Tag Archives: uk

European Satellite Confirms UW Numbers: Arctic Ocean is on Thin Ice

By Guest PostFebruary 20, 2013Environmentandy ridout, arctic ocean, Arctic sea ice, arctic waters, assimilation system, axel schweiger, below the ice, cloud, cryosat 2 satellite, data, duncan wingham, european satellite, european space agency, extent, ice ocean modeling, icesat, jinlun zhang, katharine giles, land elevation satellite, NASA, ocean surface, pan arctic, piomas, polar scientist, rosemary willatt, satellite observation, seymour laxon, thin ice, total volume, uk, university of washington, vulnerable, warming

The September 2012 record low in Arctic sea-ice extent was big news, but a missing piece of the puzzle was lurking below the ocean’s surface. What volume of ice floats on Arctic waters? And how does that compare to previous summers? These are difficult but important questions, because how much ice actually remains suggests how vulnerable the ice pack will be to more warming.

New satellite observations confirm a University of Washington analysis that for the past three years has produced widely quoted estimates of Arctic sea-ice volume. Findings based on observations from a European Space Agency satellite, published online in Geophysical Research Letters, show that the Arctic has lost more than a third of summer sea-ice volume since a decade ago, when a U.S. satellite collected similar data. (more…)

CryoSat-2 Mission Reveals Major Arctic Sea-Ice Loss

By Guest PostFebruary 18, 2013Environmentalfred wegener institute, aperture radar altimeter, Arctic, Arctic sea ice, assimilation system, autumn, canadian archipelago, cracks, cryosat 2 satellite, data, energy, european space agency, german aerospace center, greenland, high resolution, ice ocean modelling, ice thickness, icesat satellite, jet propulsion laboratory, katharine giles, microwave, modelling, NASA, pan arctic, piomas, polar observation, pulse, sea ice, seymour laxon, svalbard, synthetic, uk, university of washington, volume, york university

Arctic sea ice volume has declined by 36 per cent in the autumn and 9 per cent in the winter between 2003 and 2012, a UK-led team of scientists has discovered.

Researchers from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at UCL used new data from the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 satellite spanning 2010 to 2012, and data from NASA’s ICESat satellite from 2003 to 2008 to estimate the volume of sea ice in the Arctic. (more…)

UK’s Most Confident and Successful Corporate Managers Live Abroad During Their Formative Years, New Research Reveals

By Guest PostFebruary 14, 2013Economyacquisitions, business activities, business school, confidence, corporate managers, cultural miscommunication, culturally remote countries, culture, different cultures, difficult, dorota piaskowska, foreign markets, formative years, global population, grzegorz trojanowski, international experience, local involvement, markets, risky behavior, risky decisions, uk, uk citizens, uk company, university college dublin, university of exeter

Corporate managers widely exposed to more than one culture during their formative years (up until 23 years of age) are more likely to be confident taking difficult and risky decisions, such as acquisitions, new research from the University of Exeter Business School reveals.

The study looked at over 2,000 acquisition decisions taken by board members at 561 UK listed companies, and found that managers who live or study in cultures other than their own more readily take difficult strategic decisions such as deciding to acquire foreign companies.

Co-author, Grzegorz Trojanowski, Associate Professor in Finance at the University of Exeter Business School says corporate managers with wide exposure to different cultures tend to see doing business in foreign countries as providing great opportunities, and they expect to get a positive result from their business activities in these markets. (more…)

Teams on Tour: Great Sporting Trips Around the World

By Guest PostDecember 19, 2012Holidays 'n Travels, Sportsall blacks, american rivals, anna mathews, ashes, australia, Bangladesh, british, british empire, british grand prix, cricket, Dubai, energy, Europe, exotic location, favourite athletes, formula 1, france, golf, grand national, hong kong, horse racing, India, irish lions, islands, italy, new zealand, organised tours, Pakistan, passion for sport, popular, royal ascot, ryder cup, silverstone, six nations, South Africa, springboks, travel, travelling abroad, twickenham, uk, united kingdom, usa, west indies, wimbledon, world of rugby

Passion for sport is unrivalled in its energy and dedication and so it’s no wonder that people are so keen to travel the world to see their favourite athletes and teams play abroad. These tours offer a unique opportunity to follow your sport and see some great global destinations at the same time.

