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Researchers at the University of Glasgow have created the first freely accessible online database of written and spoken texts in Scottish English and Scots. Together, the Scottish Corpus of Text and Speech (SCOTS) and the Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW), both developed at Glasgow, provide over 10 million words of text from a range of sources, complemented by audio and video recordings and digitised manuscripts and documents. They have succeeded in raising interest in and awareness of Scottish English and Scots among the general public: 40% of SCOTS's resources were contributed by the public, and the website achieved 165,000 page views per month at launch. The database is also widely used by commercial lexicographers and professionals in secondary education. It is an `essential data source' for Scottish Language Dictionaries, `in day-to-day use' by the Oxford English Dictionary, and from 2006-2013 has been deployed by school examination boards across the UK (Highers, A-Levels, Cambridge International, and Oxford, Cambridge and RSA exams).
The electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the most commonly used medical tests which assist in diagnosing heart disorders worldwide. However, diagnosis relies on accurate interpretation of ECG recordings. Studies by University of Glasgow researchers have led to changes to international guidelines for ECG-based diagnosis of a heart attack (myocardial infarction; MI) and have led to significant refinements to the automated ECG analysis software called the `Glasgow Program'. Commercialisation of the Program since 2008 has resulted in its incorporation into some of the market-leading medical devices, with approval of the Glasgow Program by the FDA and more than 40,000 devices sold worldwide, potentially aiding millions of patients around the world. The Program assists hospital doctors, family practitioners and others such as first responding emergency services, e.g. ambulance and fire services, with the reliable interpretation of ECGs, enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment of patients with a variety of heart problems.
As little as two decades ago, the notion of comics, graphic novels or bande dessinée (BD, French-language comic strips) as an academic field of study would have seemed unthinkable. Following Glasgow-led research and teaching, the study of BD has been accepted as a discipline worthy of intellectual engagement, with BD courses and modules adopted in around 20 universities across the UK, Europe and North America. This unique art form and cultural output has also been brought to a much broader public via exhibitions, conferences and media debate, with the emphasis on BD as a social mirror for which the historical context is key. Glasgow University's expertise in the study of Early Modern emblems, and its Stirling Maxwell Centre for the Study of Text/Image Cultures, has played a key role in establishing an intellectual and social link to today's French-language comic strips and graphic novels.