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Background/aimsTo determine agreement of one-field (1F, macula-centred), two-field (2F, disc–macula) and five-field (5F, macula, disc, superior, inferior and nasal) mydriatic handheld retinal imaging protocols for the assessment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) as compared with standard seven-field Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) photography.MethodsProspective, comparative instrument validation study. Mydriatic retinal images were taken using three handheld retinal cameras: Aurora (AU; 50° field of view (FOV), 5F), Smartscope (SS; 40° FOV, 5F), and RetinaVue (RV; 60° FOV, 2F) followed by ETDRS photography. Images were evaluated at a centralised reading centre using the international DR classification. Each field protocol (1F, 2F and 5F) was graded independently by masked graders. Weighted kappa (Kw) statistics assessed agreement for DR. Sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP) for referable diabetic retinopathy (refDR; moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or worse, or ungradable images) were calculated.ResultsImages from 225 eyes of 116 patients with diabetes were evaluated. Severity by ETDRS photography: no DR, 33.3%; mild NPDR, 20.4%; moderate, 14.2%; severe, 11.6%; proliferative, 20.4%. Ungradable rate for DR: ETDRS, 0%; AU: 1F 2.23%, 2F 1.79%, 5F 0%; SS: 1F 7.6%, 2F 4.0%, 5F 3.6%; RV: 1F 6.7%, 2F 5.8%. Agreement rates of DR grading between handheld retinal imaging and ETDRS photography were (Kw, SN/SP refDR) AU: 1F 0.54, 0.72/0.92; 2F 0.59, 0.74/0.92; 5F 0.75, 0.86/0.97; SS: 1F 0.51, 0.72/0.92; 2F 0.60, 0.75/0.92; 5F 0.73, 0.88/0.92; RV: 1F 0.77, 0.91/0.95; 2F 0.75, 0.87/0.95.ConclusionWhen using handheld devices, the addition of peripheral fields decreased the ungradable rate and increased SN and SP for refDR. These data suggest the benefit of additional peripheral fields in DR screening programmes that use handheld retinal imaging.

Introduction: Handheld retinal imaging cameras are relatively inexpensive and highly portable devices that have the potential to significantly expand diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening, allowing a much broader population to be evaluated. However, it is essential to evaluate if these devices can accurately identify vision-threatening macular diseases if DR screening programs will rely on these instruments. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the detection of diabetic macular pathology using monoscopic macula centered images using mydriatic handheld retinal imaging compared with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT). Methods: Mydriatic 40°-60° macula centered images taken with 3 handheld retinal imaging devices [Aurora (AU), Smartscope (SS), Retinavue 700 (RV)] were compared with the Cirrus 6000 SDOCT taken during the same visit. Images were evaluated for presence of diabetic macular edema (DME) on monoscopic fundus photographs adapted from Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) definitions [no DME, noncenter-involved DME (non-ciDME) and center-involved DME (ciDME)]. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for each device with SDOCT as gold standard. Results: Severity by ETDRS photos: No DR 33.3%, mild NPDR 20.4%, moderate 14.2%, severe 11.6%, proliferative 20.4%, ungradable for DR 0%; no DME 83.1%, non-ciDME 4.9%, ciDME 12.0%, ungradable for DME 0%. Gradable images by SDOCT (N=217, 96.4%) showed no DME in 75.6%, non-ciDME in 9.8%, ciDME in 11.1%. Ungradable rate for images (poor visualization in >50% of the macula), was AU:0.9%, SS:4.4%, RV:6.2%. For DME, sensitivity and specificity was similar across devices (0.5 – 0.64, 0.93 – 0.97). For nondiabetic macular pathology (ERM, pigment epithelial detachment, traction retinal detachment) across all devices, sensitivity was low to moderate (0.2 – 0.5) but highly specific (0.93 – 1.00). Conclusions: Compared to SDOCT, handheld macular imaging attained high specificity but low sensitivity in identifying macular pathology. This suggests the importance of SDOCT evaluation for patients suspected to have DME on fundus photography, leading to more appropriate referral refinement.

