How do you make wearable technologies comfortable and unobtrusive for people who need them? Professor Michele Barbour talks to Dr Zeke Steer about how personal experiences with his great grandmother influenced the development of SmartSocks™, an innovative technology aimed at supporting individuals with dementia.   ⭐Highlights §  Zeke shares his journey from PhD student at the University of Bristol to CEO and founder of Milbotix. §  Zeke explains the challenges of integrating technology into...

Women in STEM careers in Lebanon experience gendered microaggressions at work, including microinsults and microinvalidation. Dr Yasmeen Makarem and Dr Beverly Metcalfe conducted a qualitative study with 21 women in Lebanon working in STEM fields to better understand these experiences. Human resources professionals could use these findings to improve workplaces for women and continue to diversify STEM. Read more in Research Features: doi.org/10.26904/RF-151-6107507694 Read the original...

Health problems are not just health problems ; they embody politics, social status, history, money and more. Where there is inequality in those underpinning factors, inequity in healthcare access is sure to follow. Professor Leonard Egede from the Medical College of Wisconsin examines the extent of social biases and their impacts on health, and the global impacts of both diabetes and racism. His research puts forward a holistic view of how healing social ills can help relieve individual...

Plasmapheresis, the exchange of infected plasma with fresh plasma from blood, is normally used at the far end of the treatment regimen in cases where no other medication is effective. Dr Kiprov’s research on the different immunoregulatory and neuroregulatory properties of plasmapheresis and its benefits establishes plasmapheresis as a prophylactic measure against neurodegenerative conditions and infectious diseases. Read more in Research Features Read the original research: acmcasereport.org

How can spin-outs leverage end user feedback to refine products and validate markets? Find out as Professor Michele Barbour talks to Dr Jenny Bailey, the CEO and Co-Founder of Ferryx, a biotech company focused on the commercial production of live bacterial products for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal inflammation in humans and animals.   ⭐Highlights §  Discover how a chance conversation with Co-Founder Dr Tristan Cogan sparked the innovative idea behind Ferryx: the disruption...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the field of radiology, making faster and more precise diagnoses possible. However, most radiologists aren’t familiar with AI and report a fear of being replaced by it.  Dr Jordan Perchik from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, designed a free online ‘AI Literacy Course’ which has reached more than 500 radiology trainees from 10 countries. Read more in Research Features Read the original research: doi.org/10.7191/jgr.783

As a society, we have come to rely on smartphones to do far more than make a telephone call. However, concern is growing over the potential negative consequences of their over-use, such as distraction, forgetfulness and cognitive laziness.  Led by psychologist Dr Andree Hartanto, researchers from Singapore Management University tracked how long students spent checking their smartphones and using different applications, and how this affected their cognitive functioning.  Read the original...

Financial stress testing generally involves a team of modellers working closely together, applying complex mathematical models to large and granular datasets. So, how can data science support the management of complex mathematical models, such as used in the financial sphere?  STAMP€ IT – a data-science platform developed by Dr Jerome Henry and his colleagues at the European Central Bank, can be used to manage models employed in the case at hand for financial stress testing.  Read the...

How can the UK address its technology skills gap? Professor Michele Barbour speaks with Kirsten Cater, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Bristol. Kirsten leads the skills and training aspect of the MyWorld project, addressing the significant skills gap in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.   ⭐Highlights §  Delve into the relationship between higher education and industry as Kirsten shares her knowledge of the challenges faced by early-career researchers. §  Explore...

The process of obtaining FDA approval for a new drug costs an estimated $1.8 billion and can take up to 15 years. What’s more, only a small percentage of drugs that undergo human clinical trials are approved.  To address this, Bartley J Madden, Research Fellow at the Madden Center for Value Creation at Florida Atlantic University, USA, has developed a free to choose medicine (FTCM) model that is currently being considered by US Congress. Read more in Research outreach Read the original...

CEO impersonation scams are on the rise. So, how can employees be made alert to such a scam?  Margit Scholl, Professor of Business and Administrative Informatics at TH Wildau, explores a novel approach to giving business employees a greater awareness of fraud. Together with her research team and two corporate partners, she developed both an analog and a digital game-based learning scenario geared to this topic to determine what methods of awareness raising can best protect businesses from...

Across the world, as in Germany, many employees still want to work remotely at least one or two days a week despite offices reopening. However, many SMEs failed to think about the information security risks associated with home-working. Professor Margit Scholl of TH Wildau leads the ALARM, or Awareness Lab SME Information Security project. Using gaming as a tool for education and training, her team have developed so-called “serious games” to help employees understand the risks associated...

