news 2016
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Politics - Law - 14.12.2016
Law - Health - 02.12.2016
Law - Health - 15.11.2016
Economics - Law - 07.11.2016 
Online gambling regulations should be tightened to protect children and young people, research finds
Children and adolescents are being targeted by online gambling websites due to flaws in advertising legislation, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London and City University London. The researchers point to recent statistics from an international research review which suggest that 77 to 83 per cent of adolescents are involved in some kind of gambling, and 10 to 15 per cent of adolescents are at risk of developing serious gambling problems.
Law - Computer Science - 24.10.2016 
AI predicts outcomes of human rights trials
The judicial decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) have been predicted to 79% accuracy using an artificial intelligence (AI) method developed by researchers at UCL, the University of Sheffield and the University of Pennsylvania. The method is the first to predict the outcomes of a major international court by automatically analysing case text using a machine learning algorithm.
Psychology - Law - 17.10.2016 
Why was Donald Trump sniffling?
In the first US presidential debate there were many who noticed Donald Trump's sniffling. It created a twitter storm under the hashtag #TrumpSniffles and the media became extremely interested in the presidential candidate's health. However, Lisa Flower, a doctoral student in Sociology at Lund University, Sweden, who is currently doing research on emotions, offers an alternative explanation: 'My research shows that sniffling can be a way for a speaker to indicate a shift from personal to professional opinions and vice versa.
Law - 17.10.2016 
INRA commits further to open science
INRA has just published its official policy guidelines regarding open access to its publications and data.
Life Sciences - Law - 03.10.2016
Life Sciences - Law - 29.09.2016
Law - Life Sciences - 21.09.2016 
Q&A with Jennifer Mnookin: Raising the bar for scientific evidence in court
This week, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) challenged the scientific community and the justice system to dramatically improve the reliability of scientific evidence and testimony presented in criminal courts. In the report, council members unanimously called for widespread changes to the protocols for using scientific evidence.
Law - Computer Science - 26.08.2016
Physics - Law - 18.08.2016
Law - Mechanical Engineering - 21.07.2016
Law - Health - 23.06.2016
Administration - Law - 15.06.2016
Law - 08.06.2016
Law - 12.05.2016
Law - Health - 28.04.2016
Social Sciences - Law - 26.04.2016 
The law enforcement system is ill-prepared for dying prisoners
In Switzerland, an increasing number of offenders are aging and dying in prison. Penal institutions need to better adjust to this situation, and uniform rules are needed to ensure a dignified end of life in prison.
Law - Social Sciences - 09.03.2016
Law
Results 1 - 20 of 28.
Thomas Muir - new evidence unearthed
New Court of Session papers, missing for more than 200 years, have been unearthed by the Faculty of Advocates and Professor Gerard Carruthers, University of Glasgow. The newly found papers shine light on Thomas Muir and how he courted controversy in his early years, which may have contributed to his treatment by the justice system in later life.
New Court of Session papers, missing for more than 200 years, have been unearthed by the Faculty of Advocates and Professor Gerard Carruthers, University of Glasgow. The newly found papers shine light on Thomas Muir and how he courted controversy in his early years, which may have contributed to his treatment by the justice system in later life.
What are the health effects of legalizing marijuana?
Robert MacCoun , a professor of law and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, relays the potential risks and benefits of legalizing marijuana. His research focuses on drug policy, and he has written extensively about the effects of marijuana from a legal and health perspective.
Robert MacCoun , a professor of law and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, relays the potential risks and benefits of legalizing marijuana. His research focuses on drug policy, and he has written extensively about the effects of marijuana from a legal and health perspective.
Florida’s homicide rates rise after ’Stand Your Ground’ self-defence law
A change in self-defence laws in Florida which gave citizens the right to use lethal force to protect themselves in public has been linked with the state's homicide rates going up by nearly a quarter. The study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, led by the University of Oxford with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania, looked at homicide rates before and after the enactment of State Bill 436, known as the Stand Your Ground law, which was signed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2005.
A change in self-defence laws in Florida which gave citizens the right to use lethal force to protect themselves in public has been linked with the state's homicide rates going up by nearly a quarter. The study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, led by the University of Oxford with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania, looked at homicide rates before and after the enactment of State Bill 436, known as the Stand Your Ground law, which was signed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2005.
