IMF and University of Oxford launch ‘PortWatch’ Platform to monitor and simulate trade disruptions

The IMF in collaboration with University of Oxford researchers today [15 Nov] launched 'PortWatch', a new online portal  a platform to monitor and simulate trade disruptions due to climate extremes and other shocks. Using satellite-based vessel data and big data analytics, the platform will help policymakers, analysts, and other public…

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Hidden costs of agri-food systems revealed by Oxford research

Dr Lord, a senior researcher in food system economics with Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, found nearly 75% of the hidden costs were associated with poor dietary patterns that lead to obesity and lifestyle diseases – which, in turn, will lead to near-term and long-term productivity losses. This was particularly stark…

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Doctors: communication style can boost patients’ weight loss success – Oxford study

The researchers analysed 246 recordings of doctor-patient conversations and found that subtle aspects of communication, like word choice and tone of voice, influenced patient outcomes and suggests training providers on compassionate communication could aid weight loss efforts. The research comes at a time when obesity treatment guidelines encourage doctors to…

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Expert Comment: How consumers are navigating the Amazon/Alexa data dilemma

This is not an imaginary question, more than half a billion AI-enabled voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, have been sold internationally by major corporations, despite persistent concerns about their handling of users’ personal data. We conducted research among a small group of young, generally tech-savvy people who have had this…

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Oxford research on poverty, unemployment, terrorism and global kleptocracy celebrated for real-world impacts

Anthropologist Dr Julia Ebner has been nominated for her insightful doctoral research, which is already having significant impact – helping to identify which extremist individuals and groups pose a risk of violence to the public, using her unique framework for assessing their online messaging. Dr Ebner explains, she created a language framework,…

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Expert Comment: Jobs will be automated, but not because of the latest Generative AI

We have spent a decade researching the impacts of AI.  Ten years ago, we wrote a paper estimating that some 47% of US-based jobs could be automated in principle, as AI and mobile robotics expanded the scope of tasks that computers can do. Our estimates were based on the premise…

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Generative AI can transform work – boosting productivity and democratizing innovation

  Generative AI could drive a wave of potential opportunities for the technology value stack, according to researchers from the Oxford Martin School.   Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the Oxford Martin School and report co-author, said, ‘Generative AI is a dual-edged sword that offers enormous potential to…

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Young people’s mental health deteriorated at greater rate during the pandemic

Cyprus CEO summary: Researchers at Oxford University's Department of Psychiatry conducted a study comparing the mental health of thousands of UK secondary school students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and three lockdowns with a group assessed before the pandemic. Published in JAMA Network Open, the findings reveal that students during…

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Major boost for Oxford University’s battery research

The Faraday Institution remains steadfast in its commitment to identify and invest in battery research initiatives that hold the greatest potential for making significant societal, environmental, and commercial contributions. This announcement signals the completion of our latest round of project refocusing, enabling us to allocate even more effort towards those…

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When it comes to starting a family, timing is everything

The review, conducted jointly with researchers from Oxford University, the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, and the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton, included seven randomised controlled trials involving 2,464 women or couples who had been trying to conceive. Each month there is a narrow window for successful conception due to…

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Professor Walker on the Morocco earthquake disaster

Professor Richard Walker (Department of Earth Sciences) describes the background to the devastating 8 September 2023 Morocco earthquake, which has a  current death toll of nearly 2,500 lives. Professor Richard Walker. Image credit: Dr Claudia Bertoni. Parts of the Atlas mountains and the city of Marrakech were strongly shaken and…

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New ‘droplet battery’ could pave the way for miniature bio-integrated devices

Small bio-integrated devices that can interact with and stimulate cells could have important therapeutic applications, including the delivery of targeted drug therapies and the acceleration of wound healing. However, such devices all need a power source to operate. To date, there has been no efficient means to provide power at…

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What did the Romans do for us? Aqueducts and the art of Roman water management

According to the research, published in Science Advances, ancient water management traces are captured in the limescale deposits which built up on the walls and floor of the ancient Roman aqueduct of Divona (Cahors, France). Ancient water management traces are captured in the limescale deposits which built up on the…

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Multi-billion-dollar risk to economic activity from climate extremes affecting ports: Oxford report

More than $122 billion of economic activity - $81 billion in international trade - is at risk from the impact of extreme climate events, according to new research today [20 July] from Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. According to the paper in Nature Climate Change, systemic impacts – those risks faced…

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