Clinical factors useful in predicting aortic valve structure in patients > 40 years of age with isolated valvular aortic stenosis

A number of reports have described the frequency of coronary arterial narrowing in patients with valvular aortic stenosis. No published reports have examined the structure of the stenotic aortic valve in adults and related the valve structure to variables, including coronary arterial narrowing, useful in predicting that structure. One hundred eighty-eight patients having aortic valve replacement for isolated valvular aortic stenosis were studied. All patients were > 40 years of age at the time of aortic valve replacement, all had coronary angiograms preoperatively, and of 182 patients (97%) measurements of serum total cholesterol had been obtained and 184 (98%) had body mass index calculated. The structure of the operatively excised valve was classified as unicuspid or bicuspid (congenitally malformed), or tricuspid aortic valve. A logistic regression model was developed that found 4 factors (age, serum total cholesterol, angiographic coronary artery disease and body mass index) to be predictive of aortic valve structure: (1) Patients with at least 3 or all 4 factors high or present (i.e., age > 65 years, serum total cholesterol > 200 mg/dl, body mass index > 29 kg/m2 and coronary artery disease) had a low probability (10 to 29%) of having a congenitally malformed valve; (2) patients with at least 3 or all 4 factors low or absent (i.e., age < or = 65 years, serum total cholesterol < or = 200 mg/dl, body mass index < or = 29 kg/m2, and no coronary artery disease) had a high probability (72 to 90%) of having a congenitally malformed valve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Moral and social reasoning and perspective taking in later life: A longitudinal study.

In this study 27 older adults (ages 64–80) and 23 middle-aged adults (ages 35–54) were tested for moral stage, integrative complexity of social reasoning, and perspective-taking levels twice over a 4 year period. Moral reasoning stage levels did not change over time for either age group. Older adults, but not the middle-aged, showed a significant decline over time in level of moral perspective taking. Complexity of reasoning about several interpersonal social issues declined modestly in both age groups. More social-cognitive support, a higher education level, and better self-reported health were all found to be protective factors in forestalling declines in mature adults' sociocognitive reasoning, consistent with other research on cognitive measures in later life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Calculation and measurement of the effective chirality parameter ofa composite chiral material over a wide frequency band

Materials that are effectively chiral at microwave frequencies can be fabricated by embedding identical, randomly oriented chiral inclusions, often metal helices, in a continuous matrix. We show that the chirality parameter can be calculated in the dilute limit using single scattering theory. The required tumble-averaged forward scattering by an individual inclusion is determined by the method of moments. Values of the effective chirality parameter are determined directly from the constitutive parameters of the matrix and the geometry and concentration of the inclusions. Comparisons are made with measurements previously reported in the literature. In addition, a chiral composite material was fabricated specifically to validate the calculations over frequencies including resonance. The measurements agree well with the calculations, providing quantitative values of the chirality parameter over a wide frequency band. It appears that the chirality parameter is appreciable only near the resonant frequencies of the inclusion. Finally, it is clear that an oscillator model can be used to describe the frequency dependence of the complex chirality parameter, and that therefore our results are consistent with the Kramers-Kronig relation     

FDTD for Nth-order dispersive media

Previously, a method for applying the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method to dispersive media with complex permittivity described by a function with a single first-order pole was presented. This method involved the recursive evaluation of a discrete convolution, and was therefore relatively efficient. In this work, the recursive convolution approach is extended to media with dispersions described by multiple second-order poles. The significant change from the first-order implementation is that the single backstore variable for each second-order pole is complex. The approach is demonstrated for a pulsed plane wave incident on a medium with a complex permittivity described by two second-order poles, and excellent agreement is obtained with the exact solution     

Reasoning about the self and relationships in maturity: An integrative complexity analysis of individual differences.

This study examined age (35–55 versus 65–85), gender, and self-concept-orientation differences in reasoning about the self, relationships, and morality, on the basis of the theorizing of C. Gilligan (1982). Participants were interviewed about general relationship issues, a specific relationship, and about the self. Reasoning was scored for integrative complexity (P. Suedfeld and P. Tetlock [1977]). Life experience measures and the standard Kohlberg justice reasoning index were obtained. Results showed gender differences in the connectedness of the self-concept for middle-aged, but not older, adults. No age or gender differences in the complexity of relationship reasoning or in justice reasoning were found. Those with more connected self-concepts reasoned in more complex ways about relationships and about the self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain formulation for dispersive materials

The traditional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) formulation is extended to include a discrete time-domain convolution, which is efficiently evaluated using recursion. The accuracy of the extension is demonstrated by computing the reflection coefficient at an air-water interface over a wide frequency band including the effects of the frequency-dependent permittivity of water. Extension to frequency-dependent permeability and to three dimensions is straightforward. The frequency dependent FDTD formulation allows computation of electromagnetic interaction with virtually any material and geometry (subject only to computer resource limitations) with pulse excitation. Materials that are highly dispersive, such as snow, ice, plasma, and radar-absorbing material, can be considered efficiently by using this formulation.<>     

Nutrient intake and blood pressure in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children

Delineating the role that diet plays in blood pressure levels in children is important for guiding dietary recommendations for the prevention of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between dietary nutrients and blood pressure in children. Data were analyzed from 662 participants in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children who had elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and were aged 8 to 11 years at baseline. Three 24-hour dietary recalls, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, height, and weight were obtained at baseline, 1 year, and 3 years. Nutrients analyzed were the micronutrients calcium, magnesium, and potassium; the macronutrients protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat; dietary cholesterol; and total dietary fiber. Baseline and 3-year longitudinal relationships were examined through multivariate models on diastolic and systolic pressures separately, controlling for height, weight, sex, and total caloric intake. The following associations were found in longitudinal analyses: analyzing each nutrient separately, for systolic pressure, inverse associations with calcium (P < .05); magnesium, potassium, and protein (all P < .01); and fiber (P < .05), and direct associations with total fat and monounsaturated fat (both P < .05); for diastolic pressure, inverse associations with calcium (P < .01); magnesium and potassium (both P < .05), protein (P < .01); and carbohydrates and fiber (both P < .05), and direct associations with polyunsaturated fat (P < .01) and monounsaturated fat (P < .05). Analyzing all nutrients simultaneously, for systolic pressure, direct association with total fat (P < .01); for diastolic pressure, inverse associations with calcium (P < .01) and fiber (P < .05), and direct association with total and monounsaturated fats (both P < .05). Results from this sample of children with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol indicate that dietary calcium, fiber, and fat may be important determinants of blood pressure level in children.     

Uses of instant-print photography in psychotherapy.

Discusses the use of conventional and instant-print photography in psychotherapy, featuring examples from the literature and from the author's clinical experience. Therapeutic gains from the use of photography in psychotherapy are enumerated. The use of photography in psychotherapy is grouped under 3 categories: the use of historical photographs to document one's past, photographs taken of the client in the context of psychotherapy, and photographs taken by the client in a therapeutic context. It is suggested that instant-print photography retains the advantages found in the therapeutic uses of conventional photography. Instant-print photography, because of the immediacy of the final print, also has unique potential as an interactive medium of communication in a visual language. Examples of therapeutic uses of this type of photography, which is also appropriate for therapeutic dialog with populations who are resistant or disabled in verbal communication, are presented. Diagnostic and therapeutic benefits have been noted with such treatment modalities as psychodynamic, behavioral, family systems, and group therapies. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)