Research Projects
The INtegral BIOmathics Support Action (INBIOSA) project
Stirling Staff: Professor Leslie Smith (CI)
Collaborators: JSRC, Germany
Grant Body: EC Seventh Framework Programme
Grant Date: January 2011 - December 2011
Project Areas: Artificial Intelligence, Computational Neuroscience
Description: The INtegral BIOmathics Support Action (INBIOSA) project will mobilise research in a variety of fields in mathematics and natural sciences towards a paradigm change in computational systems biology.
INBIOSA will investigate the biological imperatives of computation in a new way, its driving argument being that living systems have fundamentally different notions of self-organisation from those in engineering sciences today. For example, scientists are currently unable to identify in rigorous fashion what it is about cellular processes that set them apart from synthetic devices made of silicon and steel.
By comprehending the fundamental principles of emergence, development and evolution in biology, the project aims to deliver new insights into the interaction and interdependence between natural and artificial (human-created) phenomena for a number of scientific fields.
The INBIOSA Project was launched in January 2011 with the support of the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme. The project will continue until the end of December 2011. The project investigators are Dr. Plamen L. Simeonov (JSRC, Germany) and Professor Leslie S. Smith (University of Stirling, UK).
Web Page: www.inbiosa.eu/en/
"Waiter there really is a computer in my soup and it's telephoning me!": Revealing invisible computers
Stirling Staff: Professor Evan Magill (PI), Dr Mario Kolberg (CI), Jesse Blum (RA)
Collaborators: University of Glasgow, RSAMD, and Glasgow Science Centre
Grant Body: EPSRC grant EP/H047379/1
Grant Date: September 2010 - December 2011
Project Areas: Public Engagement, Sensor Arrays
Description: Imagine the scene ...It is autumn, colder and windier than usual today. The family are at work and at school but meanwhile the house has been busy. All the batteries have been fully charged from the small wind turbine on the roof and the washing machine and dishwasher have started up in turn to make most use of the extra energy on offer. As the family make their way home, the house is ready for each arrival; a low glow lights the driveway, room temperatures are adjusted to suit homework in the children's bedrooms and cooking in the kitchen. A TV screen in the kitchen reminds them that the car insurance is due for renewal in two weeks. A text message suggests a visit to the local supermarket en route home: there isn't enough milk for breakfast and it is Granny's birthday on Monday.
The goal is to produce a science show at the Glasgow Science Centre about innovations in computers and communications arising from current research. In particular we want to describe the synergy between these technologies and sensors. The show will combine interactive demonstrations with strong audience participation. Also, in collaboration with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), we will introduce a theatrical element to ensure an attractive event for audiences. Crucially the show will be sustainable with delivery continuing beyond the project end date.
The proposed show will be under an hour long and held in the Science Show Theatre within the centre. It will be part of the regular weekend and holiday science show programme held in the Science Show Theatre attended by thousands of visitors each year. In addition the show will be integrated into the schools and community outreach programmes with appropriate educational materials for both introductory and reinforcing post-show activity support packs.
This work is also in collaboration with the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow.
Web Page: gow.epsrc.ac.uk/ViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/H047379/1
Designing Markets for Ecosystem Services Delivery (Eco-Delivery)
Stirling Staff: Dr Frans de Vries (PI, Economics), Prof Nick Hanley (CI), Prof Adam Kleczkowski (CI), Ms Ciaran Ellis (PG, jointly with SBES)
Grant Body: European Investment
Bank under the theme Financial and Economic Valuation of Environmental
Impacts
Grant Date: June 2010 - May 2013
Project Areas: Mathematical Models for Economics
Description: The economy and environment are two interconnected systems. On the one hand, economic activity puts pressure on environmental quality. On the other hand, the environment is a direct source of human well-being, as well as providing resources for economic activity. The economy-environment relationship is currently out of balance, most noticeably through human-induced climate change and global biodiversity loss. Studying the rebalancing of the economy-environment relationship is therefore timely in view of the current intertwined economic and environmental crisis. The Eco-Delivery project will contribute to an improved understanding of this rebalancing by concentrating on mechanisms for improving the delivery of ecosystem services. The fundamental question that will be addressed is how to both effectively and efficiently increase the supply of eco-system services from private land using market-based instruments. The project will concentrate on two of the most important terrestrial ecosystems in Europe: wetlands and forests.
Project jointly with the Stirling Management School, University of Stirling.
Web Page: www.eco-delivery.stir.ac.uk/
Episystem.net: Designing social ecosystems to prevent spread of epidemics
Stirling Staff: Prof Adam Kleczkowski (PI), Dr Frans de Vries (CI, Economics), Prof Andrew Watterson (CI, Nursing and Midwifery), Dr Darren Green (CI, Institute of Aquaculture)
Collaborators: University of Glasgow, Heriot-Watt University, Newcastle University, University of York, University of Sussex, CFAS, HPS, VLA
Grant Body: MRC,
BBSRC,
NERC and
ESRC
under the agenda of Environmental and Social Ecology of Human
Infectious Diseases
Grant Date: May 2010 - January 2011
Project Areas: Epidemiology
Description: Pathogens in their livestock, wildlife and environmental hosts exert a constant pressure on the human population. To understand and eventually control the ways pathogens emerge and spread we need to consider a complex system of interacting biological, environmental, economic and social factors. There is a pressing need to develop a holistic theory of such systems analogous to the social-ecological systems approach in ecology. By analogy to ecosystems we call them episystems.
For social-ecological systems, resilience characterises the capacity of an ecosystem to tolerate disturbance. We propose to extend the concept of resilience to study the response of socio-ecological systems to pathogen spillover and spread as the environmental, social, economical, psychological and biological factors change. The project brings together biologists, economists and social scientists with mathematical and statistical modelling providing a common language in which models will be framed and recommendations produced.
Current funding is available for the Catalyst Phase during which we organise three workshops and other activities. The project will lead to a full application in April 2011.
Web Page: www.episystem.net/
The MEMS/CMOS Microphone Research Project
Stirling Staff: Prof Leslie Smith (PI), Dr Michael Newton (RF)
Collaborators: University of Edinburgh
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: March 2010 - March 2014
Project Areas: Artificial Intelligence, Computational Neuroscience, Sensor_Arrays
Description: The aim of the project is to develop a new type of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) microphone with integrated neuromorphic electronics which will directly sense acoustic signals using a number of different MEMS sensors transducing the signal using resonant gate transducers, and conditioning the signals so detected using on-chip electronics.
The idea is (i) to enable the creation of an active microphone that can cope with a wide dynamic range differentially over the spectrum, and (ii) to enable further analyses of the signal using neurobiologically plausible techniques directly.
The work at Edinburgh is primarily on the development of the technologies for appropriate MEMS devices, and on the integration of the MEMS and CMOS technologies to create the microphone device. The work at Stirling is on the integration of these devices with spike-based processing techniques, initially using simulation techniques based on results and modelling at Edinburgh, and later working with fabricated devices. This work will build on existing work at Stirling.
