CCAT-prime: a novel telescope for submillimeter astronomy

The CCAT-prime telescope is a 6-meter aperture, crossed-Dragone telescope, designed for millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelength observations. It will be located at an altitude of 5600 meters, just below the summit of Cerro Chajnantor in the high Atacama region of Chile. The telescope's unobscured optics deliver a field of view of almost 8 degrees over a large, flat focal plane, enabling it to accommodate current and future instrumentation fielding >100k diffraction-limited beams for wavelengths less than a millimeter. The mount is a novel design with the aluminum-tiled mirrors nested inside the telescope structure. The elevation housing has an integrated shutter that can enclose the mirrors, protecting them from inclement weather. The telescope is designed to co-host multiple instruments over its nominal 15 year lifetime. It will be operated remotely, requiring minimum maintenance and on-site activities due to the harsh working conditions on the mountain. The design utilizes nickel-iron alloy (Invar) and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials in the mirror support structure, achieving a relatively temperature-insensitive mount. We discuss requirements, specifications, critical design elements, and the expected performance of the CCAT-prime telescope. The telescope is being built by CCAT Observatory, Inc., a corporation formed by an international partnership of universities. More information about CCAT and the CCAT-prime telescope can be found at www.ccatobservatory.org.Comment: Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescope + Instrumentation, 2018, Austin, Texas, USA; Proceedings Volume 10700, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII; 107005X (2018

Does expecting more pain make it more intense? Factors associated with the first week pain trajectories after breast cancer surgery

The aim of this study was to identify clinical risk factors for unfavorable pain trajectories after breast cancer surgery, to better understand the association between pain expectation, psychological distress, and acute postoperative pain. This prospective study included 563 women treated for breast cancer. Psychological data included questionnaires for depressive symptoms and anxiety. Experimental pain tests for heat and cold were performed before surgery. The amount of oxycodone needed for satisfactory pain relief after surgery was recorded. Pain intensity in the area of operation before surgery and during the first postoperative week and expected intensity of postoperative pain were recorded using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS 0-10). Pain trajectories were formed to describe both initial intensity (the intercept) and the direction of the pain path (the slope). Factors associated with higher initial pain intensity (the intercept) were the amount of oxycodone needed for adequate analgesia, psychological distress, type of axillary surgery, preoperative pain in the area of the operation, and expectation of postoperative pain. The higher the pain initially was, the faster it resolved over the week. Expectation of severe postoperative pain was associated with higher scores of both experimental and clinical pain intensity and psychological factors. The results confirm that acute pain after breast cancer surgery is a multidimensional phenomenon. Psychological distress, pain expectation, and the patients' report of preoperative pain in the area to be operated should be recognized before surgery. Patients having axillary clearance need more efficient analgesic approaches.Peer reviewe

Validation of the surgical fear questionnaire in adult patients waiting for elective surgery

Objectives: Because existing instruments for assessing surgical fear seem either too general or too limited, the Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) was developed. The aim of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of the SFQ. Methods: Based on existing literature and expert consultation the ten-item SFQ was composed. Data on the SFQ were obtained from 5 prospective studies (N = 3233) in inpatient or day surgery patients. These data were used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analysis and validity analysis. Results: EFA in Study 1 and 2 revealed a two-factor structure with one factor associated with fear of the short-term consequences of surgery (SFQ-s, item 1-4) and the other factor with fear of the long-term consequences of surgery (SFQ-l, item 5-10). However, in both studies two items of the SFQ-l had low factor loadings. Therefore in Study 3 and 4 the 2-factor structure was tested and confirmed by CFA in an eight-item version of the SFQ. Across all studies significant correlations of the SFQ with pain catastrophizing, state anxiety, and preoperative pain intensity indicated good convergent validity. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was between 0.765-0.920 (SFQ-total), 0.766-0.877 (SFQ-s), and 0.628-0.899 (SFQ-l). The SFQ proved to be sensitive to detect differences based on age, sex, education level, employment status and preoperative pain intensity. Discussion: The SFQ is a valid and reliable eight-item index of surgical fear consisting of two subscales: fear of the short-term consequences of surgery and fear of the long-term consequences.This study was conducted with departmental funding and supported by a grant from The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (Zon-MW, http://www.zonmw.nl/en/), grant no. 110000007. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Women in Leadership: Rocky Road to the Superintendency

The inequities associated with gender imbalance in leadership require national attention. Wilson (2004)found that of 435 seats in the House of Representatives, only 59 are women; of the 100 senators, only 14 arewomen. Only 24 women have ever been governors in the United States . Women are nearly half theworkforce, yet we make up only 12% of top executives and hold 12.4% of board seats in 500 of thecountry's largest companies. Although these statistics are significant, they are not nearly as staggering as thestatistics about the positions held by women in the superintendency. Of our nation's 13,728 superintendents,1,984 today are women. Although 72% of K-12 educators are women in the United States , 87% of the topleaders in the school districts, the superintendents, are males according to the U.S. Department of Education.Many questions have been posed and researched about why there are so few women in the superintendentposition. Also, search committees have been formed and new programs have been put into place to recruitwomen into administration. Yet, there has been an inconsequential increase nationally in identifying andhiring women to the superintendency (Nogay, 1996). In reviewing research on women in thesuperintendency, several common strands have been identified that speculate reasons why there are so fewwomen in the superintendency and possible solutions to this significant issue.Besides the commonly held belief that women are discouraged from the superintendency, there are sixdocumented reasons that are substantiated across literature related to why women are not at the top ofschool districts. The six categories encompass a wide range of issues including credentials, school boards,positions held, job structure, age, and mentoring

The Association between Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Mental Health in Natal Females with a Focus on Native American Populations

Purpose Over half of natal females in the United States suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). PFD can increase risk of mental health sequelae; however, no studies have been conducted examining the association between mental health and PFD in the Native American (NA) population. This dissertation aims to evaluate the association between PFD, with a focus on overactive bladder (OAB), and mental health in females with specific attention to NAs. Methodology A current state of the science review examined the literature for associations between OAB with depression and anxiety in females. Utilizing this literature review, a theoretical model was constructed examining the relationship between healthcare access and development of PFD, mental health consequences, and impact on overall quality of life. Finally, unsupervised machine learning was employed to identify risk clusters for OAB based on variables identified in the literature using the BRFSS dataset by training the algorithm in White females and testing the algorithms fit for NA females. Results The literature largely supports a relationship between OAB and mental health sequelae; with no research reports in NA females. Increased parity, diabetes, overweight, smoking, and poor healthcare access can increase risk of developing PFD and its consequences, including OAB. Research supported OAB increases the risk of developing depression and anxiety which are known to decrease the overall quality of life. Unsupervised machine learning identified the strongest predictive factors for the development of OAB in females appear to be BMI and time lived with diabetes; however, the fit of the model examining White females (56.8%) was stronger than in NA females (53.7%). Discussion Factors that increase risk of developing PFD include overweight, diabetes, smoking, and increased parity, all of which are experienced at higher rates by NA natal females than females of other races. Current risk factors for PFD and OAB do seem to fit similarly in White and NA females. As research indicates a strong relationship between OAB and depression and anxiety, clinicians should focus on screening for both in females with PFD and OAB including NA females in order to mitigate the risk of developing or early detection of these mental health consequences