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Organophosphate (OP) and organophosphate ester (OPE) adducts of albumin are valuable biomarkers for retrospective verification of exposure. In the present study, our goal was to determine whether OPE flame retardants (OPE FRs) and OPE plasticizers can covalently bind to human serum albumin (HSA), which would allow the resulting adducts to be used to evaluate exposure. Eleven OPE FRs and plasticizers were examined in a HSA-adduct in vitro assay. Pure HSA was incubated with the target OPEs, as well as with an OP insecticide (profenofos) positive control. After enzymatic cleavage with pepsin or Glu-C, the digested albumin was analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-ToF-MS). Under optimized HSA assay conditions, tyrosine adducts were formed at Y411 and Y148/Y150 with a characteristic mass shift for phosphorylation (Δm/z 166) for the profenofos positive control. However, no such phosphorylated peptides were detected for the 11 target OPEs. This negative result suggests that these OPEs have very different affinities from the OP insecticide. They are less reactive or they may specifically interact with other proteins.

As neglected tropical disease programs rely on participation in rounds of mass drug administration (MDA), there is concern that individuals who have never been treated could contribute to ongoing transmission, posing a barrier to elimination. Previous research has suggested that the size and characteristics of the never-treated population may be important but have not been sufficiently explored. To address this critical knowledge gap, four meetings were held from December 2020 to May 2021 to compile expert knowledge on never treatment in lymphatic filariasis (LF) MDA programs. The meetings explored four questions: the number and proportion of people never treated, their sociodemographic characteristics, their infection status and the reasons why they were not treated. Meeting discussions noted key issues requiring further exploration, including how to standardize measurement of the never treated, adapt and use existing tools to capture never-treated data and ensure representation of never-treated people in data collection. Recognizing that patterns of never treatment are situation specific, participants noted measurement should be quick, inexpensive and focused on local solutions. Furthermore, programs should use existing data to generate mathematical models to understand what levels of never treatment may compromise LF elimination goals or trigger programmatic action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesTo investigate whether midlife and older women who reported prior-year physical abuse, verbal abuse, or both abuse types had higher mortality risk than peers who did not report prior-year abuse.DesignRetrospective analysis.SettingCommunity.ParticipantsOne hundred sixty-thousand six hundred seventy-six community-dwelling women ages 50 to 79 at baseline enrolled in one of two major Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study components who responded to baseline abuse questions. Observational study enrollment was N=93,676 (1994-1998; 90 months average follow-up). Clinical trial enrollment was N=68,132 (1993-1998; 96 months average follow-up).MeasurementsTotal mortality was measured from 1993 to 2005 using all available data sources. Blinded physician adjudicators measured cause-specific mortality. Ninety-six percent of death records were adjudicated.ResultsPrior-year self-reported abuse prevalence was 11.3%. Women who reported physical abuse had the highest age-adjusted mortality rate, followed by women who reported both abuse types. Abuse independently predicted mortality risk after controlling for age, education, ethnicity, and WHI component. High mortality risk remained for physically abused women (hazard ratio (HR)=1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.09-2.18) after adjusting for demographic and health-related factors. Further adjustment for psychosocial variables diminished this association (HR=1.40, 95% CI=0.93-2.11), but high risk remained.ConclusionCommunity-dwelling middle-aged and older women who reported prior-year physical, verbal, or both types of abuse had significantly higher adjusted mortality risk than women who did not report abuse. These findings highlight the need for longitudinal research into prevention of abuse in later life and accompanying excess mortality and emphasize the importance of abuse prevention in later life.

This article reports on the outcomes of a study that used functional communication training (FCT) with two students, (ages 6 and 15) with autism and severe mental retardation, to add information to a database assessing the potential generalized effects of FCT and to examine the role that contingencies for appropriate and problem behaviors play in achieving outcomes. (Contains references.) (LC/Author)

Surveys faculty from 21 midwestern universities to determine whether gender influences academic performance and scholarly writing. Finds that, although women and men in this survey reported publishing similar amounts, women were less likely than men to be associate or full professors. Finds men more likely than women to perceive family responsibilities as constraints on their scholarly writing. (SR)

Rose Hill Plantation, located in Union South Carolina, along the banks of the Tyger River, and surrounded by Sumter National Forest, originally served as the home of William Henry Gist, a wealthy upstate South Carolinian and the secession Governor. At its peak, the plantation held 150+ enslaved laborers. This work explores the potential for documentary filmmaking to reshape public memory and challenge dominant narratives surrounding American history. Drawing on the example of Restoring Rose Hill, a participatory documentary about the legacy of slavery at this former Confederate plantation, documentary functions as a tool for generating dialogue and communicating alternative histories. Using feminist and participatory video frameworks, the film highlights the complex histories of marginalized groups that have been left out of official memorialization efforts, while also exposing the challenges of negotiating contested and uncomfortable pasts. Ultimately, documentary offers a unique opportunity to address pressing issues of injustice and inequality by using storytelling to create more inclusive visions of collective memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a 29-item annotated bibliography of empirical research from the 1980s on gender as a variable in managerial communication. (SR)

The Archean-Proterozoic transition is characterized by the widespread deposition of organic-rich shale, sedimentary iron formation, glacial diamictite, and marine carbonates recording profound carbon isotope anomalies, but notably lacks bedded evaporites. All deposits reflect environmental changes in oceanic and atmospheric redox states, in part associated with Earth's earliest ice ages. Time-series data for multiple sulfur isotopes from carbonate-associated sulfate as well as sulfides in sediments of the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa, capture the concomitant buildup of sulfate in the ocean and the loss of atmospheric mass-independent sulfur isotope fractionation. In phase with sulfur is the earliest recorded positive carbon isotope anomaly, convincingly linking these environmental perturbations to the Great Oxidation Event (ca. 2.3 Ga).