Who Tests, Who Doesn't, and Why? Uptake of Mobile HIV Counseling and Testing in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania

BACKGROUND: Optimally, expanded HIV testing programs should reduce barriers to testing while attracting new and high-risk testers. We assessed barriers to testing and HIV risk among clients participating in mobile voluntary counseling and testing (MVCT) campaigns in four rural villages in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. METHODS: Between December 2007 and April 2008, 878 MVCT participants and 506 randomly selected community residents who did not access MVCT were surveyed. Gender-specific logistic regression models were used to describe differences in socioeconomic characteristics, HIV exposure risk, testing histories, HIV related stigma, and attitudes toward testing between MVCT participants and community residents who did not access MVCT. Gender-specific logistic regression models were used to describe differences in socioeconomic characteristics, HIV exposure risk, testing histories, HIV related stigma, and attitudes toward testing, between the two groups. RESULTS: MVCT clients reported greater HIV exposure risk (OR 1.20 [1.04 to 1.38] for males; OR 1.11 [1.03 to 1.19] for females). Female MVCT clients were more likely to report low household expenditures (OR 1.47 [1.04 to 2.05]), male clients reported higher rates of unstable income sources (OR 1.99 [1.22 to 3.24]). First-time testers were more likely than non-testers to cite distance to testing sites as a reason for not having previously tested (OR 2.17 [1.05 to 4.48] for males; OR 5.95 [2.85 to 12.45] for females). HIV-related stigma, fears of testing or test disclosure, and not being able to leave work were strongly associated with non-participation in MVCT (ORs from 0.11 to 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: MVCT attracted clients with increased exposure risk and fewer economic resources; HIV related stigma and testing-related fears remained barriers to testing. MVCT did not disproportionately attract either first-time or frequent repeat testers. Educational campaigns to reduce stigma and fears of testing could improve the effectiveness of MVCT in attracting new and high-risk populations

ARTEFACTS: How do we want to deal with the future of our one and only planet?

The European Commission’s Science and Knowledge Service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), decided to try working hand-in-hand with leading European science centres and museums. Behind this decision was the idea that the JRC could better support EU Institutions in engaging with the European public. The fact that European Union policies are firmly based on scientific evidence is a strong message which the JRC is uniquely able to illustrate. Such a collaboration would not only provide a platform to explain the benefits of EU policies to our daily lives but also provide an opportunity for European citizens to engage by taking a more active part in the EU policy making process for the future. A PILOT PROGRAMME To test the idea, the JRC launched an experimental programme to work with science museums: a perfect partner for three compelling reasons. Firstly, they attract a large and growing number of visitors. Leading science museums in Europe have typically 500 000 visitors per year. Furthermore, they are based in large European cities and attract local visitors as well as tourists from across Europe and beyond. The second reason for working with museums is that they have mastered the art of how to communicate key elements of sophisticated arguments across to the public and making complex topics of public interest readily accessible. That is a high-value added skill and a crucial part of the valorisation of public-funded research, never to be underestimated. Finally museums are, at present, undergoing something of a renaissance. Museums today are vibrant environments offering new techniques and technologies to both inform and entertain, and attract visitors of all demographics.JRC.H.2-Knowledge Management Methodologies, Communities and Disseminatio

La dynamique de la pinède à crochets des hauts-plateaux

Ostermann Ole. La dynamique de la pinède à crochets des hauts-plateaux. In: Revue de géographie alpine, tome 78, n°4, 1990. pp. 52-55

Etude de la valeur pastorale des paturages d'altitude

Pauthenet Yves, Ostermann Ole. Etude de la valeur pastorale des paturages d'altitude. In: Revue de géographie alpine, tome 78, n°4, 1990. pp. 46-51

Les études de gestion des territoires pastoraux fragiles

Ostermann Ole, Pauthenet Yves, Cornut Guylaine. Les études de gestion des territoires pastoraux fragiles. In: Revue de géographie alpine, tome 78, n°4, 1990. pp. 42-45

Assessing biodiversity loss due to land use with Life Cycle Assessment: Are we there yet?

Ecosystems are under increasing pressure from human activities, with land use and land use change on the forefront of drivers promoting global and regional biodiversity loss. The challenge of reversing the negative outlook for the coming years starts at measuring loss rates and assigning responsibilities. The effects of land use on biodiversity dynamics are complex, and so pinpointing the main pressures to the state of biodiversity at the global scale is a task for holistic models such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which is the leading method for calculating cradle-to-grave environmental impacts of products and services. LCA is actively promoted by many public policies and is part of environmental information systems in private companies. It already deals with potential biodiversity impacts from land use but there are significant obstacles to overcome before LCA models grasp the full reach of the phenomena involved. We discuss some pressing issues to solve. LCA introduces biodiversity as an endpoint category modeled as a loss in species richness due to transformation and occupation of land extending in time and space. Functional and population effects are mostly absent due to the emphasis on species accumulation with limited geographic and taxonomical reach. Current land use modeling with biodiversity indicators simplifies the real dynamics and complexity of interactions among species and with their habitats. We systematically reviewed all LCA studies on land use with findings in global change and conservation ecology to identify the main areas for improvement. To finalize, we provided indications on how to address some issues raised. If such task is successful, companies will start monitoring the impacts scattered in many locations along increasingly globalized supply chains and take definite steps towards addressing the impacts caused by land use.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

Report on the European Workshop on Analytical Methods for the Determination of Acrylamide in Food Products, 28-29 April 2003, Oud-Turnhout (B)

Abstract not availableJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel

Overview of Acrylamide Monitoring Database

Since high acrylamide levels in carbohydrate-rich food were reported in 2002, many research activities were started in order to gain knowledge on occurrence, formation and prevention of this compound in food products. Among them, monitoring programs were conducted in many countries worldwide by official bodies as well as by the food industry. National and international bodies set up monitoring databases. In 2003, both the European Commission and the World Health Organization posted calls for data and placed their spreadsheets for the submission of data on the Web. The goal of the databases is to collect data for a reliable estimation of the exposure of consumers to acrylamide via the food chain. This paper describes the assessment of the data quality and outlines the composition of the data ain the 2 databases, to date.JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit