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Research from the Sheffield Department of Mechanical Engineering has led to major improvements in engineering analysis and design software for aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce and Airbus. As a result of introducing new practices based on our research, the organisations have reported significantly reduced time input to design components as well as related economic benefits. For example: Rolls-Royce has reported an order of magnitude improvement in the time needed to mesh components. Similarly, by adopting our highly efficient computational aerodynamics solvers, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory has reduced the time its engineers spent evaluating concepts from many days to a few hours.
Essex research has investigated a range of switching techniques to enable efficient routing in optical networks. This research informed the development of the iVX8000 system, the world's first `carrier class' converged switch and transport solution, launched in May 2011 by the network equipment manufacturer Intune Networks Ltd. The development, launch and field implementation of the iVX8000 system have underpinned a period of sustained growth and success for Intune. The company has enhanced its position within the photonics transmission sector and attracted €15M of venture capital and collaborative research funding since 2011.
The International HapMap project was a major international research collaboration to map the structure of common human genetic variation across populations from Europe, Asia and Africa. Mathematical Scientists from the University of Oxford played key roles in the development of statistical methods for the project, along with its overall design and management of the International HapMap Project.
Companies have used HapMap as the primary resource to design genome-wide microarrays to make novel discoveries in, for example, pharmacogenetic studies. The size of this market is estimated at $1.25 billion.
One novel discovery has led to a genetic test that is predictive of sustained viral suppression in patients treated for chronic hepatitis C. An estimated 2.7 to 3.9 million people are affected by HCV infection. This test is sold commercially by the company LabCorp and is a significant contributor to the company's testing volume. Finally, the project has been important in widening the public understanding of genetic variation.
Researchers at the University of Leeds (UoL) have identified mutations in key genes which are major causes of deafness and blindness. Mutations in GJB2, identified in a Leeds/London collaboration, are the most common cause of human inherited deafness, affecting millions worldwide, and Leeds researchers have also highlighted 13 key genes involved in inherited blindness, accounting for an estimated 5% of around 2 million people throughout the world with inherited eye diseases. This work has led to the availability of vital genetic testing, enabling early diagnosis, better management and improving outcomes for patients, as well as better counselling and prenatal screening for families.
As the realities of climate change have become more widely accepted over the last decade, decision makers have requested projections of future changes and impacts. Founded in 2002, the Centre for Analysis of Time Series (CATS) has conducted research revealing how the limited fidelity of climate models reduces the relevance of cost-benefit style management in this context: actions based on ill-founded projections (including probabilistic projections) can lead to maladaptation and poor policy choice. CATS' conclusions were noted in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and led in turn to the toning down of the UK Climate Projections 2009 and the 2012 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Members of the insurance sector, energy sector, national security agencies, scientific bodies and governments have modified their approaches to climate risk management as a direct result of understanding CATS' research. Attempts to reinterpret climate model output and design computer experiments for more effective decision support have also resulted.
Carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene, provitamin A) are antioxidants which are essential in the human diet and which reduce the onset of chronic diseases. Research in the unit on the carotenoid pathway has provided the tools and strategies to deliver foods with increased levels of nutritional carotenoids. This has led to the production of novel food supplements and to Golden Rice (GR), a humanitarian product aimed at alleviating Vitamin A deficiency in the developing world. Field and intervention trials have shown that GR is effective and its production feasible. The research has led to beneficial impacts on health and welfare, international development, commerce, public understanding and education.
As a key participant in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Dr Perkins has been instrumental in developing key protocol standards that underpin modern telecommunications. The Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) acts as a transport layer distributing audio-visual data across the network, whilst the Session Description Protocol (SDP) describes the format and destination of streaming media. These standards are essential components of 3G and 4G mobile phone standards and form the infrastructure for many fixed telephone networks. They are implemented in Apple's Mac OS X and iOS, Google's Android, and Microsoft Windows, and feature in billions of devices around the world.