Satisfaction and quality of life in women who undergo breast surgery: a qualitative study to develop conceptual model

Background: In cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery, measurement of patient-reported outcomes has become increasingly important to research efforts and clinical care. We aimed to describe how breast conditions and breast surgery impact on patient satisfaction and quality of life. Methods: We conducted qualitative, in-depth interviews with 48 women who had undergone either breast reduction (n = 15), breast augmentation (n = 12), or breast reconstruction (n = 21) surgery in order to begin to build a theoretical understanding of patient satisfaction and quality of life in breast surgery patients. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Results: The patient interviews revealed that breast conditions and breast surgery impact women in the following six main areas: satisfaction with breasts; satisfaction with overall outcome; psychosocial well-being; sexual well-being; physical well-being; and satisfaction with the process of care. We used these six themes to form the basis of a conceptual framework of patient satisfaction and quality of life in women who undergo breast surgery. Conclusion: Our conceptual framework establishes the main issues of concern for breast surgery patients. This new framework can be used to help develop local guidelines for future clinical assessment, management and measurement, establish the validity of the current management strategies, and develop evidence-based guidance for the development of new patient reported outcome measures for future outcomes research

Experimental performance of a 16.10-centimeter-tip-diameter sweptback centrifugal compressor designed for a 6:1 pressure ratio

A backswept impeller with design mass flow rate of 1.033 kg/sec was tested with both a vaned diffuser and a vaneless diffuser to establish stage and impeller characteristics. Design stage pressure ratio of 5.9:1 was attained at a flow slightly lower than the design value. Flow range at design speed was 6 percent of choking flow. Impeller axial tip clearance at design speed was varied to determine effect on stage and impeller performance

Experimental performance of a 13.65-centimeter-tip-diameter tandem-bladed sweptback centrifugal compressor designed for a pressure ratio of 6

A 13.65 cm tip diameter backswept centrifugal impeller having a tandem inducer and a design mass flow rate of 0.907 kg/sec was experimentally investigated to establish stage and impeller characteristics. Tests were conducted with both a cascade diffuser and a vaneless diffuser. A pressure ratio of 5.9 was obtained near surge for the smallest clearance tested. Flow range at design speed was 6.3 percent for the smallest clearance test. Impeller exit to shroud axial clearance at design speed was varied to determine the effect on stage and impeller performance

The Road Home Program: An Efficient Model of PTSD Treatment in Veterans

This thesis details my experiences at Rush University’s Road Home Program during the summer of 2021. The Road Home Program is an intensive treatment program for veterans suffering from PTSD. It is unique from conventional PTSD treatments in that it provides the equivalent of six months of treatment in just two weeks. The Road Home Program approaches PTSD in a comprehensive way by implementing a variety of therapies and supplemental treatments to veterans. These therapies include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Mindfulness Based Resiliency Training (MBRT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Art Therapy. The supplemental treatments include cognitive seminars, acupuncture, and individual consultations with clinicians. During the summer of 2021 I watched the drastic change that occurred in veterans as they journeyed through the Road Home Program. At the end of two weeks, veterans experienced less intense PTSD symptoms as well as symptoms of comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Some of these veterans no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD upon treatment completion. In addition, there has been research, done by the Road Home Program, that supports that these effects are retained up to a year after treatment (Held et al., 2020). I was inspired by the Road Home Program and how drastically it changed veterans’ lives in such a short amount of time. Moreover, my goal in writing this thesis is to share with others the hope and potential that exists for veterans at The Road Home Program. I argue that greater consideration and research be allocated towards intensive treatment programs such as the Road Home Program. Most veterans who attend the Road Home Program attest that it saved their lives and as such, this program merits greater consideration from the PTSD treating community in America. 1.Held, P., Zalta, A.K., Smith, D.L., Bagley, J.M., Steigerwald, V.L., Boley, R.A., Miller, M., Brennan, M.B., Van Horn, R., & Pollack, M.H. (2020). Maintenance of treatment gains up to 12-months following a three-week cognitive processing therapy-based intensive PTSD treatment programme for veterans. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1), doi: 10.1080/20008198.2020.178932

