January's issue of Cardiff University News

News
January 2013 Volume 19 No.4
Charting our course
Research with worldwide impact

Introduction
Introduction
Singapore, 2005. Olympics president Jacques Rogge is about to announce the
location of the 2012 Games. He hesitates, then pronounces one word - “London”.
You all know what happened next,
but did you know Cardiff University
had a hand in that historic decision?
The London bid pledged to use the
“eco-footprint” approach developed
for sports events like the FA Cup by
our Centre for Business, Relationships,
Accountability, Sustainability and
Society (BRASS). Dr Andrea Collins of
BRASS then joined the carbon footprint
planning team for last year’s Games –
now recognised as the most sustainable
ever held.
We don’t help successful Olympic
bids every day, but our research does
improve daily lives in almost every way
imaginable. If you’ve noticed the BBC’s
coverage of the Welsh Government
has improved, that’s almost certainly
down to work on reporting practice at
the School of Journalism, Media and
Cultural Studies. And if your GP is no
longer prescribing antibiotics for every
cough and splutter, that’s the influence
of Professor Chris Butler and his team
at the School of Medicine as they fight
harmful bacteria’s growing resistance to
drugs. The economy affects us all, and
one of the most profound thinkers on
the subject, Cardiff Business School’s
Professor Patrick Minford, this month
outlines how his research helped prompt
Colleagues across
the University are
doing high quality
research that is
delivering real
benefits
a fundamental shift in UK economic
policy.
So we help in a variety of spheres –
professional, political, medical and
many others. Our work also reaches
right across the country and right
around the world. In Wales, Professor
Colin Williams of the School of Welsh
called for action on weaknesses in
Welsh language law and for a Welsh
Language Commissioner – calls which
have now been met. Just across the river
Severn, Cardiff archaeologists have
bought the SS Great Britain another 200
years of life, preserving it as a major
international tourist attraction.
Every area of the University’s
research effort – in life sciences,
STEM subjects, humanities and
social sciences - has an effect far
beyond our campus. For example,
the eyecare of children with Down’s
syndrome has been transformed by
Dr Maggie Woodhouse’s work at
the School of Optometry and Vision
Sciences. Mathematicians are playing
their part in healthcare too, with
modelling systems that allow the NHS
to plan patient treatment needs more
efficiently and to save money. The
formidable challenge of uniting the
Anglican Church’s approach to canon
law has been resolved by Cardiff Law
School’s Professor Norman Doe. In
the humanities, Dr Lisa El Rafaie’s
understanding of cartoons and comics
is helping deliver vital information
about HIV/AIDS to children in South
Africa; the country in the World with
the single highest number of people
living with HIV.
Colleagues across the University
are doing high quality research that
is delivering real benefits. And our
professional teams are making sure
we engage with policy-makers,
businesses, charities and local
communities so they can take full
advantage of our academic brilliance.
But I still want us to do more. I want
the first question about every new
research project to be “who will it
help?” – not just “which journal will
publish it?”.
We need to embed effects on the wider
World into everything we do as a
World-class University.
We have a great foundation to build
on – as the following pages will show
you.
Professor Chris McGuigan
Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research,
Innovation & Enterprise
It’s “green, green, green” – not
“money, money, money”
Environmental charities are launching
a new type of campaign, appealing to
consumers’ community spirit rather
than their self-interest.
Traditional campaigns promoting
green behaviour have tried to trigger
individuals’ sense of prestige and status.
Now, psychological research
from Cardiff University shows
environmentalists will enjoy better
results if they appeal to people’s
concern for the welfare of others.
Major organisations like Oxfam,
2
Friends of the Earth and the WWF have
taken the research on board and are
changing their advertising strategies.
The Cardiff research has proved that
raising someone’s awareness of one
particular value, like helpfulness, makes
their behaviour more likely to reflect
linked values, like forgiveness. At the
same time, behaviour that demonstrates
opposing values, such as powerfulness,
becomes less likely.
Professor Greg Maio and colleagues at
the University’s School of Psychology
ran an experiment asking members of
the public to sort words from a list. One
group was asked to pick out words like
“ambitious” and “successful” while a
second was asked to find words like
“forgiving” and “honest”. Both groups
were then asked to complete a puzzle
and to say if they would take part in
further research for free. Participants
who had been asked to find words
linked to ambition were more likely to
solve the puzzle – but less likely to offer
future help.
The research shows that environmental
campaigns encouraging greener
behaviour through self-interest are
likely to backfire. For example,
motivating people to put solar panels
on their homes as a status symbol
may encourage other self-enhancing
behaviour which is less environmentally
friendly, such as jetting off on an
expensive foreign holiday.
As a result, green organisations are
re-thinking their campaigns to make
a greater appeal to selfless behaviour.
The new approach has helped inspire
the WWF’s “Earth Book” campaign,
which encourages the public to “stand
up for our world and everything we love
about it.” The Waste Watch recycling
campaign is now engaging the public
by addressing community concerns.
And a dozen leading UK conservation
charities have linked forces in a new
initiative, Common Cause for Nature,
aiming to make their communications
more effective in the light of the Cardiff
research.

At the forefront of sustainability
Putting the ‘environment’ at the
heart of the London Olympics
Major sporting events such as the
London Olympics are considering their
“ecological footprint” on local and
global communities with the help of
Cardiff University research.
