Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania Research Articles

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Speed Cameras on Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Boulevard

This paper employs Bayesian negative binomial and Poisson models to examine the effectiveness of speed cameras at reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities on and immediately around Roosevelt Boulevard, a particularly dangerous urban arterial in Philadelphia, PA. Camera installation also coincided with rapidly changing traffic safety outcomes throughout the summer after COVID-19 lockdowns and protests against police violence. To find the most appropriate control segments for our analysis, we use k-means clustering to identify the five most similar roadways. Compared with these roadways and other geographic controls, the treated sections of Roosevelt Boulevard experienced decreased crashes, injuries, and fatalities after camera installation. These decreases are on the high end of what is found in the academic literature on speed cameras. The findings for total crashes, traffic injuries, fatalities, and pedestrian injuries are statistically different from zero with a high degree of confidence. Differences in pedestrian fatalities are statistically different from zero with 90% confidence. Based on our findings, we recommend that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia extend and expand the automated speed enforcement pilot. Estimates of the economic benefits of reduced crashes substantially exceed the total fines paid by violators. Despite this positive safety effect, additional treatments will be required to make Roosevelt Boulevard substantially safer. The roadway still accounts for around 8% of all traffic fatalities in Philadelphia.

Evaluation of the stress generated during biomechanical preparation with nickel–titanium rotary endodontic file using finite element analysis

Introduction: Adequate biomechanical preparation of root canals is the essence of successful endodontic therapy. Roots with curved canal framework led to endodontic complexity. The hassles in the preparation of such complex canals have prompted the inauguration of nickel–titanium (Ni-Ti) instruments with properties of shape memory and superelasticity. They benefit root canal preparation with causing less aberration, yet intracanal separation due to fatigue remains a concern. The study was intended to evaluate and compare the stresses developed during biomechanical preparation with Ni-Ti rotary file in straight, moderate, and severely curved root canals using finite element analysis (FEA). Materials and Methods: Six real sizes, three-dimensional root models were designed in SolidWorks software with varying angles of curvature (2°–45°), and using the same software, ProTaper Gold F2 rotary file was developed. All the designed root models with the rotary file inserted into each model were subjected to FEA. ANSYS Software (version 17.2 Company, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA) 2015 was used to simulating root canal shaping, and the stresses generated in all the root canal models were observed. Results: Highest mean stress was observed with 45° models which was 235.95 MPa, followed by a 30° simulated model showed 220.36 MPa and least stress of 125.22 MPa was observed with 2° models (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Increased canal curvature has definitely resulted in generation of more amount of stress.

230 Opportunities for and Threats Against Animal Production in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: the Need for Animal Scientists to Have a Role in Informing Society

Abstract Animal agriculture is critical to the economy and livelihoods in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Animal agriculture is directly impacted by feed production, weather, disease pressure, regulations, and trade. Few of these, if any, are easily predictable. Thus, thirty-five diverse stakeholders across the supply chain, including feed mills, producers, veterinarians, animal scientists, and policymakers, came together with twenty undergraduate students to scan how factors like political, economic, social, and technological issues impacted the current and future state of animal production in the Commonwealth. Stakeholders were grouped by sector resulting in seven groups (e.g., production, feed processors, meat processors, animal health, conservation, policy, and finance). Session One asked participants to answer, ‘How will the changing outside world affect animal agriculture in the Commonwealth?’ While Session Two asked participants to answer, ‘Does the Commonwealth have the people, practices, equipment, etc. to fight threats and seize opportunities?’ All groups reported their discussions of opportunities and threats. These points were captured and then coded by issue type (e.g., political or social). Across all groups (i.e., 100% of groups), the lack of agriculture literacy in the consumer base was identified as a major threat to animal production in the Commonwealth. Three of seven groups (43%) recognized the political and financial momentum for climate-smart agricultural research and practices as an opportunity for academia, industry, and farmer partnerships. Additionally, three of seven groups (43%) saw increasing markets and decreasing costs of alternative, cultured proteins as a threat to animal production. Groups were split on whether new agriculture technologies were an opportunity or a threat. Some saw new technologies as a threat given the aging farmer population in the Commonwealth, while others saw new technology as an opportunity for better resource use and combating labor shortages. Albeit being state-specific, when taken together these findings provide insight into national-level trends in opportunities and threats that the animal sciences can help to seize and combat. These findings highlight the importance of animal science exiting the benchtop, the farm, and the classroom to better engage consumers and decision-makers seeking information about animal agriculture.

