Probing the momentum relaxation time of charge carriers in ultrathin semiconductor layers

We report on a terahertz time-domain technique for measuring the momentum relaxation time of charge carriers in ultrathin semiconductor layers. The phase sensitive modulation technique directly provides the relaxation time. Time-resolved THz experiments were performed on n-doped GaAs and show precise agreement with data obtained by electrical characterization. The technique is well suited for studying novel materials where parameters such as the charge carriers' effective mass or the carrier density are not known a priori

Random Sample Community-Based Health Surveys: Does the Effort to Reach Participants Matter?

Objectives: Conducting health surveys with community-based random samples are essential to capture an otherwise unreachable population, but these surveys can be biased if the effort to reach participants is insufficient. This study determines the desirable amount of effort to minimise such bias. Design: A household-based health survey with random sampling and face-to-face interviews. Up to 11 visits, organised by canvassing rounds, were made to obtain an interview. Setting: Single-family homes in an underserved and understudied population in North Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. Participants: Of a probabilistic sample of 2200 household addresses, 30 corresponded to empty lots, 74 were abandoned houses, 625 households declined to participate and 265 could not be reached and interviewed within 11 attempts. Analyses were performed on the 1206 remaining households. Primary outcome: Each household was asked if any of their members had been told by a doctor that they had high blood pressure, heart disease including heart attack, cancer, diabetes, anxiety/ depression, obesity or asthma. Responses to these questions were analysed by the number of visit attempts needed to obtain the interview. Results: Return per visit fell below 10% after four attempts, below 5% after six attempts and below 2% after eight attempts. As the effort increased, household size decreased, while household income and the percentage of interviewees active and employed increased; proportion of the seven health conditions decreased, four of which did so significantly: heart disease 20.4–9.2%, high blood pressure 63.5–58.1%, anxiety/depression 24.4–9.2% and obesity 21.8–12.6%. Beyond the fifth attempt, however, cumulative percentages varied by less than 1% and precision varied by less than 0.1%. Conclusions: In spite of the early and steep drop, sustaining at least five attempts to reach participants is necessary to reduce selection bias

Workshop "The Contribution of Organic Agriculture to the SDGs: Scientific evidence from comparative research"

The workshop was hosted by the European Commission in the Albert Borschette Conference Centre and took place between 9:30am and 5pm. During the workshop, FiBL scientists presented their results of FiBL flagship projects in regard to the contribution of organic agriculture to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These results were discussed first by a scientific panel and finally by a policy panel that put together the most relevant institutions in the field of sustainable development. Moderators • Frank Eyhorn, IFOAM – Organics International/Helvetas • Gurbir Bhullar, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland Speakers • Urs Niggli, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland • Beate Huber, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland • Irene Kadzere, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland • Noah Adamtey, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland • Christian Schader, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland • Adrian Mueller, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland • Veronica Seufert, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam • Stéphane Bellon, French National Institute for Agricultural Research, INRA • Bram Moeskops, IFOAM EU • Carolina Starr, Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) • Wilem Olthof, Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), European Commission • Maria Heubuch, Member of the European Parliament, The Greens/European Free Allianc

Factors Affecting Compliance With Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Households Residing in the Largely Haitian Community of Little Haiti, Miami-Dade County, Florida

The United States Black population is disproportionately affected by colorectal cancer (CRC) in terms of incidence and mortality. Studies suggest that screening rates are lower among Blacks compared with non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). However, studies on CRC screening within Black subgroups are lacking. This study examined disparities in blood stool test (BST) compliance and colonoscopy use by race/ethnicity (Haitian, NHW, non-Hispanic Black [NHB], and Hispanic) among randomly selected households in Little Haiti, Miami-Dade County, Florida.This study used cross-sectional, health and wellness data from a random-sample, population-based survey conducted within 951 households in Little Haiti between November 2011 and December 2012. BST compliance and colonoscopy use were self-reported and defined, conservatively, as the use of BST within the past 2 years and the ever use of colonoscopy by any household member. Factors associated with BST compliance and colonoscopy use were identified using logistic regression models. Analyses were restricted to households containing at least 1 member ≥50 years (n = 666).Nearly half of the households were compliant with BST (rate [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 45% [41%-49%]) and completed colonoscopy (rate [95% CI] = 53% [49%-58%]). Compliance with BST was not associated with race/ethnicity (P = 0.76). Factors independently associated with BST compliance included low educational attainment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.63, P = 0.03), being single (AOR = 0.47, P = 0.004), retirement (AOR = 1.96, P = 0.01), and the presence of diagnosed health problems (AOR = 1.24, P = 0.01). Colonoscopy use was lower among Haitian households (46%) compared with NHW (63%), NHB (62%), and Hispanic households (54%) (P = 0.002). Factors independently associated with colonoscopy use included identifying as NHB (compared with Haitian) (AOR = 1.80, P = 0.05), being single (AOR = 0.44, P = 0.001), retirement (AOR = 1.86, P = 0.02), lack of continuous insurance (AOR = 0.45, P \u3c 0.001), and the presence of diagnosed health problems (AOR = 1.44, P \u3c 0.001) and physical limitations/disabilities (AOR = 1.88, P = 0.05).Compliance with BST and use of colonoscopy are low within households in the Little Haiti community. Significant disparities in the use of colonoscopy exist between Haitian and NHB households. Barriers and facilitators of colonoscopy within each racial/ethnic group need to be identified as the next step to developing culturally appropriate, community-based interventions aimed at increasing colonoscopy use in this large minority population

Food systems and farmers’ bargaining power: The case of "Unfair Trade Practices" in the EU