Travelling abroad to follow your favourite sport is a unique and highly rewarding experience, allowing you to experience a different country, engage with their culture and discover the wonders of how other peoples and nations watch and enjoy sports. Organised tours are often the best way to get involved with international sport as they do an excellent job of combining all the necessary aspects without any hassle for your tickets to all the most important sporting events, accommodation and transport to make getting there very easy and scheduled free time to allow you to explore the surroundings of your destination. (more…)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Proves Effective at Reducing Depression in People Who Have not Responded to Antidepressants

By Guest PostDecember 12, 2012Healthantidepressant medication, antidepressants, australia, bristol, cbt, chris williams, cobait team, cognitive behavioural therapy, controlled trial, depression, emer oneill, exeter, first line treatment, glasgow, john campbell, mood disorders centre, nicola wiles, patients, psychological treatments, symptoms, talking therapy, treatment, uk, universities, willem kuyken, World Health Organisation

Antidepressants are the most widely used treatment for people with moderate to severe depression.

However, up to two thirds of people with depression don’t respond fully to this type of treatment. New findings have shown cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), provided in addition to usual care, can reduce symptoms of depression and help improve patients’ quality of life.

This is the first large-scale trial to test the effectiveness of CBT – a type of talking psychotherapy- given in addition to usual care that includes antidepressants. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA)-funded CoBalT study aimed to determine the best ‘next step’ treatment for people whose depression had not responded to medication alone. (more…)

Attitudes Towards Security Threats Uncovered

By Guest PostNovember 29, 2012Politicsaggressive, biggest, british government, daniel stevens, esrc, exeter, fear, government claim, impact, level, national security, national security strategy, nick vaughan williams, online survey, policy maker, political outlook, Politics, population, security, security sign, security threat, terrorism, uk, uk foreign policy, university, warwick

New research has revealed a significant gap between what the government claims are the biggest security threats facing the UK and the fears of the population.

Terrorism is not perceived as the most important threat to everyday life despite claims by policy makers.

Politics researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Warwick led detailed focus groups across the UK and conducted a nationwide survey as part of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project which looked at public attitudes towards security threats. (more…)

Say Hi to a Magpie via New App

By Guest PostNovember 21, 2012Natureandroid, apple devices, benefit, colin scott, common garden birds, database, exeter, good morning, gps, habitat, human life, human sense, magpie mapper, mobile phone, mr magpie, new app, quality, richard inger, satellite technology, sightings, south west, tony whitehead, uk, university, urban birds

A new app which encourages people to say “good morning Mr Magpie” via their mobile phone will help scientists evaluate the benefits which birds bring to the quality of human life.

Whether you view them with sorrow or joy, using your smart device to help build up a national database of sightings of the distinctive black-and-white birds will feed into wider research by the University of Exeter to assess how much value people place on having birds in their gardens.

Dr Richard Inger, at the Environment and Sustainability Institute on the University’s Cornwall Campus, said: “We chose to study magpies because they’re one of the most common garden birds in the UK and are easily recognisable. Many people already acknowledge them for luck, and we’re asking them to go one small step further and log sightings on their mobile phones. Magpies are not everyone’s favourite birds, but by getting involved you can help us to gather crucial data which will help us establish how much time the birds spend in different habitats. (more…)

Steve Ballmer Talks Up Windows 8 and Windows Phone in Europe and Israel

By Guest PostNovember 13, 2012Technologyberlin, david cameron, discovery event, era, Europe, Germany, Israel, london, Microsoft, microsoft ceo, modern jago, Paris, prime minister, shoreditch area, smart mice, software, start ups, steve ballmer, tech, tel aviv, uk, wave, windows 8, windows phone, windows rt, xbox

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was in Europe and Israel last week to showcase Microsoft’s wave of newly updated products, including Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Surface with Windows RT. He reinforced to customers, developers, students and others that the company is moving into a new era.

REDMOND, Wash. – Nov. 13, 2012 – World, meet Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Surface. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last week took Microsoft’s wave of new products on the road, visiting Europe and Israel.

He said the launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, an upcoming new version Office, and updates to the company’s Xbox platform—all part of the biggest wave of updates in the company’s history—signify that Microsoft has entered a new era. (more…)