Workplace bullying literature has focused mainly on actions of individual targets of mistreatment, undertaken to address the problem, and on analyses of the effectiveness of responses. Less attention has been paid to the efficacy of state regulation in establishing a climate of prevention as well as redress. We examine the role of the Dutch Working Conditions Act as a means of mitigating workplace bullying from the perspective of legislative intention, processes and outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in creating, influencing and implementing the Act are analysed thematically to highlight how contextual, employer and phenomenon-specific factors affect the effectiveness of legislation with regard to workplace bullying. The findings indicate that state involvement, organisational commitment and collective action are all important contributors in reducing workplace bullying, but that even in the context of neoliberalism, the role of the nation-state is of critical importance, notwithstanding initiatives by employers.

Carbon nanotube foams (CNFs) have been successfully used as near-critical-density targets in the laser-driven acceleration of high-energy ions and electrons. Here we report the recent advances in the fabrication technique of such targets. With the further developed floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) method, large-area ($>25\kern0.5em {\mathrm{cm}}^2$) and highly uniform CNFs are successfully deposited on nanometer-thin metal or plastic foils as double-layer targets. The density and thickness of the CNF can be controlled in the range of $1{-}13\kern0.5em \mathrm{mg}/{\mathrm{cm}}^3$ and $10{-}200\kern0.5em \mu \mathrm{m}$, respectively, by varying the synthesis parameters. The dependence of the target properties on the synthesis parameters and the details of the target characterization methods are presented for the first time.

There is little existing in the literature that provides a definition of readiness for a jurisdiction’s whole health care system. As defining readiness at the system level has proven to be challenging, an approach that provides a framework for planning and measuring health care readiness with broad utility is needed. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) devised the Readiness Target Project. Nine areas or dimensions of readiness emerged from this work. Through focus groups and feedback from hospital stakeholders DOHMH developed a matrix of readiness areas outlining current state, target state, gaps, and recommendations to achieve readiness. The matrix is in use as a systematic approach to discover and close gaps in the readiness of the whole health care system and to provide that system a locally valid framework to drive continuous improvement. This paper describes a framework for planning and determining the status of health care readiness at the system level for the jurisdiction. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:759-764))

Nearly ten years ago, a research program concerning materials and technologies was defined to develop the very complex cryogenic target for obtaining the combustion of a deuterium-tritium mixture by inertial confinement fusion in the laser megajoule facility. The CEA target fabrication project includes research and development on various organic polymers and materials for the cryogenic laser megajoule target assembly as well as for other targets that can be useful for the fusion program (pre and post-ignition). Recent advances have been accomplished concerning the development of specific organic materials for the fabrication of targets components, including the synthesis of polymers for the laser megajoule microshells and metal-doped organic foams for the elaboration of doped-foam microshells or for the micromachining of components.

With growth in retail sales estimated by industry at 15–25% yr−1, organic food represents the only significant growth sector in Canada's food system. This reality, in combination with mounting evidence that substantial environmental and economic benefits can arise from organic farming adoption, suggests that organic sector development should be a priority for governments. However, organic food remains a marginal component of Canadian agricultural and trade policy. This study was designed to examine the opportunities and costs to the province of Ontario of strategic investment in the expansion of the organic sector. Drawing on existing literature and Ontario land use and production data, the study used an iterative process to identify how the province could reach a target of 10% of Ontario's cropped acres in organic production within 15 years, from the current level of about 1%. We concluded that after 15 years 5343 organic farmers would be producing organically in all major commodities, including 4254 converting farmers entering the organic sector and 600 new entrants to farming. The 489 organic farms reported in 2004 would be included in this total of 5343 because we assume that they all make modest additions over this time period to their existing operations. Organic production would occur on about 367,000 ha of land, and some 1.4 million animals would be reared organically. After 15 years, these farmers would reduce fertilizer applications by about 43 million kg (saving $18.4 million yr−1), pesticide applications by about 296,000 kg active ingredient (saving $9.1 million yr−1), and 7079 kg of growth-promoting antibiotics/medications consumed in animal feed. This 30-point program would require new investments by the provincial government of about $51 million over 15 years. Phase I (first 5 years) costs would total $7.1 million and Phase II (following 10 years) costs $43.9 million. Net program costs would be significantly lower since farmers would have directly saved on inputs and received premium organic prices for most of their goods sold, thereby reducing government costs related to supporting farm finances. Additionally, this program would contribute significantly to reducing the externalized costs of current approaches to agriculture, conservatively estimated at $145 million annually or $2.18 billion over the 15-year life of the program. Not all those costs would be saved within 15 years, but this exceedingly modest investment in organic production, representing only 2.3% of these externalized costs, would generate savings in externalized costs far beyond this one-time investment. Implementation of this plan would allow domestic producers to capture 51% of Ontario's organic consumption, up from the currently low-range estimate of 15%. Organic foods would represent 1.9% of the total food retail market after 5 years and 5.3% of the total market after 15 years.

