A Culturally Adapted Colorectal Cancer Education Video for the Somali Community in Minnesota: A Pilot Investigation

Purpose This study aims to develop and test feasibility of a colorectal cancer (CRC) education video appropriate for Somali immigrants. Design One-group pretest–posttest design. Setting Minneapolis, MN. Sample Thirty-one Somali men (mean age = 60.6; SD = 13.0). Intervention A CRC education video was developed in the Somali language with Somali community partners. Participants were invited to a workshop and watched the video. Measures Levels of understanding about CRC and screening were assessed before vs after the video. Analysis Binomial tests were conducted to examine changes in level of understanding. Results Analysis on pre–post, within-person changes in understanding about cancer, and CRC screening showed that proportions with a positive change in understanding risks of cancer (80%) and benefits of CRC screening (90%) were significantly higher than expected if the video had no effect (50%; P = .012, P < .001, respectively). Ninety-three percent of participants agreed that the video contained useful information. Conclusion These results provide evidence of usefulness of culturally tailored videos to facilitate CRC screening in the Somali community. Results of this study were limited by a small sample size and lack of a control group.

Sensing and decoding the neural drive to paralyzed muscles during attempted movements of a person with tetraplegia using a sleeve array

Motor neurons convey information about motor intent that can be extracted and interpreted to control assistive devices. However, most methods for measuring the firing activity of single neurons rely on implanted microelectrodes. Although intracortical brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been shown to be safe and effective, the requirement for surgery poses a barrier to widespread use that can be mitigated by instead using noninvasive interfaces. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of deriving motor control signals from a wearable sensor that can detect residual motor unit activity in paralyzed muscles after chronic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite generating no observable hand movement, volitional recruitment of motor units below the level of injury was observed across attempted movements of individual fingers and overt wrist and elbow movements. Subgroups of motor units were coactive during flexion or extension phases of the task. Single digit movement intentions were classified offline from the EMG power (RMS) or motor unit firing rates with median classification accuracies >75% in both cases. Simulated online control of a virtual hand was performed with a binary classifier to test feasibility of real-time extraction and decoding of motor units. The online decomposition algorithm extracted motor units in 1.2 ms, and the firing rates predicted the correct digit motion 88 ± 24% of the time. This study provides the first demonstration of a wearable interface for recording and decoding firing rates of motor units below the level of injury in a person with motor complete SCI.

An Innovative Three-in-One Face Protective Gear (FPG): A Feasibility Study in a Neonatal Unit in Times of Pandemic!

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at greatest risk of acquiring infection in times of global pandemic of COVID-19 disease. There is an unprecedented demand of several forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) for HCWs leading to possible acute shortage of these equipment. This has paved way for development of local innovative PPEs. Objective: To test feasibility of a low cost, indigenous three-in-one face protective gear (FPG) in HCWs of a neonatal unit of a tertiary care institute in northern India. Methodology: A three-in-one FPG was developed using the commonly available items in a ward or intensive care and few trash items. Items used were sterile surgical sheet, cling wrap piece/transparency sheet, cover of umbilical catheter/any sterile hollow plastic pipe, or straw and adhesive tape. The FPG was tested in 17 HCWs regarding its ease to use, comfort, and feasibility with the help of questionnaire. Results: A total of 17 HCWs participated in this study. Majority (10, 58.8%) were doctors. Eight (47%) participants have never used any form of PPE previously. Thirteen (76.4%) participants found the FPG comfortable to wear; 12 (70.5%) found it comfortable to wear up to 8 h. Three HCWs found it difficult to work when wear the FPG; 1 out of 3 found it suffocating. Conclusion: Three-in-one FPG is an indigenous, low cost, and may be a feasible alternative in low-risk situations when there is scarcity of conventional protective equipment.

