A new MORI survey published today is the first to take a wide-ranging look at the issues of reliability of information found on the Internet, and the extent to which users feel they can trust the information they find there.
The reputation of an organisation and the trustworthiness of the content of websites are important factors in people’s attitudes, the survey found. Information provided via the websites of more established organisations such as museums, libraries and archive
Nanotechnologies which can artificially change the optical properties of materials to allow light to be trapped in solar cells could greatly reduce the cost of solar energy.
Research being carried out by the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton is focusing on nanopatterning as the way to design effective solar panels. ‘By drawing features that are much smaller than the wavelength of light, photons can be confused into doing things t
An exciting find has been made by decorators working at A-listed Lilybank House, which belongs to the University of Glasgow. Hidden beneath layers of paint the decorators discovered colourful original stencilling work which experts are sure date back to 1863, when this addition to the house was designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson.
The University of Glasgow immediately called in Historic Scotland’s conservation experts to investigate and manage the conservation process.
Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding what happens when cells receive a faulty signal that is known to be a cause of cancer.
Many different types of signal control normal cell development but when some of these signals are ‘mis-activated’ they can result in the formation of tumours. Now, a team of researchers at The University of Manchester has discovered that the way cells communicate with each other is often more complicated than previously thought.
Th
Visceral fat, which is the fat found around our organs, is associated with increased danger of prostate cancer say scientists in today issue of Obesity Research.
For a long time abdominal obesity has been associated with an increase in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension and some types of cancers. But until now, it has not been possible to establish a relationship between prostate cancer and weight, even if evidence supports the idea that environmental factors, suc
Scientists have discovered that factors such as human immunity and drug resistance are less important to the success of bacterial spread than previously thought.
According to research published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences most of the variation in the spread of bacterial pathogens occurs simply by chance.
The team from Imperial College London studied three famously deadly species: Neisseria meningitidis, which causes outbreaks of me
Senior social scientists and policy-makers meet in Belfast today (Friday, February 4) to explore how far the government is succeeding in abolishing child poverty, reducing social exclusion, and improving equal opportunities in Northern Ireland.
Brought together by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the UK’s biggest funder of social research, the seminar will examine the distribution of income, benefits and tax in Northern Ireland.
The starting point for the
Some of the world’s leading authorities on tropical diseases and parasitic infections will gather for an international conference at The University of Nottingham to discuss the latest breakthroughs in research and treatments.
The combined British Society for Parasitology Spring Meeting and the international Malaria Meeting, being held at University Park from April 3 to April 6, will mark the first unveiling of studies into a range of topics, including anti-parasite drugs, parasite
EUREKA project E! 2507 EUROENVIRON COPAP has developed a new detection device that will aid research into global climate change, environmental studies, life-science research and environmental monitoring and improve understanding on aerosols.
“It is now recognised that aerosols play a central role in a range of environmental problems such as respiratory diseases, climate change and decreased visibility,” says Dr Vidmantas Ulevicius, Head of the Environmental Physics and Chemistry L
An important step has been taken on the way to building the world’s most powerful neutron source-ESS-European Spallation Source-in Scania, the southern Swedish province. To strengthen international contacts, not least with the business community, a collaborative group has been established, including members from the Nordic countries and several research financiers. The group will be called ESS Innovation Forum.
A European research facility like ESS would be a key tool in strategi
The Hubble Space Telescope’s latest image of the star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) reveals dramatic changes in the illumination of surrounding dusty cloud structures. The effect, called a light echo, has been unveiling never-before-seen dust patterns ever since the star suddenly brightened for several weeks in early 2002.
The illumination of interstellar dust comes from the red supergiant star at the middle of the image, which gave off a pulse of light three years ago, somewhat sim
New evidence suggests that rarely studied upland birds may be as vulnerable as songbirds to climate change.
Scientists from the RSPB and Newcastle and Manchester universities have found that the golden plover, a typical upland bird found on the moors and peat bogs of the Pennines, Peak and Lake Districts and Highlands, is breeding significantly earlier than 20 years ago.
They say warmer springs have prompted the change and that the failure of the plover chick’s ma
It is a premise in ecology that undisturbed ecosystems are relatively stable, and hence that sudden changes in ecosystem are likely to result from external, mostly human influences. Johan van de Koppel, Daphne van der Wal, Jan P. Bakker, and Peter M. J. Herman present a combined theoretical and empirical study indicating that natural processes within salt-marsh ecosystems can lead to ecosystem destruction. They model salt-marsh development based on the mutually enforcing interaction between plant
MRI is both safe and accurate for diagnosing pregnant women with acute pain in the abdomen and pelvis, surpassing the limits of both CT and ultrasound for this purpose, according to a new study by researchers from University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC.
For the study, the researchers analyzed the MR images of 29 pregnant patients who had been experiencing acute abdominal pain. In 28 of those cases, the correct diagnosis was made, the one exception being a case
EPSRC Press Release
Live TV outside broadcasts that combine real action and computer-generated images could become possible for the first time, thanks to camera navigation technology now under development. The work is opening up the prospect of outdoor sporting, musical or other TV coverage that blends the excitement of being live with the spectacular visual impact that computer graphics can create. It can also be applied at the consumer level, e.g. to enable interior design ideas
Furan, a potentially dangerous chemical has been found by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in processed foods, especially canned or bottled foods. A new study by McGill researchers Dr. Varoujan Yaylayan and graduate student Carolina Perez Locas explains the presence of this chemical in a wide range of food products
The study, published in the October, 2004 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, shows how food-based amino acids and sugars b
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