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A new standard for measuring loudness - Moore

Summary of the impact

Loudness is the subjective magnitude of a sound as perceived by human listeners and it plays an important role in many human activities. It is determined jointly by the physical characteristics of a sound and by characteristics of the human auditory system. A model for predicting the loudness of sounds from their physical spectra was developed in the laboratory of Professor Brian Moore with support from an MRC programme grant.

The model formed the basis for an American National Standard and is currently being prepared for adoption as a standard by the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO). In addition, the model has been widely used in industry worldwide for prediction of the loudness of sounds, for example: noise from heating, ventilation and air-conditioning; inside and outside cars, and from aircraft; and from domestic appliances and machinery.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Neurosciences
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Structured peer group supervision for supporting psychologists’, counsellors’ and allied health professionals’ development: Research-based tools

Summary of the impact

Research into the process and efficacy of structured peer group supervision (PGS) for trainee and practicing psychologists, led by Akhurst at York St John University, collaborating with partners at the University of Leeds, has impacted on a number of psychology training programmes. The PGS model is also being adopted by various health practitioners to complement individual supervision. The model has been implemented variously in the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and the UK. Optimising use of the internet as a means for materials dissemination has enabled the DVD created by the research team to be used widely in professional development.

Submitting Institution

York St John University

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Education: Specialist Studies In Education

Modelling the evolution of a bio-based economy in the Humber region

Summary of the impact

Industrial regions around the UK are seeking to develop bio-based economies in order to minimise their CO2 emissions and stimulate economic regeneration.

Researchers at Surrey, in collaboration with key industrialists from the Humber region, have produced a mathematical model of the main factors influencing the transition to, and establishment of, a bio-based economy. This model has been used by the Humber Environmental Managers (HEM) group, and the Humber local authorities to help guide strategic planning for the region. The outcome is that the research has contributed to environmental improvement and economic regeneration of the Humber region, and has indirectly impacted on public policy.

Submitting Institution

University of Surrey

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Applied Mathematics
Economics: Applied Economics

A player performance index for Professional Football

Summary of the impact

Salford Business School researchers were commissioned by PA Sport, the sports division of the Press Association, the Football Association Premier League (FA), and FootballDataCo, which handles the rights to football data for the FA, to develop the quantitative analysis and models for an objective index of football player performance. The official player ratings system of the English Premiership, Championship and the Scottish Premiership and first of its kind:

  • The EA Sports Player Performance Index (previously ACTIM) analyses player contributions to match outcomes;
  • The Index informs squad selection, supports the refinement of team performance and Index statistics are presented worldwide, in print, online, and on television, and;
  • The index is used in football gaming software and the English Premiership's official application for the Fantasy Football League, engaging fans across the world with quantitative analysis and generating statistics driven debate through connecting with their passion.

Submitting Institution

University of Salford

Unit of Assessment

Business and Management Studies

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Economics: Applied Economics

Flood risk management is strengthened across the world as a result of inundation models developed at Bristol

Summary of the impact

A two-dimensional flood inundation model called LISFLOOD-FP, which was created by a team led by Professor Paul Bates at the University of Bristol, has served as a blueprint for the flood risk management industry in the UK and many other countries. The documentation and published research for the original model, developed in 1999, and the subsequent improvements made in over a decade of research, have been integrated into clones of LISFLOOD-FP that have been produced by numerous risk management consultancies. This has not only saved commercial code developers' time but also improved the predictive capability of models used in a multimillion pound global industry that affects tens of millions of people annually. Between 2008 and 2013, clones of LISFLOOD-FP have been used to: i) develop national flood risk products for countries around the world; ii) facilitate the pricing of flood re-insurance contracts in a number of territories worldwide; and iii) undertake numerous individual flood inundation mapping studies in the UK and overseas. In the UK alone, risk assessments from LISFLOOD-FP clones are used in the Environment Agency's Flood Map (accessed on average 300,000 times a month by 50,000 unique browsers), in every property legal search, in every planning application assessment and in the pricing of the majority of flood re-insurance contracts. This has led to more informed and, hence, better flood risk management. A shareware version of the code has been available on the University of Bristol website since December 2010. As of September 2013, the shareware had received over 312 unique downloads from 54 different countries.

