Collaboration Matters: Honey Bee Health as a Transdisciplinary Model for Understanding Real-World Complexity

We develop a transdisciplinary deliberative model that moves beyond traditional scientific collaborations to include nonscientists in designing complexity-oriented research. We use the case of declining honey bee health as an exemplar of complex real-world problems requiring cross-disciplinary intervention. Honey bees are important pollinators of the fruits and vegetables we eat. In recent years, these insects have been dying at alarming rates. To prompt the reorientation of research toward the complex reality in which bees face multiple challenges, we came together as a group, including beekeepers, farmers, and scientists. Over a two-year period, we deliberated about how to study the problem of honey bee deaths and conducted field experiments with bee colonies. We show trust and authority to be crucial factors shaping such collaborative research, and we offer a model for structuring collaboration that brings scientists and nonscientists together with the key objects and places of their shared concerns across time

Baseline Features and Reasons for Nonparticipation in the Colonoscopy Versus Fecal Immunochemical Test in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer (CONFIRM) Study, a Colorectal Cancer Screening Trial.

IMPORTANCE: The Colonoscopy Versus Fecal Immunochemical Test in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer (CONFIRM) randomized clinical trial sought to recruit 50 000 adults into a study comparing colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality outcomes after randomization to either an annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) or colonoscopy. OBJECTIVE: To (1) describe study participant characteristics and (2) examine who declined participation because of a preference for colonoscopy or stool testing (ie, fecal occult blood test [FOBT]/FIT) and assess that preference\u27s association with geographic and temporal factors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study within CONFIRM, which completed enrollment through 46 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers between May 22, 2012, and December 1, 2017, with follow-up planned through 2028, comprised veterans aged 50 to 75 years with an average CRC risk and due for screening. Data were analyzed between March 7 and December 5, 2022. EXPOSURE: Case report forms were used to capture enrolled participant data and reasons for declining participation among otherwise eligible individuals. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the cohort overall and by intervention. Among individuals declining participation, logistic regression was used to compare preference for FOBT/FIT or colonoscopy by recruitment region and year. RESULTS: A total of 50 126 participants were recruited (mean [SD] age, 59.1 [6.9] years; 46 618 [93.0%] male and 3508 [7.0%] female). The cohort was racially and ethnically diverse, with 748 (1.5%) identifying as Asian, 12 021 (24.0%) as Black, 415 (0.8%) as Native American or Alaska Native, 34 629 (69.1%) as White, and 1877 (3.7%) as other race, including multiracial; and 5734 (11.4%) as having Hispanic ethnicity. Of the 11 109 eligible individuals who declined participation (18.0%), 4824 (43.4%) declined due to a stated preference for a specific screening test, with FOBT/FIT being the most preferred method (2820 [58.5%]) vs colonoscopy (1958 [40.6%]; P \u3c .001) or other screening tests (46 [1.0%] P \u3c .001). Preference for FOBT/FIT was strongest in the West (963 of 1472 [65.4%]) and modest elsewhere, ranging from 199 of 371 (53.6%) in the Northeast to 884 of 1543 (57.3%) in the Midwest (P = .001). Adjusting for region, the preference for FOBT/FIT increased by 19% per recruitment year (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.14-1.25). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional analysis of veterans choosing nonenrollment in the CONFIRM study, those who declined participation more often preferred FOBT or FIT over colonoscopy. This preference increased over time and was strongest in the western US and may provide insight into trends in CRC screening preferences

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science

It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the “Seattle Implementation Research Conference”; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRC’s membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRC’s primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term “EBP champions” for these groups) – and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleagues’ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations

Application of the BIM method in conformity with the regulations of the FGSV and the IT-Ko

