An investigation into the role of place attachment within extreme sport tourism

Extreme sport participation is a growing phenomenon, both in terms of active and passive consumption. Nevertheless this growth is not mirrored in the academic literature where a clear dearth in research into extreme sport tourism consumption is evident. The conceptualisation of sport tourism is of a unique interaction of three components, namely: activity, people and place, although some argue that the role of place is unclear. Place, within a tourism context, is concerned with the destination within which the tourist activity takes place and is linked to attachment and destination loyalty. As the role of place within sport tourism is ambiguous, it is similarly unclear as to what constitutes attachment within sport tourism consumption. This study in responding to calls for research within the context of extreme sports seeks to identify the factors which influence attachment within an extreme sport tourism context. The study is based on the 2014 Isle of Man TT motorcycle race and contributes to the wider understanding of the components of attachment. From this study we propose the development of a theoretical model for researchers who wish to better understand the role of place within an extreme sport tourism context

The use of a computerised decision aid (DA) to inform the decision process on adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II colorectal cancer: development and preliminary evaluation

Objectives: To develop a computerised decision aid (DA) to inform the decision process on adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Stage II colorectal cancer, and examine perceived usefulness, acceptability and areas for improvement of the DA. Design: Mixed methods. Setting: Single outpatient oncology department in central London. Participants: Consecutive recruitment of 13 patients with Stage II colorectal cancer, 12 of whom completed the study. Inclusion criteria were: age >18 years; complete resection for stage II adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum; patients within 14-56 days after surgery; no contraindication to adjuvant chemotherapy; able to give written informed consent. Exclusion criterion: previous chemotherapy. Primary outcomes: Patient perceived usefulness (assessed by the PrepDM questionnaire) and acceptability of the DA. Results: Perceived usefulness of the DA in preparing the patient to communicate with their doctor and make a health decision (PrepDM scores) were above those reported in other patient groups. Patient acceptability scores were also high, however interviews showed there was evidence of a lack of understanding of key information among some patients, in particular: their baseline risk of recurrence, the net benefit of combination chemotherapy, and the rationale for having chemotherapy when the cancer had apparently gone. Conclusions: Patients found the DA acceptable and useful in supporting their decision about whether or not to have adjuvant chemotherapy. Suggested improvements for the DA include: sequential presentation of treatment options (e.g. no treatment vs. one drug, one drug vs. two drugs) to enhance patient understanding of the difference between combination and single therapy, diagrams to help patients understand the rationale for chemotherapy to prevent a recurrence, and inbuilt checks on patient understanding of baseline risk of recurrence and net benefit of chemotherapy

Molecularly imprinted polymer beads for nicotine recognition prepared by RAFT precipitation polymerization: a step forward towards multifunctionalities

A nicotine imprinted polymer was synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer. The resulting molecularly imprinted polymers were monodispersed beads with an average diameter of 1.55 mu m. The molecular selectivity of the imprinted polymer beads was evaluated by studying the uptake of nicotine and its structural analogs by the polymer beads. Equilibrium binding results indicate that the amount of nicotine bound to the imprinted polymer beads is significantly higher than that bound to the non-imprinted polymer in both acetonitrile and in a mixture of acetonitrile and water. The RAFT reagent present on the surface of the polymer beads allowed straightforward grafting of hydrophilic polymer brushes on the particle surface. In addition to the demonstrated molecular selectivity and the straightforward surface modification of the imprinted polymer beads, we also show that the dithioester end groups on the surface of the polymer beads can be converted into new thiol groups without sacrificing the specific molecular recognition. Through the new terminal thiol groups, a fluorescent dye was conveniently conjugated to the imprinted polymer beads via Michael addition reaction. The living characteristic of RAFT and the versatile thiol groups that can be derived from the RAFT reagent provide many new possibilities for realizing multi-functionalities for molecularly imprinted polymers