UK Archives

A transdisciplinary approach to restoring London’s river Thames

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Martin Richardson implements a multidisciplinary approach to the health of the River Thames, highlighting the ecological stressors it faces and the blinkered view that comes from a single study approach, calling for a plan to help regenerate the river

Despite being one of the world’s most iconic rivers, the Thames faces many ecological challenges, and its health has deteriorated severely over recent decades. Martin Richardson from Royal Holloway, University of London, believes that an additional problem is the singular focus of existing research into those challenges. He also believes that a better, more sustainable Thames is possible. In a […]

Understanding teaching excellence in STEM subjects

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Alfred Thumser conducted a survey among bioscience students to identify what they classify as teaching excellence in STEM subjects, and identified key areas that students value in their education

STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering, maths – are undeniably important if we are to meet the needs of our increasingly globalised world. So knowing what encourages uptake of these subjects to the highest level is of the utmost importance. Good teaching might be an obvious answer, however we don’t fully understand what constitutes ‘teaching excellence’ in STEM subjects. Dr […]

Neoliberal traits in school curricula-instructional design: Post-pandemic opportunities for change towards the common good

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Chris Green calls for radical and systemic change in the modern educational system in schools and to update the curriculum to reflect modern views for the issue-savvy youth

Calls for systemic change to Western education systems are growing louder, following seismic social activism over the past few years and the emergence of an increasingly connected and issue-savvy youth. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education have become the trigger point for change. Chris Green, a specialist in educational reform, says it’s time to turn our backs on […]

Advancing imaging biomarker development and translation through the National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA)

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The NCITA consortium aims to provide researchers with the infrastructure to conduct high-quality clinical research in the pursuit of standardised imaging biomarkers, and translating this into clinical settings for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer

It is estimated that someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes in the UK. Clinical imaging offers a minimally invasive way of diagnosing and managing a variety of cancers. The National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA) consortium now provides researchers with the infrastructure to conduct high-quality, multi-centre clinical research in the quest to develop standardised imaging biomarkers and accelerate […]

Hearing loss: who gains the most from cochlear implants?

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The ability to hear is arguably the most crucial sense for people’s happiness.

Hearing loss can cause severe disabilities and impair daily life. Cochlear implants may be an option for those who experience extreme deafness, but there are long waiting lists for potential recipients in countries with limited healthcare options. Paula Greenham of Greenham Research Consulting has investigated what factors are most likely to result in improved quality of life for individuals requiring […]

New independent research clarifies risks associated with different MHT (HRT) treatments

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Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is used to ease severe symptoms associated with the menopause and can be administered in tablet, patch, gel, or implant form. However, previous research has suggested treatments may have serious side effects, including increased risks of developing blood clots, breast cancer, and dementia. Dr Yana Vinogradova of Nottingham University Medical School, UK, supported by UK researchers […]

Poor appetite in dogs: A potentially common symptom of gall bladder disease

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Poor appetite is common in dogs, but it’s often dismissed if there are no other symptoms. Dr A D Viljoen, from Vets4Pets Torquay, believes this may be a sign that can help to identify dogs with early stages of gall bladder disease and should be investigated further. Some of these dogs appear to benefit clinically from having their gall bladder […]

Understanding neural networks with neural-symbolic integration

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Dr Joe Townsend, Dr Theodoros Kasioumis, and Dr Hiroya Inakoshi, from the Artificial Intelligence Research Division at Fujitsu Research of Europe Ltd, used Neural-Symbolic Integration to better understand the reasoning of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They developed two solutions. The first solution – ERIC: Extracting Relations Inferred from Convolutions – opens the so-called ‘black box’ of AI and attempts to translate […]

Metrology for the Factory of the Future

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Metrology for the future is a joint European research project which aims to combines metrology and modern digital technologies to encompass the lifecycle of measured data in industrial applications.

Metrology for the Factory of the Future (Met4FoF) is a joint research project that brings together researchers from leading national metrology institutes and universities in Europe. This project establishes a metrological framework and combines metrology and modern digital technologies to encompass the lifecycle of measured data in industrial applications. The researchers demonstrate the practical applicability of the framework with its […]

New superalloy design for 3D-printing set to transform manufacturing

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Engineers at Alloyed, Professor Roger Reed, Dr Roger Reed and colleagues at the University of Oxford, have developed new robust superalloys that can be used in additive manufacturing – otherwise known as 3D printing. Their 3D printed superalloy objects can be as strong as those made using standard techniques, a breakthrough that could transform the efficiency of some of our […]