Durch den Stufenplan Digitales Bauen und Betreiben wird vom Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur (BMVI) die ganzheitliche und flächendeckende Nutzung von Building Information Modeling (BIM) im Straßenbau gefordert. Demnach sollen auch für Infrastrukturprojekte moderne, IT-gestützte Prozesse und Technologien bei Planung, Bau und Betrieb ähnlich den Strukturen im Hochbau verwendet werden. Das Projekt beschäftigt sich mit der Überprüfung der Konformität der Methode BIM mit den Regelwerken der Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen (FGSV) und des Gremiums „Koordinierung der Bund/Länder Fachinformationssysteme im Straßenwesen (IT-Ko). Darüber hinaus sollen digitale und datenbanktaugliche Strukturen mit den wesentlichen Inhalten der R1-Regelwerke erstellt werden, anhand derer die Konformitätsprüfung erfolgen kann. Als erste Grundlage für eine einheitliche Anwendung der Methode BIM in Infrastrukturprojekten dient die Entwicklung eines BIM-konformen Objektkataloges für das Verkehrswesen und den Straßenbau. Die Umsetzung erfolgte in Form einer Datenbank, in welcher die wichtigsten Begrifflichkeiten und Definitionen der Regelwerke der FGSV und des IT-Ko als Merkmalsgruppen und Merkmale importiert wurden. Hierbei wurde eine einheitliche Verwendung von den Begrifflichkeiten innerhalb eines Regelwerkes als auch zwischen verschiedenen Regelwerken untersucht. Zusätzlich wurden den einzelnen Merkmalen nach Möglichkeit Definitionen, Beschreibungen, Beispiele, Wertebereiche, physikalische Größen sowie Dimensionen zugewiesen. Der Informationsgehalt in der Datenbank ist stark von der Detailtiefe im jeweiligen Regelwerk abhängig. Die Analyseergebnisse und die Hinweise zu nicht harmonisierten Bereichen der einzelnen Regelwerke werden für die weitere Gremienarbeit und gegebenenfalls erforderliche Abstimmungen zwischen verschiedenen Gremien zur Verfügung gestellt. Zusätzliche Hinweise zu abbildbaren und nicht abbildbaren Informationen in digitalen Modellen wurden ebenfalls herausgearbeitet. Eine Liste mit weiteren BIM-relevanten Regelwerken sowie erwartete Neuerungen in bereits analysierten Regelwerken ist diesem Bericht beigefügt. Eine Anleitung für die systematische Analyse weiterer Regelwerke zur Ergänzung der Datenbank für die zukünftige Fortentwicklung und Datenpflege wurde verfasst. Ein Umsetzungsbeispiel der Datenbank in Form eines dreidimensionalen Datenmodells wurde erzeugt. Prüfungen hinsichtlich der Merkmalsabhängigkeiten können in Zukunft durch gezielte Abfragen innerhalb eines Modells ergänzt werden. Durch die beispielhafte Analyse ausgewählter Regelwerke und die Entwicklung einer geeigneten Datenbankstruktur kann dieses Projekt als erster Schritt zu einer einheitlichen BIM-Struktur für den Infrastrukturbau dienen.The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) requires the comprehensive and area-wide use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in road construction through the step-by-step plan Digital Construction and Operation. According to this, modern, IT-supported processes and technologies are to be used for infrastructure projects in planning, construction and operation similar to the structures in building construction. The project is dedicated to the application of the BIM method in conformity with the regulations of the German Road and Transportation Research Association (FGSV) and the committee “Coordination of Bund-Länder Information Systems in Road Engineering” (IT-Ko). The development of a BIM-compliant object catalogue for transportation and road construction serves as a first basis for a uniform application of the BIM method in infrastructure projects. The implementation took place in the form of a database, in which the most important terms and definitions of the rules and regulations of the FGSV and the IT-Ko were imported as feature groups and features. A uniform use of the terms within a set of rules as well as between different sets of rules was investigated. In addition, definitions, descriptions, examples, value ranges, physical quantities and dimensions were assigned to the individual characteristics. The information content in the database is strongly dependent on the level of detail in each set of rules. The results of the analysis and the information on non-harmonised areas of the individual regulations were made available for further committee work and any necessary coordination between different committees. Additional notes on displayable and non-imageable information in digital models were also elaborated. A list of further BIM-relevant rules and regulations as well as expected innovations in already analysed rules and regulations can be found in this report. A guide for the systematic analysis of other rules and regulations and for adding them to the database for future data maintenance was written. An implementation example of the database in the form of a three-dimensional data model was generated. In the future, checks regarding the dependencies of characteristics can be supplemented by specific queries within a model. By the exemplary analysis of selected rules and regulations and the development of a suitable database structure, this project can serve as a first step towards a uniform BIM structure for infrastructure construction

