Federal Regulation of Pesticide Residues: A Brief History and Analysis

In the United States today, there are over 900 pesticides in use1 and over 400 are approved for use in food production, whether used as part of the growing process or in post-harvest handling. Although the history of pesticide use in food crops goes back centuries, the post-war period has seen an enormous growth in the varieties and amounts of pesticides used in our food system. As our reliance on pesticides has grown, pesticides have become a divisive issue. Pesticide advocates view them as essential to a secure and reliable food supply needed to feed a growing world population. Detractors, however, point out the public health risks—both known and not yet fully understood—that widespread pesticide use may entail. Meanwhile, consumer demand for products grown without the use of pesticides is increasing, while at the very same moment farmers are applying more and different pesticides to combat pesticide-resistant “superweeds.” These tensions are playing out both globally and locally in a variety of arenas, from debates over pesticide bans within international organizations and national governments, to the litigation of personal injury claims in American courts

Using library impact data to inform student marketing campaigns

This article uses an evidenced based approach using the finding of the Library Impact Data Project to help market library resources to students at the University of Huddersfield. Initiatives discussed include the roving librarian, desk-top visits and Lemontree (library game). Reading list software is also used to drive usage and the marketing of these services is also discussed. Finally, the paper looks at the use of a marketing placement student in the library

Leading Canada\u27s Cities? A Study of Urban Mayors

How powerful are Canada’s big city mayors? Do mayors have the power to lead in Canada’s cities? What does mayoral power in Canada look like, and what can we learn about Canadian urban politics by examining it? This project explores these and other questions by engaging in the first broad study of urban mayors in Canada. It is often said that Canada has “weak” mayors, or a “weak mayor system” – terms borrowed from an American context referring to the limited executive power of Canadian mayors relative to many of their American peers. This study examines the Canadian mayoralty in its own context, through close examination of the role and power of the mayor in ten Canadian cities. Mayoral power is examined “on paper,” comparing the legal and institutional powers of mayors across cities; and, “in practice,” informed by interviews with mayors and those who work most closely with them. A new model for understanding mayoral power is advanced. This project finds that Canada does not have “weak mayors” nor does it have a “weak mayor system.” These terms reflect a narrow, institutional definition of mayoral power. In Canada, where the role and power of the mayor is largely undefined, institutional variables emerge as less important in practice than the type of leadership provided by the mayor. Canadian mayors are expected to simultaneously serve in three distinct roles – as political leaders, as executive leaders, and as community leaders – with each role involving different power resources. Mayors are being uniquely positioned at the nexus of the network of actors who are engaged in local government, with an unparalleled ability to shape the engagement of these actors by virtue of their leadership (or lack of leadership). As a result, mayors play a shaping role in the governance of Canada’s cities. This is the power of a Canadian mayor. Mayors are important leaders in Canada, but they are often misunderstood. This study begins to address outstanding questions about the role and power of the mayor, while raising larger issues about leadership capacity in Canada’s cities. It is the beginning of a potentially much larger research agenda – and a contribution to a needed discussion about strengthening leadership in Canada’s cities

Lonely at the Top: An Examination of the Changing Dynamics for Chief Administrative Officers in Alberta Municipalities

This paper explores administrative viability in Alberta’s municipalities by investigating a critical ingredient in municipalities’ ability to deliver local public services: the chief administrative officer (CAO). Specifically, this paper aims to identify the patterns that are emerging with respect to the role and tenure of municipal CAOs in Alberta, and the implications for Alberta’s municipalities. Using a mixed-methods approach that blends qualitative and quantitative analysis, this paper presents several important findings: ● The average tenure of a CAO in Alberta is now well under the length of one term of council. CAO tenure is generally shorter in smaller municipalities. More concerningly, the average length of tenure has been in a steady state of decline for the past two decades. ● The number of CAO transitions, including acting and interim roles, has been increasing in all types of municipalities – in some types of municipalities, double or triple the rate of CAO transitions in earlier time periods. The days of long-serving CAOs outside of cities appear to be waning, as the length of one council term becomes a harder cap on CAO tenure in those communities. ● The role of CAO involves important on-the-job learning. No two municipalities are the same; even two terms of council within the same municipality can have quite different dynamics. Shorter CAO tenures and higher rates of turnover mean more costly transitions – not just in dollars and organizational disruption, but in the time to reach peak performance. ● Current and past CAOs clearly identify the increasingly tenuous political dynamics as a leading driver in role dissatisfaction and reasons for decisions to join or depart from a municipality. There seems to be consensus that the political dynamics are getting worse, not better. Among many other insights about the contemporary experiences of CAOs, this emerged as the central theme.   The chief argument of this paper is that the success and stability of CAOs is a leading indicator of administrative viability. Currently, measures of this indicator are ringing alarm bells. Efforts towards strengthening the foundations of municipal governance – particularly role clarity, improved relations between council and staff, and intentional efforts to building trust and respectful decorum between CAOs and councils – are all needed to improve administrative viability in Alberta’s municipalities

