Science and Film-making

The essay reviews the literature, mostly historical, on the relationship between science and film-making, with a focus on the science documentary. It then discusses the circumstances of the emergence of the wildlife making-of documentary genre. The thesis examined here is that since the early days of cinema, film-making has evolved from being subordinate to science, to being an equal partner in the production of knowledge, controlled by non-scientists

Assessing medication use patterns in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: a retrospective study.

Objective To describe patterns of medication use—that is, dexamethasone; remdesivir; and tocilizumab—in the management of patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Design and setting Retrospective observational study, using routinely collected, linked electronic data from clinical practice in Scotland. Data on drug exposure in secondary care has been obtained from the Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration System. Participants Patients being treated with the drugs of interest and hospitalised for COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 10 November 2021. Outcomes Identification of patients subject to the treatments of interest; summary of patients’ baseline characteristics; description of medication use patterns and treatment episodes. Analyses were descriptive in nature. Results Overall, 4063 patients matching the inclusion criteria were identified in Scotland, with a median (IQR) age of 64 years (52–76). Among all patients, 81.4% (n=3307) and 17.8% (n=725) were treated with one or two medicines, respectively; dexamethasone monotherapy accounted for the majority (n=3094, 76.2%) followed by dexamethasone in combination with tocilizumab (n=530, 13.0%). Treatment patterns were variable over time but roughly followed the waves of COVID-19 infections; however, the different drugs were used to varying degrees during the study period. The median (IQR) treatment duration differed by medicine: dexamethasone 5 days (2–9); remdesivir 5 days (2–5); and tocilizumab 1 day (1–1). The overall median (IQR) length of hospital stay among all patients included in the study cohort was 9 days (5–17); 24.7% of patients died in hospital. Conclusion The use of adjuvant medicines in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 appears in line with evolving evidence and changing treatment guidelines. In-hospital electronic prescribing systems are a valuable source of information, providing detailed patient-level data on in-hospital drug use

Small and medium-sized enterprise policy: Designed to fail?

Significant doubts persist over the effectiveness of government policy to increase the numbers or performance of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK economy. We analyse UK political manifestoes from 1964-2015 to examine the development of SME policy in political discourse. We do this by analysing how the broadly-defined category of ‘SME’ has been characterised in the manifestoes and assess these characterisations in relation to the empirical evidence base. We highlight three consistent themes in UK political manifestoes during 1964-2015 where SMEs have been characterised as having the potential for growth, struggling to access finance and being over-burdened by regulation. We argue that homogenising the broad range of businesses represented by the SME category and characterising them in these terms misrepresents them, undermining policies developed in relation to this mischaracterisation

F. A. Hayek vs. J. M. Keynes in Shackle's marginal gloss

The intellectual rivalry of F.A. Hayek and J.M. Keynes has recently caught the attention of historians of economic thought, journalists and the broad public. However, how was it viewed at the time? This article uses archival material in the form of marginal annotations made by G.L.S. Shackle to determine contemporary reading responses to the theoretical developments of the 1930s. Shackle’s unique reading style that includes legible, dated, annotations and the fact that a substantial part of his academic library survives, gives us a unique vantage point from which to explore anew this period of intellectual history

Institutional pluralism and the implementation of women's enterprise policy

Purpose: This research paper generates new insights into the challenges of implementation in women’s enterprise policy. It argues that organisations involved in policy implementation need to be understood as operating in a context of institutional pluralism and answers: How do organisations involved in the implementation of women’s enterprise policy manage the challenges of institutional pluralism?Methodology: Addressing the need for women’s enterprise policy to learn from the past, the research adopts an historical approach to the study of policy implementation through examination of the UK’s Phoenix Development Fund (1999-2008). It analyses a wide range of secondary sources to examine 34 projects funded and supported by the Phoenix Development Fund that targeted women entrepreneurs. Findings: Potentially conflicting institutional logics associated with central government, mainstream business support and local communities were managed through four key processes: dominance; integration; constellation; and bridging. The management of institutional pluralism was effective in delivering support to communities but not in providing an effective platform for learning in government or establishing sustainable, long-term mechanisms.Originality: The paper develops an empirical contribution to practice through identification of processes to manage the challenges of institutional pluralism and lessons for community-engaged policy implementation. A theoretical contribution to academic debates is provided by the conceptualisation of these challenges in terms of institutional pluralism and the novel concept of institutional bridging. The study also demonstrates the value of historical methods for women’s enterprise policy to learn the lessons of the past

Joint claims for JSA Qualitative survey: stage 1 technical report

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:3737.640(95) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The rhetoric of neoliberalism in the politics of crisis: a reply to Andrew Scott Crines

This is a reply to: Crines, Andrew Scott. 2015. “The rhetoric of neoliberalism in the politics of crisis.” Global Discourse. 5 (1): 116–129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2014.922360

Joint claims for JSA Quantitative survey: stage 2; technical report

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:7447.388(118) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo