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Climate change poses serious risks to rural communities which rely heavily on climate-sensitive resources. Rural communities are also significant contributors to GHG emissions given the prevalence of agriculture and related activities and are therefore expected to develop courses of action that tackle climate change. This includes either formulating a standalone plan that outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies or integrating these priorities into existing plans. The extent to which municipalities fulfill these planning functions, and how well, has been found to vary considerably from one community to another. In this study, we sought to contribute to knowledge about how well rural municipalities are planning for climate change risks. To this end, we systematically evaluated the contents and quality of rural climate change plans in Ontario (Canada). Using a well-established plan quality evaluation framework, we found that rural plans generally contained strong mechanisms for coordination between departments, and most had outlined specific goals concerning climate change action. By contrast, few plans provided a meaningful fact base to support their goals, many lacked specific policies to guide decision-makers in achieving climate goals, and most contained weak provisions for monitoring and evaluation. After drawing out some key themes from the plan quality analysis, the article concludes by pointing to areas of rural climate change planning that require further attention, and by outlining some areas for further study. • Rural municipal climate change planning is in its infancy in Ontario, Canada. • There is an emphasis on climate mitigation over adaptation. • There is a lack of meaningful fact base to support climate change goals. • Plans lacked specific policies to guide decision-makers in achieving climate goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid developments in technology, as well as changes in areas such as scholarly communication, data management, and higher education pedagogy are affecting user expectations and forcing academic libraries to develop new resources and service areas. No library can respond to every new trend in the field, but where are academic libraries generally placing their priorities right now, and to what extent are they responding to emerging trends? Through a content analysis of academic library strategic plans, this study examines the stated directions and goals of libraries to discover the extent to which they are monitoring and addressing emerging and traditional program and service areas, providing a perspective on how academic libraries are addressing current issues, and how they plan to allocate resources in response to trends. Academic libraries are facing enormous pressures that require them to respond and adapt in order to remain relevant. Rapid developments in technology, as well as changes in areas such as scholarly communication, data management, and higher education pedagogy are affecting user expectations and forcing academic libraries to develop new resources and service areas. At the same time, these libraries must balance new initiatives with core service areas such as instruction and collection development. In addition to responding to current trends, academic libraries are also being challenged to anticipate future needs and to develop innovative initiatives to meet those needs. No library can respond to every new trend in the field, nor should they. Decisions about how to prioritize and allocate resources should be aligned with the mission and goals of the library's parent institution. Colleges and universities are facing their own pressures, driven by increasing demands from stakeholders to hold themselves accountable, especially in terms of student outcomes such as persistence, graduation, and employment, as well as student learning outcomes, or changes in knowledge and behavior as a result of educational programs. In turn, these institutions are looking to their departments to demonstrate how their programs and services support and further the mission and goals of the college. In this environment, academic libraries must monitor both the trends in the library and information science field as well as those in higher education more generally in order to determine where to focus resources and efforts. But where are academic libraries generally placing their priorities right now, and to what extent are they responding to emerging trends? Library and information science (LIS) literature is rife with articles and reports that track trends in the field, make predictions, and advise libraries on how to implement plans and programs related to those trends. Few studies, however, have examined academic libraries' planning documents to see how they are prioritizing among the competing issues and challenges facing them. This study aims to address the gap in the literature. Through a content analysis of academic library strategic plans, this study examines the stated directions and goals of the library to discover the extent to which they are monitoring and addressing emerging and traditional program and service areas. Academic librarians and library directors will be interested to see which issues and challenges are receiving the most attention, and how their peers are prioritizing those areas. The study will also offer campus administrators a perspective on how academic libraries are addressing current issues, and how they plan to allocate resources in response to trends. Library faculty might also be interested in the results, as understanding which trends are having the most impact in their field could inform curricular decisions and program emphases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nations have recognized the transformational potential of artificial intelligence (AI). Advances in AI will impact all facets of society. A spate of recently released national strategic AI plans provides valuable insights into how nations are considering their future trajectories. These strategic plans offer a rich source of evidence to understand national-level strategic actions, both proactive and reactive, in the face of rapid technological innovation. Based on a comprehensive content analysis of thirty-four national strategic plans, this article reports on (1) opportunities for AI to modernize the public sector and enhance industry competitiveness, (2) the role of the public sector in ensuring that the two most critical elements of AI systems, data and algorithms, are managed responsibly, (3) the role of the public sector in the governance of AI systems, and (4) how nations plan to invest in capacity development initiatives to strengthen their AI capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), launched in 1974, has developed and implemented a range of strategies and practices over the last three decades to ensure that children and adults receive the vaccines they need to help protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases. Many of these strategies have been implemented, resulting in immunization coverage exceeding 80% among children one year of age in many countries. Yet millions of infants remain under-immunized or unimmunized, particularly in poorer countries. In November 2009, a panel of external experts met at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to review and identify areas of research required to strengthen routine service delivery in developing countries. Methods: Research opportunities were identified utilizing presentations emphasizing existing research, gaps in knowledge and key questions. Panel members prioritized the topics, as did other meeting participants. Findings: Several hundred research topics covering a wide range were identified by the panel members and participants. However there were relatively few topics for which there was a consensus that immediate investment in research is warranted. The panel identified 28 topics as priorities. 18 topics were identified as priorities by at least 50% of non-panel participants; of these, five were also identified as priorities by the panel. Research needs included identifying the best ways to increase coverage with existing vaccines and introduce new vaccines, integrate other services with immunizations, and finance immunization programmes. Interpretation: There is an enormous range of research that could be undertaken to support routine immunization. However, implementation of strategic plans, rather than additional research will have the greatest impact on raising immunization coverage and preventing disease, disability, and death from vaccine-preventable diseases. The panel emphasized the importance of tying operational research to programmatic needs, with a focus on efforts to scale up proven best practices in each country, facilitating the full implementation of immunization strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper considers farmer intentions following the implementation of the 2003 CAP reforms, identifies the extent to which these plans have been influenced by the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in 2005 and considers the implications in terms of likely structural change (i.e. changes in the deployment of land, labour and capital). The analysis uses data from a large sample survey of farmers in South West England and the results indicate that CAP reform is not stimulating rapid agricultural restructuring, rather it appears to be reinforcing many existing trends towards diversification and an increasing polarisation between the largest and smallest farms. CAP reform is impacting unevenly on the farm community and different farming situations are associated with different types of reaction. Market signals may become a more powerful driver of farmer behaviour, in which case the 2003 reforms will have proved successful in providing farmers the freedom to farm without coupled subsidies. On the basis of the results presented in this paper though, only a minority of farmers seem both well placed and well disposed to exploit such opportunities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The author was invited to assist in the development of an evaluation methodology for the Strategy. One of the conundrums of measuring the information management & technology (IM&T) function is that infrastructure investments cannot be cost justified on a return on investment basis. The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a means to evaluate corporate performance from four different perspectives: the financial perspective, the internal business process perspective, the customer perspective, and the learning and growth perspective. An IM&T BSC for Information for Health was recommended as means of allowing managers to see the positive and negative impacts of IM&T activities on the factors that are important to the NHS as a whole. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]