School based police officers. A comparative evaluation of a partnership approach to tackling juvenile delinquency

There has been a great deal of good work in recent years involving police and other agencies in particular that work which has taken place within the context of schools. However, there is no work, which specifically relates to the role of police working full time in an educational setting and consequently no research of an evaluative nature. This research focuses on the role of one officer in a secondary school and looks at the level of interaction that he has with the whole school and its community and tries to examine whether through his programme of intervention he is able to meet the aims and objectives of the scheme

Comparison of laser speckle contrast imaging with laser Doppler for assessing microvascular function

Objective: To compare the inter-day reproducibility of post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH) and sympathetic vasomotor reflexes assessed by single-point laser Doppler flowmetry (SP-LDF), integrating-probe LDF (IP-LDF) and laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), and the spatial variability of PORH assessed by IP-LDF and LSCI. We also evaluated the relationship between IP-LDF and LSCI perfusion values across a broad range of skin blood flows. Methods: Eighteen healthy adults (50% male, age 27 ± 4 years) participated in this study. Using SP-LDF, IP-LDF and LSCI, an index of skin blood flow was measured on the forearm during PORH (1-, 5- and 10-min occlusions) and on the finger pad during inspiratory gasp and cold pressor tests. These tests were repeated 3-7 days later. Data were converted to cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; laser Doppler flow/mean arterial pressure) and expressed as absolute and relative changes from pre-stimulus CVC (ΔCVCABS and ΔCVCREL, respectively), as well as normalised to peak CVC for the PORH tests. Reproducibility was expressed as within-subjects coefficients of variation (CV, in %) and intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: The reproducibility of PORH on the forearm was poorer when assessed with SP-LDF and IP-LDF compared to LSCI (e.g., CV for 5-min PORH ΔCVCABS = 35, 27 and 19%, respectively), with no superior method of data expression. In contrast, the reproducibility of the inspiratory gasp and cold pressor test responses on the finger pad were better with SP-LDF and IP-LDF compared to LSCI (e.g., CV for inspiratory gasp ΔCVCREL = 13, 7 and 19%, respectively). The spatial variability of PORH responses was poorer with IP-LDF compared to LSCI (e.g., CV ranging 11-35% versus 3-16%, respectively). The association between simultaneous LSCI and IP-LDF perfusion values was non-linear. Conclusion: The reproducibility of cutaneous PORH was better when assessed with LSCI compared to SP-LDF and IP-LDF; probably due to measuring larger skin areas (lower inter-site variability). However, when measuring sympathetic vasomotor reflexes on the finger pad, reproducibility was better with SP-LDF and IP-LDF, perhaps due to the high sensitivity of LSCI to changes in skin blood flow at low levels

Metro News Journalists Critique Food Biotechnology

The results of this study may encourage researchers, educators, and industry professionals to change behavior and to collaborate with journalists and the social institution of mass media to inform consumers about food biotechnology. Eighty-eight journalists for 65 of the nation’s largest newspapers provided data for the study. Major findings were as follows: journalists’ knowledge of food biotechnology was relatively low; most journalists considered genetic modification of plants as “acceptable,” and journalists had greatest faith in “university scientists” as sources. Too, “Writers” rather than “Editors” had greater acceptance of genetically modified organisms, greater faith in sources, and less fear of using biotechnology to produce food

Medium-term performance and maintenance of SUDS:a case-study of Hopwood Park Motorway Service Area, UK

One of the main barriers to implementing SUDS is concern about performance and maintenance costs since there are few well-documented case-studies. This paper summarizes studies conducted between 2000 and 2008 of the performance and maintenance of four SUDS management trains constructed in 1999 at the Hopwood Park Motorway Service Area, central England. Assessments were made of the wildlife value and sedimentation in the SUDS ponds, the hydraulic performance of the coach park management train, water quality in all management trains, and soil/sediment composition in the grass filter strip, interceptor and ponds. Maintenance procedures and costs were also reviewed. Results demonstrate the benefits of a management train approach over individual SUDS units for flow attenuation, water treatment, spillage containment and maintenance. Peak flows, pond sediment depth and contaminant concentrations in sediment and water decreased through the coach park management train. Of the 2007 annual landscape budget of £15,000 for the whole site, the maintenance costs for SUDS only accounted for £2,500 compared to £4,000 for conventional drainage structures. Furthermore, since sediment has been attenuated in the management trains, the cost of sediment removal after the recommended period of three years was only £554 and, if the design is not compromised, less frequent removal will be required in future

Invertebrate communities and environmental conditions in a series of urban drainage ponds in Eastern Scotland: implications for biodiversity and conservation value of SUDS.

Increasing use is being made of constructed wetlands to store and treat urban drainage prior to release into watercourses. Known as sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in the UK these have potential to support and enhance freshwater biodiversity in urban areas, but the diversity and value of communities present in these ponds is not well-established. This study establishes the characteristics of invertebrate communities and investigates links with prevailing environmental conditions in four SUDS sites in Dunfermline, Scotland over a five-year period. The SUDS ponds supported communities of between 10 and 47 invertebrate species. Only one beetle species of conservation significance was recorded, along with an invasive species of mollusc. There were significant temporal changes in species richness and community composition, with the sites losing species and becoming more dissimilar over time. Variation in the invertebrate species composition at the sites was linked to both average environmental conditions and temporal variability, particularly soluble reactive phosphorus and dissolved oxygen levels. The biodiversity value SUDS of invertebrate communities may be limited by pollutant loads being received from drainage, but they can still potentially contribute to freshwater diversity in urban areas. In order to maximise their biodiversity potential, more research needs to be undertaken on appropriate design and management considerations

The Impact Of Shadow Flicker Or Pulsating Shadow Effect, Caused By Wind Turbine Blades, On Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar): Research Summary

As the need for onshore wind energy expands, such climate adaptation measures may have unintended and potentially significant influences on how fish respond when situated next to rivers or streams. The aim of this project was to examine evidence of potential impacts of shadow flicker, from wind turbine blades, on Atlantic salmon in the context of species conservation management and climate mitigation strategy in Scotland. Our current understanding of the possible effects of shadow flicker on Atlantic salmon was investigated by reviewing the available literature (peer-reviewed and grey from national and international sources) for existing studies of a similar or relevant nature. Various databases and web-based search engines were used to identify these studies, relevant information was extracted and summarised, and potential impacts across the salmon’s lifecycle identified. There was no direct evidence available, either from laboratory experiments or studies of wild fish, that describe the effects of shadow flicker on Atlantic salmon or any other fish species. Based on the available literature, and our expert opinion, there is currently insufficient evidence to support or refute any biological or ecological impact of shadow flicker on Atlantic salmon. The review has highlighted a lack of basic understanding of the role light patterns may play for Atlantic salmon in rivers and further research is recommended. At present there is no evidence to support any change to related policy guidance. However, under the precautionary principle, some advice for best practice might be advised to prevent shadow flicker being cast on river surfaces. Where appropriate, potential mitigation methods were identified that could reduce any impacts on Atlantic salmon should impacts of shadow flicker on fish be demonstrated in the future