Array metasurfaces for biomedical sensing at infra-red wavelengths

Detection and identification of biomedically significant molecules is an important application in infra-red (IR) spectroscopy. This presentation will consider some of the significant features of the different alternative building-block elements that can be used in array metasurfaces for enhanced detection sensitivity. The presentation will also address techniques and issues associated with the deposition and localisation of biological and organic chemical molecular material for detection and measurement using IR spectroscopy

Implementation of a national smoke-free prison policy: an economic evaluation within the Tobacco in Prisons (TIPs) study

Objective To determine the cost-effectiveness of a smoke-free prison policy in Scotland, through assessments of the trade-offs between costs (healthcare and non-healthcare-related expenditure) and outcomes (health and non-health-related non-monetary consequences) of implementing the policy. Design A health economic evaluation consisting of three analyses (cost-consequence, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility), from the perspectives of the healthcare payer, prison service, people in custody and operational staff, assessed the trade-offs between costs and outcomes. Costs associated with the implementation of the policy, healthcare resource use and personal spend on nicotine products were considered, alongside health and non-health outcomes. The cost-effectiveness of the policy was evaluated over 12-month and lifetime horizons (short term and long term). Setting Scotland’s national prison estate. Participants People in custody and operational prison staff. Intervention Implementation of a comprehensive (indoor and outdoor) smoke-free policy. Main outcome measures Concentration of secondhand smoke, health-related quality of life (health utilities and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY)) and various non-health outcomes (eg, incidents of assaults and fires). Results The short-term analyses suggest cost savings for people in custody and staff, improvements in concentration of secondhand smoke, with no consistent direction of change across other outcomes. The long-term analysis demonstrated that implementing smoke-free policy was cost-effective over a lifetime for people in custody and staff, with approximate cost savings of £28 000 and £450, respectively, and improvement in health-related quality of life of 0.971 QALYs and 0.262, respectively. Conclusion Implementing a smoke-free prison policy is cost-effective over the short term and long term for people in custody and staff.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin

Smoke-free prison policy development, implementation, and impact across the entire national prison service in Scotland (TIPs study): a three-phase, mixed methods natural experimental evaluation

Background: Prisons had partial exemption from UK 2006–07 policies banning smoking in enclosed public spaces, becoming one of few workplaces with continued exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS). Although bans have been introduced elsewhere, evidence of the process and impact of implementing smoke-free prisons is sparse. We aimed to provide evidence on the process and impact of implementation of smoke-free policy across the national prison service in Scotland. Methods: The Tobacco in Prisons study (TIPs) is a three-phase, mixed-methods study exploring the periods before policy formulation (phase 1; September 2016–July 2017), during preparation for implementation (phase 2; August 2017–November 2018), and after implementation (phase 3; December 2018–May 2020). Data on SHS, health, smoking, beliefs (eg, smoking or e-cigarettes, desirability, benefits, and challenges of smoke-free policy) were gathered across all 15 Scottish prisons through: (1) staff and prisoner surveys, staff focus groups (phases 1 and 3), and cessation provider interviews; (2) SHS measures (fine particulate matter, PM2·5, using Dylos DC1700 monitors) before, during (week commencing Nov 28, 2018), and 6 months after (week commencing May 27, 2019) implementation on Nov 30, 2018. In six case-study prisons, in-depth interviews were carried out with prisoners, staff, and smoking cessation providers. We also accessed routine data (eg, sickness absence, “canteen” purchases of tobacco and other products) to assess policy impacts. Ethics approval was granted by SPS Research Access and Ethics Committee and University of Glasgow. Participants provided written informed consent. Findings: Phase 1 data showed high prisoner smoking rates (1858 [74%] of 2505 responders), confirmed by SHS measures (128 431 min of PM2.5 data, median 31·7 μg/m3), and concerns about the challenges of smoke-free policy (eg, 1954 [81%] of 2407 prisoners and 737 [58%] of 1269 staff thought smoking bans caused “trouble”). Compared with 2016, air quality improved in all prisons in 2018 (114 303 min of PM2.5 data) with an overall median reduction on the first full working weekday after implementation (Dec 3, 2018) of –81% (IQR –76 to –91). SHS measures collected 6 months after implementation (126 777 min of PM2·5 data) showed sustained improvement (median 3·1 μg/m3, overall median reduction –91% (IQR –88 to –93%)). Reasons for success and continuing challenges of smoke-free prison policy will be discussed. Interpretation: This evaluation of the development, planning, implementation, and impact of smoke-free prison policy demonstrates the importance of research evidence during policy implementation and, as a study of an entire national prison service, provides new evidence for other jurisdictions contemplating bans on smoking in prisons

Improving economic evaluations in stroke : A report from the ESO Health Economics Working Group