Charmed hadron physics in quenched anisotropic lattice QCD

We investigate the anisotropic lattice with $O(a)$ improved quark action as a candidate of framework in which we can treat both the heavy and light quark region in the same manner and systematically reduce the systematic uncertainties. To examine applicability of anisotropic lattice, we calculate the charmed meson spectrum and decay constants in quenched approximation. We find consistent result with most advanced results on isotropic lattices.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, contribution to Fifth KEK Topical Conference - Frontiers in Flavor Physics -, Tsukuba, Japan, November 20-22, 200

Heavy-light meson in anisotropic lattice QCD

We examine whether the $O(a)$ improved quark action on anisotropic lattices can be used as a framework for the heavy quark, which enables precision computation of matrix elements of heavy-light mesons. To this end, it is crucial to verify that a mass independent and nonperturbative tuning of the parameters is possible. As a first step, we observe the dispersion relation of heavy-light mesons on a quenched lattice using the action which is nonperturbatively tuned only for the leading terms. On a lattice with the spatial cutoff $a_\sigma^{-1} \simeq$ 1.6 GeV and the anisotropy $\xi=4$, the relativity relation holds within 2% accuracy in the quark mass region $a_\sigma m_Q \leq 1.2$ with the bare anisotropy parameter tuned for the massless quark. We also apply the action to a calculation of heavy-light decay constants in the charm quark mass region.Comment: Lattice2002(heavyquark), 3 pages, 2 figure

Latitudinal gradients of galactic cosmic rays during the 2007 solar minimum

Ulysses, launched in 1990 October in the maximum phase of solar cycle 22, completed its third out-of-ecliptic orbit in 2008 February. This provides a unique opportunity to study the propagation of cosmic rays over a wide range of heliographic latitudes during different levels of solar activity and different polarities in the inner heliosphere. Comparison of the first and second fast latitude scans from 1994 to 1995 and from 2000 to 2001 confirmed the expectation of positive latitudinal gradients at solar minimum versus an isotropic Galactic cosmic ray distribution at solar maximum. During the second scan in mid-2000, the solar magnetic field reversed its global polarity. From 2007 to 2008, Ulysses made its third fast latitude scan during the declining phase of solar cycle 23. Therefore, the solar activity is comparable in 2007-2008 to that from 1994 to 1995, but the magnetic polarity is opposite. Thus, one would expect to compare positive with negative latitudinal gradients during these two periods for protons and electrons, respectively. In contrast, our analysis of data from the Kiel Electron Telescope aboard Ulysses results in no significant latitudinal gradients for protons. However, the electrons show, as expected, a positive latitudinal gradient of ~0.2% per degree. Although our result is surprising, the nearly isotropic distribution of protons in 2007-2008 is consistent with an isotropic distribution of electrons from 1994 to 1995

Fifty years of microneurography: learning the language of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system in humans

As a primary component of homeostasis, the sympathetic nervous system enables rapid adjustments to stress through its ability to communicate messages among organs and cause targeted and graded end organ responses. Key in this communication model is the pattern of neural signals emanating from the central to peripheral components of the sympathetic nervous system. But what is the communication strategy employed in peripheral sympathetic nerve activity (SNA)? Can we develop and interpret the system of coding in SNA that improves our understanding of the neural control of the circulation? In 1968, Hagbarth and Vallbo (Hagbarth KE, Vallbo AB. Acta Physiol Scand 74: 96–108, 1968) reported the first use of microneurographic methods to record sympathetic discharges in peripheral nerves of conscious humans, allowing quantification of SNA at rest and sympathetic responsiveness to physiological stressors in health and disease. This technique also has enabled a growing investigation into the coding patterns within, and cardiovascular outcomes associated with, postganglionic SNA. This review outlines how results obtained by microneurographic means have improved our understanding of SNA outflow patterns at the action potential level, focusing on SNA directed toward skeletal muscle in conscious humans