous materials. However, there are already potentially rich reserves of secondary materials via high ownership of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in economically-developed nations. Young people are particularly high consumers of EEE, thus university students and campuses may present an opportunity to harness this potential. University Distinct Urban Mines (DUM) may be used to exemplify how potential reserves of secondary metals may be exploited, and could contribute to the transition from a linear to a circular economy. This study aimed to evaluate small household appliances (SHA) DUM from a UK university, with the objectives to identify and quantify student households' SHA ownership, WEEE recycling, stockpiling and discarding habits amongst student households, assess and evaluate the monetary potential of SHA DUM at UK level, and propose methods to exploit DUM for universities in the UK. To this purpose, a quantitative survey was undertaken to measure students' ownership and discarding behaviour with respect to SHA. The amounts of ferrous and non-ferrous materials were then estimated and converted to monetary values from secondary materials market data to appraise the SHA DUM overall value. Thirty-five per cent of SHA are discarded in the general refuse. Broken personal care appliances (PCA) tend to be discarded due to hygiene and small size factors. When in working order, SHA tend to be equally reused, recycled or stockpiled. We conclude that a total of 189 tonnes of ferrous and non-ferrous materials were available via discarding or being stockpiled at the University of Southampton. Extrapolated to UK higher education level, discarded and stockpiled SHA represent a potential worth ∼USD 11 million. To initiate DUM exploitation within Higher Education campuses, we suggest improving users' choice architecture by providing collection methods specific to broken SHA

  11. Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory based on unrestricted Kohn-Sham orbitals for high-spin open-shell van der Waals complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hapka, Michał; Żuchowski, Piotr S; Szczęśniak, Małgorzata M; Chałasiński, Grzegorz

    2012-10-28

    Two open-shell formulations of the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory are presented. They are based on the spin-unrestricted Kohn-Sham (SAPT(UKS)) and unrestricted Hartree-Fock (SAPT(UHF)) descriptions of the monomers, respectively. The key reason behind development of SAPT(UKS) is that it is more compatible with density functional theory (DFT) compared to the previous formulation of open-shell SAPT based on spin-restricted Kohn-Sham method of Żuchowski et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 129, 084101 (2008)]. The performance of SAPT(UKS) and SAPT(UHF) is tested for the following open-shell van der Waals complexes: He···NH, H(2)O···HO(2), He···OH, Ar···OH, Ar···NO. The results show an excellent agreement between SAPT(UKS) and SAPT(ROKS). Furthermore, for the first time SAPT based on DFT is shown to be suitable for the treatment of interactions involving Π-state radicals (He···OH, Ar···OH, Ar···NO). In the interactions of transition metal dimers ((3)Σ(u)(+))Au(2) and ((13)Σ(g)(+))Cr(2) we show that SAPT is incompatible with the use of effective core potentials. The interaction energies of both systems expressed instead as supermolecular UHF interaction plus dispersion from SAPT(UKS) result in reasonably accurate potential curves.

  12. Privatising the Public University: The Case of Law

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, Margaret

    2011-01-01

    "Privatising the Public University: The Case of Law" is the first full-length critical study examining the impact of the dramatic reforms that have swept through universities over the last two decades. Drawing on extensive research and interviews in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, Margaret Thornton considers the impact of the…

  13. Entries for the UK Business Plan Competition 2003

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    PPARC is supporting the Research Councils' Business Plan Competition 2003, for which outline (one page) entries should be submitted by 31.1.03. The competition is open to CERN staff and visiting academics from UK establishments. The main condition on entry for CERN staff is that there should be intent to commercialise the technology in the UK. Postgraduates, postdocs and academic staff who have a business idea arising from their research and want to develop this further are encouraged to participate. There is a £25,000 first prize and advice and training along the way. The first step is simple - just prepare a one page summary of your business idea - without giving away any potential business secrets and fill in your details on the short application form. The training element will provide a comprehensive coverage on the issues you need to know about with case studies and special sessions on specific issues of relevance to different research areas. Staff from CERN EP division submitted an entry last year, w...

  14. The Use of Facebook to Build a Community for Distance Learning Students: A Case Study from the Open University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callaghan, George; Fribbance, Ian

    2016-01-01

    Social media platforms such as Facebook are commonplace throughout society. However, within higher education institutions such networking environments are still in the developmental stage. This paper describes and discusses case study data from the Open University's Faculty of Social Science Facebook page. It starts by giving an overview of the…

  15. Open Education: Strategic and organisational challenges

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stracke, Christian M.

    2017-01-01

    Open Education: Strategic and organisational challenges. Presentation at Open Education Week, Welten Institute, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands. Held by Stracke, C. M. (2016, 11 March).

  16. Comparisons in the Organisation, Methods, and Results of the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (Spain) and The Open University of The United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Arthur

    The organization, methods, and outcomes of the distance education systems at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) in Spain and The Open University of the United Kingdom are compared. The following topics are covered: higher education in Spain, UNED's ideology, student characteristics in both universities, organization,…

  17. Some observations in university participation in nuclear engineering research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eickhoff, K.G.; Hill, K.M.

    1980-01-01

    A general discussion is presented on the kinds of problem which with suitable co-ordination would form appropriate topics for university research. R and D work can be done in-house, or with an industrial contractor, or with a university or polytechnic. The criteria are examined. Involvement by universities and polytechnics, and topics and location, are considered further. (U.K.)

  18. Organisational structure of liver transplantation in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuberger, James

    2015-07-01

    This review aims to outline the delivery of liver transplant services in the UK. Liver transplantation in the UK is based on seven designated transplant units serving a population of just over 60 million people. Nearly 900 liver transplants were done in 2013/2014. Potential deceased donors are identified and referred to centrally employed specialist nurses for obtaining family consent and for donor characterisation. Organs are retrieved by a National Organ Retrieval Service, based on seven abdominal and six cardiothoracic retrieval teams providing a 24/7 service which has shown to be capable of retrieving organs from up to ten donors a day. Donated organs are allocated first nationally to those who qualify for super-urgent listing. The next priority is for splitting livers, and if there is no suitable recipient or the liver is not suitable for splitting, then livers are offered first to the local centre; each centre has a designated donor zone, adjusted annually to ensure equity between the number of patients listed and the number of donors. The allocation scheme is being reviewed, and national schemes based on need, utility and benefit are being assessed. Outcomes are monitored by National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), and if there is a possibility of adverse deviation, then further inquiries are made. Outcomes, both from listing and from transplantation, are published by the centre on the NHSBT website ( www.odt.nhs.uk ). NHSBT works closely with stakeholders primarily through the advisory groups with clinicians, patients, lay members and professional societies and aims to provide openness and transparency. The system for organ donation and delivery of liver transplant in the UK has developed and is now providing an effective and efficient service, but there remains room for improvement.

  19. Preventing excessive radon exposure in U.K. housing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miles, J.C.H.; Cliff, K.D.; Green, B.M.R.; Dixon, D.W.

    1992-01-01

    In the United Kingdom (UK) it has been recognized for some years that some members of the population received excessive radiation exposure in their homes from radon and its decay products. To prevent such exposures, an Action Level of 400 Bq m -3 was adopted in 1987. In January, 1990, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) advised that the Action Level should be reduced to 200 Bq m -3 , and this advice was accepted by the Government. It is estimated that exposures in up to 100,000 UK homes exceed this Action Level; this amounts to about 0.5% of the available housing. The UK authorities have developed a strategy for preventing such exposures: (1) Areas in which it is estimated that >1% of homes exceed the Action Level for radon are being designated as Affected Areas, and a program to map such areas is under way. Households in these areas are advised to have radon measurements made by NRPB under a open-quotes freeclose quotes (Government-funded) scheme. (2) Householders found to have whole-house, whole-year average radon concentrations >200 Bq m -3 are advised to take remedial action and are provided with information on how this can be done. Partial grants toward remedial work are available in cases of financial need. So far, around 3000 such households have been identified. (3) Within Affected Areas, localities are being defined where new homes must incorporate precautions against radon exposure. In addition to this strategy, a joint case-control study of the risks of radon in homes is being undertaken by the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and NRPB, supported by the UK Government and the Commission of the European Communities

  20. Regional Focus Editorial ~ Changing Faces of Open and Distance Learning in Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Insung Jung

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available It is no incident that IRRODL begins the year of 2007 with this regional focus edition on “Changing Faces of Open and Distance Learning in Asia.” Over the recent years, there has been tremendous growth and diversity in open and distance learning (ODL in Asia. With over 56 percent of the global population, Asia has over 70 universities that are dedicated to open access to education, including seven out of 11 of the world's mega universities (universities with over 100,000 active students in degree-level courses serving six million active students all together (Daniel, 1996. Quite a few distance teaching universities or programs such as the Bangladeshi Open University, the Hanoi Open University, the Open University Malaysia, and the Open and Distance Learning Program in Singapore, have been established since the 1990s and now provide tertiary level education to those seeking continuing education opportunities. Virtual universities are growing fast and, with 17 virtual universities in Korea alone! Many conventional, campus-based universities have started to offer e-Learning programs as well. For example, 67 e-Colleges have been established within conventional research universities in China.

  1. The Practice of a Quality Assurance System in Open and Distance Learning: A case study at Universitas Terbuka Indonesia (The Indonesia Open University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tian Belawati

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Quality assurance for distance higher education is one of the main concerns among institutions and stakeholders today. This paper examines the experiences of Universitas Terbuka (UT, which has initiated and implemented an innovative strategy of quality assurance (QA for continuous improvement. The credo of the UT quality assurance system is "We write what we do. We do what we write. We check. We improve continuously!" Implementing a quality management system at the UT, a mega-university with a student body of more than a quarter of a million and which involved a network of participating institutions and regional centres, was a formidable task to accomplish. To achieve its lofty goal, UT adopted and contextualised the draft of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU QA Framework to launch its own quality assurance program. This has taken a great deal of commitment and participation of all staff involved. QA at the UT required systematic and step-by-step processes, including development of the QA framework and job manuals, raising awareness and commitment amongst all staff involved, internal assessment, and integration of QA programs into the university's annual action plans, external assessment and benchmarking. This paper concludes that quality assurance must be developed as institutional policy and strategy for continuous improvement.

  2. Higher Education System and the "Open" Knowledge Transfer: A View from Perception of Senior Managers at University Knowledge Transfer Offices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharifi, Hossein; Liu, Weisheng; Ismail, Hossam S.

    2014-01-01

    Higher education institutions (HEIs) have become increasingly entrepreneurial. Such a shift is highly dependent on the managers of university knowledge transfer offices whose perceptions can be critical in this transformation. This study examines such senior managers' perceptions concerning the "open" paradigm in relation with the…

  3. Open Access to Content and Financial Innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Over the last twenty years the world has experienced significant growth in the supply of knowledge as a result of the advent of the Internet and there has been a drastic reduction in the cost of acquiring or constructing relevant information. This has meant that various industries, like banks, commerce and even the public management sector have undergone a reconfiguration process. Similarly, universities and the publishers of scientific periodicals need to reflect on their future. After all, who is prepared to pay for content that can be freely accessed? In the wake of the change in the technological paradigm that characterizes communication, and driven by financial crises, we find the topic of Financial Innovation (Lerner, 2006. But this topic was already on the agenda even before the Internet appeared on the scene (Miller, 1986. At the beginning of May 2013, when we started putting together the Journal of Financial Innovation (JoFI an article entitled “Free-for-all”, which was published in the important British publication, The Economist, discussed the growth of open access scientific journals. At the time the British magazine stressed the practice adopted in the UK, which established open access journals as being the destination for research results. In essence, what is intended is to constitute a quality publication route without readers or authors being burdened with high costs, an area that is still responsible for large portions of the billionaire publishing market around the world. 

  4. Opening up to gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryan, Orla

    1999-01-01

    This article focuses on the growing number of gas-fired generation projects in Eastern Europe, and the need for the different countries who wish to join the European Union to approximate their laws with EU legislation which requires the opening up of each member's gas market. Projects in Poland, Croatia, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are considered, and project financing, the financial backing provided by the European Bank for Restructuring and Development (EBRD), and the anticipated growth in gas are discussed. (uk)

  5. First Stages of Adult Students' Relationship to Scientific Knowing and Research in the Open University's Web-Based Methodology Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isosomppi, Leena; Maunula, Minna

    2016-01-01

    The adult students who participate in the web-based studies of the open university have in many ways heterogeneous starting points for studying and learning, for example, the educational backgrounds, the acquired work experience, the general academic skills and the objectives of the future can vary considerably. The adult students striving from…

  6. Beliefs about depression among the elderly in an Open University for Seniors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fábia Helena Muniz

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Concepts and attribution of cause of depression and its relationship withsociodemographics variables and physical and mental health were investigated among 35elderly (M = 66.9 years, SD = 5.73, 65.7% female participating in an Open University toSeniors. Data were collected by questionnaire about sociodemographics variables, perceivedhealth, depressive symptoms, concepts, causes and search for treatment for depression.Depression was defined as "behavioral symptoms" (37.7%, "Psychological status" (35.9%,"Physical illness" (18.9% and "Moral/psychological weakness" (7.5% and its causes assignedto the "Events psychosocial" (30.1%, "Personality" (25.4%, "Frustration" (20.6% and"Losses" (23.9%. The term "Behavioral Symptoms" was more prevalent among more youngerpeople and the attribution to "losses" among the worst health. Prevention and treatment musttake into account the beliefs of the elderly and include patient education.