Submitting Institution

University of Bristol

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Engineering: Geomatic Engineering

3. Growing Businesses: Robust Models for Understanding Consumer Buying Behaviour

Summary of the impact

The School of Mathematics at Cardiff University has developed important statistical and mathematical models for forecasting consumer buying behaviour. Enhancements to classical models, inspired by extensively studying their statistical properties, have allowed us to exploit their vast potential to benefit the sales and marketing strategies of manufacturing and retail organisations. The research has been endorsed and applied by Nielsen, the #1 global market research organisation that provides services to clients in 100 countries. Nielsen has utilised the models to augment profits and retain their globally leading corporate position. This has led to a US$30 million investment and been used to benefit major consumer goods manufacturers such as Pepsi, Kraft, Unilever, Nestlé and Procter & Gamble. Therefore the impact claimed is financial. Moreover, impact is also measurable in terms of public engagement since the work has been disseminated at a wide range of national and international corporate events and conferences. Beneficiaries include Tesco, Sainsbury's, GlaxoSmithKline and Mindshare WW.

Submitting Institution

Cardiff University

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Economics: Applied Economics, Econometrics

Numerical Modelling of Turbidity Currents

Summary of the impact

Waltham's software, developed at Royal Holloway, is impacting on the oil and gas industry. For Statoil, one of the beneficiaries, it "influenced multi-million pound decisions" (Doré, Statoil Chief Geologist 2012) in their exploitation of the Gudrun oilfield, which required a £5 billion exploration investment. The software predicts the location of oil and gas reservoirs by simulating their formation by turbidity currents. The Royal Holloway software was commercialized by Midland Valley Exploration Ltd (MVE), used in consultancy work and sold to major oil-companies. Sales have generated £120k (Q3-2008 to Q2-2011) and created high-quality employment for three staff members at MVE.

Submitting Institution

Royal Holloway, University of London

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Geology
Engineering: Interdisciplinary Engineering

Using an approach to Strength and conditioning to provide public benefit in elite athletes.

Summary of the impact

Sport and exercise research at Southampton Solent University commenced in 2007 and comprises a young research team focussed on strength and conditioning within sport. The overarching methodological approach is defined in the work of Fisher et al (2011) as momentary muscular fatigue (MMF) whereby training is undertaken to maximal exertion. Using MMF the research team have published findings and their conclusions for public benefit, thus improving performance with a range of client groups in sport. The impact of this methodological approach is far reaching, improving performance in elite performers, whether they are able or disabled. The beneficiary groups include; two Paralympic squads in the build up to, and including, the London 2012 Paralympic Games and a premiership football team.

Submitting Institution

Southampton Solent University

Unit of Assessment

Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Business and Management
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Intermittent hypoxia and its impact on human health: on mountains, medals and medicine!

Summary of the impact

Brugniaux's applied research on intermittent hypoxia training (IHT) has been instrumental in informing the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to endorse its use as a legal means of improving elite sports performance. From a clinical perspective, Brugniaux has developed a novel model of intermittent hypoxia that simulates the cycles of stop-start breathing observed in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in whom vascular dysfunction and premature cardiovascular mortality occurs. Collectively, this research has improved our understanding of the mechanisms that underpin elite performance and provided unique insight into the link between breathing instability and pathophysiology of vascular disease.

Submitting Institution

University of South Wales

Unit of Assessment

Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Medical and Health Sciences: Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology, Neurosciences

Managing uncertainty in computer models: aircraft engine design and food safety risk assessment

Summary of the impact

Pratt & Whitney (one of the world's largest makers of aircraft engines) has developed a process, "Design for Variation" (DFV), that uses Bayesian methods developed at Sheffield for analysing uncertainty in computer model predictions within the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines. The DFV process significantly improves cost efficiency by increasing the time an engine stays operational on the wing of an aircraft, so reducing the time that the aircraft is unavailable due to engine maintenance. DFV also saves costs by identifying design and process features that have little impact on engine performance, but are expensive to maintain. Pratt & Whitney estimate the DFV process to generate savings, for a large fleet of military aircraft, of [text removed for publication].

The UK Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) has used these methods in their risk analyses, for example in assessing risks of exposure to pesticides.

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Information and Computing Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing
Economics: Econometrics

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