Dragon Architect

Dragon Architect is an educational game that utilizes block-based programming to teach computational thinking skills, which are problem-solving techniques that computer scientists employ to solve problems, such as using loops or functions to reduce repetitive code. It was developed for a target audience of elementary and middle school-aged children. The goal for this comps project was to adapt Dragon Architect for use with college students. We first gathered information through interviews with Carleton professors and students to inform our goals for changing the game. We then implemented both front-end changes, such as changing the color scheme and layout of the game’s interface, and back-end changes, such as adding variables and variable levels to the game. Finally, we conducted a formal user study to evaluate whether we met our goal. Our study found that, after playing the game, college students’ attitudes towards computer science were more positive and they were able to answer more computational thinking skills questions correctly

Diabetes Care in the San Francisco County Jail

Chronic disease management is becoming increasingly important in correctional settings, especially diabetes. We conducted a retrospective chart review of diabetic inmates in San Francisco County Jail and examined the sociodemographic characteristics, markers of disease status, and compliance with jail-specific care guidelines within this setting. We found high rates of compliance with immediate-term care guidelines (e.g., finger-stick glucose and blood pressure checks at intake) but less success in providing the more complex care required for chronic diseases. Inmates’ age, race, and gender did not affect likelihood of meeting guidelines

Randomised, pragmatic, waitlist controlled trial of cannabis added to prescription opioid support on opioid dose reduction and pain in adults with chronic non-cancer pain: study protocol

INTRODUCTION: Chronic, non-cancer pain impacts approximately 50 million adults in the USA (20%), approximately 25% of whom receive chronic prescription opioids for pain despite limited empirical efficacy data and strong dose-related risk for opioid use disorder and opioid overdose. Also despite lack of efficacy data, there are many reports of people using cannabis products to manage chronic pain and replace or reduce chronic opioids. Here we describe the protocol for a randomised trial of the effect of cannabis, when added to a behavioural pain management and prescription opioid taper support programme, on opioid utilisation, pain intensity and pain interference. METHODS: This is a pragmatic, single-blind, randomised, wait-list controlled trial that aims to enrol 250 adults taking prescription opioids at stable doses of ≥25 morphine milligram equivalents per day for chronic non-cancer pain who express interest in using cannabis to reduce their pain, their opioid dose or both. All participants will be offered a weekly, 24-session Prescription Opioid Taper Support group behavioural pain management intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned in 1:1 ratio to use cannabis products, primarily from commercial cannabis dispensaries or to abstain from cannabis use for 6 months. Coprimary outcomes are change in prescription monitoring programme-verified opioid dose and change in Pain, Enjoyment, General Activity scale scores. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, depression, anxiety, self-reported opioid dose and opioid and cannabis use disorder symptoms. All other outcomes will be exploratory. We will record adverse events. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has ethical approval by the Massachusetts General Brigham Institutional Review Board (#2021P000871). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04827992