Automating FDLP eXchange Withdrawal Lists

The Penn State University Libraries (University Libraries) is a large academic research library comprising twenty-four locations and thirty campus libraries across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The University Park campus is the main campus and has five libraries with many different departments that often act independently. As an example, in the main Pattee-Paterno Library, there are four libraries: George and Sherry Middlemas Arts and Humanities/Social Sciences/Education, Life Sciences (part of STEM libraries), William and Joan Schreyer Business, the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information (Maps and GIS). As a large institution, the scope of projects can be substantial and create opportunities for departments to share their technical skills. These partnerships often manifest as technological innovations that can improve workflow across the organization and be shared with the greater library community.

Oral booster vaccine antigen-Expression of full-length native SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in lettuce chloroplasts.

Oral booster vaccine antigen-Expression of full-length native SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in lettuce chloroplasts.

Prerace venous blood gases and acid-base values in Standardbred horses: effects of geography, season, prerace furosemide, gender, age, and trainer using big data analytics.

A retrospective study was conducted to establish the prerace venous acid-base and blood gas values of Standardbred horses at rest using big data analytics. Venous blood samples (73,382) were collected during seven racing seasons from 3 regional tracks in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Horses were detained 2 hours prior to race time. A mixed-effects linear regression model was used for estimating the marginal model adjusted mean (marginal mean) for all major outcomes. The interaction between age and gender, track, and the interaction between month, treatment (furosemide), and year were the major confounders included in the model. Random effects were set on individual animal nested within trainer. Partial pressure of venous carbon dioxide (PVCO2), partial pressure of oxygen (PVO2), and pH were measured, and base excess (BE), total carbon dioxide (TCO2), and bicarbonate (HCO3-) were calculated. Significant (P < .001) geographical differences in track locations were seen. Seasonal reductions in acid-base values started in January with significant (P < .001) decreases from adjacent months seen in June, July, and August followed by a gradual return. There were significant increases (P < .001) in BE and TCO2 and decreases in PVO2 with age. Significant differences (P < .001) in acid-base values were seen when comparing genders. A population of trainers were significantly different (P < .001) from the marginal mean and considered outliers. In a population of horses, big data analytics was used to confirm the effects of geography, season, prerace furosemide, gender, age, and trainer influence on blood gases and the acid-base profile.

Building urban community resilience through university extension: community engagement and the politics of knowledge.

Many land-grant universities are examining approaches to community engagement to better align with the US land-grant mission of knowledge democratization. With a growing majority of the United States’ population living in urbanized spaces, it is a societal imperative for university engagement initiatives to devise strategies for engaging people on the complexity of urban issues central to individual and community wellbeing. Effective urban engagement demands collaboration and strong relationships with urban organizations and residents to co-create approaches to urban concerns. Through narrative-based inquiry, we explore urban engagements within Penn State Extension (PSE) across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (USA). PSE, located administratively in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is charged with carrying out Penn State’s land-grant commitment to serve Pennsylvania’s citizens through community engagement and nonformal education in the agricultural and food, human, and social sciences. We examine extension educator and faculty practices, program development, community engagements, and experiences, and those of community stakeholders. This work draws upon democratic methods to uncover the undergirding philosophies of engagement within PSE and how communities experience those engagements. This project offers an entry-point to longer-term applied research to develop a broadly applicable theory and praxis of translational research, engagement, and change privileging urban community resilience.

Records and Resources: Finding the History of Disability and Institutionalization at the Pennsylvania State Archives

ABSTRACT This article discusses archival materials currently held by the Pennsylvania State Archives that are useful for studying the history of disability and institutionalization. The vast majority of these resources contain administrative, patient, and related records from state hospitals and state centers that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has operated from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.

Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights

Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights

172 Factors affecting rural residents willingness to share personal data for COVID-19 contact tracing

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goal of this study was to examine the attitudes of central Pennsylvania rural residents toward data sharing in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. We determined their willingness to provide cell phone data and personal information to public health staff investigating COVID-19 cases, as well as their concerns about sharing this information. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We used the electronic medical records of an academic healthcare institution in central Pennsylvania to obtain names and addresses of patients who had visited an outpatient clinic or been an inpatient within the prior three years, were 18 years or older, and who resided in a community defined as rural by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The survey included four statements about contact tracing, three statements about intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and validated scales for general trust and for distrust in healthcare organizations. All study variables were summarized to determine their distributions, and bivariate binomial logistic regression was conducted. A multivariable model including all of the independent variables was then fit for each outcome variable. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The response rate was 19.5%. 95 % of respondents were white, 56% were female, and nearly two-thirds were older than 60 years. Binomial logistic regression showed that both distrust in healthcare organizations and political values influenced respondents willingness to share information with contact tracers as well as their concerns about sharing. In multivariate analysis, political values were a consistent predicator of willingness to share and concerns about sharing. Respondents who indicated that they wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible were significantly more likely than those who did not want to be vaccinated to be willing to share their cell phone location data and personal data. Conversely, they were less likely to be concerned with these data being shared without their permission. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Understanding rural residents concerns about sharing personal information is critical if we are to develop successful strategies for lessening the impact of COVID-19 and managing future pandemics. This study is a first step in eliciting such concerns in the context of COVID-19and has implications for directing a successful pandemic response.

171 Factors affecting rural residents intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Vaccination for COVID-19 is a primary public health strategy to control the pandemic. In this study, we examined how various sociodemographic variables influence rural residents intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We also examined the role of distrust in healthcare organizations in these intentions. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: sing the electronic medical records of an academic healthcare institution in central Pennsylvania, we obtained names and addresses of patients who had been an inpatient or outpatient within the prior three years, were 18 years or older, and who resided in a community defined as rural by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The survey included three statements about the intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, an open-ended question about concerns regarding the vaccine, and validated scales for general trust and for distrust in healthcare organizations. All study variables were summarized to determine their distributions, and then bivariate binomial logistic regression analyses were conducted. Responses to the open-ended question were coded and used as variables in the bivariate analysis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Respondents reporting conservative political views were more likely (compared to those liberal political views) to never want to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Those who expressed distrust in healthcare organizations were less likely to want to be vaccinated soon. Conversely those who were more trusting said they were more likely to want to be vaccinated soon. Respondents dominant concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine were that it was new and that the process for its development was rushed. Respondents who believed that COVID-19 was a hoax were unlikely to ever want to be vaccinated, while those who distrusted the process in some way (new vaccine or rushed vaccine) were more likely to want to wait to be vaccinated. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings confirm the impact of political orientation on COVID-19 vaccination intention and suggest that distrust in healthcare organizations may prevent people from being vaccinated. These data provide evidence that people delaying vaccination hold different beliefs than those who will never vaccinate.

System-Based Multidisciplinary Initiatives for Improvement in Tracheostomy Care and Safety: Experience of an Academic Health Institution Hospital Network

Tracheostomized patients represent a unique patient population at risk of life-threatening airway compromise. There can be a presumption that these patients have a “safe” or low-risk airway. Clinicians and other care providers may be unfamiliar with both tracheostomy tubes and best practices for tracheostomy maintenance, assessment, and emergency triage or resuscitation. A review of the highest- acuity emergency airway calls at our university hospital revealed that well over 20% of the emergencies that triggered these activations were in patients with existing tracheostomy tubes. Further analysis of the tracheostomy-related airway emergencies at that time was very informative. Under the auspices of our multidisciplinary airway safety committee, we developed a core tracheostomy-focused team and implemented numerous quality and safety initiatives. Here we present a focused review and discussion of tracheostomy-related clinical issues at the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) and a summary of quality and safety improvement efforts related to the care of tracheostomized patients based on responses to locally identified safety opportunities. Our experience with tracheostomy-related quality improvement (QI) efforts led us to reach out to the Patient Safety Authority. The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) data presented by Gardner et al. highlights the categories of airway-related events documented across a range of facilities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We frame our efforts in the context of both the PA-PSRS data and international perspectives from the U.K. and highlight barriers to implementation and learnings from our iterative and interdisciplinary approach to tracheostomy-related challenges.