Introduction Approaches to economic evaluations of stroke therapies are varied and inconsistently described. An objective of the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Health Economics Working Group is to standardise and improve the economic evaluations of interventions for stroke. Methods The ESO Health Economics Working Group and additional experts were contacted to develop a protocol and a guidance document for data collection for economic evaluations of stroke therapies. A modified Delphi approach, including a survey and consensus processes, was used to agree on content. We also asked the participants about resources that could be shared to improve economic evaluations of interventions for stroke. Results Of 28 experts invited, 16 (57%) completed the initial survey, with representation from universities, government, and industry. More than half of the survey respondents endorsed 13 specific items to include in a standard resource use questionnaire. Preferred functional/quality of life outcome measures to use for economic evaluations were the modified Rankin Scale (14 respondents, 88%) and the EQ-5D instrument (11 respondents, 69%). Of the 12 respondents who had access to data used in economic evaluations, 10 (83%) indicated a willingness to share data. A protocol template and a guidance document for data collection were developed and are presented in this article. Conclusion The protocol template and guidance document for data collection will support a more standardised and transparent approach for economic evaluations of stroke care.Peer reviewe

Process and impact of implementing a smoke-free policy in prisons in Scotland: TIPs mixed-methods study

Background: Prisons had partial exemption from the UK’s 2006/7 smoking bans in enclosed public spaces. They became one of the few workplaces with continuing exposure to second-hand smoke, given the high levels of smoking among people in custody. Despite the introduction of smoke-free prisons elsewhere, evaluations of such ‘bans’ have been very limited to date. Objective: The objective was to provide evidence on the process and impact of implementing a smoke-free policy across a national prison service. Design: The Tobacco in Prisons study was a three-phase, multimethod study exploring the periods before policy formulation (phase 1: pre announcement), during preparation for implementation (phase 2: preparatory) and after implementation (phase 3: post implementation). Setting: The study was set in Scotland’s prisons. Participants: Participants were people in custody, prison staff and providers/users of prison smoking cessation services. Intervention: Comprehensive smoke-free prison rules were implemented across all of Scotland’s prisons in November 2018. Main outcome measures: The main outcome measures were second-hand smoke levels, health outcomes and perspectives/experiences, including facilitators of successful transitions to smoke-free prisons. Data sources: The study utilised cross-sectional surveys of staff (total, n = 3522) and people in custody (total, n = 5956) in each phase; focus groups and/or one-to-one interviews with staff (n = 237 across 34 focus groups; n = 38 interviews), people in custody (n = 62 interviews), providers (n = 103 interviews) and users (n = 45 interviews) of prison smoking cessation services and stakeholders elsewhere (n = 19); measurements of second-hand smoke exposure (e.g. 369,208 minutes of static measures in residential areas at three time points); and routinely collected data (e.g. medications dispensed, inpatient/outpatient visits). Results: Measures of second-hand smoke were substantially (≈ 90%) reduced post implementation, compared with baseline, largely confirming the views of staff and people in custody that illicit smoking is not a major issue post ban. Several factors that contributed to the successful implementation of the smoke-free policy, now accepted as the ‘new normal’, were identified. E-cigarette use has become common, was recognised (by both staff and people in custody) to have facilitated the transition and raises new issues in prisons. The health economic analysis (lifetime model) demonstrated that costs were lower and the number of quality-adjusted life-years was larger for people in custody and staff in the ‘with smoke-free’ policy period than in the ‘without’ policy period, confirming cost-effectiveness against a £20,000 willingness-to-pay threshold. Limitations: The ability to triangulate between different data sources mitigated limitations with constituent data sets. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study internationally to analyse the views of prison staff and people in custody; objective measurements of second-hand smoke exposure and routine health and other outcomes before, during and after the implementation of a smoke-free prison policy; and to assess cost-effectiveness. The results are relevant to jurisdictions considering similar legislation, whether or not e-cigarettes are permitted. The study provides a model for partnership working and, as a multidimensional study of a national prison system, adds to a previously sparse evidence base internationally. Future work: Priorities are to understand how to support people in custody in remaining smoke free after release from prison, and whether or not interventions can extend benefits to their families; to evaluate new guidance supporting people wishing to reduce or quit vaping; and to understand how prison vaping practices/cultures may strengthen or weaken long-term reductions in smoking. Study registration: This study is registered as Research Registry 4802. Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 10, No. 1. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Race and the Legacy of the First World War in French Anti-Colonial Politics of the 1920s

There has been relatively little historical research on the small number of African veterans who stayed on in France after the First World War and became militants in the radical anti-colonial movements created in the 1920s. From his entry onto the political stage in late 1924 until his early death three years later, the most celebrated and feared of these anti-colonial militants was Lamine Senghor, a decorated war veteran from Senegal. This chapter will chart Senghor’s brief career as an activist, focusing primarily on the ways in which he projected his identity as a veteran in his speeches and writings, as well as exploring, more generally, how France’s “blood debt” to its colonial subjects became a key theme of anti-colonial discourse in the interwar period