Latest news with #UniversityOfSurrey
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
Hidden Sensors Reveal Filthy Truth About Handwashing in Hospital Bathrooms
Here's something that will make you lose just a bit more faith in humanity—or at least reach for some hand wipes. New research shows that even in hospitals, a substantial number of people aren't bothering to wash their hands. Scientists from the University of Surrey in England led the study, installing sensors near hospital toilet and sink pipes to keep track of people's handwashing. Nearly half of toilet users skipped the sink after flushing, they found. The researchers say more effective strategies are needed to remind and convince people of the importance of handwashing, particularly in high-risk environments like hospitals. Scientists Capture the Spray From a Flushing Toilet in All Its Disgusting Glory Previous studies have tried to analyze how rigorous people are about handwashing in hospitals and other settings, but they've been limited. Some have relied on asking people to self-report their hygiene habits, for instance, which might incentivize more than a few to fudge the truth. The researchers decided to take a different approach. They connected sensors to toilet and sink pipes that could objectively and non-intrusively detect if and when they were being used. The sensors work by measuring the temperature in the pipes and nearby air; when either cold or hot water passes through the pipes, the temperature sharply changes relative to its surroundings, indicating use. The researchers teamed up with the Bispebjerg Hospital in Denmark to conduct their study (aptly named the 'FLUSH. WASH. PROTECT.' study). For 19 weeks, they tracked people's handwashing behaviors at two public restrooms in the hospital, ultimately recording more than 2,600 flushes. Nearly 44% of the time after flushing, people steered clear of handwashing. At times, non-adherence was even worse, with over 60% of people not handwashing during certain weeks. Non-handwashing was also more common at the start and end of the day and during typical meal times. The team released its findings last week on the Open Source Framework. 'People may assume handwashing is second nature by now—especially in hospitals and post-covid-19—but our data paints a different picture,' said lead author Pablo Pereira-Doel, co-leader of the Human Insight Lab at the University of Surrey's Business School, in a statement from the university. Mosquitoes Have Mixed Feelings About Soap, Study Finds Low rates of handwashing can, of course, make it easier for doctors, patients, and visitors to inadvertently spread dangerous infections to already vulnerable people, including drug-resistant superbugs. Some studies have suggested that certain interventions, like clear signs, can modestly boost handwashing at hospitals, at least temporarily. But given the results here, it's likely we'll need to do a lot more to consistently improve people's hand hygiene. 'These findings are worrying but not surprising. Even simple behaviors like handwashing can lapse without reinforcement. In hospitals, lapses like these can have serious consequences—for patients and for the wider healthcare system. It's time we moved beyond posters and hand gel stations to more effective behavioral strategies,' said study author Carrie Newlands, Lead for Clinical Skills at the University of Surrey's School of Medicine, in a statement. In the meantime, I wouldn't blame you (or myself) for avoiding the standard handshake more often. And just in case anyone needs it, here's the proper technique for handwashing, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists zapped students' brains with electricity to improve their math learning
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Imperceptible electrical signals delivered to the brain can improve college students' mathematics skills, a new study has found. The researchers say that the technology is not far from being ready for at-home use — though one expert emphasized that more research is needed. In the new study, the researchers recruited 72 students from the University of Oxford. The researchers assessed the volunteers' math prowess with tests before dividing the students into three subgroups with matched abilities, meaning each group had a mix of people with weaker and stronger math skills. For the experiment, individuals in each group had electrodes placed on their scalps that could deliver mild electrical signals to the brain. Two of the groups received stimulation to either the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) or the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) — brain areas linked to math ability in previous research. The third group received a sham stimulation. The team then applied transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), which is just one of many types of non-invasive brain stimulation but is known to be more comfortable than other options. The current passed through the scalp is very low. "Most of the people do not feel whether they're stimulated or not," said senior author Roi Cohen Kadosh, a neuroscientist at the University of Surrey. Each participant in the treated groups received 150 minutes of stimulation, paired with math tests, over five days of