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The Digital Classics research group has been instrumental in transforming the cultural capital of the ancient world online, through changing the way that information about the ancient world is found and can be used. It builds transferable tools and has established a set of international standards for exploring and visualising the ancient world online. For example, Barker's Google Ancient Places (GAP) project has built an innovative web platform for reading texts spatially while the Pelagios network, using the infrastructure of the Internet, links data from international archives and museums in creating a world wide web of antiquity.
Taras' assessment research while Higher Education (HE) focused, is pertinent at all levels. There is considerable evidence that it has impact on debate, staff development and academic practice in UK universities and internationally. It covers assessment practices and discourses including linguistic and cultural influences on perceptions of assessment. Her original self-assessment model is a paradigm shift linking practice and theory supporting student learning and inclusion in assessment. An original theoretical framework for summative, formative and self-assessment represents a second paradigm shift. Her work has been widely disseminated through publication in high status journals and at conference and seminar presentations.
Making Art in Tudor Britain (MATB) has enhanced public engagement with iconic images of British history; generated fresh insights for the public (multiple makers' hands, works' international origin) and brought works into display. School-level learners and teachers have particular readiness to attend to Tudor material since the Tudor period is central to National Curriculum. Popular access to findings on the makeup of works (lectures, website, museum displays and trails, book, press articles) led to knowledge enhancement. Viewers were fascinated and instructed by a TV demonstration of newly-tried methods of technical analysis on forgeries. MATB has impacted on international conservation practice, sparking exhibitions and projects.
The research described below has impacted on policy and practice relating to Personal Development Planning (PDP) - the structured and supported process by which learners reflect upon their own development and plan their future development. The impact has primarily been on the UK Higher Education (HE) sector, but has also extended beyond the UK and into other types of organisation (e.g. graduate recruitment networks). More specifically, the research has: shaped the guidance offered to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) on implementing and developing PDP policies and processes for students; enhanced the practice of PDP practitioners; stimulated debate among these practitioners; and informed the development of resources for these practitioners. This has had an overarching positive effect on learner development in educational settings and beyond.
This case study highlights the research at Plymouth University into the development of a specialist security thread in banknotes which has been commissioned and adopted by De La Rue, the world's largest commercial currency printer and papermaker. The system has provided quality assurance for over five billion banknotes, including the Euro, and improved the performance of a worldwide business through the introduction of new technology. Potential future losses through counterfeit have been mitigated by the improved quality assurance systems.
This case study is about the development of flame retardant (FR) polypropylene yarns used in upholstery fabrics for domestic and office furniture, automotive and floor coverings that will have predictable and reproducible fire retardant properties when subjected to standard testing procedures. Through the UK DTI funded project FLAMTECH (2002-2005) shared by Camira Fabrics Ltd., and the university, a range of novel polypropylene yarns having higher levels of consistent fire performance than the previously existing products in the market place were developed. A testing protocol which could establish individual fibre/yarn/fabric structural-fire property relationships and correlate these with (and hence predict) final fabric performance was also established. The project overlapped a concurrent EPSRC funded research in which nanocomposite fibres (including polypropylene) with improved flame retardancy and reduced melt dripping were developed. Camira were also members of the consortium managing this project. The major commercial outcome from these projects since 2005 is a flame retardant polypropylene product being marketed by Camira fabrics within their Perfentex brand and others are also being considered. This work also inspired the Production Director of Camira Fabrics to register at Bolton as a PhD-by-publication candidate and hence gain more knowledge about the subject area, as evidenced by the publication of her research papers (see Paper 1, Section 3).
The anærobic production of gas from waste — or biogas — is an important renewable energy source and means to prevent the release of methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. Exploitation of biogas is hampered by traces of siloxanes and H2S, which damage engines through the formation of SiO2, SO2 and H2SO4 during combustion. Research at Sussex in collaboration with PpTek Ltd (engineers of purification technology) has expanded the scope of current purification technology, meaning that biogas systems can be installed in a range of new sites. This has led to a strong increase in the commercial activity of the company, with turnover increasing from £910,000 in 2008 to £1.95m in 2012-13 and half year figures suggest turnover of at least £3m 2013-14 with £4.3m predicted for 2014-15.
This research improved policy-makers' and practitioners' understanding of well-being among residents of social care facilities by identifying the factors contributing to residents' quality of life. This research resulted in the development of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT), whose use is rapidly increasing both in the UK and internationally. Evidence from beneficiaries including policy-makers, experts and service practitioners, as well as interviews with service users, indicates that ASCOT captures aspects of well-being that are highly valued by service users and policy-makers alike.
The applied research generated has targeted practitioners and athletes at all levels, and by combining expertise and knowledge from different areas (primarily Biomechanics and Physiology), aimed to directly influence the way in which muscle function is assessed in competitive sports. The studies in the area of muscle conditioning and function has generated a body of work that has the potential to be useful to coaches both in competition as well as in training, but to date has not been fully realised. By examining how the muscle responds to certain stimuli, training suggestions have been provided that can acutely increase the performance of an athlete, for example conditioning stimuli prior to athletics performance (reference 4 in section 3). These suggestions can assist both in improving the competitive performance as well as in improving the quality of the content and experience of training sessions.
Further, evaluating a range of tests and assessment tools, such as by examining their validity and reliability, monitoring and assessment becomes much more accurate and sport-specific, enabling high-quality training (such as in reference 2, section 3). In addition, as these assessments allow testing to take place within the training and performance environment the performer is accustomed to (such as in reference 6, section 3), they also result in minimal disruption of the training programme, which cannot be achieved using traditional assessment techniques which require a visit to a laboratory for the assessment to take place.
The range of applicability of the research to support uptake of the recommendations and resultant training and performance benefits has been maximised by ensuring the suggestions and equipment used are low cost and easily accessible, enabling coaches and athletes from a wide range of performance levels to utilise them, such as functional tests (such as in reference 5, section 3). The work has highlighted that coaches and athletes need to reassess their approaches to measuring performance and specific measurement techniques used, and that doing so can improve training techniques and athletic performance.
Impact of peat research at NTU comprises:
Research on peatland hydrology and erosion has been used by stakeholders including Defra, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Moors for the Future, RSPB, water companies, horticultural peat producers and Environment Agency to improve policy and practice in the management of peatland habitats. Research into alternative growing media for use in horticulture, pioneered by Carlile in conjunction with William Sinclair Horticulture, contributed to development of market-leading brand New Horizon.