They have also identified how hashtags work and identified the four stages of a twitter event.

A hashtag is a word or a phrase prefixed with the symbol #. Phrases should not have any spaces between the words.

Twitter users add hashtags to their tweets, but many users do not label their tweets with the most relevant hashtags.

Dr Mohamed Gaber

“A hashtag is like a virtual filing system. Users who get their filing in order from the outset will improve their Twitter presence,” said Dr Mohamed Gaber, senior lecturer in the School of Computing, who led the study.

“Strong hashtags mean a user’s views are more likely to be read, as they will be easily searchable, and they will be more likely to be included in interesting debate and the exchange of knowledge.

“This could lead to them being considered an expert on a subject, building trust and improving their reputation.”

Twitter users can click on a word that is highlighted with a hashtag and they will be shown all tweets that have used that hashtag.

The top ten most popular hashtags are called ‘trends’ and are listed on the site’s front page.

This is particularly important in the event of breaking news, as users can search a hashtag to find up-to-the-minute information.

“If we take the recent London 2012 Olympics as an example, the main hashtag would be #olympics, a hashtag that is still active today. Someone may then add the hashtag #London2012 and additionally even #cycling or #parking or any number of other subjects.

“It is important that tweets are layered properly, and that companies establish a strong hashtag for their brand or event from the outset, or they could fall foul of bad filing, losing feedback and customer confidence.

“Hashtags have helped companies anticipate potential bad PR moments. During 2012 iTunes, GAP and MySpace all listened to social media and performed u-turns on new designs as a result of negative public opinion,” Dr Gaber said.

Using a technique called Transaction-based Rule Change Mining, Dr Gaber and his team looked at thousands of tweets relating to how occurrences are talked about on Twitter, from natural disasters such as the Japanese earthquake, to international events such as the London Olympics, and breaking news stories such as the Boston bombings.

The team have also identified the four stages of a Twitter event, from its outset to its conclusion.

The lifespan of a hashtag can be as short as a couple of hours, or can last for years in the case of some slow burning science stories such as news related to the Large Hadron Collider.

“Although there is no time scale to a Twitter event, there are four very clear stages. A hashtag will initially emerge, then it will be taken up by thousands of users, then it will be used to tweet unexpected information, and then eventually it will die.” said Dr Gaber.

The four stages are as follows.  Stage one is the ‘new’ hashtag. This phase describes the emergence of the hashtag, which at this point is solely used as a way of passing on information like a natural disaster, a death of a celebrity or the opening of an event.

Stage two is the ‘emerging’ hashtag. This phase determines whether a hashtag has longevity, and is the phase in which a large number of people on Twitter are spreading the news. This hashtag is still the same or very similar to the hashtag used in stage one.

Stage three, the ‘unexpected’ hashtag sees the emergence of unexpected tweets, taking the hashtag in different directions and being combined with different hashtags. Jokes, political platforms or complaints are all examples of this.

Stage four is the ‘death’ of the hashtag. The hashtag, and the conversation, is over. The information is no longer of interest to the Twitter audience, and the hashtag dies.

The team is now looking to apply their findings to case studies of recent events such as the death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher and the recent Boston manhunt.

Dr Gaber’s research will be presented on June 9 2013 at The 12th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing, Zakopane, Poland by Mariam Adedoyin-olowe, the PhD student at the University of Portsmouth, who works on this project. You can view the paper here http://eprints.port.ac.uk/11158/1/TRCM.pdf

Law student Francis Payne

The scholarship provides financial assistance to students wanting to study for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC). It is the most prestigious award from The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court, and is only given to a few outstanding candidates nationally each year.

He will use the scholarship to pay most of the £16,000 fees for his Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), which he will study next year at the City Law School in London.

Francis said: “Being awarded the scholarship is fantastic. Not only will it help financially, but it has given me confidence in my ability to follow my chosen career, and could help me get a pupillage after my BPTC.”

Francis, 20, was awarded the scholarship after impressing an interview panel of judges made up of senior members of the legal profession.