This paper examines problems of setting targets for health care performance in which the centre sets a uniform set of targets and levels of performance. The case study examined by the paper is from the system of performance assessment of ‘star ratings’ that was introduced from 2001 by the Department of Health to give each organisation in the NHS in England a single summary score from zero rating to three stars. Star ratings were directed at holding trusts' chief executives to account for the local delivery of national priorities through a process of ‘naming and shaming’, in which Chief Executives of zero-rated organisations were at risk of losing their jobs. This paper outlines the underlying model and its three underlying assumptions: the centre can determine a scoring system to prioritise what matters; failures of performance that are not reflected in the scoring system do not matter; and the advantages of a system of scoring on accountable targets outweigh the disadvantages of various types of gaming responses. This paper examines the application of the model of star ratings to a case study of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), which are complex organisations with three diverse sets of responsibilities: delivering primary care, commissioning secondary care, and supervising public health. It outlines an alternative model and the issues this raises for governance of health care performance.

The transcription factors, Otx2, Crx, Nrl, and Nr2e3, expressed by retinal photoreceptor cells are essential for photoreceptor gene expression, development, and maintenance. Malfunction of any of these factors due to genetic mutations causes photoreceptor disease. Protein–protein interaction studies suggest that these factors may form a regulatory network centered on Crx. To understand how these factors regulate photoreceptor gene transcription in vivo, we have employed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays to assess the ability of these proteins to bind to regulatory sequences of photoreceptor genes in the retina of wild-type and mutant mice with photoreceptor degeneration. This paper summarizes the advantages and limitations of ChIP, using examples from our studies to demonstrate how this technique has contributed to our understanding of the regulation of photoreceptor gene expression. We report that Crx, Otx2, Nrl, and Nr2e3 co-occupy the promoter/enhancer, but not the region 3′ of selected Crx target genes, in a retina-specific fashion. We identified Crx-dependent (Nr2e3) and Crx-independent (Otx2 and Nrl) target binding using Crx knockout mice (Crx−/−), suggesting that individual factors may use distinct mechanism(s) for binding and regulating target genes. Consistent with ChIP results, we also found that Otx2, a close family member of Crx, can activate the promoter of rod and cone genes in HEK293 cells, implicating Otx2 in regulating photoreceptor gene expression. These findings provide important information for understanding how photoreceptor transcription factors regulate photoreceptor gene expression and the mechanisms by which mutations in these factors cause transcriptional dysregulation and photoreceptor degeneration.

Inertial fusion energy (IFE) research indicates that the energy generation by means of cryogenic fuel target compression requires that targets must be injected to the target chamber center at a rate of about 6 Hz. This requirement can be fulfilled only if the targets are free-standing. The most interesting results concerning the activity of the Lebedev Physical Institute in the area of free-standing targets (FST) fabrication, characterization and delivery are presented.

Success in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) requires sophisticated, characterized targets. The increasing fidelity of three-dimensional (3D), radiation hydrodynamic computer codes has made it possible to design targets for ICF which can compensate for limitations in the existing single shot laser and Z pinch ICF drivers. Developments in ICF target fabrication technology allow more esoteric target designs to be fabricated. At present, requirements require new deterministic nano-material fabrication on micro scale.

The Target Fabrication Facility (TFF) of an inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant must supply about 500,000 targets per day. The target is injected into the target chamber at a rate of 5–10 Hz and tracked precisely so the heavy ion driver beams can be directed to the target. The feasibility of developing successful fabrication and injection methodologies at the low cost required for energy production (about $0.25/target, approximately 104 times less than current costs) is a critical issue for inertial fusion energy. A significant program is underway to develop the high-volume methods to supply economical IFE targets. This article reviews the requirements for heavy ion driven IFE target fabrication and injection, and presents the current status of and results from the development program. For the first time, an entire pathway from beginning to end is outlined for fabrication of a high-gain, distributed radiator target. A significant development and scale-up program will be necessary to implement this pathway for mass production of IFE targets.

Significant experimental and theoretical progress has been made in the U.S. heavy ion fusion program on high-current sources, transport, and focusing. Currents over 200 mA have been transported through a matching section and 10 half-lattice periods with electric quadrupoles. An experiment shows control of high-beam current with an aperture, while avoiding secondary electrons. New theory and simulations of the neutralization of intense beam space charge with plasma in various focusing chamber configurations predict that near-emittance-limited beam focal spot sizes can be obtained even with beam perveance (ratio of beam space potential to ion energy) >10× higher than in earlier HIF focusing experiments. Progress in a new focusing experiment with plasma neutralization up to 10−3 perveance, and designs for a next-step experiment to study beam brightness evolution from source to target are described.

New chemotherapies are urgently needed for the parasitic infections of animals and for the tropical diseases of man. Rational molecular design approaches to attempt to discover such products require a massive investment of resources up-front of actual chemical synthesis. However, such investment is justified, since chemical synthesis itself is highly resource-consuming. The fact that few targets have yet been validated to justify a rational approach is an argument only to get on and validate more. Not all the components of molecular design can yet be done totally rationally, but this is not an argument against applying this approach where it is possible. Absence of a successful track record is inevitable for any newly emerging technology. It is too early to draw conclusions about the relative costs of rational design versus empirical synthesis, since the former is only now beginning to become reality and the latter is in the middle of a (combinatorial) revolution. Similarly, it is too soon to predict with certainty which of these two approaches will prevail in the long run. However, they lend themselves to parallel tracks, so both may well continue for the foreseeable future. Current concerns about who would develop successful discoveries are not reasons for stopping discovery research. Indeed, a string of putative products held at the discovery/development interface would be useful ammunition to those trying to develop partnerships such as a Tropical Diseases R&D Alliance aimed at carrying out such work and sharing costs.

Trials using deltamethrin impregnated odour-baited targets for control of tsetse, have been running in Galana Ranch on the coastal hitherland since 1986. In July 1988, a similar trial was started in Lambwe Valley, Western Kenya. Glossina pallidipes is the sole vector in the valley and is present in very high densities.

In Galana Ranch trial, octenol and acetone are used as odours while in Lambwe Valley, natural cow urine is used in addition to acetone and octenol. Tsetse population densities were assessed weekly for 3 weeks, before deployment of targets and thereafter at monthly intervals. A herd of cattle is used to monitor the effect of the control measures on disease incidence.

On Galana Ranch, the block where the initial trial began has remained free of G. pallidipes for a period of 3 years. In a period of 9 months in the second year of the trial, the berenil index in a herd of cattle was 0.07 in the controlled area compared to 2.5 in the uncontrolled area.

In Lambwe Valley a 99.9% reduction in trap catches has been observed in most parts of the park at the end of the first year. The berenil index in the cattle has dropped from 6.3 to 0 and there is a general improvementin the health of the animals. Observations are continuing at both sites.