Impact of Educational Cartoon on Pediatric Bowel Preparation Quality at Time of Colonoscopy

Objective: To evaluate if addition of educational cartoon to pediatric bowel preparation instructions improves the quality of bowel preparation and patient experience. Methods: Patients were randomized to control group receiving standard bowel preparation instructions or intervention group receiving additional educational cartoon. To objectively rate bowel preparation, a blinded endoscopist completed numeric Ottawa score (0-14, with 0 being best). The family also completed a questionnaire rating the bowel preparation process. Results: Data from 23 patients were analyzed. Mean Ottawa score in the intervention group compared with controls was not significantly different (mean scores 3.73 and 3.33, respectively; P = .384). Level of education was significantly correlated with better Ottawa score in the overall population (ρ = −.462, P = .026) and within the control group (ρ = −.658, P = .02). Both groups of patients reported positive experience with bowel preparation. Conclusion: There may be benefit to further investigation of this educational cartoon in parents with less than college level education or non-English-speaking families in larger population of patients

Safety Evaluation of Ultraviolet-Activated Fluorescent Roadway, Delineation: Preliminary Field Experiment

DTFH61-95-R-00093A new technology is being developed in Sweden to improve visibility for nighttime driving. This technology consists of Ultraviolet (UV) headlights in combination with fluorescent traffic control devices. Vehicles will be equipped with headlamps that supply UV radiation in a high-beam pattern, along with conventional halogen or metal halide low-beam headlamps. UV light is not visible to the human observer, but after striking certain materials it will cause them to "fluoresce", that is, the UV radiation is converted to longer wavelength, visible light. UV-activated fluorescent materials can be incorporated into roadway delineation, such as pavement markings. A field test was conducted to examine the effectiveness of using UV headlights, with fluorescent pavement markings, in increasing the visibility of roadway delineation. This included measurement of both a visibility distance and subjective ratings. The study examined drivers opinions of the UV light as well as measured distance and general visibility of the fluorescent roadway markings as compared to standard roadway markings. Results showed that UV headlights provided a significant increase in UV-activated fluorescent pavement marking delineation visibility

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

Impact of Educational Cartoon on Pediatric Bowel Preparation Quality at Time of Colonoscopy

Objective: To evaluate if addition of educational cartoon to pediatric bowel preparation instructions improves the quality of bowel preparation and patient experience. Methods: Patients were randomized to control group receiving standard bowel preparation instructions or intervention group receiving additional educational cartoon. To objectively rate bowel preparation, a blinded endoscopist completed numeric Ottawa score (0-14, with 0 being best). The family also completed a questionnaire rating the bowel preparation process. Results: Data from 23 patients were analyzed. Mean Ottawa score in the intervention group compared with controls was not significantly different (mean scores 3.73 and 3.33, respectively; P = .384). Level of education was significantly correlated with better Ottawa score in the overall population (ρ = −.462, P = .026) and within the control group (ρ = −.658, P = .02). Both groups of patients reported positive experience with bowel preparation. Conclusion: There may be benefit to further investigation of this educational cartoon in parents with less than college level education or non-English-speaking families in larger population of patients

The Long Journey to Health Equity: A Candid Conversation about Public Health in Philadelphia

As the poorest and most diverse of the nation\u27s 10 largest cities, Philadelphia struggles to address an array of issues that affect the health and wellbeing of our community members. There are no easy answers, but there are many of ideas and efforts underway led by dedicated citizens working to make a difference. This Population Health Forum is dedicated to acandid conversation about health equity, moderated by local journalist and media executive Sara Lomax-Reese. Presentation: 58:5

The Silence of Socrates: Dialectic and the Platonic Good

Depending on one’s perspective, Socrates’ brief words concerning the Good in Republic 6 have either cast a guiding light, or an ambiguous shadow over so much subsequent philosophy. For some, they offer testimony affirming the existence of objective, even eternal values: despite suffering, imperfections and much evil, ultimately being is good. But for others, such as Nietzsche, Socrates’ words are a lie and represent the deception that has most crippled the Western mind. From this perspective, there are no objective values, and existence is not good except insofar as we make it so