Events such as the 2012 London
Olympic and Paralympic Games and
key organisations such as UK Sport are
increasingly using research tools such
as the ecological footprint to measure
the environmental impacts of their
events.
The uptake of such impact assessment
methods stems from interdisciplinary
research undertaken by Dr Andrea
Collins from the University’s School of
Planning and Geography, and Professor
Max Munday and his team at Cardiff
Business School.
The research aims to shift emphasis
from a narrow assessment of the
economic impact of major events
to one that also considers their
environmental impacts.
“Governments and organisations
of major events worldwide are
increasingly recognising the importance
of assessing the environmental impact
of resource use,” according to Dr
Andrea Collins, who has been leading
work to establish the ‘ecological
footprint’ of major events in the UK.
“Our research has proved crucial in
changing organisational thinking from
one that focuses on the economic
benefits of an event to one that
recognises the environmental impact of
resource use,” she added.
The work, which began at the
University’s ESRC BRASS Research
Centre in 2003, has been used to
measure the ecological footprint of
Cardiff, Cardiff’s International Sports
Village, school meals and major
sporting events like the 2004 FA Cup
Final, a RBS Rugby Six Nations fixture
and the UK stages of the 2007 Tour de
France.
Dr Collins adds: “No longer are the
financial benefits of an event good
enough when considering hosting a
major event.
“That’s why we have been working
alongside UK Sport to help develop a
new EventIMPACT toolkit which can
be used by event organisers to assess
the much wider impacts and benefits of
hosting their chosen events.”
Cardiff’s research and its engagement
with policy officers in measuring
the city of Cardiff’s ecological
footprint has also led other bodies
and governments across the world to
promote corporate engagement with
environmental impact.
The United Arab Emirates, Auckland
Council and the Ministry of
Environment in Japan have all adopted
Cardiff’s unique approach.
Meeting the world’s
demand for edible oils
Oilseed rape
Identifying and removing the ‘cap’
that limits the level of oil produced
from crops like oil palm, soybean
and oilseed rape, could help meet
the world’s insatiable demand for
edible oils.
“Oil crops are a vital agricultural
resource producing edible oils for
human and animal consumption,
specialised products, renewable
chemicals and biofuels,” according
to Professor John Harwood.
“Consumption of plant oils has
more than doubled since 1993 with
The Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
(OECD) projecting the global
growth in oilseed demand will
result in a 23 per cent increase in
production this year.
“These factors have created a
pressure on the supply demand
for oilseed crops with the need
to explore innovative ways to
maximise production,” he added.
Now, a team led by Professor John
Harwood from the University’s School
of Biosciences has become the first
to apply a method called ‘flux control
analysis’ to lipid biosynthesis.
Using this method his team has
been able to identify the constraints
that control and cap the levels of oil
produced by oil crops.
Professor Harwood adds: “Our research
has led to a better understanding of the
biochemical pathways regulating lipid
production in these essential crops,
and led to the development of tools to
transgenically manipulate these crops
to enhance oil yields.
“In particular flux control analysis has
been able to identify (for each crop)
where to target genetic manipulations
in the overall pathway in order to
increase significantly oil yields.”
3

Shaping culture and heritage
Saving Brunel’s ss Great Britain
In 2006 Brunel’s iconic ship ss Great Britain won the Gulbenkian Museum
prize for its innovative conservation, which was underpinned by research
at Cardiff University. A study led by Professor David Watkinson in the
Department of Archaeology and Conservation, identified how dry the
environment around the ship needed to be to prevent corrosion of its
wrought iron hull.
Professor Watkinson explained how,
“this data set the operating capacity
of the dehumidification plants that
would control corrosion and allowed
engineers to design energy saving
measures, which involved flooding the
glass roof bridging the dock-side and
hull to offer cooling of the desiccated
space below, as well as the appearance
of a ‘floating ship’ above.”
The Cardiff team has since confirmed
the effectiveness of the desiccation
(de-oxygenation) by recording relative
humidity over the hull profile. This
was as low as 17 per cent at the base
of the hull where the desiccated air
enters the enclosure and rising to 23
per cent near the glass roof; both close
to the target humidity of 20 per cent.
An Arts and Humanities Research
Council (AHRC) funded research
programme led by Professor
Watkinson is now examining
the corrosion and break up of
archaeological iron infused with
chloride, which is also offering
further insight into the desiccation
process employed to save the ss Great
Britain. Cardiff is now part of a team,
led by the ss Great Britain Trust,
seeking Heritage Lottery Funding
support for a detailed study into the
impact of the desiccation system and
potential for further energy saving
measures. An offshoot of the ss
Great Britain and AHRC research
is a Cardiff University/English
Heritage collaboration to produce
national guidelines for the storage of
archaeological iron.
4

Changing the way the BBC reports
Shaping culture and heritage
The BBC’s news coverage is now
more responsive to devolution and
covers political issues in a way that
makes policy differences and areas of
responsibility across the UK clearer –
thanks to University research.
Following devolution of powers in
1999, broadcast news coverage of
political issues in the UK became
confused, with news reports routinely
misinforming viewers about major
areas of policy.
“UK policy following devolution in
1999 is complex. Some areas – such as
defence – remain the responsibility of
Westminster, while England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland are free
to pursue different approaches in
major policy areas, like education and
health,” said Professor Justin Lewis
whose team at the University’s School
of Journalism, Media and Cultural
Studies was commissioned by the
BBC Trust to examine the issue.