testing. Related: Electrical zaps can 'reawaken' lost neural connections, helping paralyzed people walk again The tests assessed the students' calculation skills and "drill learning." Calculation learning requires existing mathematical ability and challenges participants to work out the answer to a presented problem. Drill learning, in contrast, requires no mathematical ability and instead asks users to memorize a series of presented equations. Based on past research, the authors hypothesized that dlPFC stimulation would enhance calculation learning, because this area is associated with learning new skills and high-level cognition. They thought that stimulating the PPC, meanwhile, which handles the retrieval of already learned skills, might enhance drill learning. In the study, they found dlPFC stimulation was indeed tied to improved calculation ability but PPC stimulation didn't improve drill learning. Before testing began, the team had measured the connectivity of their participants' frontal and parietal lobes, found at the front and on the top of the brain. These two lobes are the sites of the dlPFC and PPC, respectively, and are activated together during math learning. The team hypothesized that having stronger connections between the two lobes would be linked to stronger calculation learning. This was borne out by the data: at baseline, the team observed a stronger connection in participants with better calculation abilities. People with weaker connectivity who were in the sham stimulation group had a harder time getting to grips with the calculation problems than those with stronger connectivity in the same group. But individuals with weak connections who had their dlPFC stimulated showed the biggest improvements in their scores. Notably, an earlier, small study the team undertook with a cohort of math professors showed that stimulation actually worsened the pros' performance on math tests. This suggests those who already have high math ability should avoid stimulation. "It's an optimal system," Kadosh said of the math professors' brains. "You enter new noise into that, it's going to cause a detrimental effect." Kadosh is the co-founder of Cognite Neurotechnology, a brain stimulation company, and is optimistic about rolling out the technology to the general public. Kadosh said that people in universities, workplaces and training centers could all benefit from it. He added that he was interested in expanding the technology to people with learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Meanwhile, Sung Joo Kim, a psychologist at Binghamton University who was not involved in the research, noted that while similar stimulation devices have already been cleared for at-home use, analyses looking at how well they work have made it clear that more research is needed. RELATED STORIES —Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trial —When was math invented? —At-home brain stimulation could be promising depression treatment, trial hints Kim added that such devices may need to be personalized to individual users to reflect differences in their brain shapes. "When you're targeting to stimulate certain brain regions, it might not necessarily work so well unless you really consider the brain anatomical structure of individual people," she said. Kadosh also said that any consumer devices borne of the research need to be anchored to solid evidence, and he argued that many existing consumer brain-stimulation devices have little scientific basis. "We need to show that we can use this technology at home," he said.
Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Telegraph
How drone-wielding tourists are ruining peace and quiet in British beauty spots
Plenty of British villages have their own collective project, whether that's an annual flower show or a cricket match. But one picturesque Cotswold village has embarked on a very different project this year: declaring its own no-fly zone. Admittedly, the no-drone poster campaign is only advisory (at best) and doesn't apply to actual aircraft, but the residents of Castle Combe – population 400 – insist that their protest is in response to a very real problem: an influx of drone-wielding tourists whose quest for the perfect airborne video is causing havoc and invading their privacy. Castle Combe isn't the only tourism destination to find itself on the radar of drone enthusiasts. In recent years, the presence of buzzing drones piloted by amateur video enthusiasts has caused consternation (amongst some, at least) at national parks and beaches across Britain – with similar grumbles occurring across the US and Europe too. Of course, not everyone is so sour on drones. Just look at the huge growth in drone video channels on YouTube, where awestruck viewers are keen to see incredible sights – whether that's a sweeping tour of Yosemite, or an aerial cruise over a private island in the Maldives. But what is driving this explosion? 'It's much easier to get started than it was a few years ago,' says Dr James Kennell, head of hospitality and tourism management at the University of Surrey, who has studied how companies use drones to promote their tourism industries. 'Many of the drones can be operated with your mobile phone and it isn't hard to start making videos straight away.' Naturally, the pandemic played a role too. 