How do you make wearable technologies comfortable and unobtrusive for people who need them? Professor Michele Barbour talks to Dr Zeke Steer about how personal experiences with his great grandmother influenced the development of SmartSocks™, an innovative technology aimed at supporting individuals with dementia.

⭐Highlights

§  Zeke shares his journey from PhD student at the University of Bristol to CEO and founder of Milbotix.

§  Zeke explains the challenges of integrating technology into the lives of individuals with dementia and emphasizes the importance of early detection, intervention, and prevention.

§  Explore Zeke's entrepreneurial journey and gain insights into the challenges and rewards of building a business. 

§  Discover how Milbotix plans to navigate the intersection of technology, healthcare, and societal change.

🌐 About the Enterprise Sessions

The Enterprise Sessions bring together a diverse mix of company founders and researchers who talk openly about their personal experiences of forming spin-outs and start-ups, raising capital, academic-industry partnerships and the joys of translating research discoveries into real-world impact. 

The series aims to inform, inspire and challenge myths and stereotypes about research commercialisation and how businesses and universities can work together to tackle society's biggest challenges. 

👍 Like, Share, Subscribe, Explore

If you found this episode inspiring or informative, please don’t forget to like and share. Visit our website or subscribe to the University of Bristol’s YouTube channel for more Enterprise Sessions. 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/enterprise-sessions 

🔗 Connect with 

Milbotix website: https://milbotix.com/ 

Milbotix on X: https://twitter.com/milbotix

Milbotix on LinkexIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/milbotix/ 

Milbotix on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087489834753 

Women in STEM careers in Lebanon experience gendered microaggressions at work, including microinsults and microinvalidation.

Dr Yasmeen Makarem and Dr Beverly Metcalfe conducted a qualitative study with 21 women in Lebanon working in STEM fields to better understand these experiences. Human resources professionals could use these findings to improve workplaces for women and continue to diversify STEM.

Read more in Research Features: doi.org/10.26904/RF-151-6107507694

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1007/s11199-023-01396-4

Health problems are not just health problems ; they embody politics, social status, history, money and more. Where there is inequality in those underpinning factors, inequity in healthcare access is sure to follow.

Professor Leonard Egede from the Medical College of Wisconsin examines the extent of social biases and their impacts on health, and the global impacts of both diabetes and racism. His research puts forward a holistic view of how healing social ills can help relieve individual health too.

Read the original research: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00909-1

Plasmapheresis, the exchange of infected plasma with fresh plasma from blood, is normally used at the far end of the treatment regimen in cases where no other medication is effective.

Dr Kiprov’s research on the different immunoregulatory and neuroregulatory properties of plasmapheresis and its benefits establishes plasmapheresis as a prophylactic measure against neurodegenerative conditions and infectious diseases.

Read more in Research Features

Read the original research: acmcasereport.org

How can spin-outs leverage end user feedback to refine products and validate markets? Find out as Professor Michele Barbour talks to Dr Jenny Bailey, the CEO and Co-Founder of Ferryx, a biotech company focused on the commercial production of live bacterial products for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal inflammation in humans and animals.

⭐Highlights

§  Discover how a chance conversation with Co-Founder Dr Tristan Cogan sparked the innovative idea behind Ferryx: the disruption of inflammatory pathways in the gut using live bacteria that flourish in the presence of iron.

§  Find out about the steps Jenny and Tristan took to protect their new intellectual property and take it from the lab to a commercial product

§  Jenny gives her perspective on the pre-accelerator ICURe programme, which encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone, engage with stakeholders, refine the project and test its market viability.

§  Hear about Ferryx’s approach to ongoing product development and testing, including clinical trials and engagement with patient feedback.

🌐 About the Enterprise Sessions

The Enterprise Sessions bring together a diverse mix of company founders and researchers who talk openly about their personal experiences of forming spin-outs and start-ups, raising capital, academic-industry partnerships and the joys of translating research discoveries into real-world impact. 

The series aims to inform, inspire and challenge myths and stereotypes about research commercialisation and how businesses and universities can work together to tackle society's biggest challenges. 