The appointment of student governors to the governing board is mandatory in further education (FE) colleges across the UK. There is, however, confusion and lack of clarity over the role of the stud...

To compare nonmydriatic (NM) and mydriatic (MD) handheld retinal imaging with standard ETDRS 7-field color fundus photography (ETDRS photographs) for the assessment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME).Prospective, comparative, instrument validation study.A total of 225 eyes from 116 patients with diabetes mellitus.Following a standardized protocol, NM and MD images were acquired using handheld retinal cameras (NM images: Aurora, Smartscope, and RetinaVue-700; MD images: Aurora, Smartscope, RetinaVue-700, and iNview) and dilated ETDRS photographs. Grading was performed at a centralized reading center using the International Clinical Classification for DR and DME. Kappa statistics (simple [K], weighted [Kw]) assessed the level of agreement for DR and DME. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for any DR, referable DR (refDR), and vision-threatening DR (vtDR).Agreement for DR and DME; sensitivity and specificity for any DR, refDR, and vtDR; ungradable rates.Severity by ETDRS photographs: no DR, 33.3%; mild nonproliferative DR, 20.4%; moderate DR, 14.2%; severe DR, 11.6%; proliferative DR, 20.4%; no DME, 68.0%; DME, 9.3%; non-center involving clinically significant DME, 4.9%; center-involving clinically significant DME, 12.4%; and ungradable, 5.3%. For NM handheld retinal imaging, Kw was 0.70 to 0.73 for DR and 0.76 to 0.83 for DME. For MD handheld retinal imaging, Kw was 0.68 to 0.75 for DR and 0.77 to 0.91 for DME. Thresholds for sensitivity (0.80) and specificity (0.95) were met by NM images acquired using Smartscope and MD images acquired using Aurora and RetinaVue-700 cameras for any DR and by MD images acquired using Aurora and RetinaVue-700 cameras for refDR. Thresholds for sensitivity and specificity were met by MD images acquired using Aurora and RetinaVue-700 for DME. Nonmydriatic and MD ungradable rates for DR were 15.1% to 38.3% and 0% to 33.8%, respectively.Following standardized protocols, NM and MD handheld retinal imaging devices have substantial agreement levels for DR and DME. With mydriasis, not all handheld retinal imaging devices meet standards for sensitivity and specificity in identifying any DR and refDR. None of the handheld devices met the established 95% specificity for vtDR, suggesting that lower referral thresholds should be used if handheld devices must be utilized. When using handheld devices, the ungradable rate is significantly reduced with mydriasis and DME sensitivity thresholds are only achieved following dilation.

Normative expectations are that Governing Boards will be involved in setting the strategic direction of the organisation. However, knowledge of the processes and practices by which Boards engage in strategy is limited. In particular, very few empirical studies have penetrated the ‘black box’ of the Boardroom and examined the complex Board/Management interactions that amount to Boards ‘doing’ strategy. Here we address this gap, presenting an in-depth analysis of an unfolding process in which the Board and Management of a single organisation engaged in setting strategic direction over an 18-month period. We observed planning events, video-recorded Board meetings, analysed texts pertaining to the initiative, and spoke to key personnel. We adopt a ‘strong’ process approach which brings together strategy as process and as practice (SAPP). Our analysis is multi-modal: we track the iterative development of the strategy through documents/texts produced for Board meetings; and we adopt a sociomaterial approach in illuminating the entanglements of the human and nonhuman which constitute strategising. By considering events over a series of episodes, we have built a picture showing how micro-level practices in the Boardroom are layered incrementally in the emergence of strategy at organisational level. Relatedly, we show how these practices enable the Board to negotiate the tensions between control and service/collaboration. Hence the paper contributes to theory and knowledge around Board engagement in strategic activities.