The resulting research, based on a
range of BBC television, radio and
on-line news outlets, analysed more
than 4,500 news items uncovering
major shortcomings in both the quality
and accuracy of broadcast and online
journalism.
“Our evidence was fairly damning,”
said Professor Lewis. “We found
the distinct policies of devolved
governments in Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland were rarely
acknowledged or discussed and
although devolved policy areas
like health and education received
significant coverage, opportunities
to compare and contrast across four
nations were routinely ignored.”
The findings were detailed in a 102
page report which informed a series
of recommendations from BBC
management designed to improve
coverage.
Professor Lewis adds: “When we
were commissioned to do follow
up research in 2009 to assess the
impact of these recommendations we
found whilst challenges remained,
BBC coverage has, across the board,
become significantly more attuned
to the new world of devolved UK
politics.”
Drawing on Cardiff research
A Cardiff academic’s research
expertise in the educational use of
comics has been used to help cut
the spread of HIV/Aids in South
Africa.
Whizzkids United (WU) is a small
South African charity that educates
teenagers about HIV/Aids. Using
research by Dr Lisa El Refaie from
the University’s School of English,
Communication and Philosophy on
the educational uses of cartoon and
comics, the charity has developed
a new training programme where
teenagers engage in drawing
comics as a means of developing
life skills and educating peers.
“My research has found that
cartoons offer a good way of
helping people grasp complex
information and engage with
different points of view,” said Dr
El Refaie.
“Our research began by examining
the educational materials used by
WU to suggest improvements.
As part of the initial study, it
became clear that not all the visual
materials were well targeted
at teenagers, which raised the
Dr Lisa El Refaie
question of how comics might be
used,” she added.
As a consequence, the Cardiff
team embarked on a programme to
encourage teenagers to draw their own
comics.
Dr El Refaie said: “The new training
programme teaches teenagers to create
original stories in the comic format.
“The aim was twofold: to empower
the youngsters to express their life
experiences through a creative
narrative, and to produce comic
books that reflect the teenagers
own perspective on HIV/Aids that
will appeal to other youngsters
and ultimately cut the number of
infections.”
With the help of comics artist
Steve Marchant the teenagers’
stories will be collated into an
attractive, colourful booklet and
distributed in the KwaZulu-Natal
region of South Africa.
5

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Shaping British
macroeconomic policy
One of the most influential and widely recognised economists,
Cardiff Business School’s Professor Patrick Minford gained
public prominence during the 1980s for his support for the
Conservative Government’s economic policies.
Professor Patrick Minford
His economic modelling research
and that of Cardiff Business School’s
Julian Hodge Institute of Applied
Macroeconomics (JHIAM), helped
prompt a fundamental shift in UK
economic policy.
“British economic policy is concerned
with issues such as the unemployment
rate, the inflation rate and the rate
of economic growth,“ according
to Professor Minford. “Following
the global economic crisis of 2007,
there has been a renewed focus on
how the UK government’s fiscal,
monetary and other policies impact on
macroeconomic conditions,” he adds.
For Professor Minford, and his
colleagues, it is this focus which has
led them to develop their economic
modelling efforts to create an evidencebase
to inform economic policy in this
post-crisis era.
“Through the Institute’s research
we have shown that creating models
of the economy, which treat people
as reacting intelligently to their
environment, (‘rational expectations’)
fit the economy’s actual behaviour
rather well.
“As a consequence, we have been able
to develop new methods of estimating
and evaluating models and apply them
to macroeconomic policy issues in
areas including monetary and fiscal
policy, exchange rate policy and the
supply side policies covering policy on
employment and growth,” Professor
Minford adds. As a result, Professor
Minford and his team have been able
to apply their findings to key areas of
economic policy.
Most notably, their modelling has
advocated that the Pound should be
allowed to float to allow monetary
policy to be carried out in an
independent way whilst maintaining
that attempts to fix exchange rates are
damaging; to promote employment and
growth the labour and related markets
should be liberalised; and perhaps -
most notably - that entry to the Euro
would be extremely damaging for the
British economy.
“Using rational expectations models
of the economy, we have been able
to establish and set out a ‘classical’
framework for UK macroeconomic
policy,” according to Professor
Minford.
In recent years the debate on how to
stimulate the economy has once again
resurfaced – thanks in large part, to the
UK’s relationship with the EU, and
more crucially how the UK reacts to
a large budget deficit produced by the
banking crisis, monetary policy and
the issue of how much money we, as a
nation, should print.
“The macroeconomic policy issues
that dominate today are the need to
reduce the budget deficit, the crisis
in the euro-zone, monetary policy
and the inflation target, and growth
and employment – the supply-side, ”
according to Professor Minford. In all
of these areas, their research has made
a significant contribution to and impact
on economic policy. One example is
their insistence on fiscal planning. The
UK Coalition Government and the
current Chancellor have consistently
said they are determined to restore
the public finances, regardless of
Keynesian arguments.
The same is also true of their model
for growth, which shows that
growth is driven by productivity, not
demand, prompting the UK Coalition
Government to increasingly turn to
ways of increasing competition and
efficiency – especially in the public
sector.
More widely though has been their
contribution towards UK economic
thinking through the establishment
of The Shadow Monetary Policy
Committee (SMPC).
