News 2019

Three decades ago, the world was home to fewer than a dozen border walls. Now, their numbers have swelled to more than 50. In a supposed era of openness and collaboration, why are these structures not only persisting, but proliferating? According to research co-authored by a University of Chicago political scientist, border walls exist not only as manifestations of anti-globalist sentiment, but as barriers with real economic impact-some of which may be unintended.

People were less likely to catch either influenza or a common cold-causing rhinovirus if they were already infected with the other virus, a new study by scientists from the Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research has found. Understanding how these distinct viruses inhibit each other could help public health planning to improve forecasting models that predict respiratory disease outbreaks and strategies for controlling disease spread, say the scientists.

An updated PolicyBristol briefing has revealed that people's health and safety have been greatly undervalued in the UK for the past 20 years. In the updated policy document , University of Bristol research shows that while opinion polls are not infallible, they are more accurate than the method used by the UK government to value human life.

Differences in cultural values have led some countries to tackle the spectre of cyber-attacks with increased internet regulation, whilst others have taken a 'hands-off' approach to online security - a new study shows. Internet users gravitate towards one of two 'poles' of social values. Risk-taking users are found in 'competitive' national cultures prompting heavy regulation, whilst web users in 'co-operative' nations exhibit less risky behaviour requiring lighter regulation.

Government leaders must set a good example to the business community if they want to eliminate corporate corruption, a new study reveals. Financial incentives and criminal punishment will not root out corrupt business practices, but a government culture of honesty, integrity and strong leadership could help to cure corruption.

Researchers are beginning to untangle what lies behind complex brain activity, with a combination of a brain imaging technique and a Sudoku-like puzzle, writes Dr James (Mac) Shine from the Brain and Mind Centre. Have you ever sat down to complete your morning crossword or Sudoku and wondered about what's happening in your brain? Somewhere in the activity of the billions of neurons in your brain lies the code that lets you remember a key word, or apply the logic required to complete the puzzle.

Industry funders can go to great lengths to suppress the findings of academic research when it's not favourable to the company, Professor Lisa Bero writes. Over the last two decades, industry funding for medical research has increased globally, while government and non-profit funding has decreased. By 2011, industry funding, compared to public sources, accounted for two-thirds of medical research worldwide.

University of Queensland chemical engineers have developed a new method to analyse the physical characteristics of potato chips in a bid to develop a tastier low-fat snack. Professor Jason Stokes said while a low-fat potato chip might reduce guilt, many people don't find the texture as appealing. "A key challenge in the food industry is reducing the amount of sodium, added sugar and saturated fat without sacrificing the taste, flavour, texture and mouthfeel in food and drink," Professor Stokes said.

Brief, friendly door-to-door visits by uniformed police officers substantially improve people's attitudes toward the police and increase their trust in law enforcement, according to a new study of community-oriented policing in New Haven. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first randomized, controlled field experiment to test the effects of community-oriented policing on people's opinions of their local police.

Research investigating the effects of being alone on well-being is one of two Cardiff University projects to benefit from €3.38m funding from the European Research Council (ERC). Dr Netta Weinstein, from the School of Psychology, will receive €1.48m to investigate how people respond to solitude, at a time when more people are living alone.

Researchers from The University of Queensland and University of Cambridge are exploring ways to help scientists better protect their work from the influence of the food industry. With rising obesity levels, and significant public interest in diet and health, the ethics surrounding research in this area is centre-stage.

The Scottish criminal justice process leaves those who have reported a rape or serious sexual assault feeling marginalised and with little control regardless of their case's outcome, a new study has found. Researchers from the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research at the University of Glasgow interviewed victim-survivors who have navigated their way through the system to try and understand their 'justice journey'.

32°C. This summer saw the highest temperature ever recorded in southern Alaska. What are the consequences for the environment and ice melt? UCLouvain researchers will go to Alaska (15/08 to 6/09) to analyse soil (permafrost) thawing The mission's goal is to understand and clarify thaw impact on the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted in the Arctic The historical record of 32° C in southern Alaska in early July 2019 exposed permafrost (permanently frozen ground) to an unprecedented temperature rise.

Current methods for anonymising data leave individuals at risk of being re-identified, according to new UCLouvain and Imperial research. Companies and governments downplay the risk of re-identification by arguing that the datasets they sell are always incomplete. Our findings show this might not help.

Latina mothers living in the United States experienced a significant jump in preterm births in the nine months following the Nov. 8, 2016, election, according to a study by researchers at UC Berkeley and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The analysis, based on U.S. government data on more than 33 million live births in the country, found an excess of 2,337 preterm births to U.S. Latina mothers, compared to projections about preterm birth rates.

Current methods for anonymising data leave individuals at risk of being re-identified , according to new research from University of Louvain (UCLouvain) and Imperial College London This research is published in Nature Communications Nature article:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10933-3 Luc Rocher , researcher at the mathematical engineering department of University of Louvain (UCLouvain) : mobile on request , luc&peri

A relaxation of UK food industry regulation has been linked with 9,900 additional cases of cardiovascular disease, and 1,500 cases of stomach cancer. Researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool analysed the salt intake of the population in England over thirteen years to compare the effect of changes in regulations on how much salt manufacturers can use in their products.

EPFL scientists have developed a model that can help policymakers factor in uncertainty when they map out their energy strategies. Today such strategies are based largely on forecasts of fuelprices, technology costs and energy demand. However, these forecasts are often incorrect and can lead to flawed decisions.

A foreign policy enacted by American presidents opposing abortion results in less funding for family planning and birth control, leading to more unwanted pregnancies. A U.S. foreign policy that cuts money to nongovernmental organizations performing or promoting abortions abroad has actually led to an increase in abortions, according to Stanford researchers who have conducted the most comprehensive academic study of the policy's impact.

A new online matching service is set to revolutionise the way people with dementia and researchers connect, fast-tracking more effective and inclusive dementia research across Australia. Similar to popular dating apps, the StepUp for Dementia Research service will draw on characteristics such as age, location and diagnosis to match volunteers with researchers carrying out studies in dementia prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and cure.