  7. Perspectives from the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute: The Wildland Research institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    J. M. Bowker; H. Ken Cordell; Neelam C. Poudyal

    2014-01-01

    The Wildland Research Institute (WRi) at the University of Leeds (UK) came into being in October 2009. Its origins go back to a United Kingdom research councilfunded seminar series called Wilderness Britain? which ran between 1998 and 2000 and was coordinated from the University of Leeds. This opened up the wider debate on wilderness and rewilding in the UK and later...

  8. Visiting the neo-liberal university

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Asger

    2015-01-01

    dramatic controversy ever encountered at a Danish university, the Koldau case, which reached national newspaper headlines and broadcasting in two rounds in 2011 and 2012. In the fourth section, I will interpret the case as an educational controversy in light of two conflicting ideas of the modern...... university, which may be attributed to two leading Enlightenment figures, Wilhelm von Humboldt and Denis Diderot. The conclusion is that to some extent, the failure to resist the neo-liberal university reforms in Denmark and the UK, and the drama of the Koldau case, may be explained with reference...

  9. The organization of the Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkinson, D.

    1981-01-01

    In this introductory lecture of a series on the nature of matter the author establishes the range and scale of the particles and forces involved and considers the Universe in which they are found. Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and the weak forces and their possible unification in Grand Unified Theories are discussed. The origin of the Universe, the Big Bang model and the present observable Universe, its dimensions and the forces that shape it are considered. Present thinking is examined concerning the structure of the atom, sub-nuclear forces and the possible constituents of protons and the forces holding them together. (U.K.)

  10. Student Assessment of Quality of Access at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliet Obhajajie Inegbedion

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a study conducted by Inegbedion, Adu and Ofulue from the National Open University of Nigeria. The study focused on the quality of access (admission and registration at NOUN from a student perspective. A survey design was used for the study while a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the sample size. All the 78,555 registered students in all the 61 Study Centres of the University at the time of the study formed the population; out of which 3,060 students were sampled. The questionnaire instrument is the Institutional Internal QA Tools and Instrument developed by the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE as a regulatory mechanism. The data collected were analyzed using simple statistics. The result showed that 66% of the students confirmed that NOUN has published clear policies on the admission and registration of students. About 29.1% of the students were not satisfied with the transparency of the admission process. In conclusion, the study revealed high quality of access and some deficiencies in website and Internet connectivity.

  11. Massive Open Online Courses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs are a new addition to the open educational provision. They are offered mainly by prestigious universities on various commercial and non-commercial MOOC platforms allowing anyone who is interested to experience the world class teaching practiced in these universities. MOOCs have attracted wide interest from around the world. However, learner demographics in MOOCs suggest that some demographic groups are underrepresented. At present MOOCs seem to be better serving the continuous professional development sector.

  12. Citizen versus consumer: challenges in the UK green power market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batley, S.L.; Fleming, P.D.; Urwin, P.

    2001-01-01

    This paper investigates the potential advantages and disadvantages of green power products, as opposed to the traditional fossil fuel levy (which was the UK's chosen tax regime), as a means of developing renewable energy in the UK. Willingness to pay for electricity generated from renewables is investigated. Results indicate that willingness to pay varies with social status and income. However results demonstrate that there is a significant minority in full support of some sort of fiscal initiative. Electricity generated from renewables is a concept supported by the majority. However, given the stated willingness to pay it is unlikely that any new renewable capacity will result from green tariff schemes in the near term. It is concluded that the green citizen must continue to co-exist with the green power purchaser if the UK is to make any significant improvement in the contribution of renewable energy to electricity demand. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of Irene Lorenzoni and Jane Powell of the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia; Leicester Energy Efficiency Advice Centre; and Leicester Energy Agency. (author)

  13. Alcohol imagery on popularly viewed television in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Ailsa; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

    2014-09-01

    Exposure to alcohol consumption and product imagery in films is associated with increased alcohol consumption among young people, but the extent to which exposure also occurs through television is not clear. We have measured the occurrence of alcohol imagery in prime-time broadcasting on UK free-to-air television channels. Occurrence of alcohol imagery (actual use, implied use, brand appearances or other reference to alcohol) was measured in all broadcasting on the five most popular UK television stations between 6 and 10 p.m. during 3 weeks in 2010, by 1-min interval coding. Alcohol imagery occurred in over 40% of broadcasts, most commonly soap operas, feature films, sport and comedies, and was equally frequent before and after the 9 p.m. watershed. Brand appearances occurred in 21% of programmes, and over half of all sports programmes, a third of soap operas and comedies and a fifth of advertising/trailers. Three brands, Heineken, Budweiser and Carlsberg together accounted for ∼40% of all brand depictions. Young people are exposed to frequent alcohol imagery, including branding, in UK prime-time television. It is likely that this exposure has an important effect on alcohol consumption in young people. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health.

  14. Digital reporting by small private companies in the UK

    OpenAIRE

    Alkhatib, Esraa

    2016-01-01

    This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London. Abstract This thesis investigates the factors that affect the take-up of statutory digital reporting of statutory accounts and returns to the tax authority (HM Revenue and Customs) and voluntary digital reporting to the company registry (Companies House) by small private companies in the UK. In doing so, it identifies the costs and benefits of this innovation from the perspective...

  15. UK energy policy ambition and UK energy modelling-fit for purpose?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strachan, Neil

    2011-01-01

    Aiming to lead amongst other G20 countries, the UK government has classified the twin energy policy priorities of decarbonisation and security of supply as a 'centennial challenge'. This viewpoint discusses the UK's capacity for energy modelling and scenario building as a critical underpinning of iterative decision making to meet these policy ambitions. From a nadir, over the last decade UK modelling expertise has been steadily built up. However extreme challenges remain in the level and consistency of funding of core model teams - critical to ensure a full scope of energy model types and hence insights, and in developing new state-of-the-art models to address evolving uncertainties. Meeting this challenge will facilitate a broad scope of types and geographical scale of UK's analytical tools to responsively deliver the evidence base for a range of public and private sector decision makers, and ensure that the UK contributes to global efforts to advance the field of energy-economic modelling. - Research highlights: → Energy modelling capacity is a critical underpinning for iterative energy policy making. → Full scope of energy models and analytical approaches is required. → Extreme challenges remain in consistent and sustainable funding of energy modelling teams. → National governments that lead in global energy policy also need to invest in modelling capacity.

  16. Investigating the Difficulties and Problems Faced by the English Language Students of Al Quds Open University in Legal Translation Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Maher Mahmoud Al-Nakhalah

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Following experimental descriptive method, the paper explores the difficulties and problems faced by the English language students of Al Quds Open University in legal translation process; that is, while translating legal terms/documents from Arabic to English and from English to Arabic. A test was designed by the researcher in order to explore and investigate the difficulties and problems faced by the students. The test included four questions: 1 Translating English legal paragraph, 2 Translating Arabic legal paragraph, 3 Translating ten Arabic legal terms and 4 Translating ten English legal terms. The test was applied on the English language students of Al Quds Open University in Gaza Region in Palestine during the second course of the academic year 2010/2011. The samples of the study were chosen and selected randomly. Following suitable statistical methods, the paper offers the obtained results with critical discussion. Possible solutions, recommendations and suggestions to overcome these difficulties and problems also form important parts of the discussion in the paper.

  17. Open Government: A Tool for Democracy?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emiliana De Blasio

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The growing disconnection between citizens and decision-makers is pushing politics towards a re-shaping of institutional design. New spaces of political participation are sustained and even reinforced by communication, especially by digital communication. Governments and public administrations can find and use different models to facilitate citizens’ participation; e-government, open government and a specific design of digital democracy. In this respect, open government can constitute a way to re-connect citizens and political institutions, but at the same time, it can also be an “appealing” tool to institutionalize bottom-up participation and so anesthetizing it. The aim of this article is to present the first findings of an international research project about open government and participatory platforms in four European countries (France, Italy, Spain, the UK. The study tries to understand if participatory platforms can improve the quality of democracy, and if open government can contribute to democratizing democracy.

  18. The universe - present, past and future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Longair, M.S.

    1986-01-01

    This paper is the text of the Halley Lecture 1985 which was delivered on 21 May 1985 in Oxford. It addresses the major problems of contemporary cosmology. The Universe as understood to astronomers in 1985 is discussed, and this is compared with the observations of what happened in earlier epochs. Questions about the origin of galaxies and the Universe itself are raised. Although some guesses are made about the future of the Universe the main look at the future is about what astronomers want to do about the major problems facing them today. (UK)

  19. International Experience, Universities Support and Graduate Employability--Perceptions of Chinese International Students Studying in UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Rong; Turner, Rebecca

    2018-01-01

    Recent policy developments in English Higher Education have resulted in employability placed in the spotlight, whereby the success of universities will be measured based on graduate employment. This represents the latest focus placed on employability in the sector, as universities are increasingly expected to provide employment-ready graduates to…

  20. UK surplus source disposal programme - 16097

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    John, Gordon H.; Reeves, Nigel; Nisbet, Amy C.; Garnett, Andrew; Williams, Clive R.

    2009-01-01

    The UK Surplus Source Disposal Programme (SSDP), managed by the Environment Agency, was designed to remove redundant radioactive sources from the public domain. The UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was concerned that disused sources were being retained by hospitals, universities and businesses, posing a risk to public health and the environment. AMEC provided a range of technical and administrative services to support the SSDP. A questionnaire was issued to registered source holders and the submitted returns compiled to assess the scale of the project. A member of AMEC staff was seconded to the Environment Agency to provide technical support and liaise directly with source holders during funding applications, which would cover disposal costs. Funding for disposal of different sources was partially based on a sliding scale of risk as determined by the IAEA hazard categorisation system. This funding was also sector dependent. The SSDP was subsequently expanded to include the disposal of luminised aircraft instruments from aviation museums across the UK. These museums often hold significant radiological inventories, with many items being unused and in a poor state of repair. These instruments were fully characterised on site by assessing surface dose rate, dimensions, source integrity and potential contamination issues. Calculations using the Microshield computer code allowed gamma radiation measurements to be converted into total activity estimates for each source. More than 11,000 sources were disposed of under the programme from across the medical, industrial, museum and academic sectors. The total activity disposed of was more than 8.5 E+14 Bq, and the project was delivered under budget. (authors)

  1. Open innovation and serious gaming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westera, Wim

    2010-01-01

    Westera, W. (2010, 15 April). Open innovation and serious gaming. Workshop presentation and discussion with Hogeschool Zuyd, Communication and Multimedia Design, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University of the Netherlands.

  2. Middle Managers in UK Higher Education Conceptualising Experiences in Support of Reflective Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birds, Rachel

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines the role of reflexivity in supporting middle managers in understanding and facilitating large-scale change management projects in their organisations. Utilising an example from a UK university, it is argued that the development of a conceptual model to fit local circumstances enables deeper understanding and better informed…

  3. Exercise portrayal in children’s television programs: analysis of the UK and Irish programming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scully P

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Paul Scully,1 Orlaith Reid,1 Alan P Macken,1–3 Mark Healy,4 Jean Saunders,4 Des Leddin,3,5 Walter Cullen,3 Colum P Dunne,3 Clodagh S O’Gorman1–3,5 1The Children’s Ark, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, 2National Children’s Research Centre, Dublin, 3Centre for Interventions in Infection, Inflammation & Immunity (4i, Graduate Entry Medical School, 4C-Star, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland; 5Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada Background: Television watching is obesogenic due to its sedentary nature and programming content, which influences children. Few studies have examined exercise placement within children-specific programming. This study aimed to investigate the frequency and type of exercise placement in children-specific television broadcasts and to compare placements on the UK and Irish television channels.Methods: Content analysis for five weekdays’ worth of children-specific television broadcasting totaling 82.5 hours on both the UK (British Broadcasting Corporation and Irish (Radió Teilifís Éireann television channels was performed. For the purposes of comparing the UK and Irish placements, analysis was restricted to programming broadcast between 6 am and 11.30 am. Exercise placements were coded based on type of activity, activity context, activity motivating factors and outcome, and characters involved.Results: A total of 780 cues were recorded during the total recording period. A wide variety of sports were depicted, but dancing-related cues were most commonly seen (n=163, 23.3%, with the majority of cues being of mild (n=365, 65.9% or moderate (n=172, 31.0% intensity. The majority of cues were associated with a positive outcome (n=404, 61.4%, and social motivations were most commonly seen (n=289, 30.3%. The Irish and the UK portrayals were broadly similar.Conclusion: This study highlights the wide variety of sports portrayed and the active effort undertaken by television

  4. The teaching of high energy physics in British universities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barlow, R.