Factors that influence confirmation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae positivity by molecular methods

Several Neisseria gonorrhoeae nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) with high sensitivity exist. However, the specificity of N. gonorrhoeae NAATs may be suboptimal, particularly for extragenital biospecimens. Consequently, confirmation with a second NAAT is common, although this represents a burden on resources. Furthermore, the rationale for confirmation is contentious. The objective of this work was to assess N. gonorrhoeae confirmation in over 13,000 N. gonorrhoeae screen-positive samples representing various biospecimens and three separate screening assays, the Abbott RealTime CT/NG (Abbott Molecular, Inc., Des Plaines, IL), the Cobas CT/NG test (Roche Molecular Systems Inc., Alameda, CA), and the BD ProbeTec ET CT/GC amplified DNA assay (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD). Factors predictive of confirmation were determined via logistic regression involving sex, year, whether the sample was formally validated, and sample site. Level of confirmation varied according to screening assay (96.2%, 86.0%, and 73.9% for the Abbott, Roche, and BD tests, respectively) in sample types formally included according to the manufacturers’ instructions (i.e., validated). Sex did not affect confirmation for 2/3 assays, and the likelihood of confirmation of samples not formally included in manufacturer instructions (i.e., nonvalidated) was 89.1%, 82.1%, and 59.2% for the Abbott, Roche, and BD tests, respectively. Rectal swabs, which are nonvalidated samples, confirmed in 91.5%, 90.1%, and 87.4% of samples initially tested with the respective assays. The requirement to confirm N. gonorrhoeae in validated samples is not required for all NAATs, although initial assay-specific evaluation is justified given observed variability. Rectal samples represent robust biospecimens for N. gonorrhoeae NAAT testing and may not require confirmation when screened with the assays described.</p

Discrepancies between registration and publication of randomised controlled trials: an observational study

Abstract OBJECTIVES: To determine the consistency between information contained in the registration and publication of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). DESIGN: An observational study of RCTs published between May 2011 and May 2012 in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) comparing registry data with publication data. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Data extracted from published RCTs in BMJ and JAMA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Timing of trial registration in relation to completion of trial data collection and publication. Registered versus published primary and secondary outcomes, sample size. RESULTS: We identified 40 RCTs in BMJ and 36 in JAMA. All 36 JAMA trials and 39 (98%) BMJ trials were registered. All registered trials were registered prior to publication. Thirty-two (82%) BMJ trials recorded the date of data completion; of these, in two trials the date of trial registration postdated the registered date of data completion. There were discrepancies between primary outcomes declared in the trial registry information and in the published paper in 18 (47%) BMJ papers and seven (19%) JAMA papers. The original sample size stated in the trial registration was achieved in 24 (60%) BMJ papers and 21 (58%) JAMA papers. CONCLUSIONS: Compulsory registration of RCTs is meaningless if the content of registry information is not complete or if discrepancies between registration and publication are not reported. This study demonstrates that discrepancies in primary and secondary outcomes and sample size between trial registration and publication remain commonplace, giving further strength to the World Health Organisation's argument for mandatory completion of a minimum number of compulsory fields

Student reading lists: evaluating the student experience at the University of Huddersfield

Purpose: To evaluate the bespoke Resource List Management System (MyReading) at the University of Huddersfield. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was designed to assess student use of MyReading and their views on potential improvements. The survey used closed questions designed to obtain quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data obtained from open questions to obtain. Findings: The paper supports findings of another recent study which found that reading lists are perceived as more important by students than by lecturers. A variety of positive and negative themes emerged which pointed to this conclusion. Positive themes were: the perceived helpfulness of reading lists; students' view of MyReading as a starting point for independent further reading; ease of use of MyReading and the time saving afforded to students; the value students place on their reading lists as being "quality assured" by lecturers. Negative themes were: inconsistency in the length and structure of lists; concerns that some lists are not regularly updated; lack of awareness of functionality revealing training needs for students and lecturers; suggestions for future enhancements to MyReading. Another finding from the quantitative data is a clear link between low use of reading lists by students in certain Schools and low use of other library resources. Practical implication: The research provides guidance to universities regarding future development of Resource List Management Systems and promotional and training needs. Originality/value: The study adds rich information to the existing body of qualitative research on students' perceptions of their reading lists