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Suratman Suratman,1,2 Kirstin E Ross,1 Kateryna Babina,1 John William Edwards1 1Health and Environment Group, School of the Environment, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 2School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jenderal Soedirman University, Kampus Karangwangkal, Purwokerto, Indonesia Background: Farmworkers are at risk of exposure to organophosphate pesticides (OPs). Improvements of knowledge and perceptions about organophosphate (OP) exposure may be of benefit for the reduction in OP exposure. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve knowledge and perceptions for reducing OP exposure among Indonesian and South Australian (SA) migrant farmworkers. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. The educational intervention used a method of group communication for 30 Indonesian farmworkers and individual communication for seven SA migrant farmworkers. Knowledge and perceptions about OP exposure were measured pre-intervention and 3 months after the intervention. Results: Unadjusted intervention effects at follow-up showed statistically significantly improved scores of knowledge (both adverse effects of OPs and self-protection from OP exposure), perceived susceptibility, and perceived barriers among Indonesian farmworkers compared with SA migrant farmworkers. Furthermore, these four significant variables in the unadjusted model and the two other variables (perceived severity and perceived benefits) were statistically significant after being adjusted for the level of education and years working as a farmworker. In contrast, knowledge about adverse effects of OPs was the only variable that was statistically significantly improved among SA migrant farmworkers. The results of this study suggests educational interventions using a method of group communication could be more effective than using individual intervention. Conclusion: These improvements provide starting points to change health behavior of farmworkers, particularly to reduce OP exposure, both at the workplace and at home. Keywords: group communication, individual communication, organophosphate pesticide exposure, Indonesian farmworkers, South Australian migrant farmworkers

The AMS Golden Valley laboratory is equipped with two accelerator mass spectrometers: the AMS facility from the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP) and the Mini Carbon Dating System (MICADAS-28) from Ionplus AG and two graphitization systems: the Automated Graphitization Equipment (AGE-3) from Ionplus AG and the Absorption-catalytic setup (ACS) developed at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis (BIC). The ACS was designed for graphite preparation from labeled biomedical samples, dissolved organics, and dissolved or gaseous carbon dioxide but has proven to be suitable for the traditional dating of objects no older than 35,000 years. Here we present two series of AMS data for the samples from Glasgow International Radiocarbon Inter-comparison (GIRI), prepared using AGE-3 and ACS, and then measured on MICADAS-28. The mean value of the background F14C was 0.0024 ± 0.0009 and 0.012 ± 0.003 for AGE-3 and ACS, respectively, and both methods gave reproducible results for the OXI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy is a molecular specific technique which can be used to develop a fundamental biochemical understanding of tissue physiology and pathology. This method is non-invasive and nondestructive: it utilizes a monochromatic light source to determine sample chemical composition. Raman spectroscopy has become widely used in different fields of medicine, including dentistry. The aim of the study is to assess the spectral characteristics (Raman fluorescent components) of dental hard tissues and to evaluate the usability of the method for the assessment of mineralization of dental hard tissues. In the in vitro study, Raman-fluorescent spectroscopy of teeth (incisors, premolars, molars) extracted due to clinical indications was performed. The results of the preliminary study confirmed the advantages of using wet samples for the evaluation, as it allowed to increase the sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, all the teeth used were kept for 30 minutes in deionized water prior to the experiment. Laser spectroscopic complex "InSpectr M" (Russia) with 514 nm wavelength was used. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the content and distribution of hydroxyapatite in sound and demineralized dental hard tissues (enamel, dentin, cement) was performed. According to our results, for all groups the content of hydroxyapatite in enamel, as a more mineralized tissue, was higher, than that in dentin, cement and enamel carious lesions. High sensitivity and rapidity of the method as well as the possibility to quantitatively assess the spectroscopic results were revealed. That allows using Raman spectroscopy in the assessment of mineralization and remineralization of dental hard tissues, effectiveness of remineralizing medications and algorithms of their use in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]