    1992-01-01

    An analysis is given of a survey of the teaching of high energy physics in British universities. The subject changes quickly, and there is a continual conflict between new and old material. Different courses may deal with this in different ways. To find out what is actually being taught to students, details were obtained from all 50 university physics departments in the United Kingdom (UK) by means of a questionnaire. This covered the course structure - whether it was optional or compulsory or contained both elements - the number of lectures given, and the topics covered in the syllabus. The replies give a comprehensive picture of the state of undergraduate teaching of high energy physics in the UK. (Author)

  5. Identity, Empathy and "Otherness": Asian Women, Education and Dowries in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhopal, Kalwant

    2009-01-01

    This article will examine Asian women's views on the practice of dowries in the UK. The research is based on 20 in-depth interviews with Asian women studying for a Social Sciences degree in a "new" (post-1992) university in the southeast of England. All of the interviews were tape-recorded and the data transcribed. The data was analysed…

  6. A content analysis of the UK press response to the diagnosis of Ebola in a British healthcare worker.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobbs, Constance; Myles, Puja; Pritchard, Catherine

    2017-12-01

    The Ebola epidemic led to considerable media attention, which may influence public risk perception. Therefore, this study analysed the UK press response following diagnosis of a British healthcare worker (HCW) with Ebola. Using the Nexis database, the frequency of Ebola-related articles in UK national newspaper articles was mapped. This was followed by a content analysis of Ebola-related articles in the four newspapers with highest UK net readership from November 2014 to February 2015. During the 16-week study period, 1349 articles were found. The day with the highest number of Ebola-related articles was 31 December 2014, the day after the diagnosis of Ebola in a UK HCW. Seventy-seven articles were included in the content analysis. Content analysis demonstrated a shift from West African to UK-focused articles, increased discussion of border control, UK policy decisions and criticism, and an increased number of articles with a reassuring/threatening message. UK press coverage of Ebola increased following a HCW's diagnosis, particularly regarding discussion of screening measures. This is likely to have increased risk perception of Ebola in the UK population and may have contributed to subsequent strengthening of UK screening policy beyond World Health Organisation requirements. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  7. Solar energy: a UK assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1976-01-01

    A panel convened by UK-ISES to analyze all aspects of solar energy systems and to assess the potential for solar energy utilization and research and development needs in the UK and for export is reported. Topics covered include: solar energy in relation to other energy sources; international solar energy research and development program; the physical nature of solar energy and its availability in the UK and other countries; thermal collection, storage, and low-temperature applications; solar energy and architecture; solar thermal power systems; solar cells; agricultural and biological systems; photochemical systems; social, legal, and political considerations with particular reference to the UK; and future policy on solar research and development for the UK. (WDM)

  8. ISAMBARD: an open-source computational environment for biomolecular analysis, modelling and design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Christopher W; Heal, Jack W; Thomson, Andrew R; Bartlett, Gail J; Ibarra, Amaurys Á; Brady, R Leo; Sessions, Richard B; Woolfson, Derek N

    2017-10-01

    The rational design of biomolecules is becoming a reality. However, further computational tools are needed to facilitate and accelerate this, and to make it accessible to more users. Here we introduce ISAMBARD, a tool for structural analysis, model building and rational design of biomolecules. ISAMBARD is open-source, modular, computationally scalable and intuitive to use. These features allow non-experts to explore biomolecular design in silico. ISAMBARD addresses a standing issue in protein design, namely, how to introduce backbone variability in a controlled manner. This is achieved through the generalization of tools for parametric modelling, describing the overall shape of proteins geometrically, and without input from experimentally determined structures. This will allow backbone conformations for entire folds and assemblies not observed in nature to be generated de novo, that is, to access the 'dark matter of protein-fold space'. We anticipate that ISAMBARD will find broad applications in biomolecular design, biotechnology and synthetic biology. A current stable build can be downloaded from the python package index (https://pypi.python.org/pypi/isambard/) with development builds available on GitHub (https://github.com/woolfson-group/) along with documentation, tutorial material and all the scripts used to generate the data described in this paper. d.n.woolfson@bristol.ac.uk or chris.wood@bristol.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  9. University and Research Libraries in Europe Working towards Open Access

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Ayris

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an overview of ways in which LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries and its members are working towards embedding Open Access approaches to the dissemination of research outputs. It does this in three ways — by looking at current debates in which LIBER has become interested, on the economics of Open Access; by highlighting new projects in which LIBER is engaged, to develop new models and services via Open Access; and by looking at a model of best practice amongst LIBER members for developing an institutional Open Access mandate. The paper ends by drawing conclusions about the vitality of the work of LIBER member libraries in the Open Access landscape.

  10. The UK High Power RF Faraday Partnership Industrial, Academia, and Public Collaboration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phelps, A.D.R.; Carter, R.G.; Clunie, D.; Bowater, S.P.; Ellis, D.; Gamble, D.; Large, T.; Lucas, W.; Pettit, C.; Poole, M. W.; Smith, H.; Smith, P.W.; Wilcox, D.M.

    2003-01-01

    The High Power Radio Frequency (HPRF) Faraday Partnership is a UK technology forum for all users, designers, developers and researchers of RF and microwave devices and systems. High power RF and microwave engineering are key enabling technologies in a wide range of industrial sectors. Formed in October 2001 and funded initially by the UK Department of Trade and Industry and the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, the purpose of the HPRF Faraday Partnership is the development of a vibrant research, development and manufacturing base capable of exploiting opportunities in high power radio-frequency engineering. The partnership includes the key UK industrial companies, research laboratories and university research groups. The number of partners is constantly growing and already numbers over thirty. The partnership provides the enabling technology for future high power RF systems and their power supplies through its research programme. It is training people for the sector through PhD studentships and employment as Research Associates. It is planned to develop a Masters Training program. Support and involvement in research for companies in the supply chain is provided through a Partnership Office, a web site and through a range of government funded research schemes. The HPRF Faraday Partnership is seeking to establish more long term international research and development collaborations

  11. Promoting Environmental Citizenship and Corporate Social Responsibility through a School/Industry/University Partnership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gebbels, Susan; Evans, Stewart M.; Delany, Jane E.

    2011-01-01

    A partnership was formed between King Edward VI School Morpeth (UK) and the pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharp and Dohme within the programme of "Joint Responsibility" operated by the Dove Marine Laboratory (Newcastle University, UK). Pupils surveyed an ecologically important coastal area in northeast England and made 15 recommendations…

  12. The low-frequency array (LOFAR): opening a new window on the universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassim, N. E.; Lazio, T. J. W.; Ray, P. S.; Crane, P. C.; Hicks, B. C.; Stewart, K. P.; Cohen, A. S.; Lane, W. M.

    2004-12-01

    We present an overview of the low-frequency array (LOFAR) that will open a window on one of the last and most poorly explored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. LOFAR will be a large (baselines up to 400 km), low-frequency (ν˜10-240MHz) aperture synthesis array with large collecting area ( ˜106m2 at 15MHz) and high resolution ( ˜1.5″ at 100 MHz), and will provide sub-mJy sensitivity across much of its operating range. LOFAR will be a powerful instrument for solar system and planetary science applications as reviewed by papers in this monogram. Key astrophysical science drivers include acceleration, turbulence, and propagation in the galactic interstellar medium, exploring the high red-shift universe and transient phenomena, as well as searching for the red-shifted signature of neutral hydrogen from the cosmologically important epoch of re-ionization.

  13. "Should I Stay or Should I Go?": Dilemmas and Decisions among UK Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Harriet

    2017-01-01

    There is increasing concern about high rates of dropout from universities, especially among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the UK this is related to recent changes in higher education policy, especially the imposition of a higher fees regime and the uncapping of student numbers. While recent research has explored the demography of…

  14. Enacs Survey of Southern Galaxies Indicates Open Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-02-01

    New Light on Rich Clusters of Galaxies and their Formation History In the context of a comprehensive Key-Programme , carried out with telescopes at the ESO La Silla Observatory, a team of European astronomers [1]. has recently obtained radial velocities for more than 5600 galaxies in about 100 rich clusters of galaxies. With this programme the amount of information about the motions of galaxies (the kinematical data) in such clusters has almost been doubled. This has allowed the team to study the distribution of the cluster masses, and also the dynamical state of clusters in new and interesting ways. An important result of this programme is that the derived masses of the investigated clusters of galaxies indicate that the mean density of the Universe is insufficient to halt the current expansion; we may therefore be living in an open Universe that will expand forever. Clusters of galaxies as tracers of large-scale structure About 40 years ago, American astronomer George Abell, working at the Palomar Observatory in California, was the first to perform a systematic study of rich clusters of galaxies , that is clusters with particularly many member galaxies located within a relatively restricted region in the sky. He identified several thousands of such clusters, and he numbered and described them; they are now known to astronomers as `Abell clusters'. More than twenty years earlier, Swiss-American astronomer Fritz Zwicky, using the famous 100-inch Mount Wilson telescope above Los Angeles, concluded that the total mass of a rich cluster of galaxies is probably much larger than the combined mass of the individual galaxies we can observe in it. This phenomenon is now known as the `Missing Dark Matter' , and many attempts have since been made to understand its true nature. Although the existence of this Dark Matter is generally accepted, it has been very difficult to prove its existence in a direct way. Rich clusters have several components: in addition to several

  15. Open-Source tools: Incidence in the wireless security of the Technical University of Babahoyo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joffre León-Acurio

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Computer security is a fundamental part of an organization, especially in Higher Education institutions, where there is very sensitive information, capable of being vulnerable by diffeerent methods of intrusion, the most common being free access through wireless points. The main objective of this research is to analyze the impact of the open source tools in charge of managing the security information of the wireless network, such as OSSIM, a set of active and passive components used to manage events that generate tra c within the network. net. This research exposes the use of free software as a viable option of low cost to solve the problems that a ict student sta , such as lack of access to academic services, problems of wireless interconnectivity, with the purpose to restore confidence in students in the Use of the services offered by the institution for research-related development, guaranteeing free and free access to the internet. The level of dissatisfaction on the part of the students con rms the problem presented at the Technical University of Babahoyo, thus confirming the positive influence of the Open-Source tools for the institution’s wireless security.

  16. SPECIFIC OF USING MASSIVE OPEN EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC COURSES IN RUSSIAN AND FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    В В Гриншкун

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Characteristic feature of informatization of education for several last years is emergence and fast distribution of MOOCs - mass open online courses. Specificity of the Russian education system can’t but affect features of development and deployment of such courses taking into account realities of work of domestic universities. For expansion of opportunities of influence of MOOCs on increase in learning efficiency of students in higher education institutions carrying out the analysis of experience of use of such means of informatization of education, both in Russia, and beyond her limits is expedient. The present article contains transfer and the description of various aspects of emergence and distribution of MOOCs in the world, in general, and in our country, in particular. The short characteristic of possible approaches to development and deployment of MOOCs and their component in domestic system of the higher education is given, examples of the Russian and foreign platforms by means of which such courses become public are given. It is emphasized that universal experience of informatization of the higher education on the basis of use of MOOCs without the corresponding adaptation can’t be applied to training of students in the Russian higher education institutions.

  17. Auditing and Evaluating University-Community Engagement: Lessons from a UK Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Angie; Northmore, Simon

    2011-01-01

    The growing importance of community and public engagement activities in universities has led to an increasing emphasis on auditing and evaluating university-community partnerships. However, the development of effective audit and evaluation tools is still at a formative stage. This article presents a case study of the University of Brighton's…

  18. How can we prevent and reduce bullying amongst university students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carrie Anne Myers

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available While it has long been recognized that bullying occurs at school and in the workplace, recent research confirms that bullying also takes place among university students, including undergraduates, post-graduates and doctoral research students. In the UK, the National Union of Students (NUS alerted staff and students to the issue in a series of reports but it is not confined to the UK. Authors in the book edited by Cowie and Myers (2016a, 2016b present cross-national findings on the theme of bullying among university students (Pörhöla et al., 2016. In this article we discuss the urgent need for interventions to prevent and reduce bullying in this context. We also indicate the areas where little or no intervention is taking place, notably in the field of university policy.

