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African American (AA) women confront distinct disparities in breast cancer rates, and the impact of their living environment is unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between breast cancer incidence and environmental factors among a high-risk female population. The study recruited 355 AA women ages 20–88 in Memphis from 2016–2018. Their addresses were geocoded and linked to environmental and socioeconomic data. The final dataset contained 50 cases and 157 controls. Associations between breast cancer incidence and social and environmental factors were examined using logistic regression. Spatial analysis in ArcGIS showed that cases clustered in Southwest Memphis. Proximity to traffic and Superfund sites had odds ratios of 1.636 (95% CI: 25 1.046, 2.560) and 12.262 (95% CI: 1.814, 82.864), respectively. Mediating analyses further revealed that environmental inequities contributed significantly to breast cancer inequalities. In conclusion, the built environment plays a role in breast cancer onset among AA females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic solvents are used in almost every industry currently in operation. Their key advantage, being easily removed from products, is overshadowed by the issues associated with their vapour emissions, inhalation risks, smog formation, and flammability. There is, therefore, a dire need for replacement solvents that are much less volatile and yet are as easily removed from products. Switchable-hydrophilicity solvents (SHS) meet this need. SHS are solvents that alternate between water-miscible and water-immiscible states upon the application of a trigger. Carbon dioxide functions as the trigger, as it acidifies the solution and causes protonation of the switchable solvent, which in the past has almost always been a liquid amine. Anionic SHS (ASHS) systems, a recently discovered variation on the idea of an SHS, consist of a hydrophobic carboxylic acid paired with a water-soluble base. In these systems, the low miscibility carboxylic acid (in its neutral state) is combined with a base dissolved in water. Avery small number of ASHS have been reported, but they can only function in the presence of an amine and an unacceptably large excess of water. We sought an SHS that has as little toxicity as possible, and for that reason, we preferred one that contains no amine at all. We now report that the combination of branched carboxylic acids and a substoichiometric quantity of either NaHCO3 or NaOH forms an SHS with very little toxicity and does not require a large excess of water. Two applications of these new switchable solvents are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accreditation has always been an important issue for school psychology training programs. Most university training programs are accredited and governed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Although there are many advantages of NASP approval and accreditation, there are also challenges. Within the current study, NASP-accredited and non-accredited school psychology university program coordinators were surveyed in order to explore their perceptions about the NASP approval and accreditation process. Results yielded an overall fair perception of the NASP approval and accreditation process, including several advantages, such as recruitment for students and assistance with structuring the program. Nevertheless, some barriers were indicated with the approval and accreditation process, including time-consuming documentation and a gap between training and practice. Implication for training and limitations are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Multiple Streams Framework offers a theoretical account of how policy proposals move from latent possibilities to becoming favored for implementation. We apply this framework in the context of the policy response to the 2013–2014 flooding of the Somerset Levels and Moors. Stakeholder interviews and analysis of news media coverage evidence the way in which a specific policy option that had fallen out of favor with the national Environment Agency – dredging – came to the fore and was eventually adopted during the period in which the conjunction of problem, policy, and political pressures came to a head. Local political activists mobilized a wider campaign with the help of social media and capitalized on national political sensitivities to successfully promote dredging. What is less clear is the longevity of the policy reversal, given funding constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inherited variations in UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) are associated with an increased breast cancer risk in women of African ancestry. The UGT1A1*28 promoter polymorphism is characterized by the presence of 7 TA repeats in the TATA box sequence and results in reduced UGT1A1 gene expression and enzymatic activity. In this study, we investigated associations between the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism and breast cancer risk among African American (AA) women in Memphis, Tennessee, a city with increased breast cancer mortality rates among AA women. Saliva was collected from 352 AA women, including breast cancer cases (n=82) and controls (n=270) between June 2016 to June 2017. DNA was isolated and sequenced for the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism. The odds ratio for cases with the low UGT1A1 activity alleles (TA)7/8 repeat genotypes versus 5/5, 5/6, and 6/6 genotypes was 1.46 [95% CI, 0.65-3.31; P = 0.36] in premenopausal women and 1.10 (95% CI, 0.52-2.38; P = 0.79) in postmenopausal women. Further analysis of TCGA RNA-seq data showed that UGT1A1 mRNA was significantly lower among estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancers from AA as compared to non-Hispanic white women with ER-negative breast cancer. Larger epidemiological studies are needed to determine the functional consequence of the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism on breast cancer risk in AA women., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that no competing or conflict of interests exists. The funders had no role in study design, writing of the manuscript, or decision to publish.