news 2011

Business/Economics - Administration/Government - 8.05
Studying school quality, to fight inequality
New MIT center examines education and its lifelong effects. Education has long been perceived as a great leveler in the United States, providing opportunities throughout society. But at a time of economic struggle, millions of people are wondering if the country's schools can still provide a platform for success.

Administration/Government - 16.04
Can social media detect the changes in public mood?
New research has analysed the mood of Twitter users in the UK and detected various changes in the mood of the public.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Administration/Government - 1.04
Second mutation in BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma does not add to drug resistance
UCLA scientists studying the ways in which skin cancer becomes resistant to drug treatment have discovered that a second mutation found in the tumors of patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma does not contribute to resistance to BRAF inhibitor drugs, a finding that runs counter to what they expected.

Administration/Government - Medicine/Pharmacology - 26.03
Feeling better for longer
Research into the effectiveness of staff counselling reveals that workplace support can have a striking and sustained effect for employees with workplace or personal difficulties.

Pedagogy/Education Science - Administration/Government - 20.03
How to assess quality of childcare
A new study concludes that Ofsted grades are too broad to provide a detailed measure of quality in nurseries and preschools. The study carried out by the University of Oxford and A+ Education for the charity, Daycare Trust, found that Ofsted reports are best used alongside other existing quality assessments.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Administration/Government - 7.03
Benefit of gun cabinets in homes in Alaskan villages
Installing a gun cabinet dramatically reduces unlocked guns and ammunition in the home, according to a study in rural Alaska villages where the residents are primarily Alaska Native people. David Grossman, Group Health Research Institute senior investigator and UW professor of health services, led the research published in the American Journal of Public Health March 8.

Official Event - Administration/Government - 20.02
Sussex showcases academic research online
Sussex showcases academic research online Months of work culminated this week with the launch of Sussex Research Online (SRO), which showcases the University's research to the external world and contains a record of all research ‘outputs' by academics at Sussex.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Administration/Government - 15.02
Radiation generates cancer stem cells from less aggressive breast cancer cells
Breast cancer stem cells, thought to be the sole source of tumor recurrence, are known to be resistant to radiation therapy and don't respond well to chemotherapy. Now, researchers with the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center report for the first time that radiation treatment, despite killing half of all tumor cells during every treatment, transforms other cancer cells into treatment-resistant breast cancer stem cells.

Mathematics - Administration/Government - 8.02
Statistical model may unlock fingerprint evidence in court
An assistant professor at Penn State has created a new statistical model that may enable fingerprint evidence to withstand greater scrutiny in court. Currently, some fingerprints that could be key pieces of evidence in court are not being considered because of shortcomings in the way this evidence is reported.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Administration/Government - 25.01
Nature: Kawaoka authors commentary on flu research
Here is a news release issued today by the journal Nature: The author of an upcoming Nature paper about H5N1 argues in a Nature Comment article today that research into deadly pathogenic viruses must continue if pandemics are to be prevented.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Administration/Government - 3.01
Smokers prefer cold turkey
Cold turkey is the preferred method for giving up smoking according to public health researchers at the University of Sydney. With more than two-thirds of smokers giving up permanently this way, the research team wants to know why.

Administration/Government - History/Philosophy - 9.12.2011
Bridging the divide
New study shows how integrated institutions can lead diverse populations to cooperate in rebuilding countries. One of the most pressing issues in world affairs today is state building: how countries can construct stable, inclusive governments in which a variety of religious and ethnic groups coexist.

Business/Economics - Administration/Government - 7.12.2011
Warwick economist to lead £15 million research initiative into private enterprise in developing countries
University of Warwick economics professor Christopher Woodruff will oversee a new initiative that plans to invest £15 million into research on private enterprise development in low-income countries. The initiative, the largest research endeavour undertaken on the subject, is a joint venture co-ordinated by the Centre for Economic Policy Research in partnership with the Department for International Development.

Administration/Government - Medicine/Pharmacology - 28.11.2011
Gene study shows how rising temperatures affect plant growth
The molecular mechanism which makes some plants grow more rapidly when the temperature rises has been identified by researchers at the University of Bristol in a paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Administration/Government - 17.11.2011
New research claims US imposed ‘democracy’ won’t work for Arab Spring
America needs to listen to the Arab Spring protestors in Egypt and engage with their vision of the future rather than trying to impose a way of life, according to new research from the University of Warwick.