Policy Brief

Rob Kuper Rob Kuper is a licensed landscape architect in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and an associate professor of landscape architecture at Temple University. He Received a BS in Environmental Design and an MLA from Auburn University. Past research interests generally involved the perception of landscapes, specifically with regard to time. His current and future research focuses on greenhouse gas emissions related to landscape architectural teaching and practice.

Effect of a simulated overdose response on student ability to counsel on naloxone use

AbstractIntroductionPharmacist training on naloxone is often assessed by determining perceptions of self‐confidence in counseling; however, the impact of a specific training on counseling quality has not been well established.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine if completing a simulated overdose with naloxone response results in an improved ability to counsel a patient on naloxone use.MethodsStudents in the third professional year were provided live training on naloxone information and use as part of a required skills lab. Immediately afterward, students were randomized to complete an overdose simulation with naloxone response or to counsel an individual on naloxone use. Following completion of their initial activity, students then completed the other. A checklist adapted from previously published work and the recommended naloxone training from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was used to assess the counseling session. Counseling results of students who completed the overdose simulation first were compared with those who completed the simulation second.ResultsHere, 100% of eligible students (N = 138) participated in the simulation and 134 (97%) participated in the counseling session. The median scores for the counseling activity were 82% (interquartile range [IQR] = 27%) for students who completed the simulation prior to counseling and 82% (IQR = 27%) for students who did not complete the simulation prior to counseling (P = .61). Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences between any checklist item among the two groups.ConclusionThere was no difference in counseling ability between students who completed a simulated naloxone response and those who did not. Additional research is needed to better determine the effect of simulation on patient counseling skills. As naloxone training programs are further refined, consideration should be given to streamline the process to include evidence‐based methods of training which result in improved skills in both administration and counseling.

Transition Discoveries: Participatory Action Research to Design Pathways to Success

A multiyear critical participatory action research study was conducted with a total of 503 youth and young adults with disabilities (ages 14–25), family members, and transition stakeholders across the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Youth and young adults with disabilities, families, and stakeholders served as participant researchers who collaborated in operationalizing post-school outcomes and the high-quality transition practices, resources, services, and supports that contribute to achieving them. As a result of this study, the Transition Discoveries Quality Indicator Framework was developed. We provide examples of how the content of this framework can be used to design experiences for youth and families to learn about transition planning, programs, and services. Guidelines for ecologically relevant research and implications for practice in secondary transition are provided.

Informing collaborative relationships between community pharmacists and health care professionals in primary care practices

BackgroundCollaborative relationships between community pharmacists and health care professionals in primary care practices can assist with the provision of medication and disease management services in community pharmacy settings. ObjectivesThe objective was to describe the attitudes of providers working in primary care practices with on-site pharmacist collaborators to understand how to facilitate similar collaborations with pharmacists in community pharmacy settings. MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted among physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses of 3 primary care practice sites in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A demographic survey and a semistructured interview were conducted to elicit feedback on participant perceptions about building relationships with community pharmacists. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. A qualitative analysis was performed to identify emerging themes using an inductive approach. Demographic data were summarized using descriptive statistics. This study was approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board. ResultsNineteen interviews were conducted. Fifty-eight percent of participants were physicians and 68% were female with a mean age of approximately 46 years. Five themes were identified: (1) Pharmacists were highly valued and were effective team members to promote coordination of medication-related care; (2) Direct access to pharmacists facilitates efficient communication and effective patient care; (3) Trust is the foundation of an effective collaboration between pharmacists and providers; (4) Pharmacists demonstrating responsibility for patients enables collaboration with providers who view themselves as stewards of patient care; and (5) Providers believe that community pharmacists’ dispensing requirements may limit their ability to participate in patient care. ConclusionsThe following strategies to establish relationships with primary care practices are suggested: pharmacists should initiate face-to-face relationships with providers in practices; communication and patient interventions should be conveyed directly to providers and be conducted by the same person; and pharmacists need to demonstrate their commitment to patient care by following up promptly on patient interventions.

