News: October 2012

High-Flying Geese take low profile over Himalayas

A study published this week (31 October 2012) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences has tackled the long-standing problem of assessing the actual altitude and migration path of Bar-headed geese crossingthe Himalayas using state of the art satellite tracking technology. Scientists from Bangor University and an international team of collaborators recorded highly accurate GPS (Global Positioning System) locations from 42 individual geese as they migrated.

Publication date: 31 October 2012

LEAD Wales programme supports the growth of Welsh businesses

LEAD Wales, a project based at the Universitys Business School , is well placed to play a leading role in supporting the growth of Welsh businesses, according to research published today (Tuesday 30 October).

Publication date: 30 October 2012

Launch of €1.8 million Network to develop the Solar Energy Sector in Ireland and Wales

A new €1.8 million initiative to help develop and sustain employment in the economically important Solar Energy (photovoltaic or PV) sector has just been launched by a consortium of Higher Education Institutes, from Wales and Ireland. The ‘Wales Ireland Network for Innovative Photovoltaic Technologies’ ( WIN-IPT ) is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Ireland Wales Programme 2007-13.

Publication date: 25 October 2012

Paper named as one of the most cited ever in 'Business History' journal

A paper by a Bangor Business School academic is the third most cited article to have been published in leading industry journal ‘Business History’.

Publication date: 22 October 2012

How penguins use bubbles to 'take to the air'

A suggestion by Bangor University Professor Roger Hughes of the School of Biological Sciences, that bubble trails seen in footage of emperor penguins swimming to the sea surface are produced to reduce drag is published in the November 2012 edition of National Geographic. Roger Hughes's intriguing idea while watching penguins on TV originally led to a research paper revealing just how the penguins could manage this. Collaborators at University College Cork and the Technical University of Denmark showed that ‘lubrication’ provided by tiny air bubbles released from under the feathers could allow penguins to gain enough speed to leap out of the water and onto the ice shelf.

Publication date: 22 October 2012

Censorship under Franco’s dictatorship still casts a shadow over literature in Spain

Skyfall , the twenty-third James Bond film, is to be released 26 October 2012 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first film, Dr No in 1962. But fans of the secret agent may be surprised to learn that Spanish readers of Dr No , one of Ian Fleming’s most popular novels, are reading a version which still bears cuts imposed by censors under Franco’s Dictatorship (1939-1975). Readers in Spain will be equally surprised to discover that this and many of the published translation of the classics of English and American literature currently available are still the edited versions approved by the Dictator’s censors - and that until very recently many other novels have remained unavailable in Spain due to the legacy of the censorship of the Franco era.

Publication date: 22 October 2012

Bangor Professor wins award to investigate bank bailouts

The Europlace Institute of Finance (EIF) in Paris has awarded a research grant of 10,000 Euro to Bangor’s Professor of Empirical Banking, Dr Klaus Schaeck, to examine how bank bailout packages during crises affect interest rates on loans and deposits.

Publication date: 11 October 2012

Bangor academics attract grant from the British Academy

The unintended consequences of bank regulatory enforcement actions will come under scrutiny in a new study by Bangor Business School.

Publication date: 11 October 2012

Link between Dry Eye Disease and dehydration established

Health scientists at Bangor University have for the first time established a link between dry eye disease and dehydration. Dry eye disease (DED) is a condition which can cause extreme discomfort and lead to eye damage. While difficult to establish the full costs of this condition to healthcare and society in the UK, it is estimated that current prescription treatments such as eye drops cost the NHS £32 million per year (in England alone). Because many individuals suffering from DED self-treat by buying over-the-counter medications (e.g. artificial tears) the true cost of DED is likely to be significantly higher. This new link suggests that ensuring DED sufferers are fully hydrated could alleviate DED symptoms.

Publication date: 5 October 2012