Impact Global Location: Pakistan

REF impact found 67 Case Studies

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Accurate diagnosis of pre-eclampsia in both hospital and rural clinic settings

Summary of the impact

Pre-eclampsia is a major contributor to death and disability in pregnancy. Diagnosis, based on accurate blood pressure (BP)/proteinuria determination, is limited by measurement errors and being late features of the disease. In collaboration with industry, King's College London (KCL) researchers have developed an inexpensive, accurate, simple BP device suitable for rural clinics. This device allows intervention to reduce mortality/morbidity and is currently being rolled out in a Gates Foundation project in Africa and Asia. KCL researchers have also helped the company Alere Inc. with the development of a diagnostically accurate test of placental growth factor (PlGF) in women with suspected pre-eclampsia: Alere Triage®PlGF. This demonstrates high sensitivity, superior to current tests, and following commercialisation is being adopted internationally. Their work is additionally reflected in guidelines of international standards for BP device accuracy.

Submitting Institution

King's College London

Unit of Assessment

Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology, Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine, Public Health and Health Services

Agents of Change: Photography and the Politics of Space

Summary of the impact

As a result of Benedict Burbridge's work on photographic practices, he was asked to co-curate the Brighton Photo Biennial 2012, entitled Agents of Change: Photography and the Politics of Space. The Biennial had an impact on viewers' understanding of photography, photographic practices and the contingent meaning of photographic images. It also affected the artistic practice of participants and influenced a number of students to see connections between art and politics. Burbridge's research shaped the Biennial's thirteen exhibitions: he invited its artists and organised the exhibition of work in unusual spaces and modes that highlighted connections between image and context by underlining the influence that setting has on meaning.

Submitting Institution

University of Sussex

Unit of Assessment

Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Creative Arts and Writing: Art Theory and Criticism, Film, Television and Digital Media, Visual Arts and Crafts

Robson

Summary of the impact

Eleanor Robson's research on mathematics in ancient Iraq has delivered impact in two key areas: improved teaching practices in the UK, USA and Pakistan; and increased public understanding of ancient mathematics and Middle Eastern history. Impact on teaching was primarily achieved through video conferences, a multimedia pack for schools downloaded over 14,500 times internationally, and a US teacher training programme. Impact on public understanding of ancient mathematics and Middle Eastern history was achieved through museum exhibitions, art works, radio programmes and contribution to non-specialist publications.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

History and Archaeology: Archaeology, Historical Studies

Case Study 5: Improving screening, diagnosis and treatment of inherited blindness and deafness

Summary of the impact

Researchers at the University of Leeds (UoL) have identified mutations in key genes which are major causes of deafness and blindness. Mutations in GJB2, identified in a Leeds/London collaboration, are the most common cause of human inherited deafness, affecting millions worldwide, and Leeds researchers have also highlighted 13 key genes involved in inherited blindness, accounting for an estimated 5% of around 2 million people throughout the world with inherited eye diseases. This work has led to the availability of vital genetic testing, enabling early diagnosis, better management and improving outcomes for patients, as well as better counselling and prenatal screening for families.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics
Medical and Health Sciences: Neurosciences

Case Study 8. Transforming the diagnosis and clinical management of autosomal recessive disease.

Summary of the impact

Congenital disorders are causes of major morbidity and mortality worldwide. Using autozygosity mapping in a local community of Pakistani origin who have high rates of inherited recessive disorders due to consanguineous unions, we have identified more than 30 novel disease genes. Isolating these previously unknown molecular defects has enabled us to develop key diagnostic assays, subsequently provided by clinical laboratories globally. Our work has provided thousands of patients with a definitive diagnosis, removing the need for complex clinical testing. Those affected can be offered focused management and early therapeutic intervention as well as carrier and prenatal testing for themselves and family members. Our findings also provide new research opportunities for previously undefined diseases.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

Clinical Medicine

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics
Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Neurosciences

Changing the way we think about women and men in disasters: The Gender and Disaster Network