'Once things opened up a bit, you had people heading to quieter places like national parks and beauty spots, and looking for something to do,' Dr Kennell adds. Now he and his colleagues are observing how some of the more switched on countries – New Zealand, for example – are using drone videos in their tourism marketing campaigns. Drones are clearly playing a role in stoking our natural wanderlust, then. But do they bring downsides for tourism? Tales of drones disrupting flights may be very rare but they aren't entirely without precedent: flights from Frankfurt airport were grounded for two days in 2023. But the more common complaints stem from the less dramatic aspects of drones. From the Peak District to the Cotswolds, the zippy aerial devices are increasingly being blamed for ruining the peace and quiet which plenty of us seek out in the first place. But are the complaints really fair? At risk of being added to their banned list, could I humbly suggest that Castle Combe's real problem (if you can call it that) is that it's one of many previously unsung destinations to go viral on social media, thus triggering a massive flood of impressionable tourists? Drones might be a symptom of this phenomenon, but they aren't the root cause. What's more, isn't a bit of bother part of the parcel for successful tourism destinations, which benefit, in turn, from the massive hospitality spend and house price boom? Could those locals taking aim, figuratively at least, at the drones be the equivalent of those disgruntled anti-tourism protestors in the Canary Islands? 'If you look at a typical tourist spot like Stonehenge, the average family with children is going to be making much more noise than any drone,' says Ian, who runs YouTube channel Ian in London, where he posts drone videos that he makes across the country. 'Of course, we don't make a massive fuss over children being noisy, but the thing with drones is that they are a new kind of noise that people aren't used to hearing.' As for the more disturbing complaints emanating from Castle Combe – drones buzzing past bathroom windows and the like – these sound like a clear breach of the law. 'Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules are clear that you should not fly below 50 metres when flying over people's property,' adds Ian in London. Operators who break the rules can be prosecuted. There are other rules they must follow too. The CAA requires drone operators to register their device before flying it, and then to keep it in a clear line of sight at all times (in order to avoid collisions). Flying over a crowd of people is illegal, and there are strict no-fly zones around airports and prisons. As for the chances of seeing a drone on your next holiday, it depends where you go. Some countries take a much stricter approach than Britain (Turkey likes to confiscate them at the airport, apparently), while others are even more accommodating. One drone website, UAV Coach, maintains a list of different rules and laws. Not brilliant news for the drone-haters, then, but they should at least be able to minimise their chances of encountering one by choosing a country that shares their scepticism. For everyone else – including the residents of Castle Combe – it looks like the aerial devices are here to stay.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Cop, 26, playing for the combined British Police rugby team raped a university student in his hotel room after meeting her in a nightclub, court hears
An officer playing for the combined forces British Police rugby team raped a university student in his hotel room after meeting her in a nightclub, a court heard today. Jordan McLean, 26, a constable with Police Scotland, had flown down to play against Army Rugby Union in Aldershot and members of the team went out for a night in Guildford afterwards. He met the University of Surrey student in the town's Casino nightclub and after dancing and kissing, the pair got a cab to McLean's room at a nearby Holiday Inn. 'All the time I was saying: 'No'. He could tell I was upset, but he carried on,' the victim said as she alleged to have been left bleeding from the attack. And just when she thought the nightmare was over he proceeded to rape her again, she added. McLean, of Silvertonhill Avenue, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration in the early hours of January 26, 2023. When he was arrested he told police: 'There was no exchange of numbers and I considered it a one-night thing and she was fully consensual.' He admitted the fling was behind the back of his then two-year 'on and off' girlfriend, telling the trial: 'It is not something I am proud of doing, but we were not fully committed.' The Croydon Crown Court jury watched a video-recorded interview the woman gave to Surrey Police in which she admitted meeting the six-foot three-tall cop at the club felt 'exciting.' 'We had a drink and we were kissing and dancing a bit,' she told the officers, confirming she was happy to share a cab to the defendant's hotel, arriving in the early hours. 'He was quite persistent and he started to kiss my neck and I was moving away, saying: 'I don't want to do this.' 'He was moving his hands down my body and he started to take my trousers down and my shoes, he took them off. I felt frozen. 