The reproduction of the human form has been a universal practice amongst human ecologies for millennia. Over the past 200 years, popular culture has considered the imaginary consequences of the danger to humanity and human-ness of replicating the autonomous human form too faithfully. Today, the seductive allure of technologically advanced simulated human bodies and advances in robotics and artificial intelligence has brought us closer to facing this possibility. Alongside the simultaneous aversion and fascination of the possibility that autonomous simulated human forms may become indistinguishable from human beings is the deep-rooted uncanniness of the automaton in its strange familiarity – not only to ourselves but to our pleasant childhood imaginings of playing with dolls. As such, simulated human bodies are often enrolled in medical and nursing education models with the assumption that making the simulation teaching spaces seem as close to clinical spaces as possible will allow students to practise potentially harmful clinical skills without causing any harm to human patients. However similar the simulated human bodies may appear to a living, breathing human, a tension between the embodiment of particularly human attributes and their replication persists. How can computerized human patient simulators be enrolled to teach people to develop the necessary attributes of compassion and empathy when caring for human beings? This article explores the uncanny ecologies of simulated human patients in nursing education by presenting a posthuman analysis of the practices of nurse educators as they enrol these digital objects in their teaching. Guided by a selection of heuristics offered as a mode of interviewing digital objects, the analysis enrolled ‘Gathering Anecdotes’ and ‘Unravelling Translations’ to attune to the ways in which these uncanny posthuman assemblages become powerful modes of knowing to mobilize learning about human attributes within uncanny posthuman ecologies.

Background Women who have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy are at very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, but their understanding of the risks is often limited. In this study we explored the views of health care professionals regarding offering brief opportunistic advice to women after their pregnancy, during unrelated consultations in primary care, relating to reducing diabetes risk. Methods The study took place in three Health Boards in Scotland. We conducted semi-structured one-to-one interviews (either face-to-face or telephone) with two health visitors, three practice nurses, two GPs, two diabetes consultants and two obstetricians. A focus group with five health visitors was also held. A topic guide was followed, covering the feasibility and acceptability of delivering brief opportunistic advice during a routine consultation, the optimal way to identify and recall women with previous gestational diabetes, and the possible content and timing of any such intervention. A thematic approach was used to analyse the qualitative data generated. Results The interviews/discussion lasted from 15 to 51 min. There was widespread support from all participants for offering opportunistic advice, and general consensus that health visitors would be best placed to do this as part of the Universal Health Visiting Pathway in Scotland. Thematic analysis generated three significant points of discussion: implications for training of health visitors, the need for a systematic approach to identifying women with gestational diabetes, and the optimal timing of delivery. Despite an already demanding schedule of providing advice and education to women, health visitors were confident that they could offer educational advice, provided that they received appropriate training to do so. However, there would need to be a watertight system for identifying women in their care who had had gestational diabetes. In terms of timing, later visits around 6–8 months after delivery were considered most suitable. Conclusions There is support from health care professionals, and most pertinently from health visitors, that the frequency of routine visits with women during the Universal Health Visiting Pathway programme in Scotland provides potential opportunities for education around future diabetes risk to women who have had gestational diabetes.

Background Women who have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy are at very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, but their understanding of the risks is often limited. In this study we explored the views of health care professionals regarding offering brief opportunistic advice to women after their pregnancy, during unrelated consultations in primary care, relating to reducing diabetes risk. Methods The study took place in three Health Boards in Scotland. We conducted semi-structured one-to-one interviews (either face-to-face or telephone) with three health visitors, three practice nurses, two GPs, two diabetes consultant and two obstetricians. A focus group with five health visitors was also held. A topic guide was followed, covering the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a brief educational intervention during a routine consultation, the optimal way to identify and recall women with previous gestational diabetes, and the possible content and timing of the intervention. A thematic approach was used to analyse the qualitative data generated. Results The interviews/discussion lasted from 15 to 66 minutes. There was widespread support for such an intervention from all participants and general consensus that health visitors would be best placed to offer educational advice and support as part of the Health Visiting Pathway in Scotland. Thematic analysis generated three significant points of discussion: implications for training of health visitors, the need for a systematic approach to identifying women with gestational diabetes, and the optimal timing of delivery. Despite an already demanding schedule of providing advice and education to women, health visitors were confident that they could offer educational advice, provided that they received appropriate training to do so. However, there would need to be a watertight system for identifying women in their care who had had gestational diabetes. In terms of timing, later visits around 6–8 months after delivery were considered most suitable. Conclusions There is support from health care professionals, and most pertinently from health visitors, that the frequency of routine visits with women during the Health Visiting Pathway programme in Scotland provides potential opportunities for education around future diabetes risk to women who have had gestational diabetes.