👍 Like, Share, Subscribe, Explore

If you found this episode inspiring or informative, please don’t forget to like and share. Visit our website or subscribe to the University of Bristol’s YouTube channel for more Enterprise Sessions. 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/enterprise-sessions 

🔗 Connect with Ferryx

Ferryx website: https://www.ferryx.com/

Ferryx on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ferryx/

Ferryx on X: https://twitter.com/ferryx_bristol

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the field of radiology, making faster and more precise diagnoses possible. However, most radiologists aren’t familiar with AI and report a fear of being replaced by it. 

Dr Jordan Perchik from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, designed a free online ‘AI Literacy Course’ which has reached more than 500 radiology trainees from 10 countries.

Read more in Research Features

Read the original research: doi.org/10.7191/jgr.783

As a society, we have come to rely on smartphones to do far more than make a telephone call. However, concern is growing over the potential negative consequences of their over-use, such as distraction, forgetfulness and cognitive laziness. 

Led by psychologist Dr Andree Hartanto, researchers from Singapore Management University tracked how long students spent checking their smartphones and using different applications, and how this affected their cognitive functioning.

 Read the original research : https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12597

Financial stress testing generally involves a team of modellers working closely together, applying complex mathematical models to large and granular datasets. So, how can data science support the management of complex mathematical models, such as used in the financial sphere? 

STAMP€ IT – a data-science platform developed by Dr Jerome Henry and his colleagues at the European Central Bank, can be used to manage models employed in the case at hand for financial stress testing. 

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09176-6_44

Read more background research: ecb.europa.eu/stampe201702.en.pdf

Handbook on financial stress testing: doi.org/10.1017/9781108903011 

Guide on reverse stress testing: doi.org/10.1515/9783110647907

Disclaimer: The podcast builds on work by Jerome Henry that does not necessarily reflect the views of the ECB.

How can the UK address its technology skills gap? Professor Michele Barbour speaks with Kirsten Cater, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Bristol. Kirsten leads the skills and training aspect of the MyWorld project, addressing the significant skills gap in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

⭐Highlights

§  Delve into the relationship between higher education and industry as Kirsten shares her knowledge of the challenges faced by early-career researchers.

§  Explore practical tips to help make connections at networking events and strategies for researchers to go beyond their immediate projects. 

§  Kirsten reflects on the thread that ties her diverse career together - her core as a computer scientist, coupled with a passion for understanding people.

§  Find out why interdisciplinary approaches are needed to address future challenges as Kirsten shares her experiences at the Centre for Sociodigital Futures.

🌐 About the Enterprise Sessions

The Enterprise Sessions bring together a diverse mix of company founders and researchers who talk openly about their personal experiences of forming spin-outs and start-ups, raising capital, academic-industry partnerships and the joys of translating research discoveries into real-world impact. 

The series aims to inform, inspire and challenge myths and stereotypes about research commercialisation and how businesses and universities can work together to tackle society's biggest challenges. 

👍 Like, Share, Subscribe, Explore

If you found this episode inspiring or informative, please don’t forget to like and share. Visit our website or subscribe to the University of Bristol’s YouTube channel for more Enterprise Sessions. 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/enterprise-sessions 

 Connect with 

MyWorld website: https://www.myworld-creates.com/ 

MyWorld on X: https://twitter.com/MyWorldCreates

MyWorld on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/myworldcreates/

MyWorld  on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MyWorldCreates 

Dr Kirsten Cater at Pervasive Media Studio: https://www.watershed.co.uk/studio/residents/kirsten-cater 

The process of obtaining FDA approval for a new drug costs an estimated $1.8 billion and can take up to 15 years. What’s more, only a small percentage of drugs that undergo human clinical trials are approved. 

To address this, Bartley J Madden, Research Fellow at the Madden Center for Value Creation at Florida Atlantic University, USA, has developed a free to choose medicine (FTCM) model that is currently being considered by US Congress.

Read more in Research outreach

Read the original research: econjwatch.org/science-on-fda-liberalization

CEO impersonation scams are on the rise. So, how can employees be made alert to such a scam? 

Margit Scholl, Professor of Business and Administrative Informatics at TH Wildau, explores a novel approach to giving business employees a greater awareness of fraud. Together with her research team and two corporate partners, she developed both an analog and a digital game-based learning scenario geared to this topic to determine what methods of awareness raising can best protect businesses from this costly threat.

