Your monthly update of news from BioMed Central

BioMed Central Update Share this update      Things of note Peer Review Week – Recognition for Review Peer Review Week is set for 19th-25thSeptember 2016. It is an increasingly global event bringing together diverse individuals, institutions, publishers and organizations committed to sharing the central message that robust peer review, whatever the particular model, is critical to science communication. The theme this year is “Recognition for Review”, exploring how those participating in review activity, ranging from reviewing manuscripts, grants, conference submissions through to applications for promotion and tenure, could be recognized for their contribution World Hepatitis Day 2016 On 28th July 2016, BioMed Central supportedWorld Hepatitis Day. Organised by The World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), this year launched the first ever World Health Organization’s Global Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, which aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public threat by 2030. This topic is particularly important to BioMed Central due to our close ties with the WHA, who are affiliated with our journal Hepatology, Medicine and Policy. We contributed by bringing together our journal articles, blogs, and Q&As with our prominent hepatitis authors. We also put together aquiz you can take, with questions drawn from research articles across our portfolio. BioMed Central in the headlines To protect yourself from malaria sleep with a chicken next to your bed For the first time, scientists have shown that malaria-transmitting mosquitoes actively avoid feeding on certain animal species such as chickens by using their sense of smell. Odors emitted by species such as chickens could provide protection for humans at risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases. The research published in Malaria Journal was an international news story covered by: Fox News, Scientific American, Die Welt; BBC World Service, Mail Online, Telegraph and Live Science. Smokers quitting tobacco also drink less alcohol Research published in BMC Public Health found that people who have recently begun an attempt to quit smoking tobacco are more likely to try to drink less alcohol than other smokers. These results go against the commonly held view that people who stop smoking tend to drink more to compensate. This press release did well with the international media, with coverage including Daily Mail Online and local news outlets in UK; US News and World Report, NBC, ABC, Fox in US; The Times of India and Business Standard in India; Noticias 24 in Venezuela; EcoDiario.es,infosalus.com and Canarias7.es in Spain; Le Figaro and santé magazine in France and Meteoweb in Italy, and Forskning.nu in Norway. Scientists warn about health of English bulldog It could be difficult to improve the health of the English bulldog, one of the world’s unhealthiest dog breeds, from within its existing gene pool. The findings published inCanine Genetics and Epidemiology suggest that the English bulldog’s limited genetic diversity could minimize the ability of breeders to recreate healthy phenotypes from the existing genetic stock, which were created by human-directed selection for specific desired physical traits. A popular story in the UK and the US, this research was covered nationally by BBC news, New Scientist, Today programme, IFL Science, and National Geographic. Important dates for your diary Remember, remember the 5th of November! SpotOn London is back and ready to push the boundaries of science communication and policy with a new one-day conference taking place in London on Saturday, 5 November 2016. This year’s event is hosted by BioMed Central, Digital Science and the Wellcome Trust. At #SpotOn16, we’ll be exploring the future of peer review. The theme is: What might peer review look like in 2030? SpotOn offers an excellent forum for collaboration and discussion with like-minded individuals across science, communications, technology and policy. This year there will be plenty of opportunities to learn about new tools and technologies, pick up practical skills and network with a range of experts. Publishing Better Science through Better Data Returns – with Wellcome Trust After a successful event last year, the one-day data conference – run by the Nature Research journalScientific Data and held in partnership with the Wellcome Trust – returns, with more great speakers and a new location, the Wellcome Collection building. The conference aims to provide early career researchers with the tools and information they need to make the most of their research data. With speakers from leading research organisations, journals, funding agencies and technology providers this free event is the perfect forum for researchers to learn and discuss how to derive maximum productivity and benefit from research data. Tickets will be available from early September. BioMed Central on the road International society for clinical biostatistics ISCB 2016 Birmingham, UK, 21/08/2016 Inaugural Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Meeting Stockholm, Sweden, 25/08/2016 European Society of Cardiology Rome, Italy, 27/08/2016 European Respiratory Society London, UK, 03/09/2016 TERMIS AP Taipei, Taiwan, 03/09/2016 Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) Genoa, Italy, 28/09/2016 Supplements BMC Medical Research Methodology published a collection of articles on ‘Data sharing in Pharma’ BioMedical Engineering OnLine published selected articles from the 3rd International Work-Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (IWBBIO 2015) BMC Health Services Research published a collection of articles on ‘Health policy dialogue: lessons from Africa’ BMC Genomics and BMC Bioinformatics published selected articles from the 12th Annual Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Symposium (BIOT 2015) BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine published proceedings of the Indian Genetics Congress 2015: complementary and alternative medicine Human Genomics published a collection of articles ‘From genes to systems genomics’ Best wishes, The BMC Update Team For further information or enquiries please contact Customer Services at:info@biomedcentral.com. 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