Research

Flocks, clusters, and UltraSwarms

Researchers in the Departments of Electronic Systems Engineering (ESE) and Computer Science are attempting to create swarms of intelligent flying machines modelled on flocks of birds.

The collaborative project, being conducted by Professor Ian Holland, Dr Adrian Clark, Dr John Woods, and Renzo De Nardi, is based on the observation that flocks of birds fly swiftly and precisely creating the illusion of a single controlling intelligence. Practical applications of these swarms of machines, named UltraSwarms, include exploration in hostile environments, emergency and disaster monitoring, and weather monitoring.

Dr Woods explained: 'The aggregate brain tissue of a large flock of small birds approaches that of a single human brain, but the individual elements are not linked. In artificial systems such linkages are possible and recent developments in both mechanical and electronic technologies mean that large numbers of relatively low-powered devices can be wirelessly connected into a single architecture. These artificial agents can therefore fly like a flock of starlings, but process information collectively.'

Prototype machines, in the form of micro helicopters, are being tested in the Robot Arena in the Networks Centre. They are remotely controlled via a Bluetooth link from a ground-based computer. As well as air to ground communication, inter vehicle communication is also possible and positions of other flock members can be derived. The addition of a spy-cam facilitates visually derived autonomous flight.

The project has been funded by the University’s RPF mechanism and further funding is currently being sought.

Richard III DNA discovery

A historian and genealogist from the Department of History has traced a female descendant of Richard III. The discovery could help resolve whether bones thought to be the remains of the Plantagenet king are genuine.

John Ashdown-Hill, a doctoral student in the Department, tracked the king's family to a woman in Canada after more than a year of trawling records. He followed the tree exclusively through the female line, from one of Richard's sisters, to track a particular kind of DNA passed on only by the mother.

The woman's DNA sequence has already been sent to Belgium to be used to test bones claimed to belong to Richard's sister, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy.

John explained: 'Margaret died in Mechelen in 1503 and was buried in the Franciscan Priory Church there. During the religious wars of the sixteenth century, her tomb was lost but excavations at the site have revealed several sets of human remains which could be hers. Margaret had no children of her own but we have now identified a woman whose ancestry can be traced back to one of Margaret's sisters. Children inherit their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) only from their mother. Therefore, the newly-identified descendant shares Margaret’s, and Richard III’s, mtDNA.'

It is hoped that the DNA may help to identify which of the female remains discovered in Mechelen are really those of Margaret. Details of this DNA sequence have been sent to the University of Leuven, and an attempt is now being made to extract and sequence DNA from the Mechelen bones, for matching. In addition, the DNA may also help to clarify whether human remains found in Leicester which have been claimed as those of Richard III, could be genuine.

Review of non-medical prescribing

Researchers at the University are to carry out the first evaluation of non-medical prescribing within the NHS in Essex.

Non-medical prescribing, by nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, is an important part of the government’s modernisation agenda for the NHS.

Now researchers from the Department of Health and Human Sciences have won funding for one year from the Essex Strategic Health Authority to review how well non-medical prescribing is working, both for those practising and those receiving it.

The research team, led by Graham Avery, will survey practitioners and patients, and their findings will be used to help the health authority plan future non-medical prescribing in Essex.

The researchers will send questionnaires to about 150 professionals in Essex trained for non-medical prescribing, and carry out interviews with a wider range of health professionals.

Researcher Jennie Todd explained: ‘We will also be talking to patients receiving non-medical prescribing to see if it has improved the quality of their care. We will ask if it speeds up prescriptions, and whether they feel they have better treatment and access to their medication.

‘We will also want to know if they feel comfortable with nurses and pharmacists prescribing.’

 

The Non-Medical Prescribing research team, from left, Jennie Todd, Katherine Sains, Graham Avery and Gill Green

Also in the printed June edition of Wyvern:

• Guarding the boundaries
• Chimera funding tops £550,000
• UKDA awarded Place of Deposit status