Co-founded by Professor Minford,
the SMPC is a group of independent
economists (including many Cardiff
academics including its current
secretary, Professor Kent Matthews)
drawn from academia, the City and
elsewhere, which meet at the Institute
of Economic Affairs, to discuss the
state of the international and British
economies.
The SMPC’s monthly analysis is
widely cited in the media and followed
by the Bank of England’s Monetary
Policy Committee.
The same is also true for the
contribution to the work of the Institute
of Economic Affairs (IEA).
Described by BBC journalist, writer
and commentator, Andrew Marr as
“undoubtedly the most influential think
tank in modern British history” the
IEA has published and popularized
the macroeconomic ideas formulated
by Professor Minford and his JHIAM
colleagues.
It would seem that Professor Minford’s
influence is unlikely to go away. With
major issues like the UK’s relationship
to the EU and the Euro likely to
resurface and, more significantly, the
continued need for ideas to stimulate
economic growth.
“Recently I argued on Radio 4’s
Stephanomics for prioritising growth
policies, especially towards the banks
to get credit growth going again and
in evidence to the Commons Foreign
Affairs Committee I argued for a new
approach to the EU on economic
grounds,” said Professor Minford.
And what for the UK’s economic
future? Unlike some, Professor Minford
is more optimistic than many.
He forecasts that whereas there has
been no growth for 12 months, it will
return slowly - with an easing of credit
this year the UK government he argues
will do more to encourage banks to lend
to small businesses.
As for the end of the UK’s financial
crisis?
“I remember a businessman in the heart
of the crisis in 2008 saying, ‘if only I
could see the bottom’. I think what I’d
say to people today is you probably
have seen the bottom,” he adds.
6

TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE
Improving healthcare systems
The work of the Operational
Research (OR) group in the School of
Mathematics, led by Professor Paul
Harper, is helping to transform the
efficiency and effectiveness of NHS
care delivery through mathematical
modelling, resulting in improved
healthcare systems.
Recent work has improved Wales’
largest and busiest emergency
department.
Patient movements (care-pathways)
through healthcare systems can be
represented by flows through networks
of queues constrained by available
resources.
Using techniques such as queuing
theory and computer simulation,
working alongside the University
Hospital of Wales (UHW) the
researchers were able to help optimally
redesign the emergency department.
“Health services face unprecedented
levels of change. The scale and
complexity of the system is a constant
challenge to reform,” said Professor
Harper.
As a result of the team’s modelling
exercise, they have helped UHW
reconfigure services and identify
bottlenecks in the system, resulting in
a major change in patient flows in the
Unit. UHW estimate it has been able
to realise net efficiency gains of about
£1.6M.
The team has also worked extensively
with other NHS providers across the
UK, helping to deliver improved health
services and patient outcomes.
They include:
• Modelling the impact of the South
Wales Development Programme.
Work informed a £4.2M investment
in system-wide capacity enabling
the Cardiff and Vale University
Health Board to better align
resources with the needs of patients;
• St George’s Hospital, London –
the team’s tools are used to create
service level agreements with
commissioners. The project helped
inform the required patient-flows
and resourcing levels for a new
major trauma centre for London,
opened in April 2010 and resulted
in an observed increased survival
rate of 54 per cent, and for a new
hyper-acute stroke unit across South
London which has resulted in lower
risk adjusted mortality for stroke
patients of 60 per cent.
Professor Harper added: “I’m delighted
to lead such a talented and growing
group of researchers. Mathematical
modelling techniques are being
increasingly sought within the health
service.
“The work of the School of Mathematics
has, and is continuing to improve the
clinical and cost effectiveness of services
and to inform our clinical strategy.”
Andrew Nelson, Director of Acute Services,
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
“We are delighted for example to
announce a joint initiative with the
Aneurin Bevan Health Board to
establish a modelling unit of four
research associates.”
“Your research work with our Department of
Specialist Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at
Rookwood Hospital has had a huge impact on
how we utilise our resources.”
J Brouwers, Senior Service Improvement Programme Manager,
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
‘New vision’ for children with Down’s syndrome
New guidelines resulting in earlier
diagnosis of vision problems
in children with special needs,
especially Down’s syndrome have
been developed.
Research by the University’s
Special Assessment Clinic based
in the School of Optometry
and Vision Sciences, led by Dr
Maggie Woodhouse, found that
the majority of children had
inaccurate focusing meaning by
the time children with Down’s
Syndrome enter school, their visual
capabilities are significantly poorer
than their classroom peers if not
uncovered.
“The educational potential and
learning capabilities of children
with special needs are severely
restricted by undetected, and thus
untreated, visual deficits, “ according
to Dr Maggie Woodhouse, who leads
the University’s Special Assessment
Clinic.
“This is clearly unacceptable which
is why we embarked on developing
comprehensive evidence-based
guidelines for the recognition of visual
problems,” she added.
As part of the work, the Cardiff team
developed The Cardiff Acuity Test
offering healthcare professionals in
the UK and internationally an efficient
way of assessing vision in children
with special needs which is difficult to
reliably measure by standard testing
protocols.
Dr Maggie Woodhouse (Right)
The team’s research also determined
the best management for the visual
defects – leading to new treatments
– especially with the use of bifocal
spectacles.
“Wearers achieve accurate
accommodation and most prefer
bifocals for full-time wear rather than
changing back to their normal
glasses when not in school.
“A significant proportion of
children now prescribed bifocals
begin to accommodate accurately
after, on average, three years wear
and return to single vision lenses,”
Dr Woodhouse adds.