Additional file 1. Interview Schedule for HCPs

This article considers the contribution of the governance professional to the governing of further education colleges in the United Kingdom and arises from a wider study of the ways in which college boards develop and implement college strategy. This is the first observational study to focus on what the governance professional does within the college governance space. From observation and other forms of evidence, the governance professional performs a significant, challenging and expert role in the processes and practices of governing colleges. The governance professional is instrumental as a governance sense-maker and, at a higher level, as translator of governing deliberations and decision making. The governance professional role in practice can vary depending upon a range of personal, local institutional and national factors. However, in essence the governance professional exists to legitimise college governance through the structures, processes and reporting of governing interactions. The article considers the extent to which the governance professional is pivotal to the governing of colleges and analyses the implications for college governing. Our research identifies some barriers to gaining greater impact from the college governance professional.

Background: The benefits of physical activity are well established, yet large numbers of people are not sufficiently\ud active to gain health benefits. Certain population groups are less physically active than others, including older\ud women from areas of high economic deprivation. The Well!Bingo project was established with the aim of engaging\ud such women in the development of a health promotion intervention in a bingo club. This paper reports on the\ud assessment of health status, physical activity and sedentary behaviour of women attending a bingo club in central\ud Scotland, UK as part of the Well!Bingo project.\ud Methods: Women attending the bingo club were invited to provide information on demographic characteristics, and\ud self-reported physical activity and sedentary behaviour via a self-complete questionnaire as part of a cross-sectional\ud study (n = 151). A sub-sample (n = 29) wore an accelerometer for an average of 5.7 ± 1.4 days. Differences between\ud younger (under 60 years) and older adults (60 years and over) were assessed using a chi-square test for categorical\ud data and the independent samples t-test was used to assess continuous data (p < 0.05).\ud Results: The mean age was 56.5 ± 17.7 years, with 57% living in areas of high deprivation (Scottish Index of Multiple\ud Deprivation quintile one and two). Sixty-three percent of women (n = 87) reported they were meeting physical activity\ud guidelines. However, objective accelerometer data showed that, on average, only 18.1 ± 17.3 min a day were spent in\ud moderate to vigorous physical activity. Most accelerometer wear time was spent sedentary (9.6 ± 1.7 h). For both\ud self-report and accelerometer data, older women were significantly less active and more sedentary than younger women.\ud On average, older women spent 1.8 h more than younger women in sedentary activities per day, and took part in 21 min\ud less moderate to vigorous physical activity (9.4 mins per day).\ud Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that bingo clubs are settings that attract women from areas of high\ud deprivation and older women in bingo clubs in particular would benefit from interventions to target their physical activity\ud and sedentary behaviour. Bingo clubs may therefore be potential intervention settings in which to influence these\ud behaviours.