Elevated blood pressure, called hypertension, is the leading risk factor for death and disability worldwide.  However, many patients find it is not possible to achieve a healthy blood pressure despite taking three or more blood-pressure-lowering medications; a condition referred to as resistant hypertension. Professor Markus Schlaich at The University of Western Australia, together with colleagues from other centres worldwide, has conducted the PRECISION clinical trial to assess whether the...

Recent cybersecurity reports show that the security of firms’ online presences is under ever-greater threat from cyberattack. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are attacked disproportionately often. There is also a link between people’s level of knowledge and the number of attacks. Professor Margit Scholl and her team at TH Wildau have developed the Awareness Lab SME (ALARM) Information Security program. Their goal is to raise security awareness and increase safety education within...

Recent research emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of information security teams, combining creative perspectives with technical expertise. The German “ALARM Information Security” project, led by Professor Margit Scholl at TH Wildau is part of her wide-reaching efforts to establish a landscape where digitization harmonizes seamlessly with robust security measures. Read the original article: doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12630.22082 

How are novel quantum technologies being applied to meet market demands? Find out as Professor Michele Barbour speaks to Anthony Laing, Professor of Physics and Co-Director of the Quantum Engineering and Technology labs at the University of Bristol and CEO of Duality Quantum Photonics. Anthony outlines his career journey from mature student to CEO and the importance of customer-centricity in gaining market traction.   ⭐Highlights Develop your insight into the real-world applications of...

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are growing concerned over business interruptions and cyberattacks, especially in Germany.  There is a notable gap in organizational measures relating to information security despite current safeguards, particularly in the areas of awareness and emergency preparedness. Professor Margit Scholl from TH Wildau is leading research across an evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. Her work highlights how important it is to equip SMEs in Germany with...

Transport sector sustainability is an important, topical issue that requires prompt and challenging solutions to accomplish the ambitious Greenhouses Gases and CO2 reduction targets.  Dr. Dario Di Maio, a researcher of CNR-STEMS in the team of Research Director Dr. Carlo Beatrice, in collaboration with Prof. Daniela Misul and Prof. Mirko Baratta from Politecnico di Torino, address the important challenges facing the automotive sector. Read the original research:...

Electronic sports, or esports, have evolved the concept of ‘sport’, especially around the mental acuity needed to play. Professor Samantha Punch from the University of Stirling together with Dr David Scott at Abertay University, Scotland, have investigated what’s known as the sociology of mindsport. They have uncovered the intense physicality and team play involved in the card game bridge, drawing attention to bridge’s status as a mindsport that anyone can play. Read more in Research...

Professional dance takes a mastery of physicality and form - on top of the business stresses and social demands. So what are dancers to make of motherhood and pregnancy, when their physical form and social availability now comes with dependents?  Professor Angela Pickard of Canterbury Christchurch University discusses the challenges facing the embodiment and identity of dancers becoming mothers, and what the field can do to support dancers before, during and after pregnancy. Read the...

The destruction of plant crops from the propagation of plant pathogens, such as viruses, is a serious threat to global food security and human perpetuity. What's more, the world’s governing bodies lack the tools for standardised and accurate virus detection. The CEO and Founder of Multiplex startup, Dr Bernardo Pollak, and fellow researchers based in Chile have developed and tested a unique diagnostic pipeline, Viroscope, and demonstrated its functionality through a web application,...

Care, by itself, brings thoughts of warmth, compassion, and doing right by the people who need your help. As an employment Sector, it sees life or death stakes placed on a chronically undervalued staff, working under stringent budgets in high pressure working environments. What, then, can we learn from the fields of trauma research and community support in caring for those carers? Dr Dianne Wepa of Charles Darwin University joins us again with colleagues Professor Mary Steen from Curtin...

What is the future of hydrogen as a renewable fuel source? Professor Michele Barbour talks with Dr Neha Chandarana, a Lecturer in Bio-based and Sustainable Composites at the University of Bristol. Neha explores the potential applications of hydrogen, from heating to various modes of transport. She also shares insights into her role as the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Champion for the University’s Faculty of Engineering.   ⭐Highlights §  Learn about Neha’s research on hydrogen and its...

Weight lifter David Katoatau has already lost his home in Kiribati to coastal erosion, and  faces the loss of his whole country to rising sea levels. Dancing at the 2016 Summer Olympics didn't stop the tides, but it grabbed attention across the world regarding his country's imminent fate, and raised awareness of the damages climate change is already having around the globe. Researchers from Singapore Management University led by Professor Angela Leung, and her collaborator Prof Kevin Tam...