  19. Aligning Corporate and Financial Plans in Teaching Intensive Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharpe, Rhona

    2018-01-01

    With recent changes in how UK higher education is funded, universities are operating in a context in which finances are uncertain. It is more important than ever that university leaders are able to manage the finances of their organisations in ways which both provide long-term security and allow for investment in strategically important…

  20. Educational challenges faced by international medical graduates in the UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hashim A

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Ahmed Hashim Gastroenterology Department, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK Introduction: International medical graduates (IMGs in the UK constitute approximately one-quarter of the total number of doctors registered in the General Medical Council (GMC. The transition of IMGs into the health care system in the UK is accompanied by significant sociocultural and educational challenges. This study aims to explore the views of IMGs in medical training on the educational challenges they face.Methods: This study was conducted in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex region in 2015. All IMGs who work in medical (physicianly training programs were included. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Thematic approach was used to analyze the qualitative data.Results: Of the total 61 IMGs included, 17 responded to the survey and 3 were interviewed. The common educational barriers faced by IMGs were related to lack of appreciation of the values and structure of the National Health Service (NHS, ethical and medicolegal issues, receiving feedback from colleagues and the different learning strategies in the UK. IMGs suggested introduction of a mandatory dedicated induction program in the form of formal teaching sessions. They also believed that a supervised shadowing period prior in the first job in the UK would be beneficial. Further assessment areas should be incorporated into the prequalifying examinations to address specific educational needs such as NHS structure and hospital policies. Other measures such as buddying schemes with senior IMGs and educating NHS staff on different needs of IMGs should also be considered.Conclusion: This study highlighted important educational challenges faced by IMGs and generated relevant solutions. However, the opinions of the supervisors and other health care professionals need to be explored. Keywords: international medical graduates, IMG, educational barriers

  1. Ten years of open practice: a reflection on the impact of OpenLearn

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrina Law

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The Open University (OU makes a proportion of all its taught modules available to the public via OpenLearn each year. This process involves the modification, of module excerpts, showcasing subject matter and teaching approach. This activity serves both the University's social and business missions through the delivery of free courses to the public, but increasingly its students are using it to inform module choice, to augment their studies and to boost confidence. In a year that celebrates 10 years of OpenLearn, this paper reports on the growth and impact of the platform as a vast open, learning resource and how a new study underlines how this is also serving the OU’s own students in terms of supporting motivation for learning and impact on achievements. The paper also discusses how the OU is mainstreaming open practice via module production in releasing content on OpenLearn from its paid-for modules in order to improve student module choice and preparedness and in doing so, is providing a richer learning experience for informal learners.

  2. Quantum cosmology and the early universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartle, J.B.

    1983-01-01

    Despite the absence of a complete and manageable quantum theory of gravity, it is shown that considerable progress has been made in constructing cosmological models displaying the possible implications such a theory might have for the structure and dynamics of the very early universe. (U.K.)

  3. Effectiveness of UK and International A-Level Assessment in Predicting Performance in Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birch, David M.; Rienties, Bart

    2014-01-01

    In many universities, admissions decisions are made based upon the advanced-level (A-Level) results. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of A-level and international equivalents as a predictor of early achievement in higher education. About 135 UK and 92 international undergraduate engineering students from 35 countries were assessed…

  4. Using Learning Sets to Support UK Delivery of Off-Shore Learning in Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackburn, Michelle

    2014-01-01

    This account of practice focuses on the delivery of Action Learning Sets in Swaziland and Malawi as part of a UK university's remote Master's degree teaching programme. It draws upon the experience of an Academic delivering the programme and the efforts made to refine the approach to action learning given time, understanding and resource…

  5. Investigating the potential of overheating in UK dwellings as a consequence of extant climate change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peacock, A.D.; Jenkins, D.P.; Kane, D.

    2010-01-01

    Dynamic simulation is used with defined domestic building variants to investigate internal temperatures of UK dwellings. Factors such as a warming climate and varying internal heat gains are estimated to examine whether UK domestic buildings are likely to be prone to overheating in the future, and therefore require mechanical air conditioning. The study suggests that the ability, or inability, of the occupant to adapt to bedroom temperature is paramount in the understanding of the conditions for overheating. While this is difficult to quantify (and a range of comfort temperatures are proposed), the effect of changing the building construction and geographical location can result in significantly different thermal conditions. As might be expected, the problem appears most noticeable for buildings in the south of the UK and with lightweight constructions. Even with a window-opening schedule applied to such a scenario, the average internal temperature is simulated as being over 28 o C for almost 12% of the year. A different metric, defined as 'cooling nights', suggests that there might be a cooling problem in bedroom areas for approximately a third of the year. In the North of the UK, and also for solid wall dwellings, this problem diminishes significantly.

  6. E-cigarette regulation and policy: UK vapers' perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrimond, Hannah

    2016-06-01

    The rapid increase in use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has created an international policy dilemma concerning how to use these products. This study assesses the types of beliefs that e-cigarette users in the United Kingdom may hold concerning regulation. Qualitative thematic analysis of written answers to open-ended questions. United Kingdom, questionnaire conducted by post, 44% recruited from online forums and 56% non-online. Fifty-five UK vapers, 55% male, mean age 46 years, 84% sole users of e-cigarettes, 95% vaping daily. Open-ended questions on regulatory and policy options. 'Protecting youth' was seen as a fundamental regulatory requirement which should be achieved through childproofing, age limits, no advertising aimed at children and health warnings about addictiveness of nicotine, but not the restriction of flavours. There was little support for regulating e-cigarettes as medicines or limiting the strength of nicotine liquids. In terms of public use, participants argued against a blanket ban on public vaping given perceptions of a lack of scientific evidence of harm. However, they supported the principle of autonomy, that individuals and organizations have the right to restrict vaping. Some participants suggested banning vaping in places such as schools, hospitals or around food, in line with current smoking norms. Vapers' regulatory positions were accompanied by political concerns about the use (and misuse) of scientific evidence. With regard to regulation of e-cigarettes, issues that are salient to UK vapers may include the need for youth protection, regulation as medicines, strength of e-liquids, bans on public vaping and concerns about the misuse of scientific evidence. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  7. The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Levels of Student Wellbeing, Integration and Retention: A Controlled Comparative Evaluation of Residential Students in UK Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collings, R.; Swanson, V.; Watkins, R.

    2014-01-01

    Peer mentoring is becoming increasingly popular in UK higher education, however, there remains little good quality, theoretically driven and evaluative research. The current study aims to bridge the gap between theory, practice and evaluation by providing a controlled evaluation of a peer mentoring scheme within UK universities. 109 first year…

  8. Efficacy and safety of prostaglandin analogues in patients with predominantly primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension: a meta-analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oghenowede Eyawo

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Oghenowede Eyawo1, Jean Nachega2,3, Pierre Lefebvre4, David Meyer5, Beth Rachlis6, Chia-Wen Lee7, Steven Kelly7, Edward Mills81Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada; 2Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 3Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA; 4Department of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom; 5Department of Ophthalmology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa; 6Department of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; 7Outcome Research and Evidence Based Medicine, Pfizer Ltd UK. Tadworth, UK; 8Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, CanadaBackground: First-line therapy for primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension generally involves prostaglandin analogue therapy. The relative efficacy of differing prostaglandin therapy is disputed.Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted of head-to-head randomized trials of prostaglandin therapies. We included randomized trials assessing head-to-head evaluations of prostaglandin analogues travoprost, latanoprost and bimatoprost in patients with predominantly primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Findings were interpreted in light of equivalence margins.Results: Our search identified 16 eligible trials, of which 15 were included in the meta-analysis. Trials were, in general, poorly reported. We pooled 9 trials assessing IOP-lowering effects of travoprost vs latanoprost (total n = 1098, weighted mean difference [WMD], –0.24 mmHg, 95% CI, –0.87 to 0.38, P = 0.45, I2 = 56%, 95% CI, 0 to 0.77, heterogeneity P = 0.01. Eight trials assessed travoprost vs bimatoprost (total n = 714, WMD, 0.88 mmHg, 95% CI, 0.13 to 1.63, P = 0.02, I2 = 56%, 95% CI, 0% to 78%, heterogeneity P = 0.02. And 8 trials assessed latanoprost vs bimatoprost (total n = 943, WMD, 0.73 mmHg, 95% CI, 0.10 to 1

  9. Distance and E-Learning, Social Justice, and Development: The Relevance of Capability Approaches to the Mission of Open Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tait, Alan

    2013-01-01

    This article reviews the discourse of mission in large distance teaching and open universities, in order to analyse the theories of development and social justice that are claimed or may be inherent in them. It is suggested that in a number of cases the claims are unsupported or naive. The article goes on to set out the nature of Amartya…

  10. New undergraduate curricula in the UK and Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lumsden, M A; Symonds, I M

    2010-12-01

    There are many challenges facing undergraduate education in the smaller specialities such as obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G). These are similar throughout the world, although the emphasis may vary according to geography and the approach of those involved in medical education in general. The number of medical students has increased because of the greater number of doctors required, the gender balance and also because it provides revenue for the universities. This means that strategies must be developed to include more teaching units in both primary and secondary care as well as those at a distance from the main teaching provider. Australia and the UK both have this problem but, obviously, the distances involved in Australia are much greater. One of the drivers for the change in undergraduate medical education in the UK was factual overload and the need to teach basic competencies to the students. National curricula that take this into account are being developed and that in the UK has been taken up by a majority of the medical schools. The opportunities offered by O&G to provide basic skills and competencies difficult to find elsewhere in the curriculum are unparalleled. These include issues such as communication in situations where great sensitivity is required and also the impact of cultural beliefs and ethnicity on clinical practice. However, factual knowledge of medical science is also essential and ways of achieving a balance are discussed. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Observations on gender equality in a UK Earth Sciences department

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imber, Jonathan; Allen, Mark; Chamberlain, Katy; Foulger, Gillian; Gregory, Emma; Hoult, Jill; Macpherson, Colin; Winship, Sarah

    2016-04-01

    The progress of women to senior positions within UK higher education institutes has been slow. Women are worst represented in science, engineering and technology disciplines, where, in 2011, only 15% of professors were female. The national position is reflected in the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham University. The Department's gender profile shows steadily increasing proportions of females from undergraduate (ca. 38%) to postgraduate (ca. 42%) to postdoctoral (ca. 45%) levels, before dropping sharply with increasing seniority to 33% (n=1), 14% (n=1), 14% (n=1) and 13% (n=2), respectively, of lecturers, senior lecturers, readers and professors. The data suggest there is no shortage of talented female postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers; however, females are not applying, not being shortlisted, or not being appointed to academic roles in the expected proportions. Analysis of applications to academic positions in the Department during the period 2010-2015 suggests that "head hunting" senior academics, in some cases driven by external factors such as the UK Research Excellence Framework, resulted in a small proportion (between 0% and 11%) of female applicants. These results can be explained by the small number of senior female Earth Scientists nationally and, probably, internationally. Junior lectureship positions attracted between 24% and 33% female applicants, with the greatest proportion of females applying where the specialism within Earth Sciences was deliberately left open. In addition to these externally advertised posts, the Department has had some success converting independent research Fellowships, held by female colleagues, into permanent academic positions (n=2 between 2010 and 2015). Data for academic promotions show there is a significant negative correlation between year of appointment to first academic position within the Department (r=0.81, n=19, pmentoring scheme for postdoctoral staff, and plan to extend the scheme to academic staff

  12. University Autonomy: Two Fault-Lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, G. R.

    2010-01-01

    The doctrine of university autonomy in the UK contains a least two major "fault-lines" where the structure is inherently weak and there is danger of functional breakdown. The first occurs at the junction between the institution and the state, the second within the institution, where the unity in policy-making between academic and…

  13. Educational Aspirations among UK Young Teenagers: Exploring the Role of Gender, Class and Ethnicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berrington, Ann; Roberts, Steven; Tammes, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Large socio-economic differences in educational attainment and participation in Higher Education (HE) are seen in the United Kingdom (UK). Furthermore, improvements in attainment and in rates of progression to university have been much faster for most ethnic minority groups than for White children. Political rhetoric explains these differences in…

  14. A survey of UK fertility clinics' approach to surrogacy arrangements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Wendy; Crawshaw, Marilyn; Hudson, Nicky; Culley, Lorraine; Law, Caroline

    2015-09-01

    This paper draws on the findings of the first survey of surrogacy arrangements in Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) licensed fertility clinics since 1998. Given the complex social, ethical and legal issues involved, surrogacy continues to raise debate worldwide and fuel calls for increased domestic provision in developed countries. However, little is known about how recent changes have affected HFEA licensed clinics. A 24-item online survey was undertaken between August and October 2013, designed to improve understanding of recent trends and current practices associated with UK-based surrogacy, and consider the implications for future policy and practice in UK and cross-border surrogacy arrangements. The response rate was 51.4%, comprising 54 clinics. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and open-ended qualitative responses analysed for extending understanding. Of the participating clinics, 42.6% offered surrogacy (mostly gestational surrogacy). Heterosexual couples using gestational surrogacy were the largest group currently using services followed by male same-sex couples. Most clinics reported having encountered problems with surrogacy treatments, suggesting barriers still exist to expanding the UK provision of surrogacy arrangements. It is important that professionals are well informed about the legal implications of surrogacy and that clinics have consistent and appropriate operational protocols for surrogacy arrangements. Copyright © 2015 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Turning the tide : tidal power in the UK

    OpenAIRE

    Sustainable Development Commission

    2007-01-01

    Contents: Turning the tide : tidal power in the UK -- Executive summary -- Tidal power in the UK : research report 1 : UK tidal resource assessment -- Tidal power in the UK : research report 2 : tidal technologies overview -- Tidal power in the UK : research report 3 : Severn barrage proposals -- Tidal power in the UK : research report 4 : Severn non-barrage options -- Tidal power in the UK : research report 5 : UK case studies. Summarised in the Welsh language version of the executive ...

  16. Open Bibliography

    OpenAIRE

    Murray-Rust, Peter; Pollock, Rufus; MacGillivray, Mark; O'Steen, Ben; Waites, William

    2011-01-01

    Poster presented at the VSMF Symposium held at the Unilever Centre on 2011-01-17. More research is published currently than can be understood or followed by a researcher without the aid of a computer. We need Open shareable information on research publications, an Open Bibliography, to build the services that enable researchers to explore their field and discover the research they need. Producers of bibliographic data such as libraries, publishers, universities, scholars or social referenc...