Highly sensitive and selective detection of morphine is exhibited using a capacitive transducer coated with cathodically electropolymerized and molecularly imprinted poly(p aminostyrene). Through molecular imprinting, morphine-specific recognition sites have been fabricated throughout the film, which shows exceptional binding activity toward morphine based from electrochemical capacitance measurements. The thin film sensor has a linear response to morphine solutions with 20–40 × 10−6 m concentrations and a detection limit of 5.95 × 10−6 m. It demonstrates high selectivity toward morphine as compared to other analog molecules including nicotine and cholesterol. The formation of the polymer film is facilitated and monitored using electrochemical-quartz crystal microbalance and characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Infrared spectroscopy confirms the loading and removal of the analyte from the film. Based on molecular modeling calculations, strong hydrogen-bonding interactions between the monomer, cross-linker, and analyte form a stable pre-polymerization complex, which is critical in successfully imprinting morphine into the film and effective sensing of the analyte.

BackgroundCryptococcus gattii is an environmental pathogenic yeast that produces disease in the skin, the respiratory tract, and the central nervous system of both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. The incidence of C. gattii disease is increasing in frequency and, importantly, appears to

Walking is widely accepted as a safe and effective method of promoting rehabilitation and a return to physical activity after a cancer diagnosis. Little research has considered the therapeutic qualities of landscape in relation to understanding women's recovery from breast cancer, and no study has considered the supportive and therapeutic benefits that walking groups might contribute to their wellbeing. Through a study of a volunteer-led walking group intervention for women living with and beyond breast cancer (Best Foot Forward) we address this gap. A mixed-methods design was used including questionnaires with walkers (n = 35) and walk leaders (n = 13); telephone interviews with walkers (n = 4) and walk leaders (n = 9); and walking interviews conducted outdoors and on the move with walkers (n = 15) and walk leaders (n = 4). Questionnaires were analysed descriptively. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. Our study found that the combination of walking and talking enabled conversations to roam freely between topics and individuals, encouraging everyday and cancer-related conversation that created a form of ‘shoulder-to-shoulder support’ that might not occur in sedentary supportive care settings. Walking interviews pointed to three facets of the outdoor landscape – as un/natural, dis/placed and im/mobile – that walkers felt imbued it with therapeutic qualities. ‘Shoulder-to-shoulder support’ was therefore found to be contingent on the therapeutic assemblage of place, walk and talk. Thus, beyond the physical benefits that walking brings, it is the complex assemblage of walking and talking in combination with the fluid navigation between multiple spaces that mobilises a therapeutic assemblage that promotes wellbeing in people living with and beyond breast cancer.

We describe an observational study of clinical, virologic and drug resistance profiles in HIV-positive antiretroviral adherent subjects with stable low level viremia (LLV) 50 - 1000 copies/mL for more than 12 months. Subjects were followed from time of first detectable viral load (VL). In total, 102 episodes of LLV were detected among 80 individuals. The median (mean, range) HIV copy number at genotyping was 250 (486, - 3900) copies/mL after 14 (17.9, 0 - 58) months of LLV. Few patients maintained LLV for the entire 9 years period of observation, with half (52%) experiencing viremic progression following a stable period of LLV either spontaneously or after treatment interruption or failed regimen intensification. In the setting of prolonged periods of sustained LLV, mean duration 22 (range 8 - 106) months, drug resistance (DR) was almost universal. Resistance to ≥1 on-treatment drugs was defined in 97% of specimens and DR to all drugs in the treatment regimen in over half of all patients. Evolution of DR mutations during the period of LLV was observed in 20/28 (71%) subjects with specimens available for follow-up testing. This evolution was associated with viremic progression to levels >1000 copies/mL (p = 0.03). Our data suggest that DR present in patients with LLV is likely to impact long term clinical outcomes, highlighting the importance of optimizing techniques to detect the presence of drug resistant HIV in the setting of LLV and the need for larger prospective studies to assess the emergence of DR in the setting of sustained LLV and the impact of this DR on treatment outcomes.