Web Page: mems.cs.stir.ac.uk/
InterLife
Stirling Staff: Professor Evan Magill (PI), Dr Mario Kolberg (CI), Karla Parussel (RF)
Collaborators: University of Glasgow
Grant Body: ESRC (and EPSRC) grant ES/F042116/1
Grant Date: December 2008 - November 2011
Project Areas: Virtual Worlds, Data Acquisition
Description: Educational and social transitions can have potentially negative impacts on performance and motivation. This is ESRC TLRP TEL project will focus on supporting children and young adults in developing skills to manage the risks and threats encountered during such changes. This will be achieved through a mobile virtual environment called InterLife which will be developed from and beyond the popular Second Life virtual world. A significant feature of the environment will be the ability to interact with and between real and virtual communities enabled by the design of a distinctive communication architecture. Communication devices can be both real and virtual. Inter-Life will provide reflective and personal development tools to be used collaboratively within an avatar-based (customisable virtual persona) environment. Project research will identify and develop scenarios for up to four key life transitions in Inter-Life to demonstrate the flexibility and robustness of the educational and technical designs. This work is a collaboration between the group and the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow
Web Pages: www.tlrp.org/proj/tel/lally.html and www.inter-life.org/blog/?page_id=33
DAMES (Data Management through E-Social Science)
Stirling Staff: Dr Paul Lambert (PI, Applied Social Science), Prof Ken Turner (CI), Dr Simon Jones (CI), Prof David Bell (CI, Economics), Prof Alison Bowes (CI, Applied Social Science), Dr Margaret Maxwell (CI, Applied Social Science), Larry Tan (RA), Jesse Blum (RA)
Collaborators: University of Glasgow (National E-Science Centre)
Grant Body: ESRC
Grant Date: February 2008 - January 2011
Project Areas: Grid Technologies, Data Management, Social Science
Description: DAMES (Data Management through E-Social Science) is funded by ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and is a collaborative project between social scientists and computer scientists in two universities. The focus is on the use of grid computing to solve a range of problems concerned with data management in social science. The project is conducting research into grid-enabled data environments, resources for micro-simulation of social care data, linking e-health and social science databases, management of complex survey data, description and discovery of data services, data abstraction and fusion, workflow modelling for data-intensive analyses, and security-driven data management.
Web Page: www.dames.org.uk/
Analytical investigation and numerical approximation of hierarchically size-structured population dynamical models
Stirling Staff: Dr Jozsef Farkas (PI)
Collaborators: Dr Thomas Hagen, Memphis, USA
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: January 2008 - August 2008
Project Areas: Mathematical Biology
Description: We use semigroup theory and spectral methods to investigate the asymptotic behaviour of solutions of certain quasilinear partial differential equation models which describe the evolution of hierarchically size-structured populations living in a closed territory.
Web Page: To follow
System Dynamics from Individual Interactions: A process algebra approach to epidemiology
Stirling Staff: Dr Carron Shankland (PI), Dr Rachel Norman (CI), Chris McCaig (RF), Soufiene Benkirane (RA)
Collaborators: University of Liverpool
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: October 2007 - September 2010
Project Areas: Epidemiology, Mathematical Biology, Process Algebra, Life Sciences Interface
Description: This is a cross-disciplinary project, combining computing science, mathematics and biology. The aim is to to develop useful process algebra based models of disease spread using process algebra, to extract system dynamics from those descriptions (extending existing novel methods developed at Stirling), and to compare the results with traditional mathematical models of disease spread. We are particularly interested in the ways individuals behave, and how that relates to population level dynamics. The project outcome will be an approach to modelling and analysing biological systems (particularly in epidemiology) which is more flexible and well understood than current approaches, benefiting biologists and applied mathematicians.
Web Page: www.cs.stir.ac.uk/SystemDynamics/
PAM: Personalised Ambient Monitoring
Stirling Staff: Professor Evan Magill (PI), Jesse Blum (RA)
Collaborators: University of Southampton, University of Nottingham
Grant Body:
EPSRC grant EP/F003684/1
Grant Date:
October 2007 - September 2010
Project Areas: Assistive Technologies, Sensor Arrays, Data Acquisition, Data Management
Description: The PAM project is investigating the use of sensor based systems to reduce the incidence of debilitating episodes for the mentality ill. The focus will be to help within the home and the community. The project started in late 2007 and will run for three years. This work builds on existing work in rule-based Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) carried out by the group. The work is in collaboration with The University of Southampton's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), its Centre for Operational Research, Management Science and Information Systems (CORMSIS), and The University of Nottingham. The investigators provide skills and experience across medical devices and sensors, medical signal processing, communications and software services, and Operational Research modelling. This mix is essential to the success of the project, and provides an interesting and distinct interdisciplinary grouping.
Web Page: www.pam-research.org/
Symptom Modelling Using Data Mining Techniques
Stirling Staff: Roma Maguire (PI), Prof Nora Kearney (CI), Dr Julie Cowie (CI), Clare Leadbetter (RA), Kathryn McCall (RA), Kevin Swingler (Consultant)
Grant Body: SURE and
NHS Forth Valley
Grant Date: June 2007 - May 2008
Project Areas: Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence
Description: The principle aim of applying data mining in this project is to predict the likelihood of symptoms occurring for patients undergoing chemotherapy. By analysing historical data we can obtain a picture of what factors influence the prevalence of certain side-effects, how often they occur, and the severity with which they occur. By providing information about a new individual it is then possible to identify their predicted pattern of side-effects, with an aim of using preventative techniques to alleviate such symptoms as much as possible.