EU agricultural policies have often been formulated from an “orthodox approach”, without directly tackling the issue of markets structure that tend to lower the power and economic welfare of farmers. This situation reveals a need to better comprehend the long-standing dynamics and processes determining the structural position of farmers to find suitable strategies for pushing forward more sustainable food value chain models. Classical and neo-classical economic approaches to the problem often consider Unfair Trade Practices (UTP) as only cyclical phenomenon caused by temporary disequilibrium on the market. Market forces are intended to stabilise prices and to balance power among value chain actors. Such approaches underestimate the role played for example by capital accumulation in EU food systems. Alternative and more complex analytical frameworks, for instance the Marxist or Chayanovian perspectives, need to be developed to better understand factors determining the lack of power and the weak position of farmers in food value chains, including the way the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been influencing and could be impacting these aspects in the future. New approaches for dealing with UTP should also be developed to find innovative solutions being able to develop a more sustainable food system. This paper raises the crucial need of increasing awareness and informing policy-makers on potential new policy instruments and tools that could be used to address this problem of power imbalance and of inadequate governance schemes weakening the position of farmers in food value chains and causing or aggravating agricultural crises. The paper aims to outline suggestions to bring this research topic into strategic plans for future EU farming systems

Food systems and farmers’ bargaining power: The case of "Unfair Trade Practices" in the EU

EU agricultural policies have often been formulated from an “orthodox approach”, without directly tackling the issue of markets structure that tend to lower the power and economic welfare of farmers. This situation reveals a need to better comprehend the long-standing dynamics and processes determining the structural position of farmers to find suitable strategies for pushing forward more sustainable food value chain models. Classical and neo-classical economic approaches to the problem often consider Unfair Trade Practices (UTP) as only cyclical phenomenon caused by temporary disequilibrium on the market. Market forces are intended to stabilise prices and to balance power among value chain actors. Such approaches underestimate the role played for example by capital accumulation in EU food systems. Alternative and more complex analytical frameworks, for instance the Marxist or Chayanovian perspectives, need to be developed to better understand factors determining the lack of power and the weak position of farmers in food value chains, including the way the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been influencing and could be impacting these aspects in the future. New approaches for dealing with UTP should also be developed to find innovative solutions being able to develop a more sustainable food system. This paper raises the crucial need of increasing awareness and informing policy-makers on potential new policy instruments and tools that could be used to address this problem of power imbalance and of inadequate governance schemes weakening the position of farmers in food value chains and causing or aggravating agricultural crises. The paper aims to outline suggestions to bring this research topic into strategic plans for future EU farming systems

In-hospital mortality of non-st segment elevation myocardial infarction in a Puerto Rican population

Introduction: Currently, there is limited published information on in-hospital mortality regarding ST segment elevation and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. This information is even scarcer on the Hispanic population. We aim to study if there is a difference on in-hospital mortality between ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in a mostly Hispanic population. Methods: A secondary data analysis of a non-concurrent prospective study was performed using the Puerto Rican Heart Attack study database. Dependent variable was in-hospital mortality and independent variable was type of myocardial infarction (STEMI or NSTEMI). We conducted, sequentially, a descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis. The chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. Finally, a logistic regression model was used to perform the multivariate analysis. Results: From the 838 Puerto Rican patients hospitalized with ST classification, 310 (37%) were diagnosed with STEMI. Patients with STEMI were younger (65 years vs 68 years; p=0.008), more likely to receive invasive treatment (47.9% vs 27.5%, p<0.001), and less likely to have a history of hypertension (72.5% vs 79.0%, p=0.033) compared to NSTEMI patients. For every 1- year increase in age, there is a 4% increase in in-hospital mortality. Patients with hyperlipidemia were approximately two times more likely to die in the hospital compared to patients without hyperlipidemia. In the unadjusted analysis, there was no significant association between STEMI and NSTEMI patients and in-hospital mortality. After adjusting for confounders, patients with STEMI had twice the risk of dying than those with NSTEMI. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that Puerto Ricans with STEMI have double the risk of in-hospital mortality than NSTEMI patients. Our findings were similar to those reported in the literature. A timely recognition of at-risk patients, especially among STEMI patients, may help reduce short-term morality among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Puerto Rico

Hispanic ethnicity and survival in pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia (all) patients in Florida

Introduction: Pediatric cancer mortality rates have drastically declined according to analyzed population-based surveillance data; however, incidences of most childhood cancers continue to rise. Recent studies have indicated an association between ethnicity/race and cancer survival. Florida's ethnically/racially diverse population and surging pediatric cancer incidence characterize the state as an ideal setting to study the association between ethnicity/race and pediatric cancer survival. Objective: To determine whether or not an association exists between Hispanic ethnicity and cancer survival in a Floridian population of pediatric patients with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Methods: We will use data from participants 18 years or younger of Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS). Cox-proportional hazard regression was used to assess independent association between Hispanic ethnicity and time to death (time interval from diagnose of ALL to the last patient contact, as recorded in the database). Survival status (death or alive) was assessed at the date of last contact. Those who are alive at last contact were then censored. Results: In the unadjusted model, ethnicity was not associated with risk of death (HR= 0.87, 95% CI=0.73 - 1.04). After adjustment for sex, race, age at diagnosis, insurance status, geographic area, and immunophenotype) the results showed again no association between Hispanic ethnicity and survival (HR = 1.19, 95% CI=0.82 - 1.72). Conclusions: We found no evidence for differences in survival based on ethnic status. Potential difference in racial-survival disparities in pediatric ALL within various geographic regions might depend on Hispanic ancestries or cancer type. Further research on the topic is still deemed necessary as to clarify the nature of the association between ethnicity and cancer survival