Five-Tier Geometrical Optics Test Feasibility to Identify Misconception and the Causes in High School Students

This research aimed to test the feasibility of a geometrical optics instrument to identify the misconception and its causes. The instruments used in this research were question validation sheet and five-tier geometrical optics test (FIGOT) with 14 items of questions and consisted of 48 concepts tested. FIGOT obtained from the existing four-tier test research before which was then modified by adding one more tier about the causes of misconception. FIGOT validated by six experts, in which one the aspect assessed was the suitability of the items with alternative conceptions. The analysis of construct validity tested using CVR (almost all items have a CVRAverage value of ≥ 0.67) and the reliability was using Cronbach’s Alpha (r ≥ 0.62 for each or both tier). The identification results processed using CDQ (Confidence Discrimination Quotient). The study was conducted in two public high schools located in Bandung and two public high schools located in Jakarta with 109 students (34 males and 75 females). The result showed that most senior high school students still experienced misconceptions related to the topic of geometrical optics, 17 misconceptions from 48 concepts about geometrical optics. The biggest percentage was 81% and CPM (Confidence of Percentage Misconception) was 4,75 about plane mirror. The most dominant causes of misconception in the material of geometrical optics were due to teachers, school books, and internet. The results of the FIGOT feasibility test showed that the items of questions were possible to use to identify misconceptions and the causes of misconceptions on optical geometry.

Improving Diabetes Outcomes with a Multimodal Intervention for Less Advantaged Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

If proper self-management behaviors are not maintained, diabetes may lead to reduced quality of life (QoL), decreased engagement in everyday activities, disabling health complications, and even death. Less advantaged adults with limited income, lower education, and fewer resources find diabetes self-management (DSM) particularly challenging due to healthcare and social inequalities. DSM education is important to understanding diabetes-related behaviors and improving QoL. There are few evidence informed DSM education programs directed specifically at less advantaged adults. The purpose of this study was to develop and test feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a novel virtual intervention that merged prior evidence-informed yoga, occupational therapy, and nutrition education (MY-OT-ED) practices. Five participants were recruited throughout communities near the research university for a nine-week DSM education program that was held twice a week. DSM-related health and QoL measures were tested at baseline, immediately after MY-OT-ED, and six to eight weeks following the intervention. Primary outcomes studied included QoL, DSM, diabetes distress, and diabetes self-efficacy. Percent change was calculated to assess if any significant DSM-related changes occurred. Positive changes were found in all outcomes following the nine-week intervention and were maintained at follow-up. While limitations of the study were noted, results provide preliminary evidence that MY-OT-ED was feasible, acceptable, and has the potential to improve diabetic outcomes for less advantaged adults.

Exploring Community-Based Options for Reducing Youth Crime

BackTrack is a multi-component, community-based intervention designed to build capacity amongst 14–17-year-old high risk young people. The aim of the current study seeks to explore community value and preferences for reducing youth crime and improving community safety using BackTrack in a rural setting in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. The study design used discrete choice experiments (DCEs), designed in accordance with the 10-item checklist outlined by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. The DCE was pilot tested on 43 participants to test feasibility and comprehension. A revised version of the survey was subsequently completed by 282 people over a 12-day period between 30 May 2016 and 10 June 2016, representing a survey response rate of 35%. Ninety per cent of respondents were residents of Armidale, the local rural town where BackTrack was implemented. The DCE generated results that consistently demonstrated a preference for social programs to address youth crime and community safety in the Armidale area. Respondents chose BackTrack over Greater Police Presence 75% of the time with an annual benefit of Australian dollars (AUD) 150 per household, equivalent to a community benefit of AUD 2.04 million. This study estimates a strong community preference for BackTrack relative to more policing (a community willing to pay equivalent to AUD 2.04 million) highlighting the clear value of including community preferences when evaluating community-based programs for high-risk young people.