  17. An analysis of the experiences of radiography and radiotherapy students who are carers at one UK university

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, Zainab; Pickering, Vicki; Percy, Dave; Crane, Julie; Bogg, Jan

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: This is a mixed methods study of the experiences and attendance of radiography and radiotherapy students who are carers at one UK university, Undergraduate radiography and radiotherapy programmes are attracting increasing numbers of mature students. It is therefore likely that the number of students with carer responsibilities is also increasing. This study explores the experiences of higher education of students with caring responsibilities. The aim of the study is to identify possible strategies and practices to enhance the student experience and so to work towards compliance with the recent Equality Act 2010. Method: All students on the radiography (n = 130) and radiotherapy (n = 97) programmes were invited to complete a short questionnaire. Students who identified themselves as carers on the questionnaire were invited to participate in focus group sessions. Due to the issues raised in the focus groups by students with regard to attendance at university and clinical placement, student absence rates were also investigated for students with and without caring responsibilities. Results: 215 students completed the questionnaire. 30 of the 215 students identified themselves as carers. 18 carers agreed to take part in focus groups. Carers reported that having fees paid by the NHS was an important choice factor for higher education. Carers' main concerns were: timetabling, finances, support after exam failures, understanding from academic staff and attendance issues. Examination of absence rates demonstrated carers had significantly (p = 0.000) less absence than non-carers for radiography and no significant differences for radiotherapy (p = 0.105). Conclusion: The NHS states it must be reflective of the community it serves. Thus those responsible for delivering health professional programmes have a duty to recruit and retain a diverse student population. The introduction of the Equality Act 2010 means higher education institutions must consider the needs of

  18. Management of COPD in the UK primary-care setting: an analysis of real-life prescribing patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Price D

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available David Price,1 Daniel West,2 Guy Brusselle,3–5 Kevin Gruffydd-Jones,6 Rupert Jones,7 Marc Miravitlles,8 Andrea Rossi,9 Catherine Hutton,2 Valerie L Ashton,2 Rebecca Stewart,2 Katsiaryna Bichel2 1Centre of Academic Primary Care, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK; 2Research in Real-Life Ltd, Cambridge, UK; 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; 4Department of Epidemiology, 5Department of Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 6Box Surgery, Wiltshire, UK; 7Centre for Clinical Trials and Health Research – Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth UK; 8Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Ciber de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES, Barcelona, Spain; 9Pulmonary Unit, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Department, University and General Hospital, Verona, Italy Background: Despite the availability of national and international guidelines, evidence suggests that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD treatment is not always prescribed according to recommendations. This study evaluated the current management of patients with COPD using a large UK primary-care database. Methods: This analysis used electronic patient records and patient-completed questionnaires from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database. Data on current management were analyzed by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD group and presence or absence of a concomitant asthma diagnosis, in patients with a COPD diagnosis at ≥35 years of age and with spirometry results supportive of the COPD diagnosis. Results: A total of 24,957 patients were analyzed, of whom 13,557 (54.3% had moderate airflow limitation (GOLD Stage 2 COPD. The proportion of patients not receiving pharmacologic treatment for COPD was 17.0% in the total COPD population and 17.7% in the GOLD Stage 2 subset. Approximately

  19. Open Access to Scientific Literature: An Assessment of Awareness Support and Usage among Academic Librarians at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Marsha Ann Johnson

    2012-01-01

    Open Access (OA) to scholarly communications is a critical component in providing equitable admission to scholarly information and a key vehicle toward the achievement of global access to research in the knowledge building process. A standard and universally accepted process for guaranteeing OA permits complimentary access to knowledge, research…

  20. Using Satellite Classes to Optimise Access to and Participation in First-Year Business Management: A Case at an Open and Distance-Learning University in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanepoel, Elana; De Beer, Andreas; Muller, Helene

    2009-01-01

    We investigated the effect of satellite classes as a component of blended learning, to enhance student performance of the Business Management I and Management I students at an open and distance-learning university. We discuss the evolution of distance education, the interactivities promoted by open and distance learning and the concept of blended…

  1. Graduates' Experiences of Work in Small Organizations in the UK and the Netherlands : Better than Expected

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arnold, J.; Schalk, R.; Bosley, S.; van Overbeek, S.

    2002-01-01

    This project was designed to examine university graduates' expectations and experiences of employment in small organizations in the UK and the Netherlands. Specifically, three predictions were made on the basis of existing literature and tested using self-report questionnaire data gathered from 126

  2. The future of flood insurance in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horn, Diane

    2013-04-01

    Approximately one in seven properties in the UK (3.6 million homes and businesses) are at risk of flooding. The Adaptation Sub-Committee of the UK Committee on Climate Change reported in 2012 that development on the floodplain grew at a faster rate than elsewhere in England over the past ten years, with one in five properties in the floodplain in areas of significant risk. They concluded that current levels of investment will not keep pace with the increasing risk, noting that without additional action, climate change could almost double the number of properties at significant risk by 2035. Flood insurance can contribute to risk reduction by using pricing or restrictions on availability of cover to discourage new development in flood risk areas, or to encourage the uptake of flood resilience measures. The UK insurance market currently offers flood cover as a standard feature of domestic and small business policies, with central government providing physical protection backed up by financial protection provided by the insurance industry. This approach is unusual in not passing all or part of the flood risk to government schemes. At present, flood insurance in the UK is conducted under a series of informal agreements established between the insurance industry and the Government known as the Statement of Principles. Members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) currently agree to cover homes at risk of flooding in return for government commitment to manage flood risk. However, this arrangement is now under threat, as the insurance industry is increasingly reluctant to bear the financial burden of flooding alone. The current Statement of Principles ends on 30 June 2013 and will not be renewed. High-risk properties may be unable to obtain insurance after the Statement of Principles expires. Unusually, insurers are arguing against a free market solution, arguing that no country in the world provides universal flood cover without some form of government-led support

  3. Evaluation of the Undergraduate Physics Programme at Indira Gandhi National Open University: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arundhati Mishra

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The undergraduate science programme was launched at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU in 1991-92 with an enrolment of 1,210 students. The programme was well received, and enrolments increased over the years. However, the success rates have not kept pace with enrolment.In this paper, the authors report the results of an evaluation of the undergraduate Physics programme at IGNOU. The evaluation, the first of its type for this programme, adapted the major tenets of the CIPP model. The findings are based on the responses from a randomly chosen sample of 509 learners across India. The methods employed for the study include records, document, and database analysis, surveys, and case studies.Although the University has enhanced access to higher science education, the attrition rate is high (73%, and the success rate is low. The authors recommend that the University review and reorient its strategies for providing good quality, learner-centred higher education in science subjects. The programme should address the concerns of the learners about the effectiveness of the student support systems, the difficulty level, and the learner-friendliness of study materials with the goal of achieving long-term sustainability while maintaining parity with the conventional system. The need for improving the presentation of the courses and simplifying the mathematical details is emphasised.

  4. Aflibercept treatment for neovascular AMD beyond the first year: consensus recommendations by a UK expert roundtable panel, 2017 update

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patel PJ

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Praveen J Patel,1 Helen Devonport,2 Sobha Sivaprasad,1 Adam H Ross,3 Gavin Walters,4 Richard P Gale,5 Andrew J Lotery,6 Sajjad Mahmood,7 James S Talks,8 Jackie Napier9 1National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK; 2The Ophthalmology Department, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK; 3The Ophthalmology Department, Bristol Eye Hospital, Bristol, UK; 4Department of Ophthalmology, Harrogate District Hospital, Harrogate, UK; 5The Ophthalmology Department, The York Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK; 6Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; 7Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK; 8Newcastle Eye Centre, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; 9Medical Affairs, Bayer plc, Reading, Berkshire, UK Abstract: National recommendations on continued administration of aflibercept solution for injection after the first year of treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD have been developed by an expert panel of UK retina specialists, based on clinician experience and treatment outcomes seen in year 2. The 2017 update reiterates that the treatment goal is to maintain or improve the macular structural and functional gains achieved in year 1 while attempting to reduce or minimize the treatment burden, recognizing the need for ongoing treatment. At the end of year 1 (ie, the decision visit at month 11, two treatment options should be considered: do not extend the treatment interval and maintain fixed 8-weekly dosing, or extend the treatment interval using a treat-and-extend regimen up to a maximum 12 weeks. Criteria for considering not extending the treatment interval are persistent macular fluid with stable

  5. The origin of the universe. Chapter 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sciama, D.W.

    1980-01-01

    The observational and theoretical evidence in favour of the Big Bang origin, and the question whether an actually singular origin of the universe can be avoided, are discussed. Sections are headed: the world of galaxies (main facts about galaxies); the recession of the galaxies (red-shift, Hubble's law); the cosmic black body background (behaviour of the Universe in its hot early epochs, nuclear reactions, abundance of hydrogen, helium and deuterium). (U.K.)

  6. Non-Performativity of University and Subjectification of Students: The Question of Equality and Diversity in UK Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Maki

    2014-01-01

    Universities in the United Kingdom have experienced a transformation in the context of the government's initiatives to widen participation and rapid socio-economic changes locally and globally. With more diverse students entering higher education, universities need to consider how they can create an inclusive environment. Indeed, in order to…

  7. UK retail marketing survey 94

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1994-01-01

    This document draws together data on the United Kingdom (UK) petroleum market up to the end of 1993. Lists include suppliers of petrol to the UK market listed by brand name, a regional breakdown of petrol and derv outlets, UK outlets which retail derv. Average retail prices for motor spirit and derv per litre are given as are sites fitted with Vapour Recovery equipment. Other tables shown indicate various companies' share of the market in terms of the percentage of petrol sites, including supermarkets. The volumes of motor spirit and derv delivered to retail and commercial customers between 1984 and 1993 is also given. (UK)

  8. Innovative UK Approaches to Acquisition Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-05-01

    Financial and Operational Imperatives Size of UK armed forces UK Industry ? Political influence PFI / PPP Increased Scrutiny - NAO “ Commercialisation “ of the...acquisition KNOWLEDGE (EXPERIENCE – Lessons learned) KNOWLEDGE (Training) KNOWLEDGE ( Education ) OPTIMAL OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE Operational Capability UK

  9. The challenge of achieving professionalism and respect of diversity in a UK Earth Sciences department

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imber, Jonathan; Taylor, Michelle; Callaghan, Mark; Castiello, Gabriella; Cooper, George; Foulger, Gillian; Gregory, Emma; Herron, Louise; Hoult, Jill; Lo, Marissa; Love, Tara; Macpherson, Colin; Oakes, Janice; Phethean, Jordan; Riches, Amy

    2017-04-01

    The Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, has a balanced gender profile at undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral levels (38%, 42% and 45% females, respectively), but one of the lowest percentages, relative to the natural applicant pool, of female academic staff amongst UK geoscience departments. There are currently 9% female academic staff at Durham, compared with a median value (in November 2015) of 20% for all Russell Group geoscience departments in the UK. Despite the fact that the female staff group is relatively senior, the Department's current academic management is essentially entirely male. The Department has an informal working culture, in which academics operate an "open door" policy, and staff and students are on first name terms. This culture, open plan office space, and our fieldwork programme, allow staff and students to socialise. A positive outcome of this culture is that > 95% of final year undergraduate students deemed the staff approachable (National Student Survey 2016). Nevertheless, a survey of staff and research student attitudes revealed significant differences in the way males and females perceive our working environment. Females are less likely than males to agree with the statements that "the Department considers inappropriate language to be unacceptable" and "inappropriate images are not considered acceptable in the Department". That anyone could find "inappropriate" language and images "acceptable" is a measure of the challenge faced by the Department. Males disagree more strongly than females that they "have felt uncomfortable because of [their] gender". The Department is proactively working to improve equality and diversity. It held a series of focus group meetings, divided according to gender and job role, to understand the differences in male and female responses. Female respondents identified examples of inappropriate language (e.g. sexual stereotyping) that were directed at female, but not male, colleagues. Males

  10. Polarization of the microwave background in open universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tolman, B.W.