7

TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE
Cutting ‘unnecessary’
antibiotic use
A major University study which led to long-term reductions in the number of
antibiotic prescriptions by Welsh GPs could see ‘unnecessary’ prescriptions cut by
1.6M per year, if replicated across the UK.
The Stemming the Tide of
Antimicrobial Resistance or ‘STAR’
programme was designed and
implemented by experts from the
University’s School of Medicine’s
Institute of Primary Care and Public
Health and South East Wales Trials
Unit (SEWTU) to cut the number of
antibiotic prescriptions for common
conditions.
Professor Chris Butler
Led by Professor Chris Butler from
the School of Medicine, the trial
involved 68 practices across Wales
covering some 480,000 patients, and
offered GPs access to unique antibiotic
prescribing and resistance data derived
from their own practices and novel,
blended learning training in advanced
‘consulting skills’.
The learning tools, the result of more
than 15 years of work in infections
and communication sciences by
members of the Institute of Primary
Care and Public Health and SEWTU
team, are designed to enable GPs
to discuss treatment options more
effectively with their patients to
achieve evidence-based, shared and
acceptable treatment decisions.
The study gave GPs access to on-line
learning materials including videos,
and allowed them the flexibility to
learn and try out the new skills with
their patients at times that were
convenient to themselves.
“Antibiotic resistance remains one
of the most important public health
issues of our time, with antibiotic
prescribing driving up resistance,” said
Professor Butler.
“As most antibiotics are prescribed
in General Practice, safely reducing
the number of unnecessary
prescriptions is essential. The STAR
programme helped Welsh GPs gain
new skills derived from motivational
interviewing so they could achieve
evidence-based treatment while taking
patient perspectives into account.”
Professor Frank Dunstan, who led
the analysis, said: “Although the
percentage reduction in antibiotic
prescribing was fairly small, based on
national population estimates, if the
findings of this study were replicated
across the whole of Wales this would
imply a reduction of well over 78,000
dispensed systemic antibiotic items
per year, and if replicated across the
UK, this would mean a reduction of
roughly 1.6M dispensed systemic
antibiotic items per year.”
The study, published in the British
Medical Journal (BMJ), resulted in
fewer systemic antibiotics for all
indications dispensed for a whole
year for practices where GPs had
undergone STAR training.
Patients in the STAR practices did
not experience detectable increases in
complications, hospital admissions, reconsultation
rates, or costs associated
with fewer antibiotics.
Professor Dunstan has done
preliminary analyses of the effects of
the STAR Educational programme
over three years, and it seems the
positive effects are maintained over
the longer term as well.
Professor Butler adds: “STAR’s
achievement in reducing antibiotic
prescribing is significant because it
has shown signs of success where
other efforts such as public health
campaigns on antibiotic awareness
have failed: despite these campaigns,
antibiotic prescribing in the
community in the UK appears again to
be increasing.
“The STAR intervention goes to the
heart of the philosophical foundations
of general practice as it is based
on patient data from the practices
themselves, the best scientific
evidence, and effective communication
with patients.”
8

INFORMING POLICY AND PRACTICE
Uniting a church in law?
Uniting a disunited global Anglican church may have seemed an
unenviable and impossible proposition during the height of conflict
and chaos that engulfed the church over the issue of gay marriage.
Enter Cardiff Law School’s Professor
Norman Doe - one of the chief
proponents of a code of principles of
canon law common to the autonomous
Churches of the Anglican Communion
worldwide, his research solution brought
unity where disunity once reigned.
“Before 2009 the world-wide Anglican
Communion had no global legal
framework for its 44 autonomous
churches and their 80M members.
“Historically, the Communion has
been maintained by informal ‘bonds
of affection’ – which is changing,”
according to Professor Doe.
“A code of principles of canon law
would enhance the moral order and
perhaps reduce the possibility of future
conflict,” he added.
Because there is no common Anglican
law comparable with that of the Catholic
church, the Anglican church lacks a
“centripetal dynamic” according to
Professor Doe.
Each time a church enacts independent
legislation, the differences within
the communion grow. He argues,
the Anglican church worldwide is
condemned to what he refers to as
“centrifugal disintegration.”
Professor Doe’s proposed solution was to
establish a Covenant which would oblige
churches to maintain communion.
Professor Doe added: “Introducing
a Covenant – or a promise to engage
in or refrain from a specified action
– would help respect each other’s
autonomy, decide controversial matters
collaboratively, respect Communion
guidance, but leave final decisions on
covenant violations to each individual
church.”
Professor Doe’s research is recognised
as contributing to a change in perception,
posture and practice in global
Anglicanism – the principles of canon
law, an understanding of inter-church
relations which balances more evenly the
theology of communion with juridical
autonomy.
Shaping Welsh language legislation
Ffurfio deddfwriaeth y Gymraeg
Structural weaknesses and
inconsistencies in the implementation
of Welsh language legislation identified
by Professor Colin Williams from the
University’s School of Welsh have
prompted a major overhaul.
The University’s Language Policy and
Planning Unit (LPPRU) undertook a
major evaluation of Welsh language
legislation of public authorities, health,
police and environment agencies and
identified structural deficiencies in the
implementation of Welsh language
schemes – the principal mechanism of
the Welsh Language Act 1993.
