In November 1995, the Laboratory of Archaeology at the University of Georgia submitted inventories and summaries of Indigenous ancestors and funerary objects in its holdings to comply with the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). However, after this submission, the Laboratory attempts at consultation with federally recognized descendant Tribal communities who have cultural ties in the state of Georgia were not successful, and NAGPRA-related activities essentially stalled at the Laboratory. Beginning in 2019, the Laboratory's staff recognized a lack of formal NAGPRA policies or standards, which led to a complete reevaluation of the Laboratory's approach to NAGPRA. In essence, it was the Laboratory's renewed engagement with NAGPRA and descendan tribal communities that became the catalyst for change in the Laboratory's philosophy as a curation repository. This shift in thinking set the Laboratory on a path toward building a descendant community–informed institutional integrity (DCIII) level of engagement with consultation and collaborative efforts in all aspects of collections management and archaeological research. In this article, we outline steps that the Laboratory has taken toward implementing meaningful policies and practices created with descendant Tribal communities that both fulfill and extend bounds of NAGPRA compliance.

A key component of social work ethics is social justice and equitable access to resources. Increasingly, this includes access to technology. This study addresses issues related to the ‘digital divide’ by testing a peer tutor model (Technology and Aging Project, TAP2) to teach adults aged 60 and older how to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as email, the internet, online chat rooms and discussion groups, internet-based support groups, and voice technology and webcams. Participants from the control group of a previous programme, TAP1 (N=19) participated in a six-month computer training programme. Six participants who had successfully completed the TAP1 training were selected to be peer tutors. Data were collected from tutors and learners at baseline, three months, six months and nine months (three months after the end of training). The current study reports on learner outcomes only. Measures include computer, social support, and mental health-related outcomes. Learners reported a significant and consistent increase over time in their confidence completing certain computer-related tasks and their overall use of ICTs. Mental health and social support outcomes did not change. Overall, the peer tutor model appeared to be at least as effective as the previous staff-directed model.

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes of DNA repair and hormone pathways have been reported to be associated with endometrial cancer risk. We sought to confirm these associations in two endometrial cancer case-control sample sets and used additional data from an existing genome-wide association study to prioritize an additional SNP for further study. Five SNPs from the CHEK2, MGMT, SULT1E1 and SULT1A1 genes, genotyped in a total of 1597 cases and 1507 controls from two case-control studies, the Australian National Endometrial Cancer Study and the Polish Endometrial Cancer Study, were assessed for association with endometrial cancer risk using logistic regression analysis. Imputed data was drawn for CHEK2 rs8135424 for 666 cases from the Study of Epidemiology and Risk factors in Cancer Heredity study and 5190 controls from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. We observed no association between SNPs in the MGMT, SULT1E1 and SULT1A1 genes and endometrial cancer risk. The A allele of the rs8135424 CHEK2 SNP was associated with decreased risk of endometrial cancer (adjusted per-allele OR 0.83; 95%CI 0.70-0.98; p = .03) however this finding was opposite to that previously published. Imputed data for CHEK2 rs8135424 supported the direction of effect reported in this study (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.65–1.10). Previously reported endometrial cancer risk associations with SNPs from in genes involved in estrogen metabolism and DNA repair were not replicated in our larger study population. This study highlights the need for replication of candidate gene SNP studies using large sample groups, to confirm risk associations and better prioritize downstream studies to assess the causal relationship between genetic variants and cancer risk. Our findings suggest that the CHEK2 SNP rs8135424 be prioritized for further study as a genetic factor associated with risk of endometrial cancer.