Making research count: Norway and the OECD connection 1965–1980

This essay explores how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Norway became linked into a science policy discourse that radiated throughout the developed world. Despite political differences, this discourse changed forever the expectations by which Norway’s universities and its fundamental research institutions were to operate.

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Gown and Town: The University and the City in Europe, 1200–2000

The paper explores town-gown relations in Europe across thecenturies from the point of view of the university. It arguesthat the history of their relationship can be largely dividedinto two distinctive periods: one, in the period 1200–1800, whenthe University was in the town, but not of it; the other,post-1800, when the two were much more closely connected. Italso briefly examines the influence of the American campus modelon the European university system.     

The auction market for artworks and their physical dimensions: Australia—1986 to 2009

Within a hedonic pricing model, the preferences of Australian art purchasers are investigated. Emphasis is placed on the impact of an artwork’s dimensions upon its auction price. A salient aspect of this is the first test of the ‘golden ratio’ hypothesis in a market situation. It is concluded that purchasers prefer paintings that deviate from the golden rule. The ‘orientation’ of works (portrait, landscape or square) as well as size also helps determine price. The impact of winning the Archibald portraiture prize (Australia’s foremost art prize) is found to have significant and positive impacts on winning artists’ prices. This suggests that purchasers are not fully informed. In addition, a previously unsuspected relationship between artwork dimensions and Archibald prize winners was found. As well as purchasers’ preferences, the artists’ choices of the dimensions of their artworks are considered.     

Making a New and Pliable Professor: American and Soviet Transformations in German Universities, 1945–1990

This article discusses the history of American and Soviet transformations in German universities during the period of the Cold War, 1945–1990. Both American and Soviet policies were resisted by the university community, particularly by the conservative German professoriate, in both parts of the divided Germany. The article shows how and why both American and Soviet policies of the reforms of German universities were eventually failed.     

Serving Science and the State: Mining Science in France, 1794–1810

The revolutionary period in France marked a turning point in the history of the profession of mining engineering and its relation to the State. This essay outlines the changing requirements of the revolutionary government, and describes the ways in which the State and its engineering professionals responded to the challenge of combining science and practice.

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Modelling and the Nation: Institutionalising Climate Prediction in the UK, 1988–92

Minerva - How climate models came to gain and exercise epistemic authority has been a key concern of recent climate change historiography. Using newly released archival materials and recently...     

Direct memberships in foreign copyright collecting societies as an entrepreneurial opportunity for music publishers – needs,challenges, opportunities and solutions

Journal of Cultural Economics - In the competitive, increasingly international music business, publishers are developing new ways to increase effectiveness and efficiency of the monetization of the...     

Particle-modified consolidants: A study on the effect of particles on sol–gel properties and consolidation effectiveness

In this paper, we have performed a systematic characterization of sol and gel properties for particle-modified silica consolidants filled with titania (TiO₂-PMC), alumina (Al₂O₃-PMC), and silica (SiO₂-PMC) particles. Viscosity of the sol is not increased much by loading with particles, especially for TiO₂-PMC and SiO₂-PMC. Composites show a strong reduction of silicate network shrinkage. Also, the incorporation of oxide particles into the matrix increases the elastic modulus while decreasing the thermal expansion. In agreement with the improvement of bulk gel properties, we observed better performance of PMCs against unfilled silicate upon consolidation of Ohio Massilian sandstone. Notably, the sulfate crystallization test has less effect on PMC-treated than on silica-treated samples.     

Inside the Nobel Committee on Medicine: Prize Competition Procedures 1901–1950 and the Fate of Carl Neuberg

The present study explores some ofthe mechanisms at work in the award of theNobel Prize in medicine or physiology duringthe period 1901–1950. In his will, Nobelmentioned three explicit criteria for the NobelCommittees, but an examination of the fate ofGerman biochemist Carl Neuberg reveals howimplicit criteria came to be added. Forexample, the Nobel Committees in Medicine andChemistry were challenged by the emergence ofnew disciplines such as biochemistry, and inresponse began to rotate awards arounddifferent specialities.     

The Philippine–American War and the American Debates about the Necessity and Legality of the “Water Cure,” 1901–1903

Abstract

This essay provides a critical genealogical study of the “water cure” controversies that took place during the Philippine–American War. The author extends the work of Foucault and Agamben to argue that a biopolitical review of this controversy illustrates how many of the legal and cultural arguments used to legitimate the water cure have resurfaced in contemporary debates about waterboarding and enhanced interrogations techniques. The essay also illustrates how anti-imperialists and other critics of Theodore Roosevelt's administration tried to use these water-cure debates as discursive vehicles for complaining about the systematic abuse of Filipinos during the Philippine “Insurrection.”