Read the original article: http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33258-6_40

Across the world, as in Germany, many employees still want to work remotely at least one or two days a week despite offices reopening. However, many SMEs failed to think about the information security risks associated with home-working.

Professor Margit Scholl of TH Wildau leads the ALARM, or Awareness Lab SME Information Security project. Using gaming as a tool for education and training, her team have developed so-called “serious games” to help employees understand the risks associated with remote working.

Read the original article: https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/1171513 

Elevated blood pressure, called hypertension, is the leading risk factor for death and disability worldwide.  However, many patients find it is not possible to achieve a healthy blood pressure despite taking three or more blood-pressure-lowering medications; a condition referred to as resistant hypertension.

Professor Markus Schlaich at The University of Western Australia, together with colleagues from other centres worldwide, has conducted the PRECISION clinical trial to assess whether the novel drug aprocitentan could improve blood pressure control in patients with resistant hypertension.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1007/s11906-023-01259-z

Read more in Research Features 

Recent cybersecurity reports show that the security of firms’ online presences is under ever-greater threat from cyberattack. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are attacked disproportionately often. There is also a link between people’s level of knowledge and the number of attacks.

Professor Margit Scholl and her team at TH Wildau have developed the Awareness Lab SME (ALARM) Information Security program. Their goal is to raise security awareness and increase safety education within SMEs.

Read the original research: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13519.29600 

Recent research emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of information security teams, combining creative perspectives with technical expertise.

The German “ALARM Information Security” project, led by Professor Margit Scholl at TH Wildau is part of her wide-reaching efforts to establish a landscape where digitization harmonizes seamlessly with robust security measures.

Read the original article: doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12630.22082 

How are novel quantum technologies being applied to meet market demands? Find out as Professor Michele Barbour speaks to Anthony Laing, Professor of Physics and Co-Director of the Quantum Engineering and Technology labs at the University of Bristol and CEO of Duality Quantum Photonics. Anthony outlines his career journey from mature student to CEO and the importance of customer-centricity in gaining market traction.

⭐Highlights

• Develop your insight into the real-world applications of quantum computing, from quantum factoring to drug design.
• Trace the evolution of Duality, from the challenges they faced during the pandemic and how they have aligned their technology roadmap to customer needs and developed a more distinctive voice.
• Find out more about Duality’s involvement in clean energy, via a collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority on fusion reactor technology.
• Anthony outlines Duality’s decision-making process and the ethical considerations involved when choosing projects

🌐 About the Enterprise Sessions

The Enterprise Sessions bring together a diverse mix of company founders and researchers who talk openly about their personal experiences of forming spin-outs and start-ups, raising capital, academic-industry partnerships and the joys of translating research discoveries into real-world impact.

The series aims to inform, inspire and challenge myths and stereotypes about research commercialisation and how businesses and universities can work together to tackle society's biggest challenges.

👍 Like, Share, Subscribe, Explore

If you found this episode inspiring or informative, please don’t forget to like and share. Visit our website or subscribe to the University of Bristol’s YouTube channel for more Enterprise Sessions.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/enterprise-sessions

🔗 Connect with Duality Quantum Photonics

Duality Quantum Photonics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dualityqp

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are growing concerned over business interruptions and cyberattacks, especially in Germany.  There is a notable gap in organizational measures relating to information security despite current safeguards, particularly in the areas of awareness and emergency preparedness.

Professor Margit Scholl from TH Wildau is leading research across an evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. Her work highlights how important it is to equip SMEs in Germany with robust mechanisms to improve their security attitudes and their resilience against cyberthreats.

Read the original article: doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12630.22082 

Transport sector sustainability is an important, topical issue that requires prompt and challenging solutions to accomplish the ambitious Greenhouses Gases and CO2 reduction targets. 

Dr. Dario Di Maio, a researcher of CNR-STEMS in the team of Research Director Dr. Carlo Beatrice, in collaboration with Prof. Daniela Misul and Prof. Mirko Baratta from Politecnico di Torino, address the important challenges facing the automotive sector.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.3390/machines10100852

Read more about CNR-STEMS: www.stems.cnr.it/?page_id=834&lang=en

Electronic sports, or esports, have evolved the concept of ‘sport’, especially around the mental acuity needed to play.