Summary of the impact

Research disseminated through the Gender and Disaster Network (GDN) has played a pivotal role in changing attitudes and increasing recognition of the importance of gender-insensitive disaster policy and practice. GDN is an international collaboration between Northumbria University, UN agencies and US and Swiss government agencies that distributes research-led resources through an open access website (www.gdnonline.org) co-ordinated by Dr Maureen Fordham at Northumbria. GDN resources are used internationally by practitioners in the United Nations, national and local governments, and non-government and corporate business organisations. Gender analysis is now routinely incorporated in training for disaster management and risk reduction and this is seen in official UN documents, for example the guidance published in 2009 `Making Disaster Risk Reduction Gender-Sensitive: Policy and Practical Guidelines' for which Fordham was a contributor.

Submitting Institution

Northumbria University Newcastle

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

Child mental health: better services and outcomes for traumatised and vulnerable children

Summary of the impact

The Greenwood Institute of Child Health is a unique collaboration between the University and public service providers such as the NHS, which aims to improve psychological outcomes for children in high-risk settings. From 1993 to 2013, Greenwood's research has highlighted the increased risk of mental health, drug dependence and criminal activity among children who suffer trauma — through abuse, living in care, homelessness or war. Greenwood's programme of research has identified the complex and persistent needs of vulnerable children and contributed to changes in policy guidelines and service provision across social care in the UK (foster care / adoption, juvenile detention and homelessness) and abroad (war). Collaboration between researchers at the Greenwood Institute, service providers and practitioners has been instrumental in the establishment of clinically relevant and cost-effective care pathways, while community engagement has led to improved service provision and outcomes for vulnerable children and their families / carers in the UK and further afield.

Submitting Institution

University of Leicester

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

Design of a block cipher used in TETRA secure radio

Summary of the impact

Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is a very well known, international specification for secure mobile radio and `walkie-talkie' communication, that is extensively used and relied upon by emergency and public safety services such as police, ambulance and fire services, as well as governmental and private bodies. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) began standardising TETRA in the 1990s and it is now widely used throughout the world. Foundations of its success include resilience and reliability, but security is a major feature, being underpinned by expert cryptographic design. In particular the authentication and key generation mechanisms in TETRA rely on a block cipher (HURDLE) which was designed by a team of cryptographers at Royal Holloway.

The work carried out at Royal Holloway underpins the integrity and security of TETRA safety- critical networks throughout the world to the present day. A secure design for emergency service communications minimises both the amount of disruption criminals can cause to service operations, and the amount of operational information such criminals can glean from eavesdropping, contributing to the safety and security of society as a whole as well as the economic benefits to manufacturers of TETRA-based equipment.

Submitting Institution

Royal Holloway, University of London

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Information and Computing Sciences: Computation Theory and Mathematics, Data Format

Dress, Identity and Religious Expression

Summary of the impact

Emma Tarlo's research on modest dress and Islamic fashion plays a substantial role in combatting social prejudice and promoting understanding of religious minority groups in Britain and Europe. Addressing issues of the rights to religious expression and the need for socially inclusive design, it has attracted widespread coverage in British and international media, including religious and ethnic minority and fashion media, stimulating public debate on-line and off. Professor Tarlo has engaged with diverse publics in the context of museums, Islamic societies, inter-faith events, schools conferences, and through interviews on radio and film. Her research has been taken up in new educational curricula and by artists and designers seeking to combat social prejudice through design.

Submitting Institution

Goldsmiths' College

Unit of Assessment

Anthropology and Development Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Sociology
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Religion and Religious Studies

Enabling Transnational Artistic Exchanges on Gender and Conflict in South Asia

Summary of the impact

Ananya Kabir's pioneering research on how the visual arts in South Asia express trauma generated by conflict resulted in a major exhibition at Leeds and associated events nationwide, attracting over 130,000 visitors. Her focus on female artistic responses enabled long-term partnerships with South Asian cultural producers, whom she helped to connect with museums and galleries in the UK. Through both her research and direct involvement with impact, Kabir has facilitated transnational pathways of professional development whilst creating and interpreting South Asian cultural capital for British and South Asian heritage audiences.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

English Language and Literature

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

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