BURO: A Bespoke Repository for the UK Research Excellence Framework & Beyond

BURO (Bournemouth University Research Online), a bespoke repository for the university’s research publications is an essential part of a wider change agenda aimed at embedding research into the core activities of Bournemouth University. BURO will be a crucial piece of this jigsaw as the university prepares for the UK’s forthcoming Research Excellence Framework (REF) and beyond. BURO is the 11th largest multidisciplinary institutional repository in the UK and 232nd in the Web of World Repositorie

A factorial survey experiment to examine how the class background and perceived gender of job applicants influences shortlisting decisions for entry‐level academic posts in higher education in England

Previous research on the mechanisms that reproduce class advantage and disadvantage in higher education (HE) has focused on students, with limited attention paid to class discrimination in the academic labour market. Whilst numerous studies have explored the effect of applicant gender on hiring decisions for academic positions, little is known about the influence of applicant class background, or its intersection with applicant gender. Understanding this is important, considering the increasing focus on universities as engines of social mobility. Using Bourdieu as the theoretical framework, this study examined the effect of applicants’ class background, gender, and their intersection on entry to the academic profession in elite and non‐ elite universities in England. A between‐subjects factorial survey experiment was conducted with 166 participants from 57 universities to examine how hypothetical applications, which were identical except for markers of class and gender, were evaluated as part of a shortlisting process. The study found that, in both elite and non‐elite universities, higher‐class male applicants were significantly more likely to be invited to interview than higher‐class females, lower‐class males, and lower‐class females. In non‐elite universities, class background was a more dominant variable than gender, indicating that recruitment practices may act as a strategy for growing institutional capital to gain advantage in the highly stratified HE field. However, in elite universities, gender was a more dominant variable than class, indicating that the male‐ dominated historical formation of these universities still creates barriers to women’s entry to the academic profession. This study provides evidence of the role of class, and its intersection with gender, in shaping life opportunities and outcomes, thereby contributing to the growing body of research that repositions class as important in thinking about contemporary issues such as increasing social inequalities. The findings support the case for implementing the socio‐ economic duty in England

Parental and infant characteristics and childhood leukemia in Minnesota

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. With the exception of Down syndrome, prenatal radiation exposure, and higher birth weight, particularly for acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), few risk factors have been firmly established. Translocations present in neonatal blood spots and the young age peak of diagnosis suggest that early-life factors are involved in childhood leukemia etiology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the association between birth characteristics and childhood leukemia through linkage of the Minnesota birth and cancer registries using a case-cohort study design. Cases included 560 children with ALL and 87 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnoses from 28 days to 14 years. The comparison group was comprised of 8,750 individuals selected through random sampling of the birth cohort from 1976–2004. Cox proportional hazards regression specific for case-cohort studies was used to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Male sex (HR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.16–1.70), white race (HR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.13–4.76), and maternal birth interval ≥ 3 years (HR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.01–1.70) increased ALL risk, while maternal age increased AML risk (HR = 1.21/5 year age increase, 95% CI 1.0–1.47). Higher birth weights (>3798 grams) (HRALL = 1.46, 1.08–1.98; HRAML = 1.97, 95% CI 1.07–3.65), and one minute Apgar scores ≤ 7 (HRALL = 1.30, 95% CI 1.05–1.61; HRAML = 1.62, 95% CI 1.01–2.60) increased risk for both types of leukemia. Sex was not a significant modifier of the association between ALL and other covariates, with the exception of maternal education.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We confirmed known risk factors for ALL: male sex, high birth weight, and white race. We have also provided data that supports an increased risk for AML following higher birth weights, and demonstrated an association with low Apgar scores.</p