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The development of graphene-polymer nanocomposite materials has been hindered by issues such as poor colloidal stability of graphene in liquid media, weak interactions between graphene and the host polymers as well as the lack of scalable and economical graphene synthesis routes. Chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) can spontaneously disperse graphene without the need for mechanical agitation, chemical functionalisation or surfactant stabilisation,1 however is incompatible with most polymers and organic materials. Here, we demonstrate how poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) - the polymer which constitutes Kevlar - can be co-processed with graphene in CSA and wet-spun into nanocomposite fibres with minimal aggregation of graphene.

Timely access to health services is an expectation of consumers in every developed country and is the topic examined in this issue of Longwoods Review -our focus on policy.Authors Baker and Schwartz discuss the issue of waiting times for cancer services in Ontario.They indicate that as the population ages there is increasing demand for services so there is a need for a system of queuing or prioritizing those in need of services using formal criteria.The problem is particularly challenging for cancer services where patients are sick and anxious to receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible.The purpose of this paper is to describe the Ontario situation and to examine the experience of other countries in dealing with the same problem.Baker and Schwartz describe three approaches to waiting lists: measure and monitor them; improve or expand the services; and system redesign to improve coordination of services.They suggest three critical steps in dealing with waiting list problems:(1) engage experts who have had experience in solving this type of problem; (2) find local champions who are willing to participate; and (3) carry out pilot work to test solutions.Commentators on the Baker and Schwartz paper are Glynn who describes the approaches used in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, and Lewis who provides insights from New Zealand.Lewis concludes: "… in a just and well-ordered system, all waits should be insignificantly long."Food for thought.

paper, "Prevention: Delivering the Goods," with its focus on prevention, is very timely as current developments in infectious diseases, in particular SARS, bring the field of public health to the forefront.Excellence in public health practices is easily overlooked or taken for grantedyet, safe water, air, food and other environmental factors are essential to our survival.Frank and Di Ruggiero ask why prevention has been so slow to have a major effect.The authors are eminently qualified to answer such a question because of their wealth of experience and education in disease prevention and health promotion.As they point out, it is not exactly clear what is meant by "good" preventive practice.We all know from personal experiences how confusing expert opinion can be.For example, if we want to reduce our probability or risk of heart failure we are advised to do a combination of the following: eat healthily (which can be interpreted in many ways -lower fat intake, no red meat, eat lots of fruit and vegetables), lose weight, exercise regularly (varying advice about how much and what type), take aspirin daily and/or a wide variety of other dietary supplements.Add these probabilities together and follow the advice, we should all live to over 100, but we all know that is unlikely.Frank and Di Ruggiero attribute the lack of progress in prevention to our "premature enthusiasm" for new approaches and the constant search for a magic bullet.In terms of healthy behaviours, we may all have good intentions, but unfortunately we let things slide.The authors remind us how challenging it is to carry out simple preventive practices such as forgetting to floss or brush our teeth..Even more difficult is trying to change a behaviour such as smoking, even though the evidence against it is clear.Prevention may be better than cure, but we are all vulnerable to effects of genetics and social circumstances.Frank and Di Ruggiero stress the importance of opening up a public dialogue if we want large-scale prevention to work.They make a case for multiple interventions, at both the individual and community levels, to make the culture more receptive to change.We all have a great deal to learn about how to make the case for prevention stick.