Web Page: www.cancercare.stir.ac.uk/projects/asyms.htm
Automatic Time Series Forecasting
Stirling Staff: Kevin Swingler (PI), Prof Leslie Smith (CI)
Collaborators: ThinkAnalytics
Grant Body: DTI
Grant Name: Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Grant Date: March 2007 - December 2009
Project Areas: Data Mining, Expert Systems
Description: This project is a collaboration with a Scottish software company who develop and sell data mining software to large companies. The aim of the project is to add time series forecasting capability to their existing package. We will not only develop the statistical techniques for performing such forecasts; we will also develop an expert system so that the software can pick the right technique based on an analysis of the data.
Web Page: www.thinkanalytics.com
CARMEN (Code analysis, repository, and modelling for e-Neuroscience)
Stirling Staff: Prof Leslie Smith (PI), 1 Research Student
Collaborators: University of Cambridge, Imperial College, London, University of Leicester, University of Manchester, University of Newcastle, University of Plymouth, University of Sheffield, University of St Andrews, University of Warwick, University of York
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: October 2006 - March 2011
Project Areas: e-Science, Informatics, Computational Neuroscience
Description: CARMEN is an e-Science pilot project funded by EPSRC which aims to apply e-Science to neurophysiological recordings. The project has eleven Universities in the UK involved, and includes both informaticians and experimental and computational neuroscientists. Stirling's technical involvement is in the detection and sorting of the raw data: in addition Prof Smith is on the executive committee of the consortium.
Web Page: www.carmen.org.uk
Dynamical Information Processing in a Neuronal Microcircuit
Stirling Staff: Dr Bruce Graham (PI), Dr Vassilis Cutsuridis (RF), Russell Hunter (RS)
Collaborators: University of Glasgow
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: October 2006 - September 2009
Project Areas: Computational Neuroscience
Description: Our brains consist of electrical circuits formed by the interconnection of vast numbers of cells called neurons. We are using computer simulations to explore how these circuits can act as memory devices that store and recall information. We are focussing on the precise details of the circuitry and the different types of neurons that participate.
Web Page: www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~bpg/research/cortdyn.html
MATCH (Mobilising Advanced Technologies for Care at Home)
Stirling Staff: Prof Ken Turner (PI), Dr Mario Kolberg (CI), Prof Evan Magill (CI), Louise Bellin (PM), Julia Clark (RF), Dr Feng Wang (RF), Liam Docherty (RS)
Collaborators: University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow
Grant Body: SFC
Grant Date: November 2005 - October 2009
Project Areas: Assistive Technologies
Description: MATCH (Mobilising Advanced Technologies for Care at Home) is a collaborative research project led by the University of Stirling that focuses on technologies for care at home. This SFC funded project has specialised expertise in home care networks, lifestyle monitoring, speech communication, and assistive technology.
Web Page: www.match-project.org.uk
SASSA (Soil Analysis Support System for Archaeologists)
Stirling Staff: Dr Davd Cairns (PI), Dr Julie Cowie (CI), Martin Blunn (RA), Prof Donald Davidson (PI), Dr Clare Wilson (RF)
Grant Body: NERC
Grant Date: November 2005 - December 2007
Project Areas: Mobile Decision Support, Geoarchaeology
Description: The aim of the SASSA project is to provide geoarchaeological advice both in the field and lab by linking archaeological questions with analytical techniques. SASSA is designed to be interactive to foster much better exchange of experience than has been traditionally the case regarding the application of soil science to archaeology. SASSA is designed to be accessed from a desk-based PC and mobile devices and uses an XML and XSLT based structure to flexibly deliver content depending upon the users requirements and available mobile device.
