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Location-based mobile dating applications are often one of the richest sources of personal information readily accessible to strangers on the internet and in many cases this information now extends...

Preprint servers, such as arXiv and bioRxiv, have disrupted the scientific communication landscape by providing rapid access to research before peer review. medRxiv was launched as a free online repository for preprints in the medical, clinical, and related health sciences in 2019. In this review, we present the uptake of preprint server use in nephrology and discuss specific considerations regarding preprint server use in medicine. Distribution of kidney-related research on preprint servers is rising at an exponential rate. Survey of nephrology journals identified that 15 of 17 (88%) are publishing original research accepted submissions that have been uploaded to preprint servers. After reviewing 52 clinically impactful trials in nephrology discussed in the online Nephrology Journal Club (NephJC), an average lag of 300 days was found between study completion and publication, indicating an opportunity for faster research dissemination. Rapid review of papers discussing benefits and risks of preprint server use from the researcher, publisher, or end user perspective identified 53 papers that met criteria. Potential benefits of biomedical preprint servers included rapid dissemination, improved transparency of the peer review process, greater visibility and recognition, and collaboration. However, these benefits come at the risk of rapid spread of results not yet subjected to the rigors of peer review. Preprint servers shift the burden of critical appraisal to the reader. Media may be especially at risk due to their focus on "late-breaking" information. Preprint servers have played an even larger role when late-breaking research results are of special interest, such as during the global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Coronavirus disease 2019 has brought both the benefits and risks of preprint servers to the forefront. Given the prominent online presence of the nephrology community, it is poised to lead the medicine community in appropriate use of preprint servers.

Globalisation is a major driving factor in the Higher Education sector, which has resulted in significant developments relating to international academic mobility. This includes the establishment of international campuses, increasingly global facing research and extensive student international exchange schemes. We explore the advice given to LGBTQ+ staff and students in UK Higher Education Institutions (‘HEIs”) who engage in international mobility of this kind. Analysing data collected through Freedom of Information requests, we demonstrate that the advice given is overwhelmingly heteronormative, ignoring the potential challenges that LGBTQ+ travellers might fact and underestimating the impact of the disparate global landscape of LGBTQ+ rights. Drawing on agency literature, we argue that HEIs should develop detailed and informed policy which gives LGBTQ+ travellers greater agency during the travel process. We suggest that the lessons that can be learned from the UK context can be applied internationally by HEIs adapting to and developing in the increasingly globalised HE landscape.

This submission was prepared in response to a call for evidence launched on 29 March 2 by the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications entitled “The Internet: To Regulate or Not to Regulate?”. The broad inquiry sought evidence to explore how the regulation of the internet should be improved, and to consider whether online platforms which mediate individuals’ use of the internet have sufficient accountability and transparency, and whether they use fair and effective processes to moderate content. This collaborative response, prepared on behalf of NINSO (The Northumbria Internet & Society Research Interest Group), provides recommendations in relation to the wide range of issues raised by the Committee. The key themes that are highlighted by NINSO to be addressed by any reform are effective user education and the power imbalance between the platform and user. NINSO recommends that an empirical, holistic, evidence-based approach should be applied which is tailored appropriately to the size and resources of the platform as well as the context of the situation.