“UK devolution opened up space for
new legislative initiatives,” said Professor
Williams.
“Our research has directly informed the
devolution of legislative competence by
identifying the key structural weaknesses
of the 1993 Welsh Language Act.
“Our evidence-based recommendations
have informed and underpinned the
development of core elements of the
2011 Welsh Language (Wales) Measure
and the replacement of Welsh Language
Schemes by National Standards and the
establishment of the Welsh Language
Commissioner for Wales.”
Professor Williams’ research found
four key problems: a lack of capacity
and resources, a lack of buy-in from
senior management, insufficient internal
communications and poor monitoring.
In a variety of evidence sessions to
key policy decision makers, Professor
Williams used his research in Wales,
Ireland and Canada to advocate a
national standard of bilingual services
and the need to create a Language
Commissioner for Wales.
On 1 April 2012
the office of
Welsh Language
Commissioner for
Wales was established.
Professor Williams
adds: “The Welsh
Government’s aim is to
use legislation to embed
bilingual practices
within national life
and public administration.
“Undertaking our research has helped
produce an evidence-base for this
policy.”
The LPPRU team is now undertaking
an ESRC sponsored analysis of
the operation of Official Language
Commissioners in Wales, Ireland and
Canada, a project which is due to be
completed by August 2015.
Professor Colin Williams
Mae gwendidau ac anghysondebau
strwythurol o ran gweithredu
deddfwriaeth y Gymraeg a nodwyd
gan yr Athro Colin Williams o Ysgol
y Gymraeg, Prifysgol Caerdydd, wedi
ysgogi adolygiad mawr.
Cynhaliodd Uned Polisi a Chynllunio
Iaith y Brifysgol werthusiad mawr
o ddeddfwriaeth y Gymraeg o ran
awdurdodau cyhoeddus, iechyd, yr
heddlu ac asiantaethau amgylcheddol,
a nodwyd diffygion
strwythurol o ran
gweithredu cynlluniau
iaith Gymraeg – prif
fecanwaith Deddf yr Iaith
Gymraeg 1993.
“Mae datganoli yn y DU
wedi gwneud lle i fentrau
deddfwriaethol newydd,”
yn ôl yr Athro Williams.
“Mae ein hymchwil wedi cyfrannu’n
uniongyrchol at ddatganoli cymhwysedd
deddfwriaethol trwy nodi gwendidau
strwythurol allweddol Deddf yr Iaith
Gymraeg 1993.
“Mae ein hargymhellion sydd wedi’u
seilio ar dystiolaeth wedi llywio a rhoi
sail i ddatblygu elfennau craidd Mesur
y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011, disodli
Cynlluniau Iaith Gymraeg gan Safonau
Cenedlaethol a sefydlu Comisiynydd y
Gymraeg ar gyfer Cymru.”
Canfu ymchwil yr Athro Williams
bedair problem allweddol: diffyg gallu
o ran niferoedd staff ac adnoddau,
diffyg cefnogaeth gan uwch reolwyr,
cyfathrebu mewnol annigonol a monitro
gwael.
Mewn amrywiaeth o sesiynau tystiolaeth
a gyflwynwyd i unigolion allweddol
sy’n gyfrifol am wneud penderfyniadau
polisi, defnyddiodd yr Athro Williams
ei ymchwil yng Nghymru, Iwerddon a
Chanada i eirioli dros safon genedlaethol
o wasanaethau dwyieithog a’r angen i
greu Comisiynydd Iaith ar gyfer Cymru.
Sefydlwyd swyddfa Comisiynydd y
Gymraeg ar gyfer Cymru ar 1 Ebrill
2012. Ychwanegodd yr Athro Williams:
“Nod Llywodraeth Cymru yw defnyddio
deddfwriaeth i ymsefydlu arferion
dwyieithog o fewn bywyd cenedlaethol
a gweinyddiaeth gyhoeddus.
“Mae cyflawni ein hymchwil wedi ein
helpu i gynhyrchu sylfaen dystiolaeth ar
gyfer y polisi hwn.”
Mae tîm Uned Polisi a Chynllunio
Iaith y Brifysgol bellach yn cynnal
dadansoddiad a noddir gan y Cyngor
Ymchwil Economaidd a Chymdeithasol
o weithrediad Comisiynwyr Iaith
Swyddogol yng Nghymru, Iwerddon
a Chanada. Disgwylir i’r prosiect hwn
gael ei gwblhau erbyn mis Awst 2015.
9

Meet the Team
The Common Infections and
Antibiotic Resistance Programme
Think of a world in which infections
that were once easily treated with
antibiotics are now untreatable. This is
a world our children might inhabit if
we don’t get better at using antibiotics
only for those who will clearly benefit
and keeping them away from those
that won’t benefit, according to
Margaret Chan, Director General of
the WHO.
The Common Infections and Antibiotic
Resistance Programme in the Institute
of Primary Care and Public Health,
School of Medicine aims to tackle
this challenge by conducting worldleading
research on the diagnosis and
management of common infections,
the use of antibiotics, and the
problem of antibiotic resistance. The
programme covers the epidemiology,
diagnosis, decision-making, treatment
and prevention of common infections
and antibiotic resistance, and includes
the behaviour change required to
modify patient and clinician behaviour.
Back row (left-right) Dr Clive Gregory (Research Officer), Dr Rhiannon Phillips (Research Fellow), Anwen Cope (PGR student), Emily
Bongard (PGR student)
Front row (left-right) Jonathan Olsen (PGR student), Fiona Lugg (PGR student), Dr Fiona Wood (Lecturer), Dr Nick Francis (Programme
Lead / Senior Clinical Research Associate), Angela Watkins (Support and Communication Officer), Dr Micaela Gal (Research Fellow).
“More than half of all antibiotics
prescribed for respiratory tract
infections do not benefit the patient
but do waste health care resources
and drive antibiotic resistance, and
can cause side effects,” explains
Programme Leader, Dr Nick Francis.
“We have developed tools (clinician
training, patient education resources
and point of care tests) based on our
research into the drivers of consulting,
antibiotic prescribing and local
resistance. Tools that we have shown
to be effective at reducing prescribing
in clinical trials are now influencing
guidelines and being rolled out across
the UK and internationally.”
“One of the most rewarding aspects
of our research is that our results
frequently lead to immediate benefits
for the health service and patients.
While attending professional
development courses in my role as a
clinician, I have more than once been
delighted to hear the course organisers
advising a change in practice on the
basis of our research,” enthuses Dr
Francis.
The Programme builds on work
carried out by Professor Nigel Stott
in the former University of Wales
College of Medicine as far back as the
1970’s, and was further developed by
Professor Chris Butler, now Director
of the Institute of Primary Care and
Public Health. The current team
consists of 15 staff members within
the Institute and a further eight key
members in other Institutes within
the School. A key ingredient to the
success of the group is close linkage
with the South East Wales Trials Unit
(SEWTU), which also has a common
infections theme.
”Our work is very varied and includes
activities such as, project team
meetings, data analysis, dissemination
(presentations and writing papers),
managing ongoing studies (which
can involve anything from speaking
to participating general practices to
negotiating with pharmaceutical and
equipment suppliers to managing
research ethics and Medicines for
Healthcare Regulatory Agency
(MHRA) approvals), and developing
new research ideas,” adds Dr Francis.
“For example, we recently published
a major trial in the British Medical
Journal, which showed that a blended
learning intervention we developed
led to reductions in total systemic
antibiotic dispensing over an entire
year. We also played a key role in
the largest placebo controlled trial
on a commonly used antibiotic just
published in the Lancet Infectious
Diseases journal, showing that for
most otherwise well adults with lower
respiratory tract infection, antibiotics
are not worth taking.”
Some of the team’s on-going trials
include: the effect of probiotics on
antibiotic associated diarrhoea in
care home residents, oral and topical
antibiotics for children with suspected
infected eczema in primary care,
use of a point of care test to improve
the management of urinary tract
infection in women, and oral steroids
for children with persistent otitis
media with effusion (‘Glue Ear’).
On-going observational and qualitative
studies include: the use of antibiotics
for dental problems in primary
medical and dental care; developing
a prediction rule for urinary tract
infection in children, and describing
the presentation, management and
outcomes, and views of parents and
healthcare providers, for children
with acute diarrhoea and vomiting.
The total value of the group’s current
studies is approximately £30M.
“Our plan is to continue providing
evidence to improve the management
of common infections (and related
conditions) in the community,
with a particular emphasis on
providing evidence to support a
more personalised approach to the
management of common infections
– in other words, using clinical
predictors and near patient tests to
tailor treatments so that those who are
most likely to benefit get the correct
antibiotic, at the correct dose and
for the optimum duration, and those
that are not likely to benefit are not
exposed to the risks of unnecessary
antibiotics,” summarises Dr Francis.
10

Cardiff People: Stephen Rouse
REF Impact Manager, Planning Department
Explorer, clarinettist and world motor-racing
champion, Stephen Rouse is none of these
things.
Instead he sort of fell into journalism
and didn’t find a way out for another
17 years. He has had dogs set on him,
doors slammed in his face and been
thrown out of nightclubs. On some of
these occasions, he was working. He
has exposed some serious bad guys,
and done some other stuff he is less
proud of.
Stephen’s finest moment in journalism
came when a former colleague went
for an interview with an expensive
London PR agency. She was given
a folder of negative publicity the
agency’s corporate clients had
received and asked how she would
have stopped the stories running. She
noticed the reporter’s name on the first
story, laughed and said: “Sorry, I know
the guy who wrote this. There’s no
way you would have stopped him.”
Stephen also once wrote the copy
for a “highly commended” entry in
the Advertising Feature of the Year
Awards. The award was in the design
category though, so this probably
doesn’t count.
In 2006, having always sworn he
would never go into PR, Stephen
went into PR. He has spent six years
in the University’s Public Relations
department and will, if someone puts a
gun to his head, admit that publicising
the work of equally brilliant people
at Cardiff is a worthwhile and
rewarding occupation. He is currently
on a secondment with the Planning
department, co-ordinating the
University’s impact case studies for
the Research Excellence Framework.
Stephen is author of the definitive
great unpublished British novel.
He lives in Cardiff with Rocky, the
world’s hardest Christmas tree.
Dead or alive - who would be your
three ideal dinner guests and
why?
Sylvester the cat, Tom the cat and
Wile E Coyote. Three incredibly
hard-working guys who never seem to
enjoy a square meal. I think it’s about
time. Anyone know recipes for mouse,
tweetie bird and road runner?
Describe yourself in three words
That tall guy…no, not that tall guy, the
other one…oh you’d know him if you
saw him
In Desert Island Discs style, if you
were cast away alone on a desert
island which three songs would
you take with you?