Children and adolescents are being targeted by online gambling websites due to flaws in advertising legislation, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London and City University London. The researchers point to recent statistics from an international research review which suggest that 77 to 83 per cent of adolescents are involved in some kind of gambling, and 10 to 15 per cent of adolescents are at risk of developing serious gambling problems.
The judicial decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) have been predicted to 79% accuracy using an artificial intelligence (AI) method developed by researchers at UCL, the University of Sheffield and the University of Pennsylvania. The method is the first to predict the outcomes of a major international court by automatically analysing case text using a machine learning algorithm.
In the first US presidential debate there were many who noticed Donald Trump's sniffling. It created a twitter storm under the hashtag #TrumpSniffles and the media became extremely interested in the presidential candidate's health. However, Lisa Flower, a doctoral student in Sociology at Lund University, Sweden, who is currently doing research on emotions, offers an alternative explanation: 'My research shows that sniffling can be a way for a speaker to indicate a shift from personal to professional opinions and vice versa.
INRA has just published its official policy guidelines regarding open access to its publications and data.
First evidence of deep-sea animals ingesting microplastics
Following the news that the UK government is to ban plastic microbeads by the end of 2017, a team of scientists led by the University of Oxford has discovered the first evidence of microplastics being ingested by deep-sea animals. Researchers working on the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Cook at two sites in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean found plastic microfibres inside creatures including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers at depths of between 300m and 1800m.
Following the news that the UK government is to ban plastic microbeads by the end of 2017, a team of scientists led by the University of Oxford has discovered the first evidence of microplastics being ingested by deep-sea animals. Researchers working on the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Cook at two sites in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean found plastic microfibres inside creatures including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers at depths of between 300m and 1800m.
Vice-Chancellor’s Oration 2016
Following the news that the UK government is to ban plastic microbeads by the end of 2017, a team of scientists led by the University of Oxford has discovered the first evidence of microplastics being ingested by deep-sea animals. Researchers working on the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Cook at two sites in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean found plastic microfibres inside creatures including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers at depths of between 300m and 1800m.
Following the news that the UK government is to ban plastic microbeads by the end of 2017, a team of scientists led by the University of Oxford has discovered the first evidence of microplastics being ingested by deep-sea animals. Researchers working on the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Cook at two sites in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean found plastic microfibres inside creatures including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers at depths of between 300m and 1800m.
This week, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) challenged the scientific community and the justice system to dramatically improve the reliability of scientific evidence and testimony presented in criminal courts. In the report, council members unanimously called for widespread changes to the protocols for using scientific evidence.
Lobbyists’ model legislation unmasked by U-M researchers
ANN ARBOR'Since 2005, about two dozen states have created "Stand Your Ground" laws authorizing deadly force in self-defense. And nearly all of those laws have similar language. So, how did that happen? They all shared an author: The American Legislative Exchange Council drafted "model" legislation and lobbied states to pass it.
ANN ARBOR'Since 2005, about two dozen states have created "Stand Your Ground" laws authorizing deadly force in self-defense. And nearly all of those laws have similar language. So, how did that happen? They all shared an author: The American Legislative Exchange Council drafted "model" legislation and lobbied states to pass it.
UCLA physicists discover apparent departure from the laws of thermodynamics?
Ions subjected to buffer gas cooling never truly reach the same temperature as the surrounding gas Stuart Wolpert Eric Hudson and Steven Schowalter/UCLA Physics A microscopic sample of barium ions, shown in teal, immersed in a cloud of calcium atoms whose temperature is 1/1,000th of a degree above absolute zero.
Ions subjected to buffer gas cooling never truly reach the same temperature as the surrounding gas Stuart Wolpert Eric Hudson and Steven Schowalter/UCLA Physics A microscopic sample of barium ions, shown in teal, immersed in a cloud of calcium atoms whose temperature is 1/1,000th of a degree above absolute zero.
Leonardo da Vinci’s irrelevant? scribbles mark the spot where he first recorded the laws of friction
A new detailed study of notes and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci has identified a page of scribbles in a tiny notebook as the place where Leonardo first recorded the laws of friction. The research also shows that he went on to apply this knowledge repeatedly to mechanical problems for more than 20 years.