Bernard Davis, senior lecturer in the School of Law, said: “Students from the School of Law have won scholarships previously, but the Queen Mother’s Scholarship is a real mark of distinction, highly sought after and keenly contested in a ferociously competitive environment.

“That Francis impressed some very senior lawyers in his interview is a testament to his quality.”

Francis will attend a scholarship dinner in June at Middle Temple, as the guest of a member of the Inn.

Wing Commander Nasser Bin Khamis Al-Suwaidi of the Oman Military Technological College and Rebecca Bunting, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth

The agreement is the first of its kind for the University, and the Faculty of Technology will be involved in the development of the college from the outset.

The partnership between the University and the Military Technological College in Oman will see the joint development of four engineering degrees for up to 4,200 students. The college, funded by the Omani government, is due to welcome the first 1,000 students in September 2013.

The Omani Ministry of Defence contacted several universities in the UK and Europe before awarding the contract to the University of Portsmouth. The University has a successful track record in accrediting education and training of military engineers at HMS Collingwood, HMS Sultan, and DSEME Arborfield.

Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Professor Djamel Ait-Boudaoud, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the University to be involved in such a significant project right from the start. We look forward to working with our colleagues in Oman to help build the future for the education and  training of military engineers.”

Wing Commander Nasser Bin Khamis Al-Suwaidi, the head of the Omani delegation team, said: “This project is a milestone for the Omani Ministry of Defence and Oman itself, providing students with international professional recognition.

“The Military Technological College chose the University of Portsmouth as its partner institution because of the University’s strong reputation, its long history in validating military aligned programmes and in its continuous professional accreditation record.”

Artist’s impression of the college

The Military Technological College will provide academic education and training for the Omani armed forces and Ministry of Defence engineering services. Students will study for a BEng (Hons) degree with a Diploma of Higher Education exit point at the end of the penultimate degree year. Students can look forward to achieving recognition from the professional engineering bodies, and for the aeronautical students, an international civil EASA 66 licence.

The contract will begin with a development phase, where the University will provide academic guidance in developing the courses and gaining approval. The second phase will be to ensure the degree programmes are taught and run successfully. A lecturer from the University will spend two years at the military college to oversee the initial development of the programmes.

The UK has a long history of educating military engineers and technicians for international armed forces. The involvement of the University will provide quality assurance comparable with that in the UK, giving the students internationally recognised and conferred qualifications.

Students from local schools showcasing their prototype communications devices

The University’s Faculty of Technology hosted a Faraday Challenge Day for local schools, where the students were asked to design and build prototype communications devices for rescue teams in remote locations. The event was part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Faraday education programme, which includes 55 challenge days across the UK.

Students from Cowplain Community School, Horndean Technology College, Admiral Lord Nelson School, Springfield School, Bohunt School, Mayfield School and King Richard School took part.

The challenges aim to encourage more young people to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects and to consider careers in STEM that utilise creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills.

Each challenge day involves teams of six 12 to 13 year-old students studying science, design technology or maths. Teams are given a secret engineering conundrum which sees them race against the clock to solve a real-life engineering problem, putting their STEM knowledge and skills to the test.

IET President, Professor Andy Hopper, said: “The Faraday programme is all about inspiring and attracting tomorrow’s engineers. Engineering is often an invisible industry amongst young people. They sometimes have preconceived negative ideas about what engineers look like, the jobs they do and what they can earn.

“The students attending the challenge days will experience hands-on, practical events to challenge their perceptions and make them realise engineering is an exciting, rewarding career path.”

Following an introduction to the IET and the university, the students were briefed: neighbouring towns in a remote, mountainous location were without power and communications due to extreme weather conditions.

The teams were asked to design and build a device that could send a coded message from one town to the other. Team members then delegated roles and responsibilities among themselves, researched, designed and built their devices, and then presented and tested them.

Cowplain Community School were awarded first place for their prototype device which used a simple circuit, a switch and a bulb, plus a cleverly devised code to successfully send a signal from one end of the room to the other.

Each member of the winning team was awarded a prize and a trophy for their school. The top three teams from across the UK will receive a trip to the national final in London in June to compete for a cash prize of up to £1,000 for their school.