'He pulled his trousers off and his shirt and he forced himself forward on me,' she told officers, saying the rape occurred on one of the two beds in the room. 'All the time I was saying: 'No'. He could tell I was upset, but he carried on.' The woman said McLean touched her between the legs, without consent, before the rape. 'By that point I could feel I was in pain.' Afterwards she went to the room's ensuite bathroom. 'I noticed I was bleeding and I was crying and trying to sort myself out.' The court heard she dressed herself, but was raped again. 'He pulled my trousers back down and I just thought: 'Lay there.' I just did not feel in the mood, it was with someone I didn't know.' McLean denies her account and told the court: 'At no stage did she give me any inclination, push me away or say no. She was still kissing me and kissing my neck. 'At no point was I intentionally forcing her or holding her down and at no point did she say she did not want to be there or wanted to leave.' The young woman was cross-examined in court, giving evidence from behind a screen and told the jury she had played netball that day and enjoyed pre-drinks at another student's home before heading out. 'A few spirits, not a lot really. Possibly wine, I'm not sure,' she told the trial, explaining she went straight to the nightclub with friends, where she met McLean and agreed to return to his hotel. 'It was spur of the moment. I did not have an intention as to what would happen. I did not expect I would have to do something I didn't want to do. 'I can't recall exactly what I was thinking and it was only when I was in the room that I felt uncomfortable,' she said. McLean first put his hand between her legs, she said. 'It was happening fast and causing me pain and I did tell him to stop by telling him: 'No.' She was shown a photograph of a bruise to her arm and asked how she received it. 'I think it was while I was being held down,' dismissing a defence suggestion it could be a netball injury. The jury were told she sent Snapchat messages to her friend from the room, which included: 'I feel such a slag'; 'I wanna kill myself'; 'I wanna die' and: 'I will need a STD test and a morning-after pill.' Earlier prosecutor Mr Ed Hand told the jury: 'This trial concerns a young woman raped in a hotel room by a man she had only just met. 'They started talking at the bar and were kissing and dancing with each other and he asked to go back to his Holiday Inn and she agreed. 'At the hotel she said that she no longer wanted to stay and wanted to go back to the nightclub and this defendant said something like: 'Why did you come back here then? What's the point?' 'He took down her trousers and placed his hand to her chest to hold her down and she tried to push him away and started crying, saying she did not want to have sex,' continued Mr Hand. 'He continued to push her head down more forcefully,' added the prosecutor, telling the jurors the complainant was then raped. 'She went to the bathroom and locked herself inside and got dressed, but the defendant got her back on the bed and raped her again.' Afterwards, the student contacted her friends and was collected and later informed the police. 'The police took photos of some bruises that she said were caused by this defendant,' added the prosecutor. 'The friend who drove her describes her as being drunk and upset.' McLean gave a statement to police and said: 'I deny the allegation of rape and sexual assault.' He said the young woman helped him undress in the hotel room by removing his shirt. 'At no point did she ask me to stop. It was all very friendly and convivial.' The trial continues.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New Surrey study into exercise's link to cancer recovery
A new study is looking to determine whether exercise can help tackle patients being treated by the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust are taking part in a clinical trial prescribing moderate to intense exercise to help tackle study aims to prove that exercise during chemotherapy and before surgery may help to reduce the size of cancerous tumours and improve outcomes for Milton, a patient taking part in the study, said: "Cancer takes away a lot of things and you can feel a little bit like a passenger. It can be quite a dark time and this gives you something to focus on that you can control." As part of the trial, oesophageal cancer patients are given a moderate to intense exercise programme including cycling and strength of the initial study, in partnership with the University of Surrey, say that following the programme some tumours have been "undetectable" during surgery. So far 22 people have taken part in the trial, with 11 given a 16-week exercise programme while the others were say the exercise programme, known as "prehabilitation", can lead to fewer complications during chemotherapy and surgery through better cardiovascular health and muscular David Bartlett, co-first author of the study, said: "If you have been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer this is the time we can give you some sort of ownership over your journey."Researchers are now looking to invite more cancer patients to be involved in a wider study to understand whether the earlier results can help to improve treatment on a larger scale.
