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To test the efficacy of a community-based intervention, Empowering Communities for Life (EC4L), designed to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening through fecal occult blood test (FOBT) in rural underserved communities in a randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized into 3 groups (2 interventions and 1 control). Interventions were delivered by community lay health workers or by academic health professionals. The main outcome of interest was return rate of FOBT screening kit within 60 days. Participants included 330 screening-eligible adults. The overall return rate of FOBT kits within 60 days was 32%. The professional group (Arm 2) had the highest proportion of returned FOBTs within 60 days at 42% (n = 46/110), a significantly higher return rate than the lay group (Arm 1) [28%(n = 29/103);P = 0.0422] or control group (Arm 3) [25%(n = 29/117);P = 0.0099]. Thus, one arm (Arm 2) of our intervention produced significantly higher CRC screening through FOBT. Community-based participation partnered with academic health professionals enhanced CRC screening among rural and poor-resourced communities.

Precision public health requires research that supports innovative systems and health delivery approaches, programs, and policies that are part of this vision. This study estimated the effects of health insurance mandate (HiM) variations and the effects of physician utilization on moderating colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates. A time-series analysis using a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) approach was conducted on CRC screenings (1997–2014) using a multivariate logistic framework. Key variables of interest were HiM, CRC screening status, and physician utilization. The adjusted average marginal effects from the DDD model indicate that physician utilization increased the probability of being “up-to-date” vs. non-compliance by 9.9% points (p = 0.007), suggesting that an estimated 8.85 million additional age-eligible persons would receive a CRC screening with HiM and routine physician visits. Routine physician visits and mandates that lower out-of-pocket expenses constitute an effective approach to increasing CRC screenings for persons ready to take advantage of such policies.

Tree restoration on degraded land has been identified as an effective and affordable capture carbon strategy but it is unclear if carbon sequestration rates are comparable to rates on non-industrially impacted silvicultural forests. To this end, we resampled a jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and red pine (P. resinosa) chronosequence 16 years after the initial measurement to quantify carbon pools following ca. 40 years of regreening on an acid and metal impacted landscape. Measured carbon pools were then compared to those reported in an unpublished study to determine how carbon sequestration rates have changed over time and if repeated sampling at the stand level validates temporal trends estimated by the chronosequence. Total ecosystem carbon (TEC) within the stands ranged from 55 to 136 Mg ha−1 with a regional mean of 90.2 ± 9.6 Mg ha−1. On average, tree and soil organic pools (SOC) were the two largest carbon pools, representing 47% and 42% of TEC, respectively. Compared with unplanted sites, tree restoration resulted in a significant increase in the mean TEC among all sites of 54.4 ± 10.2 Mg ha−1 with a corresponding sequestration rate of 1.7 ± 0.3 Mg ha−1 yr−1. The chronosequence approach was only able to consistently detect a change in the tree carbon pool. In contrast, repeated sampling at the stand level identified changes in carbon sequestration rates within SOC, LFH and shrub carbon pools and showed that the chronosequence tree carbon sequestration rate was underestimated by a factor of 2.3. Chronosequence studies assume study sites have similar landscape history and environmental conditions, which may not be reasonable in highly degraded landscapes where past events (e.g., pollution, erosion, restoration) influence multiple landscape characteristics (e.g., local hydrology and topography). We conclude that tree restoration on impacted landscapes can sequester carbon at a rate comparable to silvicultural plantations in a similar climatic region and that reforestation of industrially damaged landscapes could be part of an effective carbon capture strategy.

This collection comprises twenty most-read posts published on the Oxford Business Law Blog in 2018. The individual contributions cover issues such as blockchain technology and cryptoassets, financial services, corporate law, and autonomous systems. In this context, and for reasons of coherence and consistency, the pieces included in this paper are arranged in a thematic order.

Peatlands are large repositories of atmospheric carbon and concern has been raised over the stability of this carbon store because increasing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations have been observed in peatland drainage waters. A number of potential causes have been proposed in the literature, and conflicting results among studies conducted at different spatial and temporal scales suggest that the methodological approach may be an important confounding factor. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of moisture and temperature on DOC release from a south-central Ontario peatland during the fall (a major export period) following three commonly used approaches: laboratory microcosms, an intensive field study and analysis of long-term data (1980-2008). The effect of variations in temperature and moisture differed among microcosm, field study and analysis of the long-term record. Water content was important at the microcosm scale as DOC concentration and aromaticity increased with peat water-saturation. Drought caused a decrease in DOC concentration and pH, and an increase in sulphate and base cation concentrations. In contrast, the field study indicated that DOC concentration was strongly associated with temperature, and weakly correlated (negatively) with stream discharge. Average fall DOC concentration (but not export) increased over the 29 year record, and was correlated with fall discharge and precipitation (negative) and summer precipitation and fall stream pH (positive). As no common strong predictor of fall DOC was found at three scales of investigation at a single, well-studied site, it may be unreasonable to expect to identify a universal driver behind the widespread increase in DOC concentration.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of P50 auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) with and without depression (DEP). Design: Cross-sectional descriptive. Setting: Outpatient clinic of Veterans Affairs hospital. Participants: 42 subjects (23 women, 19 men) with CLBP. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: P50 AEP habituation (a measure of sensory gating). Pairs of click stimuli at interstimulus intervals of 250, 500, and 1000ms were presented at a 0.2-Hz rate. Results: Subjects with CLBP were compared with 37 subjects (18 men, 19 women) without CLBP and 6 subjects (all men) with depression. 20 of 42 subjects with CLBP also had depression (CLBP+DEP); 8 of 20 were taking antidepressant medications (CLBP+DEP+med). Statistics were done using analyses of variance. At the 250 interstimulus interval, all control groups had a higher percentage of habituation than the experimental groups. At the 500 interstimulus interval, CLBP+DEP subject habituation was 53%±6% compared with controls at 34%±6% (P=.0312); CLBP+DEP+meds was 43%±8% compared with CLBP+DEP+no meds at 67%±6% (P=.0026); CLBP+DEP+meds compared with depression only at 65%±29% (P=.04). At the 1000 interstimulus interval, CLBP+DEP+no meds was 84%±9% compared with control subjects at 52%±10% (P=.0343), and CLBP+DEP+meds was 54%±9% compared with CLBP+DEP+no meds at 84%±9% (P=.0466). There were no significant differences between those with CLBP only and age- and gender-matched control subjects. Conclusions: There was decreased habituation (inhibition) of the P50 AEP in patients with CLBP+DEP compared with those with CLBP only or controls. Antidepressant medications normalize this decreased habituation, which presumably leads to sensory-gating deficits. Patients with CLBP+DEP may be distractible and less able to disregard incoming sensory information, including painful sensations.