Holding out for a hero, Bonnie Tyler –
Impossible to hear and not feel about
ten feet tall.
Gee, Officer Krupke! West Side Story
– Best comic song ever. I knew it by
heart when I was 11.
Dove sono i bei momenti, Mozart,
Marriage of Figaro - An aria to the loss
of love. It’s funny, I always seem to
get something in my eye when I hear
this.
Who and what inspires you most?
Sydney Carton, A Tale of Two Cities.
For the drinking and the loose living,
you understand, not the heroic selfsacrifice
at the end. Oh, OK, that bit
as well.
What makes you smile?
“I did not expect that to happen”. My
three-year-old niece’s catchphrase,
usually surveying some scene of
devastation.
Tweet or not to Tweet?
Not. If I come up with a great oneliner,
I put it in a play or a novel…
which no-one will ever read. Maybe I
should think this out a little more.
Local amateur dramatics with Telstars Theatre Company
What makes you get out of bed in
the morning?
Gravity, but I always put up one hell
of a fight.
If you could banish one thing into
room 101, what would it be?
James Bond. The ultimate mid-life
crisis man. The novels are turgid
and woman-hating, while the films’
undeserved reputation for wit is based
on one good joke in Goldfinger.
Who has been the biggest
influence on you during your time
at the University?
Whoever devised the rules governing
impact in the UK’s Research
Excellence Framework. I hope to meet
them some day.
If you were Vice-Chancellor for the
day what would you do?
Come up with a JFK-style “we will
put a man on the moon” mission
which the whole University could
unite behind. We will find a treatment
for Alzheimer’s, maybe?
11

Visit our website at www.cardiff.ac.uk
Rewarding collaborative
research impacts
University collaborations with business
and external organisations which can
demonstrate impact on the economy or
help change and improve society for the
better, are urged to come forward.
David Willetts MP
The Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-
Chancellor for Research, Innovation &
Enterprise are searching for outstanding
entries for this year’s annual Innovation
and Impact Awards.
The Cardiff University Innovation and
Impact Awards are an opportunity for
University academic staff to showcase
their innovative collaborations
with business and other external
organisations, demonstrating the positive
impact that academic research can have
on economy and society.
From a new medical tool which will
help prevent the mis-administration of
drugs in hospitals to research which
helped increase the understanding of
factors contributing to fatigue amongst
seafarers and played a part in new
maritime legislation and industry
policies – Cardiff University research
continues to have a major impact.
The 2012 Innovation and Impact Awards
were attended by David Willetts,
Minister of State for Universities and
Science, and the former Welsh Secretary
of State Cheryl Gillan MP, along with
leading figures from industry and
academia.
David Willetts stressed the significance
of universities as drivers of investment,
which spark innovation and create new
businesses. Presenting the Business
Impact Prize, he recognised “the crucial
role Cardiff University plays in driving
innovation, not just in this region, but
across the whole of the UK.”
Cheryl Gillan said:“The research
undertaken by Cardiff University is
something that we should all be rightly
proud of in Wales. It is without a doubt
cutting-edge and, through working sideby-side
with business, Wales will be able
to continue to reap the economic benefit
it deserves.”
With the closing date for entries
approaching fast, University academics–
from all Colleges, Schools and
disciplines - who have not submitted
their applications yet, are urged to do so.
A full list of all previous Award winners
can be found at:
www.innovation-network.org.uk.
For more information and application
details, contact Cardiff University’s
Innovation Network on: 0800 801750
(x74838) or by e-mailing:
Innovation@cardiff.ac.uk
The 2013 Innovation and Impact Award
winners will be officially unveiled at an
award dinner in May.
Cardiff News
Editor: Karen O’Shea, Cardiff
University, 2-4, Park Grove,
Cardiff, CF10 3PA.
ISSN 13355-3127, Vol 19 No.4
Association of Commonwealth
Universities’ Newsletter of the Year,
2011.
Copy deadline for the next issue is 4
February for publication in February.
The Editor reserves the right
to edit contributions received.
Whilst care is taken to ensure
the accuracy of information, this
cannot be guaranteed.
Cardiff has the answers:
Why do stars only appear at night?
The stars are actually in the sky
the whole time, but the Sun is so
bright that during the day it far
outshines them.
If you look up in a clear sky just
before sunrise or after sunset, you
can see the brightest stars
(and planets) appear in the twilight
sky. You can see the planet Jupiter
in the east from just after sunset,
just above the bright orange star
Aldebaran, in the constellation of
Taurus.
Dr Chris North
School of Physics and Astronomy
To submit your questions email
newsletter@cardiff.ac.uk
Views expressed in ‘Cardiff News’
do not necessarily reflect those of
the University. Items of interest
relating to the University and
its staff are welcome and should
be sent to: Communications and
International Relations Division.
Tel: 029 2087 5596
Fax: 029 2087 0104
Email: newsletter@cardiff.ac.uk
Online: www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/
newsletter.html
Cardiff University is a registered
charity, no. 1136855
Cardiff News is available in large print format.
To request a copy contact Lisa Birkbeck on
029 2087 0298, email birkbeckl@cardiff.ac.uk
Address Label
Printed on 100% recycled paper, in line with the
University’s commitment to sustainability.Read
more at www.cardiff.ac.uk/sustainability.
12