Associate Dean of the Faculty of Technology at the University, Barbara Haward, said: “An experience like this can really change young people’s perception of engineering and technology. It helps them to picture their future careers, not so much as a vocation, such as computing, construction or mechanics, but in terms of things that they enjoy doing, like solving problems, designing and building things, and working as part of a team.”

The IET is Europe’s largest professional body of engineers with over 150,000 members in 127 countries.

Dr Rebecca Stores

These children often suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition which affects their breathing during sleep. Health professionals rely on parents’ reports about their child’s sleep, including restlessness, snoring and other forms of noisy breathing, when screening for the condition.

In the past, there has been some uncertainty among health professionals about the accuracy of these reports. However, this study, by a researcher at the University of Portsmouth, shows parents’ reports are backed up by objective measures of activity during sleep and sound recordings.

This finding could help health professionals diagnose the condition, which can lead to an improvement in a child’s ability to learn. In some cases, specific behavioural problems are attributed to a child’s learning disability, when the cause is obstructive sleep apnoea, a treatable condition.

Lead researcher Dr Rebecca Stores, of the School of Health Sciences and Social Work, said: “The findings from this exploratory study support the idea that parents are a useful and reliable source of information where these aspects of their child’s sleep are concerned, and initial enquiries by health professionals should certainly make use of what parents report.”

The study, carried out on 31 children, also showed daytime behavioural problems were more likely in the children with restless sleep, those who snored and also those with lower blood oxygen levels.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition in which the upper airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep. Each time this occurs, breathing stops for a time and the child becomes restless or is woken up, struggling to breathe and snoring or breathing noisily. Daytime consequences can include learning and behaviour problems.

Parents and health professionals may mistakenly assume that the disturbed behaviour is related to the child’s limited intellectual level, which cannot be altered. However, obstructive sleep apnoea is treatable and precise diagnosis and treatment might improve the child’s behaviour and ability to learn.

“The link between disturbed sleep and daytime behavioural problems is particularly important to recognise in children with a learning disability,” said Dr Stores.

“It could be that disturbed daytime behavior is being misinterpreted as part of the child’s general condition or thought of as the child ‘just being difficult’.

“Early recognition and accurate diagnosis are important because of the potential improvements in behaviour and learning that can be expected following appropriate treatment.”

The condition can also have physical effects such as heart complications and growth problems, another reason why early detection and treatment is important.

Researchers carried out overnight video and audio recordings of the children, measured blood oxygen levels and used an activity monitor to measure body movements during sleep. Parents’ reports included a questionnaire about the child’s sleeping habits, a diary completed on the night of the recording, and daytime behaviour rating scales completed the following morning.

The study was funded by the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Trust, now known as Down Syndrome Education International.

The study has been published online in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.

Portsmouth Business School: A key partner and supporter of the Cathedral Innovation Centre

A new national movement to inspire churches, mosques, temples and synagogues to help create employment and grow businesses has been launched with support from Portsmouth Business School.

The Cathedral Innovation Centre, the first centre of its kind in the UK, this week launched its national bid to inspire others to copy their innovation and job creation model.

The centre also announced a community share offer.

Portsmouth Business School is a key partner in the centre.

The launch was attended by Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, Mark Hoban, the Minister for Employment, and Professor Gioia Pescetto, Dean of Portsmouth Business School.

The aim of the centre is to inspire a new national movement to “encourage Britain’s diverse communities to unlock their under-used property, time, talent and financial resources to found new enterprises and grow existing ones”.

Portsmouth Business School, the city’s Anglican Cathedral and the Royal Society of Arts supported the creation of the new centre, which has 14 start-up desks for those wanting to launch a new firm or grow a small one.

Accounting students from the University of Portsmouth are helping with the fledgling business’s accounts and associate dean for students, Richard Tonge and accounting lecturer Caroline Willett are members of the board.

Richard said: ‘This represents a good opportunity for students and staff from the Business School and across the University to get involved and experience working with and alongside business enterprises, social enterprises and social innovators.