    1985-01-01

    The polarization and anisotropy of the microwave background radiation in open universes with an expansion anisotropy, arising from either cosmological anisotropy or density inhomogeneities on large scales, are computed by a direct, or Monte Carlo, simulation of the problem. The simulation includes accurate numerical data for the ionization of matter during both the decoupling and the reheated eras. Besides the well-known result that the radiation anisotropy is distorted and focused by the spatial curvature into a single very small, intense spot, it is found that the scattering of this spot during the reheated epoch generates features in the polarization of the radiation which cover fully one-half of the sky. The radiation is polarized in a wide band encircling the spot, with the direction of polarization opposite that of the rest of the sky and at a level only slightly below present observed upper limits, given an expansion anisotropy also near its upper limit. This region of strong polarization is surrounded by an unpolarized band near the equator (where the spot is at a pole), while the rest of the sky is also polarized at a level near the upper limits. The amount of polarization is very sensitive to the amount of scattering, and thus to the reheating epoch; further, features in the polarization remain visible even for very long reheated epochs, whereas the intensity anisotropy is quickly damped out. The widths of the unusually polarized region and the spot are sensitive to the cosmological matter density. The extension of these results to the case of a spectrum of large-scale inhomogeneities is briefly discussed. The polarization of the microwaves thus provides an important and observationally accessible test of these cosmological models

  11. Photovoltaics: PV takes off the UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noble, Ray; Gregory, Jenny

    2000-01-01

    Despite historical ups and downs, there is still ambition to bring increasingly efficient photovoltaic (PV) systems to the market. PV for major remote telecommunications systems is now an established part of the market, many mobile phone systems are powered by PV and there is potential for increased use of home solar systems, especially in developing countries. Over the past few years, building-integrated PV (BIPV) has been on the increase. In 1999, global production from PV exceeded 200 MW and the UK installed capacity was greater than 1 MW. BIPV is a fast growing market and its characteristics and advantages are discussed. PV installations at Nottingham University, Greenwich Pavilion, BP Amoco Sunbury, Baglan Bay, BP filling stations, and Sainsbury's are described

  12. UK academics share their thoughts on Hinkley Point C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalton, David

    2016-01-01

    The proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project has experienced controversy in the public since its inception. However the proposed Hinkley plant has many benefits. It will be the biggest construction site in Europe, providing 25,000 jobs. It will generate low carbon energy, providing enough power for six million homes, and supplying seven per cent of the UK's electricity needs over its 60 year lifetime. Six experts from Imperial College London, one of Europe's top science-based universities, give their opinions on Hinkley Point C.

  13. The Extent of and Reasons for Non Re-Enrollment: A Case of Korea National Open University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyoseon Choi

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Despite continuous efforts to increase retention, dropout rates are high in distance universities. The objectives of this study were: 1 to investigate the extent and causes of non re-enrollment at a mega university, Korea National Open University; and 2 to suggest actions to improve the retention of students, in general, and those with higher risks of dropout in particular. A survey designed to establish the student demographics and the students’ main reasons for non re-enrollment was carried out during spring, 2009 with 1,353 respondents. The results indicate that a lack of feedback from the instructors, heavy workload, and difficulties in studying at a distance were the main reasons for non re-enrollment. The learners’ perceptions of the value of the degrees and their ages, gender, and educational backgrounds were also found to be significant factors in decisions not to re-enroll. The suggested solutions for reducing non re-enrollment include: a decrease in the number of required credit hours’ study per semester; the provision of stronger social support; the introduction of a more flexible enrollment system; and better use of the available technology and infrastructure to help both students and instructors build stronger learning communities.

  14. Pedagogy and Andragogy in Higher Education--A Comparison between Germany, the UK and Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimoto, Keiichi; Inenaga, Yuki; Yamada, Hiroshi

    2007-01-01

    This article analyses the kinds of pedagogical approaches in universities that are provided for young and mature students and produce relevant outcomes for them in Germany, the UK and Japan. Andragogy is a concept of pedagogical approaches for adult learners in lifelong learning, but it should be empirically examined now in higher education in…

  15. Regulation, proportionality and discharges of radioactive wastes: UK perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morley, Bob; Butler, Gregg; Mc Glynn, Grace

    2008-01-01

    In recent years, the UK Government and the Regulators have made a commitment to further improve the operation of the regulatory regime and to its operating within the principles of proportionality, transparency, consistency and accountability which underpin the Government's approach to regulation in general. Particular emphasis was to be placed upon ensuring that there is greater consistency in the treatment of risk and hazard; proportionate and cost effective delivery of public, worker and environmental protection; and an open and transparently applied regulatory system. It is noteworthy that with regard to radiation protection, there are different limits for public doses and workforce doses, with the latter 15 times greater. Allowable doses for medical patients are higher still. This discrepancy raises a question in itself. This presentation focuses on the practical application of the regulatory regime with particular regard to environmental discharges and disposals. Under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, Operators within the UK nuclear industry are required to employ Best Practicable Means (BPM) to control and minimise radioactive discharges to ensure that doses from discharges are As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA). Scientific assessments to date indicate that there are no expectations of environmental harm from discharges at Sellafield (and hence likewise at other UK nuclear sites where the discharges are lower), even where those discharges have historically been up to two orders of magnitude higher than current levels. Current discharges result in doses which are a small fraction of those received by the UK population due to natural background radiation. In addition, there is no proven environmental harm from foreseeable future discharges from Sellafield or other UK nuclear sites. This is supported by independent work which illustrates that the public collective dose from Sellafield discharges is almost all delivered at risks of less that one in a

  16. The UK biomass industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billins, P.

    1998-01-01

    A brief review is given of the development of the biomass industry in the UK. Topics covered include poultry litter generation of electricity, gasification plants fuelled by short-rotation coppice, on-farm anaerobic digestion and specialized combustion systems, e.g. straw, wood and other agricultural wastes. (UK)

  17. 3rd International School and Conference “Saint Petersburg OPEN 2016” on Optoelectronics, Photonics, Engineering and Nanostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    Dear Colleagues, 3rd International School and Conference “Saint Petersburg OPEN 2016” on Optoelectronics, Photonics, Engineering and Nanostructures was held on March 28 - 30, 2016 at St. Petersburg Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The School and Conference included a series of invited talks given by leading professors with the aim of introducing young scientists to the actual problems and major advances in modern physics and technology. The keynote speakers were Mircea Guina (Tampere University of Technology, Finland) Evgeny I. Terukov (Ioffe Institute RAS, Russia) Victor M. Ustinov (Ioffe Institute RAS, Russia) Peter G. Kazansky (University of Southampton, UK) Alexander O. Golubok (ITMO University, Russia) Georgy E. Cirlin (St Petersburg Academic University RAS, Russia) Levon V. Asryan (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA) Andrey A. Lipovskii (Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University, Russia) During the poster session all undergraduate and graduate students attending the conference presented their works. A large number of participants with more than 280 student attendees from all over the world allowed the Conference to provide a fertile ground for the fruitful discussions between the young scientists as well as to become a perfect platform for the valuable discussions between student authors and highly experienced scientists. The best student papers, which were selected by the Program Committee and by the invited speakers based on the theses and their poster presentation, were awarded with diplomas of the conference - see the photos. This year “Saint Petersburg OPEN 2016” is organized by St. Petersburg Academic University in cooperation with Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The School and Conference is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project N 16-32-10060) , Russian Science Foundation, SPIE (The International Society for Optics and Photonics) and OSA (The

  18. Report on primate supply for biomedical scientific work in the UK. EUPREN UK Working Party.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owen, S; Thomas, C; West, P; Wolfensohn, S; Wood, M

    1997-10-01

    A Working Party of the UK group of European Primate Resources Network (EUPREN) considered primate supply for scientific work in the UK. Through a questionnaire, which achieved a very good response, it obtained details of primate use, sources and breeding in the UK and it put forward options to ensure that animal welfare is the best possible whilst ensuring continued supply. The questionnaire showed that contract research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies use about 80% of the 4233 primates used annually at the moment, with the rest accounted for by academic establishments and public sector laboratories. Fifty-four per cent are cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), of which nearly 90% are captive-bred outside the European Union (EU), the remainder being bred in the UK. Nearly 90% of cynomolgus macaques are used by only five institutions. Thirty-seven per cent of primates used are marmosets (Callithrix jacchus jacchus), all of which are bred in the UK. Most of the rest are rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), about half of which are captive-bred outside the EU, the other half being bred in the UK. Overall primate use has increased from about 3000 per year in 1990 and users predict that requirements for all species except baboons (Papio sp.) will be maintained or increase. Marmoset breeding in the UK is already closely matched to use, and it could be increased reasonably easily if necessary. Some of the existing breeding centres of macaques in the UK would be prepared to consider expanding to supply others, although investment and imported breeding stock would be needed and it is likely that a large investment would be needed to breed a significant fraction of the macaque use in the UK. A further problem is that the users of only about 10% of the cynomolgus macaques said that they could replace this species by rhesus macaques, which are easier to breed in the UK. The questionnaire showed that much of the use of macaques would be transferred to other countries

  19. The Role of Open Access and Open Educational Resources: A Distance Learning Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatzipanagos, Stylianos; Gregson, Jon

    2015-01-01

    The paper explores the role of Open Access (in licensing, publishing and sharing research data) and Open Educational Resources within Distance Education, with a focus on the context of the University of London International Programmes. We report on a case study where data were gathered from librarians and programme directors relating to existing…

  20. A Comparison of Three Major Academic Rankings for World Universities: From a Research Evaluation Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mu-hsuan Huang

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces three current major university ranking systems. The Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities by Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT Ranking emphasizes both the quality and quantity of research and current research performance. The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tung University (ARWU focuses on outstanding performance of universities with indicators such as Nobel Prize winners. The QS World University Ranking (2004-2009 by Times Higher Education (THE-QS emphasizes on peer review with high weighting in evaluation. This paper compares the 2009 ranking results from the three ranking systems. Differences exist in the top 20 universities in three ranking systems except the Harvard University, which scored top one in all of the three rankings. Comparisons also revealed that the THE-QS favored UK universities. Further, obvious differences can be observed between THE-QS and the other two rankings when ranking results of some European countries (Germany, UK, Netherlands, & Switzerland and Chinese speaking regions were compared.

  1. Changes needed to medicine in the UK before senior UK-trained doctors, working outside the UK, will return: questionnaire surveys undertaken between 2004 and 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, Trevor W; Smith, Fay; Goldacre, Michael J

    2017-12-01

    To report the changes to UK medicine which doctors who have emigrated tell us would increase their likelihood of returning to a career in UK medicine. Questionnaire survey. UK-trained medical graduates. Questionnaires were sent 11 years after graduation to 7158 doctors who qualified in 1993 and 1996 in the UK: 4763 questionnaires were returned. Questionnaires were sent 17 and 19 years after graduation to the same cohorts: 4554 questionnaires were returned. Comments from doctors working abroad about changes needed to UK medicine before they would return. Eleven years after graduation, 290 (6%) of respondents were working in medicine abroad; 277 (6%) were doing so 17/19 years after graduation. Eleven years after graduation, 53% of doctors working abroad indicated that they did not intend to return, and 71% did so 17/19 years after graduation. These respondents reported a number of changes which would need to be made to UK medicine in order to increase the likelihood of them returning. The most frequently mentioned changes cited concerned 'politics/management/funding', 'pay/pension', 'posts/security/opportunities', 'working conditions/hours', and 'factors outside medicine'. Policy attention to factors including funding, pay, management and particularly the clinical-political interface, working hours, and work-life balance may pay dividends for all, both in terms of persuading some established doctors to return and, perhaps more importantly, encouraging other, younger doctors to believe that the UK and the National Health Service can offer them a satisfying and rewarding career.

  2. How academic entrepreneurship meets the university: university spin-offs in stakeholder networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rasmussen, Einar; Benneworth, Paul Stephen; Gulbrandsen, Magnus

    2015-01-01

    Some universities and departments have been very successful in stimulating university spin-off firms (USOs). It remains an open question whether this is due to unique abilities and circumstances or if it can be stimulated at many universities. This paper seeks to discuss this question by integrating

  3. Conference Scene: Induced pluripotent cells: a new path for regenerative medicine. 7 October 2010, BioPark, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crutzen, Hélène S G

    2011-01-01

    Embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are embryonic stem-like cells derived from adult tissues, have the broadest differentiation potential. These cells are unique in their ability to self-renew, to be maintained in an undifferentiated state for long periods of culturing and to give rise to many different cell lineages including germ-line cells. They therefore represent an invaluable tool for facilitating research towards the realization of regenerative medicine. The recent developments in embryonic stem cell and iPS cell technology have allowed human cell models to be developed that will hopefully provide novel platforms for disease analysis not only at the basic science level, but also for drug discovery and screening, and other clinical applications. This 1-day conference, chaired by Professor Peter Andrews from the University of Sheffield, UK, and Dr Chris Denning from the University of Nottingham, UK, focused on generation of iPS cells, their differentiation into specific fates and applications to disease modeling. It consisted of 11 talks by UK-based and international researchers, and three posters; Ms Azra Fatima from Cologne University, Germany, won the competition for her poster on the derivation of iPS cells from a patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

  4. Leadership at the Top: Some Insights from a Longitudinal Case Study of a UK Business School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Allan P. O.

    2009-01-01

    A UK business school was researched to record its history and to account for its development. The data collection and interpretation were influenced by the flexible and iterative nature of the methodology. Theories and concepts used to make sense of the findings include: open systems, force fields, and power. The focus is on strategic leadership,…

  5. Hewitt launches Research Councils UK

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    "Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt today launched 'Research Councils UK' - a new strategic partnership that will champion research in science, engineering and technology across the UK" (1 page).

  6. UK ignores treaty obligations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roche, P.

    1995-01-01

    A detailed critique is offered of United Kingdom (UK) political policy with respect to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an interim agreement valid while nuclear disarmament was supposed to occur, by a representative of Greenpeace, the anti-nuclear campaigning group. The author argues that the civil and military nuclear programmes are still firmly linked, and emphasises his opinions by quoting examples of how UK politicians have broken treaty obligations in order to pursue their own political, and in some cases financial, goals. It is argued that the treaty has failed to force nuclear countries to disarm because of its promoted civil nuclear power programmes. (U.K.)