Two advisory groups are guiding the design and testing of SASSA. An academic advisory group consists of geoarchaeological researchers from the UK, Europe, United States and Australia. A user advisory group contains representatives from commercial field units, charitable bodies such as the National Trust and government bodies such as English Heritage.
Web Page: www.sassa.org.uk
PROSEN (Networking of Distributed Sensors for Proactive Condition
Monitoring of Wind Turbines)
Stirling Staff: Prof Ken Turner (PI), Prof Evan Magill (CI), Xiang Fei (RA), Gavin Campbell (RS)
Collaborators: University of Essex, University of Kent, University of Strathclyde
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: October 2005 - September 2008
Project Areas: Sensor Arrays
Description: PROSEN (Networking of Distributed Sensors for Proactive Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines) is funded by EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) and is a collaborative project between a number of universities and companies. The focus is on the use of (wireless) sensor networks to provide proactive condition monitoring of wind farms.
Web Page: www.prosen.org.uk
GEODE (Grid-Enabled Occupational Data Environment)
Stirling Staff: Paul Lambert (PI), Prof Ken Turner (CI), Vernon Gayle (CI), Larry Tan (RS)
Collaborators: University of Cardiff, University of Glasgow, IISG, Amsterdam, SOFI, Stockholm University
Grant Body: ESRC
Grant Date: October 2005 - March 2007
Project Areas: Grid Technologies, e-Science
Description: The GEODE project is concerned with the technologies behind the distribution of occupational information within the social science research community. The GEODE project is using e-Science and Grid technologies to facilitate access to occupational information.
Web Page: www.geode.stir.ac.uk
The Electronic Sales Engine
Stirling Staff: Kevin Swingler (PI), Prof Leslie Smith (CI)
Grant Body: Scottish Enterprise
Grant Name: Proof of Concept
Grant Date: August 2005 - September 2008
Project Areas: Artificial Intelligence
Description: The Electronic Sales Engine is an artificial intelligence based system that learns as it interacts with the customers of any company. It learns to treat customers in a more human way, offering them what they are more likely to want. The technology will deliver significant savings to companies who sell direct to consumers and will also allow charities to collect donations far more effectively. It will bring a more human element to electronic interactions such as e-commerce, treating customers as individuals with their own needs and preferences. It will also reduce the amount of junk mail and nuisance telesales calls people receive by providing companies with better ways to target prospective customers.
Web Page: The Electronic Sales Engine
Changes in Information Transmission at an Auditory Synapse in the Binaural Pathway During Short-term Synaptic Modulation
Stirling Staff: Dr Bruce Graham (PI), Dr Zhijun Yang (RF)
Collaborators: University of Leicester
Grant Body: BBSRC
Grant Date: January 2005 - December 2007
Project Areas: Computational Neuroscience
Description: The connections between neurons in the brain are complex devices in their own right. They display complex dynamics that enables them to actively filter the signals that come through them. We are investigating the information transmission properties of a particular synapse in the mammalian auditory system known as the calyx of Held.
Web Page: www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~bpg/research/syntran.html
DOTPI: Diagnosis and Optimal Treatment recommendation for Progressive Illnesses
Stirling Staff: Dr Julie Cowie (PI), Lloyd Oteniya (RS)
Collaborators: University of Strathclyde, NHS Forth Valley
Grant Body: EPSRC
Grant Date: April 2004 - September 2007
Project Areas: Decision Support, Bayesian Belief Networks, Artificial Intelligence
Description: The project explores the use of a novel technique for constructing Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs). This approach is compared to construction of a BBN using expert knowledge, and evaluated according to prediction accuracy. The work is predominantly applied to health applications, in particular, the field of dementia diagnosis.
Web Page: www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~lot/dotpi/
USBDUX
Stirling Staff: Kevin Swingler (PI)
Collaborators: University of Glasgow
Grant Body: SURE
Grant Name: Innovation award
Grant Date: May 2003 - Ongoing
Project Areas: Data Acquisition
Description: USBDUX are a range of data acquisition devices for Linux machines. They connect via the USB port for safe, fast data collection. The grant funding allowed us to start to sell the products and sales are currently approaching 250 units.
Web Page: www.linux-usb-daq.co.uk