Generational Differences in Work Ethic Among Speech-Language Pathologists

Purpose To date, there is limited available research with a specific focus on the potential differences in work ethic among speech-language pathologists from different social generations. The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the work ethic profile of three generations of speech-language pathologists and, in particular, of any differences in work ethic profiles among the three generations. Method This study used a quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional design to better understand work ethic among the three generations of speech-language pathologists through the use of an online survey containing the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile–Short Form. Results The 814 surveys analyzed indicated that the three distinct generations of speech-language pathologists exhibited differences in four out of the seven dimensions of work ethic. Conclusions Through this study, the authors developed a work ethic profile for each of the three generations of speech-language pathologists licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While there were some similarities in the dimensions of work ethic among the three generational cohorts, statistically significant differences were discovered in the dimensions of Morality/Ethics, Leisure, Centrality of Work, and Wasted Time. Understanding differences in work ethic could be beneficial to employers, administrators, and supervisors for recruitment and retention purposes as well as to speech-language pathologists who work with colleagues of different generational cohorts.

Nitrogen credit trading as an incentive for riparian buffer establishment on Pennsylvania farmland

Agricultural nitrogen loading is a leading cause of eutrophication within the Chesapeake Bay. Agriculture in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is responsible for a large portion of the nitrogen load entering the bay. Vegetated riparian buffers are a common agroforestry practice used to intercept surface runoff and subsurface leaching of nutrients such as nitrogen from upland agricultural fields. Watershed-wide nutrient credit trading has been suggested as a mechanism for reducing nutrient pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay. The cost of producing nitrogen credits through the establishment of riparian buffers on Pennsylvania farmland was analyzed to determine if nitrogen credit trading could provide an incentive for buffer establishment. Forest buffers were shown to have marginally lower nitrogen credit production costs and payback periods than grass filter strips. Larger riparian buffers were shown to have higher credit production costs than smaller buffers due to increases in establishment costs outpacing increases in nitrogen credit trading revenue. Nitrogen credit trading was determined to be an inadequate incentive for agricultural riparian buffer establishment due to the high cost of producing nitrogen credits. Furthermore, nitrogen credit trading was shown to be less lucrative compared to the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, a common riparian buffer cost share program. However, increases in the market price of nitrogen credits or bundling nitrogen with other nutrient credits such as phosphorus could ultimately result in credit trading providing an adequate incentive for agricultural riparian buffer establishment. These results could be used to guide the framework for nutrient credit trading programs within other watersheds.

Caring for Family Caregivers: Perceptions of CARE Act Compliance and Implementation.

The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act encourages inclusion of family caregivers in the hospitalization process for patients. Translating the state laws into meaningful changes within the health care delivery system can be challenging and requires time. This study sought to examine early compliance with and implementation of the CARE Act reported by hospitals in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We sent an online survey to hospital executives in Pennsylvania in 2017. Descriptive statistics were computed to examine hospital characteristics and used to assess compliance and implementation of the CARE Act tenets. Most hospitals reported that changes have been and are being made to comply with the CARE Act (90.9%). Hospital executives reported that the family caregiver designation is available in 63.6% of the hospitals and notification of patient discharge is available in 45.5%. Hospital executives reported that family caregiver education and instruction is occurring in 31.8% of all inpatient stays. Hospital executives indicated that they are still developing processes to comply with the legislation and to integrate family caregivers into hospital systems and processes. Our findings suggest that hospitals are complying with the legislation, while fully operationalizing the components of the CARE Act is a work in progress.

Gendered Pathways to Power

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has historically fared poorly in terms of the proportion of women serving in its governing bodies. After a historic year of women in politics in 2018, Pennsylvania increased its proportion of women serving in the state legislature from 19% to 26%, which is still far from parity. Why are women so underrepresented? Political scientists have tested various variables: women’s lack of political ambition, negative gatekeeping by political parties, and gender stereotypes negatively impacting female candidates, just to name a few. This paper focuses on the role that county party chairs and vice-chairs play in recruiting female candidates to run for political office in Pennsylvania. In this article I ask: what do the recruitment efforts look like on the ground and how are the recruitment efforts gendered? In terms of recruitment efforts, I expect the stronger county party to have its leaders pull from informal networks that are extensions of the party leaders themselves. On the other hand, I expect weak county parties to cast a wide net for candidate recruitment and allow candidates to self-identify, which I call the “volunteer” model. I use interview data of county party chairs in order to understand the structure of candidate recruitment in Pennsylvania and the impact it may have on candidate selection.