  7. Why study abroad? : Sorting of Chinese students across British universities

    OpenAIRE

    Cebolla-Boado, H; Hu, Yang; Soysal, Y

    2018-01-01

    This research contributes to the booming literature on the mobility of international students in higher education. Specifically, it analyzes university-level factors that affect the sorting of Chinese international students across British universities. To do so, we produced a unique dataset merging university-level data from the the 2014 UK Higher Education Statistics Agency and the Higher Expectations Survey, supplemented by qualitative evidence from six focus groups which we use for illustr...

  8. RISK MANAGEMENT AND EXPERTISE: UK: Strategies for Precautionary Commercialization of GM Crops

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Levidow Les

    2000-07-01

    Full Text Available As genetically modified (GM products approach the market stage, the UK government and agro-food industry have faced a suspicious or hostile public. Since 1998 many retail chains have undertaken to exclude any GM-derived ingredients from their own-brand lines. This commercial blockage has intensified pressures for greater precaution, even for a moratorium on cultivating GM crops. Political protest has led to strategies for precautionary commercialization. Government and industry have cooperated to plan a “managed development” of GM crops. Across the agricultural supply chain, industry has devised voluntary guidelines to ensure segregation of GM crops and to limit the spread of GM herbicide-tolerance. In particular UK regulators seek to test the risk that broad-spectrum herbicide sprays could damage wildlife habitats; they have broadened the advisory expertise accordingly. These measures open up the precautionary content to further debate, at both national and EU levels. Market-stage precautions establish a means to test claims that GM crops are environmentally-friendly products. By translating public concerns into broader risk-assessment criteria, the UK procedure involves critics in potentially influencing standards of scientific evidence and environmental harm. This social process has become a prerequisite for legitimizing commercial use.

  9. UK 2009-2010 repeat station report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas J.G. Shanahan

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The British Geological Survey is responsible for conducting the UK geomagnetic repeat station programme. Measurements made at the UK repeat station sites are used in conjunction with the three UK magnetic observatories: Hartland, Eskdalemuir and Lerwick, to produce a regional model of the local field each year. The UK network of repeat stations comprises 41 stations which are occupied at approximately 3-4 year intervals. Practices for conducting repeat station measurements continue to evolve as advances are made in survey instrumentation and as the usage of the data continues to change. Here, a summary of the 2009 and 2010 UK repeat station surveys is presented, highlighting the measurement process and techniques, density of network, reduction process and recent results.

  10. The Paradox of Openness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Keld; Salter, Ammon

    2014-01-01

    To innovate, firms often need to draw from, and collaborate with, a large number of actors from outside their organization. At the same time, firms need also to be focused on capturing the returns from their innovative ideas. This gives rise to a paradox of openness—the creation of innovations of...... or collaborate with competitors. We explore the implications of these findings for the literature on open innovation and innovation strategy.......To innovate, firms often need to draw from, and collaborate with, a large number of actors from outside their organization. At the same time, firms need also to be focused on capturing the returns from their innovative ideas. This gives rise to a paradox of openness—the creation of innovations...... often requires openness, but the commercialization of innovations requires protection. Based on econometric analysis of data from a UK innovation survey, we find a concave relationship between firms’ breadth of external search and formal collaboration for innovation, and the strength of the firms...

  11. The Employability Advantage: Embedding Skills through a University-Wide Language Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cervi-Wilson, Tiziana; Brick, Billy

    2016-01-01

    As the employment of graduates appears among the performance indicators of institutions in higher education, universities are focussing more and more upon the development of employability related skills to enhance students' prospects in the job market. All UK universities are measured on the first jobs that their students acquire after graduation.…

  12. Open Textbooks and Increased Student Access and Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldstein, Andrew; Martin, Mirta; Hudson, Amy; Warren, Kiara; Hilton, John, III; Wiley, David

    2012-01-01

    This study reports findings from a year-long pilot study during which 991 students in 9 core courses in the Virginia State University School of Business replaced traditional textbooks with openly licensed books and other digital content. The university made a deliberate decision to use open textbooks that were copyrighted under the Creative…

  13. The Morality of University Decision-Makers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatier, Cécile

    2014-01-01

    Ethical failures in UK higher education have recently made the news but are not a recent development. University decision-makers can, in order to adopt an ethical way of reasoning, resort to several ethical traditions. This article focuses, through the use of concrete examples, on three which have had a significant impact in recent higher…

  14. 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH AND EXERCISE CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER, UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig Sharp

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH AND EXERCISE CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER, UK In recent years, partly because of the ever-younger exten-sion of high quality sport representation and partly, para-doxically, due to ever-increasing levels of obesity in the young, the discipline of paediatric physiology has moved from being an interesting curiosity to an extremely impor-tant area of practical knowledge. For example, children thermoregulate qualitatively and quantitatively differently from adults - before puberty their sweat rate per square metre of skin is less than half their adult level - and they may well have, proportionate to mass, 40% greater body surface area than an adult. On the musculo-skeletal side, they come late into 'kinetic-balance', into an appropriately economic mode of running or walking, so such effort is harder for them. In many other areas children, especially younger children, differ importantly from adults, and those involved in any aspects of their exercise, sport or medicine should be well aware of this. Hence the impor-tance of the discipline, and hence the reason for a very hearty celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Chil-dren's Health and Exercise Centre (CHERC, which, as is demonstrated here, has pioneered and expanded the entire discipline, as one of the world's leading paediatric labora-tories.To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Children's Health and Exercise Centre (1987-2007 past and present mem-bers of the centre were invited to contribute a review article on paediatric exercise science. The collection of reviews, written by current and former PhD students, visiting research fellows and professors, visiting interns and current members of CHERC, discusses an array of topics, which have helped shaped the work of our centre. We would also like to take the opportunity to acknowl-edge all those associated with CHERC over the past 20 years, in particular the many children who have partici-pated in our

  15. The Windscale Inquiry - A U.K. Exercise in Nuclear Regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolter, Harold.

    1978-01-01

    This paper describes the Public Inquiry opened on 14 June 1977 concerning extenssion of the Windscale plant and the events preceding it. Four issues were considered: the implications of the proposed development for public safety; those for other aspects of the national interest; those of plant construction and operation for the environment: the measures that could be adopted under existing U.K. legislation, particularly under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 to control waste disposal, and under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 to provide for the safety of operations, and finally, other implications for the locality. (NEA) [fr

  16. Welcome to 2012: Australian Academic Developers and Student-Driven University Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Peter; Fraser, Kym; Gosling, David

    2013-01-01

    Are there consequences for academic development arising from the move to student-driven funding in the Australian higher education sector from 2012? In a move that has similarities to the UK, Australian government-supported student university funding will, from 2012, attach to students who can select a programme at the university of their choice…

  17. UK Announces Intention to Join ESO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-11-01

    Summary The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , the UK's strategic science investment agency, today announced that the government of the United Kingdom is making funds available that provide a baseline for this country to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO) . The ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , and the ESO Community warmly welcome this move towards fuller integration in European astronomy. "With the UK as a potential member country of ESO, our joint opportunities for front-line research and technology will grow significantly", she said. "This announcement is a clear sign of confidence in ESO's abilities, most recently demonstrated with the construction and operation of the unique Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal. Together we will look forward with confidence towards new, exciting projects in ground-based astronomy." It was decided earlier this year to place the 4-m UK Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) at Paranal, cf. ESO Press Release 03/00. Following negotiations between ESO and PPARC, a detailed proposal for the associated UK/ESO Agreement with the various entry modalities will now be presented to the ESO Council for approval. Before this Agreement can enter into force, the ESO Convention and associated protocols must also be ratified by the UK Parliament. Research and key technologies According to the PPARC press release, increased funding for science, announced by the UK government today, will enable UK astronomers to prepare for the next generation of telescopes and expand their current telescope portfolio through membership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The uplift to its baseline budget will enable PPARC to enter into final negotiations for UK membership of the ESO. This will ensure that UK astronomers, together with their colleagues in the ESO member states, are actively involved in global scale preparations for the next generation of astronomy facilities. among these are ALMA

  18. UK Royal Navy WWII Logbooks

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — In 2006, the UK and NOAA's Climate Database Modernization Program (CDMP) funded the imaging of approximately 8,000 Royal Navy logbooks in the UK National Archives...

  19. 'Neknomination': Predictors in a sample of UK university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Antony C; Spada, Marcantonio M; Harkin, Jamila; Albery, Ian P; Rycroft, Nicola; Nikčević, Ana V

    2015-06-01

    To identify prevalence and predictors of participation in the online drinking game 'neknomination' amongst university students. A convenience sample of 145 university students participated in a study about drinking behaviours, completing a questionnaire about their participation in neknomination, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the Resistance to Peer Influence Scale. Out of 145 students sampled, 54% took part in neknomination in the previous month. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed significantly higher scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and significantly lower scores on the Resistance to Peer Influence Scale, for those who had participated in neknomination. A significant correlation was also shown between specific peer pressure to neknominate, and engagement in neknomination. A logistic regression analysis indicated that scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, but not the Resistance to Peer Influence Scale, predicted classification as an individual who participated in neknomination. We found that over half of respondents had participated in a neknomination game in the past month, with almost all male respondents having done so. Participation in neknomination was strongly associated with general hazardous drinking behaviour but not with resistance to peer influence. Further research is needed to understand the role of engagement with social media in drinking games and risky drinking.

  20. LERU roadmap towards Open Access.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayris, Paul; Björnshauge, Lars; Collier, Mel; Ferwerda, Eelco; Jacobs, Neil; Sinikara, Kaisa; Swan, Alma; de Bries, Saskia; van Wesenbeeck, Astrid

    2015-09-01

    Money which is not directly spent on research and education, even though it is largely taxpayers´ money. As Harvard University already denounced in 2012, many large journal publishers have rendered the situation "fiscally unsustainable and academically restrictive", with some journals costing as much as $40,000 per year (and publishers drawing profits of 35% or more). If one of the wealthiest universities in the world can no longer afford it, who can? It is easy to picture the struggle of European universities with tighter budgets. In addition to subscription costs, academic research funding is also largely affected by "Article Processing Charges" (APC), which come at an additional cost of €2000/article, on average, when making individual articles Gold Open Access. Some publishers are in this way even being paid twice for the same content ("double dipping"). In the era of Open Science, Open Access to publications is one of the cornerstones of the new research paradigm and business models must support this transition. It should be one of the principal objectives of Commissioner Carlos Moedas and the Dutch EU Presidency (January-June 2016) to ensure that this transition happens. Further developing the EU´s leadership in research and innovation largely depends on it. With this statement "Moving Forwards on Open Access", LERU calls upon all universities, research institutes, research funders and researchers to sign this statement and give a clear signal towards the European Commission and the Dutch EU Presidency. Copyright© by the Spanish Society for Microbiology and Institute for Catalan Studies.

  1. Revolution of open source and film making towards open film making

    OpenAIRE

    Löker, Koray

    2008-01-01

    Ankara : The Department of Communication and Design and the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University, 2008. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2008. Includes bibliographical references leaves 74-80. This thesis is a critical analysis of self-proclaimed open source movie projects, Elephants Dream and The Digital Tipping Point. The theoretical framework derived from the new media discourse on film making, mainly based on Lev Manovich's database na...

  2. BAAL/CUP Seminar 2014: Languages in the UK--Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and the Community in Language Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith-Christmas, Cassie

    2015-01-01

    On 29 and 30 May 2014, this seminar was hosted at Lews Castle College, University of the Highlands and Islands and organised by BAAL member, Dr. Cassie Smith-Christmas. In total, there were 16 participants from 13 universities across the UK. A total of nine papers were delivered over the two days and an hour-long roundtable was held at the close…

  3. An Analysis of Introductory Programming Courses at UK Universities

    OpenAIRE

    Murphy, Ellen; Crick, Tom; Davenport, James H.

    2016-01-01

    Context: In the context of exploring the art, science and engineering of programming, the question of which programming languages should be taught first has been fiercely debated since computer science teaching started in universities. Failure to grasp programming readily almost certainly implies failure to progress in computer science. Inquiry: What first programming languages are being taught? There have been regular national-scale surveys in Australia and New Zealand, with the only US surv...

  4. Pub Culture in the U.K.

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    孙鑫

    2015-01-01

    In the U.K., pubs can be seen everywhere. They play an important role in the British society. How pubs came into being in the U.K.? Why is pub culture formed and what makes it prosperous? What effects does pub culture make on British society both in the past and in the present? Does any British character be shown in pub culture in the U.K.? In this paper, I will give a brief in-troduction of pub culture's history and development in the U.K.. Besides, the above questions will be explored and analyzed one by one.

  5. The Scholarly Communication Process within the University Research Corridor (Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University): A Case Study in Cooperation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utter, Timothy; Holley, Robert P.