Peer Review of Paediatric Endocrine Services in the UK: A Template for Quality and Service Improvement

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Independent peer review of healthcare services can complement existing internal-, institutional-, and national-level regulatory mechanisms aimed at improving quality of healthcare. However, this has not been reported for paediatric endocrinology services in the UK. We aimed to test feasibility and acceptability through a first cycle of a national peer review of paediatric endocrine services. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Tertiary centres in paediatric endocrinology across the UK were assessed against 54 quality standards, developed by the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) in five domains of healthcare by a team comprising paediatric endocrinologists and specialist nurses. The evaluation was supported by a self-assessment. A post-peer-review questionnaire was used as feedback. <b><i>Results:</i></b> All 22 centres in the UK underwent independent peer review between 2011 and 2017. Each served a median population of 2.6 million (range 1–8 million) and offered 1,872 (range 779–6,738) outpatient consultations annually. A total of 43 (range 30–49) standards were met in combined evaluation of all centres. Variance of adherence for essential standards ranged from 52 to 97% at individual centres with 90% adherence demonstrated by 32% of centres. Post-review feedback showed 20/22 (95%) validating the utility of the peer review. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The BSPED peer review of all UK centres providing paediatric endocrine services is shown to be feasible and provides a quality benchmark for replication by national services.

Evaluating performances of one-year simulation by using 3.5 km mesh global nonhydrostatic model

&lt;p&gt;Recent advancement of supercomputing enables us to conduct a climate simulation by using a global model with horizontal grid spacing of a few kilometers. We may need to tune the model in order to conduct a reliable simulation. In order to test feasibility of a few kilometer climate simulation in near future, we conducted one-year simulation from June 2004 to May 2005 by using Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) with horizontal grid spacing of 28 km, 14 km, 7 km, and 3.5 km, and evaluated their simulation performances. In general, global models have shown weak wind speed of tropical cyclones compared to its central sea level pressure due to insufficient horizontal resolution. As expected, the 3.5 km simulation showed improvement of this bias. As for simulated mean state, globally annual mean precipitation tended to be decreased with finer horizontal resolution in NICAM. Compared with observation (Global Precipitation Climatology Project V2.2; 2.71 mm day&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;), 7 km and 3.5 km simulations underestimated the global mean precipitation (2.54 mm day&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; and 2.67 mm day&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;), while 14 km and 28 km simulations overestimated (2.84 mm day&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; and 2.78 mm day&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;). The 3.5 km simulation showed the best performance for reproducing globally annual mean precipitation. However, the 3.5 simulation showed underestimation of the South Pacific Convergence Zone. In order to conduct a reliable simulation, we need to improve performance of the 3.5 km global model. This demands extensive computing resources. The supercomputer Fugaku will give us extensive computing resources for addressing this issue.&lt;/p&gt;

Interferometric processing of TanDEM-X bistatic SAR data using GAMMA – implementation outline

This article represents a showcase of two different coding approaches with GAMMA, used to calculate topographic and differential phases from high resolution TanDEM-X bistatic data, provided by DLR. The first implementation approach comprises “BASH” scripting in Linux environment, having direct control of the GAMMA executables. The second approach is utilization of the PyroSAR framework, via GAMMA-API, in Python environment. Two spatial resolution scales are used – of 4 and 12 meters, to test feasibility of TanDEM-X InSAR output products in mountainous forest in rugged region. The first approach allowed thorough processing with abundant GAMMA output, whereas the high scale PyroSAR framework via GAMMA-API showed fast implementation. Comparison over 4 and 12m spatial resolution products showed good feasibility with strong influence from topography. Intense multi-looking resolved better connection of coherence amplitude to the volume decorrelation in canopy, despite preserving high resolution reveals plenty of details in land cover. Differential height calculation, without phase unwrapping, showed its significance in data processing over mountainous regions. Intensities normalization and terrain flattening showed good performance in both resolution scales. Finally, utilization of GAMMA in InSAR processing of high resolution TanDEM-X bistatic SAR data showed good feasibility and flexibility to derive interferometric products.