news 2018

Researchers at the University of Oxford, working with colleagues in Erlangen, Germany and at the Cleveland Clinic, USA, have developed a new technology based on analysis of computed tomography (CT) coronary angiograms that can flag patients at risk of deadly heart attacks years before they occur. Heart attacks are usually caused by inflamed plaques in the coronary artery causing an abrupt blockage of blood getting to the heart.

The paper, 'Mapping EU citizens in the UK: A changing profile?', published today by the University of Birmingham's Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS), finds that at the time of the Brexit referendum, EU-born UK residents, who overall accounted for 5% of the UK population, comprised between 0.7% and 25.8% of the resident population in local areas, with geographical distribution concentrated around London, the South East, and the East.

Life-expectancy for individuals with younger-onset disease is on average 16 years shorter compared to people without diabetes, and 10 years shorter for those diagnosed at an older age, according to new research. Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age is associated with more cardiovascular complications and higher risk of premature death than being diagnosed later in life, independent of disease duration.

A research collaboration including theoretical physicists from the University of Bristol and Birmingham has found a new way of evaluating how light flows through space - by tying knots in it. Laser light may appear to be a single, tightly focused beam. In fact, it's an electromagnetic field, vibrating in an ellipse shape at each point in space.

A team at Cardiff University is working to address the issue of fuel poverty in Wales. The Understanding Risk group, which brings together staff from the Schools of Psychology and Social Sciences, is leading Fair Futures, a Welsh Government commissioned project, with the Energy Systems Catapult as partner.

By trading energy between countries with different weather patterns, Europe could make the most of wind and solar power. This conclusion is from a study modelling the future of weather and energy in Europe, which could help plan future continent-wide energy systems and policies that share renewable resources across countries.

By trading energy between countries with different weather patterns, Europe could make the most of wind and solar power. This conclusion is from a study modelling the future of weather and energy in Europe, which could help plan future continent-wide energy systems and policies that share renewable resources across countries.

A team of international researchers, led by quantum technology experts from the University of Bristol, have shown that a chip-based device can be used to generate quantum-based random numbers at gigabit per second speeds. The tiny device, with a footprint of just a millimetre square, requires little power to operate and could enable stand-alone random number generators and be incorporated into laptops and smartphones to offer real-time encryption.

A new system for monitoring fetal movements in the womb, developed by Imperial researchers, could make keeping an eye on high-risk pregnancies easier. Our device is the first to use acoustic sensors to detect movements. Dr Niamh Nolan Department of Bioengineering Monitoring the movements of babies in the womb is crucial to providing medical help when it's needed.

A new form of solar-powered supercapacitor could help make future wearable technologies lighter and more energy-efficient, scientists say.‌ In a paper published in the journal Nano Energy, researchers from the University of Glasgow's Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group describe how they have developed a promising new type of graphene supercapacitor, which could be used in the next generation of wearable health sensors.

Researchers from Cardiff University are piloting a new system that uses ammonia as an energy storage solution. A £1.5m 'world-first' proof-of-concept demonstrator has been opened at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Harwell, Oxfordshire to test the next-generation technology. Its aim is to create a brand new sustainable system that can generate and use power when required, whilst efficiently storing energy in the form of ammonia when the demand for, or price, of electricity is low.

The struggle to shape the experiences young people have online is now part of modern parenthood. As children and teenagers spend increasing amounts of time online, a significant share of parents and guardians now use Internet filtering tools (such as parental controls) to protect their children from accessing sexual material online.

University of Nottingham research into the out-of-hours workloads of UK hospital doctors has informed a new safe staffing report, released today (Friday 13 July) by the Royal College of Physicians. Doctors on out-of-hours shifts work in stressful environments, performing complex tasks which are difficult to prioritise.

As manufacturing shifts towards smart factories, with interconnected production systems and automation, engineers at the University of Nottingham are leading a £1.9m project to develop a predictive toolkit to optimise productivity and communication between human workers and robots. DigiTOP is one of seven national projects to create novel digital tools, techniques and processes to support the translation of digital capabilities into the manufacturing sector, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Researchers have made a breakthrough in more precisely targeting drugs to cancers. Using ultrasound and lipid drug carriers (liposomes), a multi-disciplinary team of biomedical engineers, oncologists, radiologists and anaesthetists at the University of Oxford have developed a new way to improve the targeting of cancer drugs to tumours.

A new Imperial review suggests more work is needed to tackle emissions in easier sectors and the difficult. The new research by Imperial College London and the University of California, Irvine, suggests that though many areas are difficult to decarbonise, solutions using current technology exist for the majority.

Will automation, AI and robotics mean a jobless future, or will their productivity free us to innovate and explore? Is the impact of new technologies to be feared, or a chance to rethink the structure of our working lives and ensure a fairer future for all? If routine cognitive tasks are taken over by AI, how do professions develop their future experts? Stella Pachidi On googling 'will a robot take my job'' I find myself on a BBC webpage that invites me to discover the likelihood that my work will be automated in the next 20 years.

100 times faster broadband is coming: 5G passes first test for indoor coverage at University of Sussex Initial testing on the next generation of mobile technology with the capability of delivering 100 times faster broadband has been successful, engineers at the University of Sussex and collaborators from telecom consultancy firm Plum have confirmed.

Analysis carried out at Cardiff University reveals the full impact of digital technologies on the productivity of businesses. The Economic Impact Report for Wales was carried out at Cardiff Business School's Welsh Economy Research Unit and draws on survey data collected from more than 450 SMEs across Wales.

The handwritten inventories had lain largely untouched for centuries. Sand used to dry the ink still lay between the pages.