“I would hope to see real flexibility in the ways individuals can get involved, including work-based learning or volunteering, or possibly graduate business start-ups.”

Nationally, the aim is to persuade communities across the country to consider replicating the Portsmouth model. Starting with every cathedral, but also with mosques, temples, synagogues, town halls and businesses beyond London. The centre is seeking to spark the creation of low-cost, high-value hubs for economic and social recovery which both backs firms and the development of a socially responsible generation of managers.

In June the centre, the Business School and Business in the Community will jointly run a conference on business and society with leading speakers from the World Economic Forum, the Independent newspaper and large local firms.

New centres copying the Portsmouth model are due to open soon in Southampton and Havant.

The awards were held on May 1, 2013 and were organised by the University’s student and graduate enterprise team.

One of the first prize winners was Jennifer Le Roux, who is completing her final year at the University of Portsmouth and has produced a digital magazine called AltMu that focuses on the behind of the scenes side of music.

Jennifer said: “I feel very excited to win, it’s been hard work running the magazine while studying so it’s great to get the vote of confidence from the judges.”

Holly Foley, a student at the University’s Dental Academy, also won first prize. She has developed a training model for wannabe dentists to practise giving injections. She said: “I’m just over the moon and can’t believe it. It’s nice to have someone from a science background rather than business and it shows anyone can do it.”

The winners and runners up

Jennifer and Holly each win £2,000 to be spent on developing the business as well as on being mentored.

Runners up TerraBite Interactive have created a survival horror game. They win free office space at the Victory Business Centre for six months.

Keshia Austin was the keynote speaker. Keshia won an award last year for English Direct, a scheme to help students for whom English isn’t their first language improve their language skills. She currently works at recruitment consultants Matchtech and is involved with the council’s Shaping Portsmouth scheme.

Keshia offered some advice to current students. She said: “Be tenacious, be motivated, use your time wisely, share your talents with other students to get things for free and network with people.

“When I was a student I had a burning desire to prove I could do anything that I wanted, I think that’s important.”

The Enterprise Challenge is an annual event held at the University of Portsmouth and has been running for 13 years. The award ceremony is an opportunity for people from local businesses to meet upcoming entrepreneurs from the University.

Enterprise events co-ordinator, Carley Cummings, said:  “We are very proud of our students and their entrepreneurial spirits. This event is always a great reminder of how much talent we have at the University.”

Quality matters: Sales of video games rise by 15% for every 10% increase in the review score 

The secret of what makes a blockbuster video game has been revealed for the first time by an economist – and it turns out to be the critics.

Dr Joe Cox, of the University of Portsmouth Business School, has found the winning ingredients in a video game are positive reviews by independent critics, followed by the game being released for a popular hardware platform and association with a major publisher.

Every one point increase in the average score given to a video game by a reviewer typically drives up sales by 1.5 per cent, with a 10 per cent increase in a review score leading to sales rising by 15 per cent.

Dr Cox said: “Reviews collated by Metacritic.com are the most powerful predictors of a game becoming a blockbuster because critics are vital arbiters of quality and have immense influence in the decisions people make about buying a particular title.

“It may seem counter-intuitive, since high quality and commercially successful games are not always perceived as being the same.  The study found that licences and franchise agreements have much less of an impact on sales than one might imagine.”

Knowing what to leave out of a game also helps avoid a flop. Video games aimed at children or teenagers, or about adventure, sport or strategy will typically reduce sales by up to 15 per cent.

Dr Cox said: “The video game market has grown rapidly over the last decade and is worth billions of dollars annually, but this is the first time anyone has carried out an in-depth analysis of the different ingredients that add up to a winning formula.

“As an economist, these results confirm our belief that products you need to ‘buy before you try’ rely heavily on external indicators of quality.  Sequels are also more likely to sell well because they reduce buyers’ doubts about whether they will enjoy the game.”

According to Dr Cox’s research, in which he studied nearly 2,000 games, Nintendo is the biggest player in the blockbuster stakes, selling more consoles and increasing the likelihood of success more than any other publisher.