AVALIAÇÃO DO POTENCIAL DE AMOSTRAS DE URINA COMO ALTERNATIVA PARA DETECÇÃO VIRAL DE SARAMPO

Introdução: Com o advento da atual pandemia mundial de COVID-19 e a consequente necessidade de realização de testes em massa da população, a demanda pelo meio de transporte viral (MTV) e pelos insumos para a fabricação dos mesmos aumentou significativamente, acarretando na indisponibilidade destes para o diagnóstico de outras doenças respiratórias virais, como o sarampo. Em agosto de 2019, um surto de sarampo foi evidenciado no Paraná, atingindo o pico do número de casos em novembro deste mesmo ano. Apesar da queda observada no número de casos, a situação de surto continua mantida até os dias atuais. Objetivo: encontrar uma alternativa à utilização de amostras provenientes de secreção de nasofaringe e orofaringe (SNOF) para a detecção do vírus do sarampo por biologia molecular, através da avaliação do potencial de amostras de urina (U), considerando a facilidade da coleta desse material. Material e Método: Amostras referentes a 668 pacientes de ambos os sexos e de diferentes faixas etárias, que reportaram sintomatologia compatível com sarampo, tiveram seus dados avaliados no concernente a correlação entre os resultados das amostras de SNOF e U. Tais amostras, oriundas de casos suspeitos de municípios do estado do Paraná, foram coletadas entre agosto e dezembro de 2019, sendo as análises realizadas no Laboratório Central do Paraná (LACEN/PR), por meio da tecnologia de Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase via Transcriptase Reversa em tempo real (qRT-PCR), seguindo adaptação do protocolo descrito pelo Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Resultados: Observou-se que 293 das 668 amostras de SNOF apresentaram detecção de material genético viral (MGV), sendo que 86% das amostras de U correlatas demonstraram-se em concordância com estas. Em 12 amostras de U houve a detecção de MGV sem a detecção do mesmo na amostra SNOF equivalente. Finalmente, a não detecção de MGV em ambas as amostras foi observada em 363 casos, onde foi necessário avaliar o resultado da pesquisa dos anticorpos IgM e IgG contra sarampo, realizada por enzimaimunoensaio em amostras de soro, para classificação final dos casos. Conclusão: O protocolo do Ministério da Saúde para diagnóstico laboratorial do sarampo recomenda a pesquisa dos anticorpos IgM e IgG em amostras de soro, e a detecção viral em amostras de urina e swabs combinados da nasofaringe e orofaringe. Entretanto, na ocorrência de surtos concomitantes à pandemia de COVID-19, quando a escassez de MTV se torna uma realidade, as observações contidas nesse trabalho apontam para a possibilidade da utilização da amostra de urina como alternativa viável no diagnóstico viral de sarampo

Collaboration Matters: Honey Bee Health as a Transdisciplinary Model for Understanding Real-World Complexity

We develop a transdisciplinary deliberative model that moves beyond traditional scientific collaborations to include nonscientists in designing complexity-oriented research. We use the case of declining honey bee health as an exemplar of complex real-world problems requiring cross-disciplinary intervention. Honey bees are important pollinators of the fruits and vegetables we eat. In recent years, these insects have been dying at alarming rates. To prompt the reorientation of research toward the complex reality in which bees face multiple challenges, we came together as a group, including beekeepers, farmers, and scientists. Over a two-year period, we deliberated about how to study the problem of honey bee deaths and conducted field experiments with bee colonies. We show trust and authority to be crucial factors shaping such collaborative research, and we offer a model for structuring collaboration that brings scientists and nonscientists together with the key objects and places of their shared concerns across time.This is a manuscript of an article published as Suryanarayanan, Sainath, Daniel Lee Kleinman, Claudio Gratton, Amy Toth, Christelle Guedot, Russell Groves, John Piechowski et al. "Collaboration matters: Honey bee health as a transdisciplinary model for understanding real-world complexity." BioScience (2018). doi: 10.1093/biosci/biy118. Posted with permission.</p