    2009-01-01

    The growth of open access publishing, the development of institutional repositories, and the availability of millions of digitized monographs and journals are rapidly changing scholarly communication. This case study looks at the current and possible uses of these tools by Michigan's three largest universities: Michigan State University, the…

  6. Student Dropout at the Hellenic Open University: Evaluation of the Graduate Program, "Studies in Education"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitris Vergidis

    2002-10-01

    Full Text Available This study traces the root causes of dropout rates in one post-graduate course “Studies in Education,” offered by the Hellenic Open University (HOU. From our research findings, it was found that the main cause of dropping out stem from a combination of adult learners’ obligations, specifically balancing their academic workload with their employment commitments and family obligations (mainly for female students. The second reason for dropout rates among adult distance education learners include students’ miscalculation of the available time for studying and their underestimation of the extra effort required for effective learning. These reasons can be compared to the educational material, which, in general, was not considered overly difficult and did not appear to compel students to abandon their studies.

  7. Sheet universes and the shapes of Friedmann universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lynden-Bell, D.; Redmount, I.H.

    1989-01-01

    Unless Ω>1,the Big Bang did not start from a point. Consideration shows sheet universes in which matter is confined to a homogeneous universe. Sheet universes and the corresponding embeddings of FRW universes into Minkowski space are drawn. Their initial singularities are shown to be point-like for the 'closed' case, line-like for the 'flat' (Ω=1) case and surface-like for the 'open' case. In contrast to the cross-sections at constant comoving proper time, typical spacelike cross-sections of the 'flat' universes are closed and encounter their extensive singularities. All cross-sections of the 'closed' universe are closed and only very special cross-sections encounter the point singularities at the Big Bang or the Big Crunch. (author)

  8. Is there a glass ceiling for highly cited scientists at the top of research universities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ioannidis, John P A

    2010-12-01

    University leaders aim to protect, shape, and promote the missions of their institutions. I evaluated whether top highly cited scientists are likely to occupy these positions. Of the current leaders of 96 U.S. high research activity universities, only 6 presidents or chancellors were found among the 4009 U.S. scientists listed in the ISIHighlyCited.com database. Of the current leaders of 77 UK universities, only 2 vice-chancellors were found among the 483 UK scientists listed in the same database. In a sample of 100 top-cited clinical medicine scientists and 100 top-cited biology and biochemistry scientists, only 1 and 1, respectively, had served at any time as president of a university. Among the leaders of 25 U.S. universities with the highest citation volumes, only 12 had doctoral degrees in life, natural, physical or computer sciences, and 5 of these 12 had a Hirsch citation index m < 1.0. The participation of highly cited scientists in the top leadership of universities is limited. This could have consequences for the research and overall mission of universities.

  9. Arab Researchers Promotions of Open Archives and Free

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abd Al-Majid Salih Bu Azza

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available A study aiming at measuring the promotion of Arab researches for Open Archives and Free Electronic Journal, contained 60 researches in Sultan Qabus university in Oman, and discovered their opinion about open access resources. It found that 78.8 % of researchers did not publish articles in Free Electronic Journals, and 77.8 % do not aware about the international imitative of Open Access. Also discovered that researchers refuse publishing their articles in e-journals because of electronic articles are not considered in their universities.

  10. Characterising the UK Terrorist Threat: The Problem with Non-Violent Ideology as a Focus for Counter-Terrorism and Terrorism as the product of ‘Vulnerability’

    OpenAIRE

    Anthony Richards

    2012-01-01

    This article investigates two particular aspects as to how the terrorist threat in the UK has been characterised, arguing that they both challenge conventional academic wisdom as to how terrorism should be conceptualised. While such conventional wisdom should always be open to challenge, and policymaking perspectives are different to those of academics, these two particular aspects as to how the terrorist threat has been perceived in the UK merit scrutiny, especially as counter-terrorism stra...

  11. Revision, uptake and coding issues related to the open access Orchard Sports Injury Classification System (OSICS) versions 8, 9 and 10.1

    OpenAIRE

    Orchard, John; Rae, Katherine; Brooks, John; H?gglund, Martin; Til, Lluis; Wales, David; Wood, Tim

    2010-01-01

    John Orchard1, Katherine Rae1, John Brooks2, Martin Hägglund3, Lluis Til4, David Wales5, Tim Wood61Sports Medicine at Sydney University, Sydney NSW Australia; 2Rugby Football Union, Twickenham, England, UK; 3Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; 4FC Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 5Arsenal FC, Highbury, England, UK; 6Tennis Australia, Melbourne, Vic, AustraliaAbstract: The Orchard Sports Injury Classification Sys...

  12. openBIS ELN-LIMS: an open-source database for academic laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barillari, Caterina; Ottoz, Diana S M; Fuentes-Serna, Juan Mariano; Ramakrishnan, Chandrasekhar; Rinn, Bernd; Rudolf, Fabian

    2016-02-15

    The open-source platform openBIS (open Biology Information System) offers an Electronic Laboratory Notebook and a Laboratory Information Management System (ELN-LIMS) solution suitable for the academic life science laboratories. openBIS ELN-LIMS allows researchers to efficiently document their work, to describe materials and methods and to collect raw and analyzed data. The system comes with a user-friendly web interface where data can be added, edited, browsed and searched. The openBIS software, a user guide and a demo instance are available at https://openbis-eln-lims.ethz.ch. The demo instance contains some data from our laboratory as an example to demonstrate the possibilities of the ELN-LIMS (Ottoz et al., 2014). For rapid local testing, a VirtualBox image of the ELN-LIMS is also available. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  13. Magnetic Moments in the Past: developing archaeomagnetic dating in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Outram, Zoe; Batt, Catherine M.; Linford, Paul

    2010-05-01

    Magnetic studies of archaeological materials have a long history of development in the UK and the data produced by these studies is a key component of global models of the geomagnetic field. However, archaeomagnetic dating is not a widely used dating technique in UK archaeology, despite the potential to produce archaeologically significant information that directly relates to human activity. This often means that opportunities to improve our understanding of the past geomagnetic field are lost, because archaeologists are unaware of the potential of the method. This presentation discusses a project by the University of Bradford, UK and English Heritage to demonstrate and communicate the potential of archaeomagnetic dating of archaeological materials for routine use within the UK. The aims of the project were achieved through the production of a website and a database for all current and past archaeomagnetic studies carried out in the UK. The website provides archaeologists with the information required to consider the use of archaeomagnetic dating; including a general introduction to the technique, the features that can be sampled, the precision that can be expected from the dates and how much it costs. In addition, all archaeomagnetic studies carried out in the UK have been collated into a database, allowing similar studies to be identified on the basis of the location of the sites, the archaeological period and type of feature sampled. This clearly demonstrates how effective archaeomagnetic dating has been in different archaeological situations. The locations of the sites have been mapped using Google Earth so that studies carried out in a particular region, or from a specific time period can be easily identified. The database supports the continued development of archaeomagnetic dating in the UK, as the data required to construct the secular variation curves can be extracted easily. This allows the curves to be regularly updated following the production of new

  14. UK and Twenty Comparable Countries GDP-Expenditure-on-Health 1980-2013: The Historic and Continued Low Priority of UK Health-Related Expenditure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, Andrew J E; Pritchard, Colin

    2016-07-10

    It is well-established that for a considerable period the United Kingdom has spent proportionally less of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health-related services than almost any other comparable country. Average European spending on health (as a % of GDP) in the period 1980 to 2013 has been 19% higher than the United Kingdom, indicating that comparable countries give far greater fiscal priority to its health services, irrespective of its actual fiscal value or configuration. While the UK National Health Service (NHS) is a comparatively lean healthcare system, it is often regarded to be at a 'crisis' point on account of low levels of funding. Indeed, many state that currently the NHS has a sizeable funding gap, in part due to its recently reduced GDP devoted to health but mainly the challenges around increases in longevity, expectation and new medical costs. The right level of health funding is a political value judgement. As the data in this paper outline, if the UK 'afforded' the same proportional level of funding as the mean average European country, total expenditure would currently increase by one-fifth. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  15. Open Source Software Projects Needing Security Investments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-19

    modtls, BouncyCastle, gpg, otr, axolotl. 7. Static analyzers: Clang, Frama-C. 8. Nginx. 9. OpenVPN . It was noted that the funding model may be similar...to OpenSSL, where consulting funds the company. It was also noted that OpenVPN needs to correctly use OpenSSL in order to be secure, so focusing on...Dovecot 4. Other high-impact network services: OpenSSH, OpenVPN , BIND, ISC DHCP, University of Delaware NTPD 5. Core infrastructure data parsers

  16. Greenhouse gas measurements from a UK network of tall towers: technical description and first results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, Kieran M.; Grant, Aoife; O'Doherty, Simon; Young, Dickon; Manning, Alistair J.; Stavert, Ann R.; Spain, T. Gerard; Salameh, Peter K.; Harth, Christina M.; Simmonds, Peter G.; Sturges, William T.; Oram, David E.; Derwent, Richard G.

    2018-03-01

    A network of three tall tower measurement stations was set up in 2012 across the United Kingdom to expand measurements made at the long-term background northern hemispheric site, Mace Head, Ireland. Reliable and precise in situ greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis systems were developed and deployed at three sites in the UK with automated instrumentation measuring a suite of GHGs. The UK Deriving Emissions linked to Climate Change (UK DECC) network uses tall (165-230 m) open-lattice telecommunications towers, which provide a convenient platform for boundary layer trace gas sampling. In this paper we describe the automated measurement system and first results from the UK DECC network for CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, CO and H2. CO2 and CH4 are measured at all of the UK DECC sites by cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) with multiple inlet heights at two of the three tall tower sites to assess for boundary layer stratification. The short-term precisions (1σ on 1 min means) of CRDS measurements at background mole fractions for January 2012 to September 2015 is sampling temperatures. Automated alerts are generated and emailed to site operators when instrumental parameters are not within defined set ranges. Automated instrument shutdowns occur for critical errors such as carrier gas flow rate deviations. Results from the network give good spatial and temporal coverage of atmospheric mixing ratios within the UK since early 2012. Results also show that all measured GHGs are increasing in mole fraction over the selected reporting period and, except for SF6, exhibit a seasonal trend. CO2 and CH4 also show strong diurnal cycles, with night-time maxima and daytime minima in mole fractions.

  17. Sex-related dietary changes of Portuguese university students after migration to London, UK

    OpenAIRE

    Santos, S.; Vilela, S.; Padrão, P.; Caraher, M.

    2015-01-01

    Aim: To assess the changes in eating habits and food choice motives of Portuguese university students after migration to London, according to sex.\\ud \\ud Methods: Fifty-five Portuguese university students (52.7% female) from 12 randomly selected London universities underwent a face-to-face interview. Trained interviewers administered a structured questionnaire comprising questions on socio-demographic characteristics, the frequency of consumption of selected food and beverage items, and the m...

  18. Very High Energy astronomy from H.E.S.S. to CTA. Opening of a new astronomical window on the non-thermal Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naurois, Mathieu de

    2012-01-01

    The last ten years saw the emergence of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes as a mature and efficient technique for the study of the Very High Energy Universe, leading to the successful opening, mainly by the HESS experiment, of our understanding of the non-thermal Universe. This Habilitation thesis summaries ten years of research in Very High Energy gamma-ray astronomy with HESS and CTA. In the first part, instrumental aspects such as the experiment conception, its calibration, the reconstruction of the events and the data analysis are presented. The second parts draws a panorama of the main discoveries in the domain. (author)

  19. Employability and Students' Part-Time Work in the UK: Does Self-Efficacy and Career Aspiration Matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gbadamosi, Gbolahan; Evans, Carl; Richardson, Mark; Ridolfo, Mark

    2015-01-01

    Amid a growing focus on graduate employability, this study examines the relationship between students' part-time work, career aspirations and self-efficacy, in a survey of 357 UK students from two post-92 universities. The results suggest a positive and significant relationship between part-time work and career aspiration. Students who work…

  20. EVALUATION OF NEW PRIMARY TEACHERS ORIENTATION COURSE PROJECT LAUNCHED THROUGH ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Manzoor H. SHAH

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Primary Education is an important stage in the education system of any country. Every developed and developing nation is keen to develop and improve its primary education. In service training of the primary school teachers is a major factor in improving primary education. In Pakistan efforts have been made from the very beginning to improve the primary education especially in the late seventy’s. Different Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs, Donors Agencies and Institutions had been involved in taking different initiatives for the improvement of the quality of primary education. New Primary Teachers Orientation Course (N-PTOC was a similar effort of the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD in joint collaboration of Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad (AIOU. The major objective of the project was to improve the teaching of primary school teachers through selected microteaching skills, lesson planning, use of teaching kit and AV aids. This project was started in 1991-92 and completed in the year, 1999. Different studies were conducted which indicated that the project has an impact on the performance of the trained teachers. The present study aimed for evaluation of the N-PTOC project launched through Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad. The study is based on the documentary analysis. All the existing record of the project including different reports, documents etc. were consulted for the purpose. It was concluded that the project achieved its trainee teacher’s targets up to 70% and training of tutors and senior tutors up to 100%. Moreover the project produced a model teachers training module for the in-service training of the primary school teachers. There were some problems and challenges in its implementation including; late release of funds, shifting of targets to next semester and its non continuation by the AIOU.