Professor Samantha Punch from the University of Stirling together with Dr David Scott at Abertay University, Scotland, have investigated what’s known as the sociology of mindsport. They have uncovered the intense physicality and team play involved in the card game bridge, drawing attention to bridge’s status as a mindsport that anyone can play.

Read more in Research Outreach

Read the original research: doi/10.1177/00380261231155326

Professional dance takes a mastery of physicality and form - on top of the business stresses and social demands. So what are dancers to make of motherhood and pregnancy, when their physical form and social availability now comes with dependents? 

Professor Angela Pickard of Canterbury Christchurch University discusses the challenges facing the embodiment and identity of dancers becoming mothers, and what the field can do to support dancers before, during and after pregnancy.

Read the original article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2023.2167973 

Care, by itself, brings thoughts of warmth, compassion, and doing right by the people who need your help. As an employment Sector, it sees life or death stakes placed on a chronically undervalued staff, working under stringent budgets in high pressure working environments.

What, then, can we learn from the fields of trauma research and community support in caring for those carers?

Dr Dianne Wepa of Charles Darwin University joins us again with colleagues Professor Mary Steen from Curtin University and Dr Lisa Di Lemma from Liverpool Hope University to talk about self care and self compassion as tools for improving public health. 

As a note, this episode includes discussions of workplace bullying and medical trauma. Listener discretion is advised. 

Read the original research: https://doi.org/10.2174/18743501-V15-E221020-2022-39

Listen to Dr Wepa's previous episodes:

• https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10213207
• https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10455774

What is the future of hydrogen as a renewable fuel source? Professor Michele Barbour talks with Dr Neha Chandarana, a Lecturer in Bio-based and Sustainable Composites at the University of Bristol. Neha explores the potential applications of hydrogen, from heating to various modes of transport. She also shares insights into her role as the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Champion for the University’s Faculty of Engineering.

⭐Highlights

§  Learn about Neha’s research on hydrogen and its potential applications in aerospace, shedding light on the challenges and promises.

§  How does research transition from the lab to real-world industry applications? Explore what collaborations and funding streams are needed to make it happen. 

§  Neha discusses her role as Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Champion, detailing initiatives aimed at fostering an inclusive environment within the Faculty of Engineering.

§  Discover how Neha collaborates across different Faculties to understand the educational experiences of engineering students, particularly those with intersectional identities.

🌐 About the Enterprise Sessions

The Enterprise Sessions bring together a diverse mix of company founders and researchers who talk openly about their personal experiences of forming spin-outs and start-ups, raising capital, academic-industry partnerships and the joys of translating research discoveries into real-world impact. 

The series aims to inform, inspire and challenge myths and stereotypes about research commercialisation and how businesses and universities can work together to tackle society's biggest challenges. 

👍 Like, Share, Subscribe, Explore

If you found this episode inspiring or informative, please don’t forget to like and share. Visit our website or subscribe to the University of Bristol’s YouTube channel for more Enterprise Sessions. 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/enterprise-sessions 

🔗 Connect with 

University of Bristol School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/schools/civil-aero-design/

University of Bristol Engineering on X: https://twitter.com/bristolunieng

University of Bristol Engineering on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/university-of-bristol-engineering/

University of Bristol Engineering on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristolengineering/ 

Weight lifter David Katoatau has already lost his home in Kiribati to coastal erosion, and  faces the loss of his whole country to rising sea levels. Dancing at the 2016 Summer Olympics didn't stop the tides, but it grabbed attention across the world regarding his country's imminent fate, and raised awareness of the damages climate change is already having around the globe.

Researchers from Singapore Management University led by Professor Angela Leung, and her collaborator Prof Kevin Tam from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are studying whether awareness of how climate change affects human cultures motivates people to support policies and take action to mitigate its effects.

Are some groups of people more aware than others? And does awareness prompt people to engage in climate change activism?

Read the original research: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-022-03337-8

Cyclic glycine proline, or cGP,  is a very small molecule, but one with a profound impact on the body and mind, such as on the ageing brain and health.

Dr Jian Guan, Neuroscientist and Chief Scientific Officer at The cGP Lab, New Zealand, focuses on understanding the role of IGF-1 hormone and cGP in brain health and cognitive function, and improving the ageing process overall.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031021

Visit the cGP website: cgpmax.com