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Research undertaken at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) studied habitat enrichment in captive coyotes (with the National Wildlife Research Center in Utah), and herd composition of donkeys, horses and mules (with the Donkey Sanctuary). These studies observed social and environmental interactions, addressing important welfare indicators in gregarious species. The work identified welfare issues in both sites and provided the necessary evidence to allow improvements to be made.
Specifically, this research has:
1) led to changes in the husbandry practice and policy in both partner institutions that have improved animal welfare;
2) improved how the Donkey Sanctuary trains international partners and undertakes welfare education.
The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for their pain-relieving properties in cattle medicine has lagged behind that of other species (e.g. companion animals) where analgesic use is now routine. University of Nottingham (UoN) research exploring the attitudes of vets and farmers to the use of NSAIDs in cattle, and subsequent marketing by Boehringer Ingelheim, a multinational pharmaceutical company, has led to a substantial increase in analgesic use. UoN research increased sales for Boehringer Ingelheim and almost doubled the UK market value of NSAIDs for use in cattle. With administration of up to 2 million additional doses per year, the research had clear benefits for animal welfare.
[text removed for publication], a developer of high-precision medical devices, have produced a new data annotation tool ([text removed for publication]) based on research in CSRI on data storage formats and activity recognition for applications within smart home environments. Within [text removed for publication] stereo-based cameras record activities in a specified environment (e.g. kitchen) which are then annotated using user-based pre-configured activity labels (e.g. prepare meal, wash dishes). [text removed for publication] is currently used by [text removed for publication] users and has yielded additional sales worth [text removed for publication]. [text removed for publication] have employed [text removed for publication] additional technical development staff to extend [text removed for publication] functionality, and through an MoU [text removed for publication] now supports automated annotation based on CSRI's research on activity recognition.
Veterinarians have long recognised health problems associated with in-breeding and extreme conformation in various pedigree dogs. However, the `Pedigree Dogs Exposed' documentary in 2008, which particularly featured the plight of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS), and resultant independent inquiry reports, to which RVC contributed, brought the extent and severity of the issue into the public eye. RVC's ongoing programme of research linked to interaction with stakeholders has contributed to the changes in breed standards instituted by the Kennel Club (KC); understanding of underlying principles governing the relationship between structure and function and affecting desired traits; developing tools to address conformation-related health problems; and driving changes in breeding practice leading to healthier dogs.
Impact: Economic / animal health and welfare: Established health schemes to control Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) on Scottish farms and subsequently underpinned the rationale for cost-effective control strategies that have been adopted in health schemes around the UK. The farm-level savings to the industry from future eradication are estimated by Scottish Government to be £50- £80m.
Significance: BVD is a major endemic disease of cattle in Scotland costing the dairy industry about £38M per year and an additional £11M to consumers.
Beneficiaries: Farmers, cattle, animal health authorities.
Attribution: Professors Gunn and Stott (SRUC).
Reach: The associated health schemes began in Scotland (HI Health) and now operate throughout Britain (UK CHeCS (Cattle Health Certification Standards) Health Scheme). The research underpins BVD control schemes in Ireland and other EU Member States resulting in an avoided output loss of between €500 to €4,000 per dairy farm per year.
[text removed for publication], a leading international manufacturer of [text removed for publication], have produced a new software interface ([text removed for publication]) for programming their flagship [text removed for publication] platform ([text removed for publication]) based on research undertaken by Ulster on rapid prototype development of healthcare applications. This new product has led to an increase in turnover for [text removed for publication] in 2012 and is being used in [text removed for publication] countries. [text removed for publication] is also currently marketing (May 2013) a new training product in the form of a [text removed for publication] platform, including [text removed for publication], based on research at CSRI on processing of accelerometry signals.
Payment card fraud is a significant cost to business, as well as being a route to funding of organised crime, drug smuggling and terrorism. Detection of fraud requires a technique that is both transparent and adaptive. We have used the Department of Computing's expertise in machine learning and rule induction to develop a scalable method of automated fraud detection that meets the industry's needs. This technique is now being commercialised by AI Corporation, with a contract for its use having been placed by the world's largest retailer. Contracts with major banks are currently under negotiation.
Deployment of robust diagnostic techniques developed at the University of Strathclyde has improved the analysis of reactor core data and has directly supported the Safety Case for continued and extended operation of the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor nuclear power stations in the UK. The new diagnostic techniques have been used on a daily basis since 16/5/2008 (BETA) and 5/3/2009 (IMAPS) in four power stations: 1) providing improved support and confirmation of the manual assessment of reactor core data by graphite engineers; 2) informing and advising power station personnel making strategic decisions on channels requiring inspection during statutory outages, and 3) providing evidence and increased confidence for the monitoring stage of station Safety Cases.
Visual analytics is a powerful method for understanding large and complex datasets that makes information accessible to non-statistically trained users. The Non-linearity and Complexity Research Group (NCRG) developed several fundamental algorithms and brought them to users by developing interactive software tools (e.g. Netlab pattern analysis toolbox in 2002 (more than 40,000 downloads), Data Visualisation and Modelling System (DVMS) in 2012).
Industrial products. These software tools are used by industrial partners (Pfizer, Dstl) in their business activities. The algorithms have been integrated into a commercial tool (p:IGI) used in geochemical analysis for oil and gas exploration with a 60% share of the worldwide market.
Improving business performance. As an enabling technology, visual analytics has played an important role in the data analysis that has led to the development of new products, such as the Body Volume Index, and the enhancement of existing products (Wheelright: automated vehicle tyre pressure measurement).
Impact on practitioners. The software is used to educate and train skilled people internationally in more than 6 different institutions and is also used by finance professionals.
Footrot (FR) causes 90% of lameness in sheep. FR reduces productivity and lowers sheep welfare. Research at the University of Warwick, initiated in 1999 and still active, has led to the development of a novel management strategy for footrot in sheep: prompt antibiotic treatment (PAT) - sheep treated with intramuscular and topical antibiotics within three days of becoming lame with FR. This has resulted in a reduction in the overall prevalence of lameness in sheep flocks in England from 10% (2004) to 5% (2011) and 3% (2013). In 2011, evidence from research at Warwick on PAT was used by the Farm Animal Welfare Council of Great Britain to support their statement that it was feasible to reduce the prevalence of lameness in the national flock from 10% to 2% by 2021. From 2005 onwards, PAT has been disseminated to 50,000 sheep farmers through knowledge transfer (KT) by EBLEX, the levy body for sheep farmers in England using booklets, CDs and more than 100 on-farm events. More than 50% of farmers who had attended an EBLEX KT meeting on lameness stated that they had changed their management of lameness as a result of new information from the event. The Sheep Veterinary Society in the UK has adopted PAT as the recognised management approach for FR and a leading sheep vet in Germany has written a book promoting PAT. The work has been presented in Europe as part of Animal Welfare Research in an Enlarged Europe (AWARE), an EU-funded project educating all countries in the enlarged EU zone on animal welfare (http://tinyurl.com/o6onaxd). In 2012, the lead Warwick researcher Professor Green was awarded the Royal Agricultural Society of England medal specifically for `impact to the sheep farming community in reducing footrot in sheep'.