news 2018

The visual inspection of a suspicious skin lesion using the naked eye alone is not enough to ensure the accurate diagnosis of skin cancer, a group of experts have concluded following a largescale systematic review of research. Published today in The Cochrane Library, the Special Collection of Cochrane Systematic Reviews brings together a review of a large body of research on the accuracy of tests used to diagnose skin cancer.

A super-sensitive passenger scanner that reveals hidden security threats is being trialled at Cardiff Airport in the UK. The walk-through scanner, which uses space technology to image human body heat, is the result of a collaboration between Sequestim Ltd. and Cardiff University scientists. Computer learning allows the scanner to distinguish between threats and non-threats but without the need for passengers to keep still or remove outer clothing.

A radical culture change in the NHS and across the health data and medical technology community is needed to ensure the NHS can deliver the benefits of new health technologies, says a new report co-authored by a University of Oxford scientist. The report, published by the Academy of Medical Sciences , outlines principles that must be adopted by the NHS and medical industry so that digital information about patients can be used in smarter, more joined-up ways to revolutionise healthcare and support life-saving research.

The project by the Universities' Police Science Institute evaluated South Wales Police's deployment of Automated Facial Recognition across several major sporting and entertainment events in Cardiff city over more than a year, including the UEFA Champion's League Final and the Autumn Rugby Internationals.

University of Nottingham researchers have developed 100 percent biodegradable and edible food packaging made from plant carbohydrates and proteins to replace polluting plastic materials and improve storage, safety and shelf life. The Sino-UK project is led by Professor Saffa Riffat , from the Faculty of Engineering, whose research group is world-renown for innovations in sustainable materials, energy and building technologies.

Research undertaken at the University of Birmingham has found that young people are able to judge which health related apps are relevant to their age and bodies, are able to source appropriate digital content as well as dismiss app content that might be harmful to them.

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol and Bristol Zoological Society have collaborated to develop a 'ground-breaking' new animal enrichment activity for the gorillas at Bristol Zoo Gardens. The project integrates hidden computer technology with cognitive animal enrichment for the first time, to measure how gorillas solve complicated problems.

Screens are now a fixture of modern childhood. As young people spend an increasing amount of time on electronic devices, the effects of these digital activities has become a prevalent concern among parents, caregivers, and policy-makers. Research indicating that between 50% to 90% of school-age children might not be getting enough sleep has prompted calls that technology use may be to blame.

A 'brain training' app developed at the University of Cambridge could help people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) manage their symptoms, which may typically include excessive handwashing and contamination fears.

A new Institute where research will look into improving healing and make a difference to patients with debilitating conditions is opening today (10 October 2018) at the University of Birmingham. The Healthcare Technologies Institute (HTI) will strive to advance new technologies and treatments that encourage better tissue healing, quicker detection of diseases, and better outcomes for patients.

Researchers from the Cambridge Graphene Centre, together with industrial and academic collaborators within the European Graphene Flagship project, showed that integrated graphene-based photonic devices offer a solution for the next generation of optical communications. The researchers have demonstrated how properties of graphene - a two-dimensional form of carbon - enable ultra-wide bandwidth communications and low power consumption to radically change the way data is transmitted across the optical communications systems.

Apps that can detect what mode of transport phone users are travelling on and automatically offer relevant advice are set to become a reality after extensive data-gathering research led by the University of Sussex.

A new easy-to-use legal tool that enables exchange of biological material between research institutes and companies launches today. The OpenMTA provides a new pathway for open exchange of DNA components - the basic building blocks for new engineering approaches in biology Jim Haseloff The OpenMTA is a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) designed to foster a spirit of openness, sharing and innovation in global biotechnology.

Theresa May's 'precious Union' has little in the way of meaningful support from her own supporters or self-professed Unionists in other parties, research suggests. Moreover, according to the study carried out by Cardiff University in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh, attitudes to the Union are marked principally by rivalry and mutual-indifference.

Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) is to benefit from a donation of up to £13.3 million from the philanthropic organisations Good Ventures and the Open Philanthropy Project. The donation, which includes a £6 million up-front commitment, with further funds earmarked for the recruitment of staff, is the largest in the history of the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have found that survivors of sexual assault are more likely to blame themselves for the incident if they were drunk at the time. People with higher levels of self-blame indicated they would be less willing to report a rape or assault to the police, found the results of the study, published in scientific journal Aggressive Behaviour.

Parenting interventions for helping children with behavioural problems are just as effective in school age, as in younger children, according to new Oxford University research. There is a predominant view amongst scientists and policy-makers that, for greatest effect, interventions need to be applied early in life, when children's brain function and behaviour are thought to be more malleable.

An academic from the University of Birmingham has developed a novel method for high accuracy Question Answering which is believed to be the most accurate in the world. Question answering software automatically answers questions posed by users much like Siri, Alexa and Google Now. Harish Tayyar Madabushi, a PhD student in Computer Science, has integrated information extracted from the analysis of language with deep learning to achieve this result.

People in wealthy countries are less concerned about the reliability, vulnerability and affordability of their energy supplies, a new study has shown. An international team led by researchers from Cardiff University has revealed that across Europe, national social and economic factors play a key role in how people feel about the security of their energy sources.

The University of Bristol is pioneering the monitoring of volcanic activity by developing a cutting-edge measurement system that can withstand the harsh conditions around the heart of an active volcano. Such extreme, hazardous and unpredictable environments present a very difficult challenge to reliably record volcanic behaviour for analytical models.