A new detailed study of notes and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci has identified a page of scribbles in a tiny notebook as the place where Leonardo first recorded the laws of friction. The research also shows that he went on to apply this knowledge repeatedly to mechanical problems for more than 20 years.
State laws aimed at curbing prescription opioid abuse have had little impact
Researchers from UCLA Law and Dartmouth analyze effect of laws on opioid use by disabled Medicare beneficiaries UCLA Newsroom A new study by researchers from UCLA School of Law and the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice found that state laws aimed at curbing prescription opioid abuse have had no measurable effect on opioid use by a vulnerable population with high rates of use.
Researchers from UCLA Law and Dartmouth analyze effect of laws on opioid use by disabled Medicare beneficiaries UCLA Newsroom A new study by researchers from UCLA School of Law and the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice found that state laws aimed at curbing prescription opioid abuse have had no measurable effect on opioid use by a vulnerable population with high rates of use.
Racial disparities in Oakland, Calif., police behavior, offers solutions
Stanford researchers analyzing thousands of data points found racial disparities in how Oakland Police Department officers treated African Americans on routine traffic and pedestrian stops. The researchers suggest 50 measures to improve police-community relations, such as better data collection, bias training and changes in cultures and systems.
Stanford researchers analyzing thousands of data points found racial disparities in how Oakland Police Department officers treated African Americans on routine traffic and pedestrian stops. The researchers suggest 50 measures to improve police-community relations, such as better data collection, bias training and changes in cultures and systems.
More People Need to Understand Their Rights
The right to remain silent while being questioned by police is something that all of us think we understand fairly well. We all have seen the police warn suspects of this right, known as the "Miranda warning," in countless movies and TV shows. Yet, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of this right this month, there is much still to be learned.
The right to remain silent while being questioned by police is something that all of us think we understand fairly well. We all have seen the police warn suspects of this right, known as the "Miranda warning," in countless movies and TV shows. Yet, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of this right this month, there is much still to be learned.
Layout change can make licensing agreements more agreeable
Participants who reviewed the paraphrased agreement had a better attitude about the contract, which the researchers refer to as a halo effect. According to Waddell, the halo effect is a tendency for people to make broad but unrelated judgments based on a specific detail or attribute. SAN JOSE, Calif.
Participants who reviewed the paraphrased agreement had a better attitude about the contract, which the researchers refer to as a halo effect. According to Waddell, the halo effect is a tendency for people to make broad but unrelated judgments based on a specific detail or attribute. SAN JOSE, Calif.
Australia’s gun numbers climb
For the first time since the Port Arthur massacre, Australia's national arsenal of private guns is larger than before the subsequent introduction of strict gun control laws, writes Associate Professor Philip Alpers. The proud claim that Australia may have "solved the gun problem" might only be a temporary illusion.
For the first time since the Port Arthur massacre, Australia's national arsenal of private guns is larger than before the subsequent introduction of strict gun control laws, writes Associate Professor Philip Alpers. The proud claim that Australia may have "solved the gun problem" might only be a temporary illusion.
In Switzerland, an increasing number of offenders are aging and dying in prison. Penal institutions need to better adjust to this situation, and uniform rules are needed to ensure a dignified end of life in prison.
International research project aims to investigate how tax laws and policies contribute to gender inequality
Tax policies of most countries are constructed in a seemingly neutral way, and are meant to give the same impact regardless of the taxpayer's gender. But the policies can disfavour some groups in society, due to the taxpayer's social prerequisites. The research project "ReTax - Rethinking tax neutrality - a multiple gender critique of fiscal structures and processes" intends to investigate how tax policies really are implemented, and how they in reality create more unequal societies.
Tax policies of most countries are constructed in a seemingly neutral way, and are meant to give the same impact regardless of the taxpayer's gender. But the policies can disfavour some groups in society, due to the taxpayer's social prerequisites. The research project "ReTax - Rethinking tax neutrality - a multiple gender critique of fiscal structures and processes" intends to investigate how tax policies really are implemented, and how they in reality create more unequal societies.