Dr Cox said: “The PacMan generation has grown up and are now in their 30s and 40s. Games are now pushing forward the frontiers of entertainment and will almost certainly continue to increase in popularity as they become increasingly immersive and break down barriers to play.

“They are responsible for generating higher revenues than movies and books. ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ set records by generating $US750m in revenue within the first five days of release and $US1bn in the first 16 days.  This outdid the movie Avatar which, until then, had held the record of reaching $1bn in 17 days.  Publishers Activision claim that the Call of Duty series has generated life-to-date sales that exceed the theatrical box-offices of both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.”

Major game developers see higher sales than smaller developers, possibly due to having more resources to spend on marketing, but Dr Cox believes some are trusted more because they have a long history of producing high quality titles.

He said: “Sometimes a truly great game is more than the sum of its parts, with a unique look, feel and playing style that shape the player experience but can otherwise be difficult to quantify.  However, this research demonstrates that there are a number of measurable and predictable factors that associate with blockbuster titles.”

The research is published in Managerial and Decision Economics.

Ashish Jaiswar

The University of Portsmouth has appointed its first fulltime business development consultant based in India.

Ashish Jaiswar will advise the University’s International Office and Portsmouth Business School and will also support students considering studying in the UK.

He will also open new doors to the University’s business and corporate training experts to work with multinational companies in India.

Ashish will be based in Mumbai but will travel extensively on the sub-continent.

He said: “This is a brilliant opportunity – I am really excited and looking forward to working for the University of Portsmouth.

“Studying abroad is a lifetime experience – it’s about experiencing the different culture and learning new skills and I believe in Portsmouth you get it all.”

The closure of the Post-study work visa last April has had a knock-on effect on would-be students from many countries, including India, coming to the UK.

Ashish said: “The visa closure did result in a dip in the numbers of people applying to English universities from India but it doesn’t mean that Indian students cannot get employment in the UK after they graduate – there are certain conditions they would have to meet, but it comes down to if you are good, an employer will hire you.’’

To help address the concerns of some international students who want to work in the UK for a short period after their studies, Portsmouth Business School has developed a two year MBA programme, accredited by the Association of MBAs,  which includes a work placement in the second year, that Ashish will also be promoting in India.

He said: “The UK has always been considered top when it comes down to quality of education and I don’t see that changing. There is a lot of potential for the University of Portsmouth in India.”

Ashish spent two weeks at the University recently meeting colleagues and finding out more about the city.

He said: “The University’s facilities are excellent and so are the people. Everyone is helpful and there are great people ready to help at every point in your student life cycle from arrival, and from teaching right through until after you graduate and join the alumni association.”

Ashish has worked in the pharmaceutical sector in the UK and since 2010 has worked in the education sector in India, focusing on helping Indian students wanting to study abroad.

International Office Director Joe Docherty, said, “The arrival of Ashish in an advisory role is an exciting opportunity for the University of Portsmouth to raise its profile in India and to explore new opportunities in recruitment and institutional cooperation.”

Dr Karen Shalev Greene

International experts in missing people are to meet for the first time to share good practice and findings from research.

The University of Portsmouth is hosting the three-day conference in June with speakers coming from a wide range of disciplines and from countries including Canada, the US, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK.

Why children go missing, what role mental health has to play in those who go missing, when a parent abducts their own child, the geographical area missing people are most likely to be found in, the relationship between police and the families of missing people and people who go missing in the aftermath of a major disaster are some of the many subjects that will be discussed.

Researcher Dr Karen Shalev Greene, a specialist in missing people from the University’s Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, is the conference organiser.

She said: “This is the first time experts in a range of areas related to missing people will come together to discuss what we know and where more research is needed.

“We expect a big turnout and everyone is invited, whether they are academics; police; social, health and youth workers; NGOs and even family members of missing people.”

The conference, Missing Children and Adults ‘Working Across Borders’, will include speakers from national police, UK Missing Persons Bureau, and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. It is being held at the University’s Richmond and Portland buildings from June 18-20.

To find out more and to register, visit the Centre for the Study of Missing Persons website http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/icjs/csmp/conference/