Background Our aim was to use participatory methods to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of using Bingo clubs for the design and delivery of an evidence-based physical activity and/or healthy eating intervention to socio-economically disadvantaged women. This paper describes the participatory process that has resulted in a physical activity intervention for women aged >55years, ready for pilot-testing in a Bingo club setting. Methods Studies using different quantitative and qualitative approaches were conducted among customers and staff of a Bingo club in a city of 85,000 inhabitants in central Scotland. These were designed to take the views of different stakeholders into account, with a view to enhancing uptake, engagement and effectiveness with any proposed intervention. Results Sixteen relevant studies were identified in a literature review that generated ideas for intervention components. A questionnaire completed by 151 women in the Bingo club showed that almost half (47%) aged >55years were not meeting physical activity guidelines; evidence backed up by accelerometer data from 29 women. Discussions in six focus groups attended by 27 club members revealed different but overlapping motivations for attending the Bingo club (social benefits) and playing Bingo (cognitive benefits). There was some scepticism as to whether the Bingo club was an appropriate setting for an intervention, and a dietary intervention was not favoured. It was clear that any planned intervention needed to utilise the social motivation and habitual nature of attendance at the Bingo club, without taking women away from Bingo games. These results were taken forward to a 5-h long participative workshop with 27 stakeholders (including 19 Bingo players). Intervention design (form and content) was then finalised during two round table research team meetings. Conclusions It was possible to access and engage with women living in areas of socio-economic disadvantage through a Bingo club setting. A physical activity intervention for women >55years is realistic for recruitment, will address the needs of potential recipients in the Bingo club, appears to be feasible and acceptable to club members and staff, and has been designed with their input. A pilot study is underway, investigating recruitment, retention and feasibility of delivery.

Background\ud Our aim was to use participatory methods to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of using Bingo clubs for the design and delivery of an evidence-based physical activity and/or healthy eating intervention to socio-economically disadvantaged women. This paper describes the participatory process that has resulted in a physical activity intervention for women aged >55 years, ready for pilot-testing in a Bingo club setting.\ud \ud Methods\ud Studies using different quantitative and qualitative approaches were conducted among customers and staff of a Bingo club in a city of 85,000 inhabitants in central Scotland. These were designed to take the views of different stakeholders into account, with a view to enhancing uptake, engagement and effectiveness with any proposed intervention.\ud \ud Results\ud Sixteen relevant studies were identified in a literature review that generated ideas for intervention components. A questionnaire completed by 151 women in the Bingo club showed that almost half (47 %) aged >55 years were not meeting physical activity guidelines; evidence backed up by accelerometer data from 29 women. Discussions in six focus groups attended by 27 club members revealed different but overlapping motivations for attending the Bingo club (social benefits) and playing Bingo (cognitive benefits). There was some scepticism as to whether the Bingo club was an appropriate setting for an intervention, and a dietary intervention was not favoured. It was clear that any planned intervention needed to utilise the social motivation and habitual nature of attendance at the Bingo club, without taking women away from Bingo games. These results were taken forward to a 5-h long participative workshop with 27 stakeholders (including 19 Bingo players). Intervention design (form and content) was then finalised during two round table research team meetings.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud It was possible to access and engage with women living in areas of socio-economic disadvantage through a Bingo club setting. A physical activity intervention for women >55 years is realistic for recruitment, will address the needs of potential recipients in the Bingo club, appears to be feasible and acceptable to club members and staff, and has been designed with their input. A pilot study is underway, investigating recruitment, retention and feasibility of delivery.

