School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications

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    Our chemical cultural heritage: Macadam and Kirkland (1862-85)
    NEL, P (Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2009)
    In the November edition (p. 20), I provided an overview of the Chemistry Collection at the University of Melbourne, its significance and various projects I have been involved with that aim to make the collection available to the public. I hinted at how many of the items in the collection are associated with key figures in the history of chemistry and science not only at the University of Melbourne but also on national and international levels. These early teachers of chemistry are featured in an inaugural exhibition in the foyer of the Chemistry Building. Here I will focus on the early days, when chemistry was taught through the Medical School and the two main chemistry lecturers of this time: Macadam and Kirkland.
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    Our chemical cultural heritage: The University of Melbourne Chemistry Collection
    NEL, P (Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2009)
    The key issues covered and a description of The University of Melbourne Chemistry Collection is discussed. The collection is being temporarily housed at the university, until it is returned to its original home, The School of Chemistry.
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    Respect: Engendering participatory relationships in conservation education
    SLOGGETT, R (Canadian Association for Conservation, 2009)
    In 2004, the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (The University of Melbourne) established a new subject, Respect, as part of a new Masters by Coursework in Cultural Materials Conservation. In this subject, guest lecturers who have extraordinary or senior cultural expertise and knowledge introduce students to the political and societal aspects of cultural materials conservation. They lead students through the complexity of issues relating to context, disruption, authenticity, legal standing, development, reinvention, identity, and minority status. In Respect, students are asked to think about conservation as a practice that could benefit from incorporating intellectual positions and emotional skills that have been developed by other cultures, or marginalized communities within our own culture, to support the preservation of their cultural material or cultural identity. In order to do this, Respect seeks to indicate to students the political nature of cultural material conservation decision-making. The subject also asks students to consider who the partners in cultural materials conservation are, and whether conservators and those with the responsibility and interest in cultural preservation have the skills to enter into successful participatory partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
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    The three main monotheistic religions and gm food technology: an overview of perspectives
    Omobowale, EB ; Singer, PA ; Daar, AS (BIOMED CENTRAL LTD, 2009)
    BACKGROUND: Public acceptance of genetically modified crops is partly rooted in religious views. However, the views of different religions and their potential influence on consumers' decisions have not been systematically examined and summarized in a brief overview. We review the positions of the Judaism, Islam and Christianity - the three major monotheistic religions to which more than 55% of humanity adheres to - on the controversies aroused by GM technology. DISCUSSION: The article establishes that there is no overarching consensus within the three religions. Overall, however, it appears that mainstream theology in all three religions increasingly tends towards acceptance of GM technology per se, on performing GM research, and on consumption of GM foods. These more liberal approaches, however, are predicated on there being rigorous scientific, ethical and regulatory scrutiny of research and development of such products, and that these products are properly labeled. SUMMARY: We conclude that there are several other interests competing with the influence exerted on consumers by religion. These include the media, environmental activists, scientists and the food industry, all of which function as sources of information and shapers of perception for consumers.
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    Priority setting: what constitutes success? A conceptual framework for successful priority setting
    Sibbald, SL ; Singer, PA ; Upshur, R ; Martin, DK (BMC, 2009-03-05)
    BACKGROUND: The sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide is threatened by a growing demand for services and expensive innovative technologies. Decision makers struggle in this environment to set priorities appropriately, particularly because they lack consensus about which values should guide their decisions. One way to approach this problem is to determine what all relevant stakeholders understand successful priority setting to mean. The goal of this research was to develop a conceptual framework for successful priority setting. METHODS: Three separate empirical studies were completed using qualitative data collection methods (one-on-one interviews with healthcare decision makers from across Canada; focus groups with representation of patients, caregivers and policy makers; and Delphi study including scholars and decision makers from five countries). RESULTS: This paper synthesizes the findings from three studies into a framework of ten separate but interconnected elements germane to successful priority setting: stakeholder understanding, shifted priorities/reallocation of resources, decision making quality, stakeholder acceptance and satisfaction, positive externalities, stakeholder engagement, use of explicit process, information management, consideration of values and context, and revision or appeals mechanism. CONCLUSION: The ten elements specify both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of priority setting and relate to both process and outcome components. To our knowledge, this is the first framework that describes successful priority setting. The ten elements identified in this research provide guidance for decision makers and a common language to discuss priority setting success and work toward improving priority setting efforts.
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    Sex, gender, and health biotechnology: points to consider
    Singh, JA ; Bandewar, S ; Singer, PA (BIOMED CENTRAL LTD, 2009)
    BACKGROUND: Reproductive technologies have been extensively debated in the literature. As well, feminist economists, environmentalists, and agriculturalists have generated substantial debate and literature on gender. However, the implications for women of health biotechnologies have received relatively less attention. Surprisingly, while gender based frameworks have been proposed in the context of public health policy, practice, health research, and epidemiological research, we could identify no systematic framework for gender analysis of health biotechnology in the developing world. DISCUSSION: We propose sex and gender considerations at five critical stages of health biotechnology research and development: priority setting; technology design; clinical trials; commercialization, and health services delivery. SUMMARY: Applying a systematic sex and gender framework to five key process stages of health biotechnology research and development could be a first step towards unlocking the opportunities of this promising science for women in the developing world.
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    In Global Health Research, Is It Legitimate To Stop Clinical Trials Early on Account of Their Opportunity Costs?
    Lavery, JV ; Singer, PA ; Ridzon, R ; Singh, JA ; Slutsky, AS ; Anisko, JJ ; Buchanan, D (PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2009-06)
    After the failure of three large clinical trials of vaginal microbicides, a Nature editorial stated that the microbicide field "requires a mechanism to help it make rational choices about the best candidates to move through trials" [1]. In this month's debate, James Lavery and colleagues propose a new mechanism, based on stopping trials early for "opportunity costs." They argue that microbicide trial sites could have been saturated with trials of scientifically less advanced products, while newer, and potentially more promising, products were being developed. They propose a mechanism to reallocate resources invested in existing trials of older products that might be better invested in more scientifically advanced products that are awaiting clinical testing. But David Buchanan argues that the early stopping of trials for such opportunity costs would face insurmountable practical barriers, and would risk causing harm to the participants in the trial that was stopped.
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    Florence and the Mummy
    TULLY, C ; Williams, B (Megalithica, 2009)
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    Samuel Liddell Macgregor Mathers and Isis
    TULLY, C ; Evans, D ; Green, D (Hidden Publishing, 2009)
    Ten years on from the groundbreaking Triumph of the Moon: A history of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Professor Ronald Hutton, a selection of worldwide scholars, some 'big names; some newer in the field, with nearly two centuries of hands-on pagan research experience between them, present a collection of researches inspired by, deriving from or just celebrating the immense impact of that seminal...