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A Portsmouth team has helped revolutionise how flight data from aircraft flight recorders is being analysed. This has improved the corporate performance of a leading UK company in a globally competitive market by helping it expand its business in the UK and to subsequently compete in the dynamic North American market. Historically, data was manually evaluated on a flight by flight basis. Research by the Portsmouth team means such data can now be analysed automatically by artificial intelligence (AI), saving significant man-hours, and allowing the company to diversify domestically into a related market and to expand internationally. The techniques developed were subsequently applied in a new market, enabling the new corporate partner to realise savings estimated at £100,000 p.a.
Research led by Pardhan has enhanced the healthcare offered to diabetic patients of South Asian origin in the UK and overseas (Pakistan, East Africa). Prevalence of diabetes within this ethnic group is six times higher than in Caucasians. Our research into this group, which demonstrated an increased risk of sight-threatening eye disease and poor engagement with screening/treatment regimes, has impacted upon both patients and healthcare practitioners. Ophthalmologists, general practitioners and other clinicians have used our findings to target various physiological and cultural factors that influence diabetic control and eye health in the South Asian population.
Our research also provided the underpinning data that informed reports commissioned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). These reports demonstrate the increased prevalence of eye problems in patients of South Asian origin, and highlight the barriers that affect patients' access to primary and secondary eye-care across the UK. The reports evaluate the effectiveness of current management, and suggest strategies to improve the eye health of this group of patients.
These reports have led directly to the creation of dedicated community-based eye-care programmes. Funded by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (£400,000) and Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund (Department of Health), the programmes are designed to reduce diabetic-related complications through improved self care by patients in Bradford and Glasgow, regions that have significant Asian diabetic populations.
Of the 200,000 offenders supervised in the community by Probation Area Trusts (PATs) in England and Wales, around half are reconvicted of another offence within two years. University of Sheffield research into why people stop offending (`desistance'), funded by the ESRC and the Leverhulme Trust, has provided evidence to senior staff in PATs, government departments, and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) enabling the development of initiatives aimed at supporting service users in their efforts to desist. The research has increased awareness and understanding on the part of professionals of the factors associated with desistance. Through the medium of a film about how people desist, the research has helped both to reinvigorate probation services' professional practice and to develop training programmes with an emphasis on helping people to stop offending in place of the hitherto dominant focus on enforcement.
Our research has shown that water softeners are not effective in reducing the symptoms of moderate to severe eczema in children, and that their use provides no additional benefit over usual care. This finding has had an impact on Healthcare practitioners ensuring they are now able to offer the evidence-based advice to patients that the use of water softeners will not alleviate the symptoms of eczema. This advice not only eliminates false hope in patient groups but also results in significant cost savings for families of children with moderate to severe eczema who might otherwise have purchased water softeners.
Healthy Living Pharmacies (HLPs) represent a new concept in community pharmacy services designed to meet public health needs through a nationally agreed but locally commissioned tiered framework. The White Paper, Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths, delivering the future, published in April 2008 described the role community pharmacy could play in supporting public health: "Pharmacies will become healthy living centres: promoting and supporting healthy living and health literacy; offering patients and the public healthy lifestyle advice, support on self care and a range of pressing public health concerns; treating minor ailments and; supporting patients with long-term conditions". A national framework for HLPs was developed then ratified by the National Public Health Leadership Forum for pharmacy (PHLFP) in January 2010. This was tested in Portsmouth Primary Care Trust. Findings of the project led to the HLP concept being rolled out across England in 2012 to 20 pathfinder sites (areas, regions, site sounds like an individual pharmacy) involving 100 pharmacies. As of March 2013, there were 478 HLPs across 28 areas and presently there are 721 HLPs in over 35 areas. There are a range of impacts that can be demonstrated from this research including changes to community practice and government policy; increase in public use of pharmacies and improved patient outcomes.
Marine wood borers cause huge economic losses by damaging maritime structures. Research conducted by Cragg's team has driven the move from broad-spectrum, environmentally-hazardous wood protection methods towards environmentally-benign approaches tailored to target specific organisms. Their novel testing methods have accelerated evaluation of protection methods while reducing testing costs (impact 1). Their evaluations have been used to inform guidelines for selection of timbers for waterside construction issued by the UK Environment Agency (impact 2) and to market less well-known timber species (impact 3). Their information on invasive borers affects local and global decision making (impact 4).
The impact of research in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) at Ulster is evidenced by the changes it has driven regarding the delivery of language teaching using ICT and multimedia language learning tools in a variety of environments. The production of internationally-recognised research to demonstrate effective motors for change led to the establishment of a key infrastructure, the Centre for Excellence in Multimedia Language Learning (CEMLL), funded by a CETL (Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) grant of £825,000 from Department of Education and Learning (DEL). This has informed developments in language teaching in higher and secondary education and has provided language learning opportunities beyond traditional educational sectors into industrial and community settings.
The Los Niños oral history project has added a new voice to the discourse around conflict and migration, and in doing so has brought a forgotten chapter of Spanish Civil War history to the attention of the public and media. The insights gathered have found resonance locally, nationally and internationally, as people across three generations gained greater awareness and understanding of the experience of exile. Outputs have been widely disseminated through a digital archive of life stories, a popular oral history book, a virtual and a touring exhibition, a set of online education resources and two documentary films.
An innovative approach towards researching story-telling and its relevance in games design has resulted in cultural and economic impact in the creative sector and generated novel approaches that have influenced creative practice in the games industry. As a direct result of the research, an independent games development studio has been established and two commercial game titles have been released, with commercial sales to date of approximately £1.65m. The first release, Dear Esther, has been a major commercial success, has also won several industry recognition awards and is cited as directly responsible for the genesis of a new gaming genre.