This study evaluates the impact of farmer field schools (FFS) on knowledge, insecticide use, and yield using a nonconsecutive, two-year panel data that allows one to control for nonrandom selection. Regression analysis using a difference-in-difference approach indicates FFS training did not result in statistically significant impacts on insecticide use and yield over the period of time examined. However, there is some evidence that FFS had an “initial” knowledge impact, but it was not sustained over time. Retraining FFS graduates may be an attractive option to help maintain knowledge and improve performance over time, but we do not find empirical evidence on the effectiveness of this strategy based on a small sample of retrained farmers. La presente etude examine l’impact du programme Champ-Ecole-Paysan (CEP) (Farmer Field Schools – FFS) sur l’acquisition des connaissances, l’utilisation d’insecticides et le rendement, a l’aide de donnees de panel non consecutives recueillies sur une periode de deux ans et permettant de maitriser la selection non aleatoire. Une analyse de regression utilisant la methode de difference de differences a revele que la formation offerte dans le cadre du programme CEP n’a pas eu d’impact statistiquement significatif sur l’utilisation d’insecticides ni sur le rendement au cours de la periode visee par l’etude. Toutefois, il semble que le programme CEP a eu un impact sur l’acquisition des connaissances au debut, mais que cet impact n’a pas ete soutenu au fil du temps. Le recyclage des participants au programme CEP peut constituer une option interessante pour le maintien des connaissances et l’amelioration du rendement au fil du temps. Par contre, l’etude d’un petit echantillon de producteurs recycles n’a pas fourni de preuve empirique permettant de croire a l’efficacite de cette strategie.

The highly selective and sensitive detection of a chemical nerve agent analog pinacolyl methylphosphonate (PMP) was demonstrated using an electrochemically molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) polythiophene film onto a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) transducer surface. The fabrication and optimization of the sensor film was monitored by in situ electrochemistry-QCM (EC-QCM) measurements, which determined the change in mass and simultaneous change in redox properties of the polymer film. The film deposition, template loading, and template removal were evidenced by a combination of surface characterization techniques such as the attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The fabricated MIP film demonstrated a limit of detection and a limit of quantification of ∼60 and ∼197 μM, respectively. The linear sensing range is between 125 and 250 μM concentration of PMP. Finally, theoretical modeling (AM1 semiempirical quantum calculations) studies revealed that a stable prepolymerization complex is formed in solution with the existence of H-bonding interactions using the 2:1 monomer-to-template ratio. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012

Because habitat loss due to urbanization is a primary threat to biodiversity, and land-use decisions in urbanizing areas are mainly made at the local level, land-use planning by municipal planning departments has a potentially important--but largely unrealized--role in conserving biodiversity. To understand planners' perspectives on the factors that facilitate and impede biodiversity conservation in local planning, we interviewed directors of 17 municipal planning departments in the greater Seattle (Washington, U.S.A.) area and compared responses of planners from similar-sized jurisdictions that were "high" and "low performing" with respect to incorporation of biodiversity conservation in local planning. Planners from low-performing jurisdictions regarded mandates from higher governmental levels as the primary drivers of biodiversity conservation, whereas those from high-performing jurisdictions regarded community values as the main drivers, although they also indicated that mandates were important. Biodiversity conservation was associated with presence of local conservation flagship elements (e.g., salmonids) and human-centered benefits of biodiversity conservation (e.g., quality of life). Planners from high- and low-performing jurisdictions favored different planning mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, perhaps reflecting differences in funding and staffing. High performers reported more collaborations with other entities on biodiversity issues. Planners' comments indicated that the term biodiversity may be problematic in the context of local planning. The action most planners recommended to increase biodiversity conservation in local planning was public education. These results suggest that to advance biodiversity conservation in local land-use planning, conservation biologists should investigate and educate the public about local conservation flagships and human benefits of local biodiversity, work to raise ecological literacy and explain biodiversity more effectively to the public, and promote collaboration on biodiversity conservation among jurisdictions and inclusion of biodiversity specialists in planning departments.

This article examines the impact of two Integrated Pest Management information dissemination approaches on insecticide use and efficiency of Vietnamese rice farmers. Specifically, we investigate the impact of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and "No Early Spray" (NES) mass media campaigns by utilizing econometric approaches that control for endogeneity and selection problems. Our results suggest that farmers exposed to FFS and NES information are more technically efficient than control farmers who have not been exposed to information from FFS or NES. However, only FFS farmers, not NES farmers, seem to have significantly reduced their insecticide use relative to non-FFS or non-NES control farmers. Copyright 2009 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association