Dimensions of the Ascending Aorta in Conotruncal Heart Defects

Dilatation of the ascending aorta is an important sequel in conotruncal anomalies, such as tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) or d-transposition of the great arteries (TGA). We measured dimensions and their progression at different levels of the ascending aorta in 80 patients. In TOF patients, mean z-score for aortic annulus was 1.65 (range -3.16-6.47), for sinus 1.93 (range -2.28-5.39), for st-junction 4.15 (range 0.0-8.18), and for ascending aorta 3.51 (range -1.23-6.36). Over time, annulus z-scores increased in the univariate analysis [0.07/year, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.14; p = 0.02], and this was unique to male patients (0.08/year, 95 % CI 0.00-0.15; p = 0.05). z-scores of the ascending aorta decreased (-0.1/year, 95 % CI -0.18 to -0.02; p = 0.02), and this was confined to patients without aortic regurgitation (AR; -0.09/year, 95 % CI -0.18 to -0.01; p = 0.04). In TGA, mean z-score for the aortic annulus was 2.13 (range -3.71-8.39), for sinus 1.77 (range -3.04-6.69), for st-junction 1.01 (range -5.44-6.71), and for ascending aorta 0.82 (range -4.91-6.46). In bivariate analysis, annulus z-scores decreased in females (-0.14/year, 95 % CI -0.25 to -0.03; p = 0.01) and in patients without AR (-0.07/year, 95 % CI -0.14-0.0; p = 0.03). z-scores of the ascending aorta increased significantly in males (0.08/year, 95 % CI 0.0 to 0.16; p = 0.05) and in patients with AR (0.12/year, 95 % CI 0.03-0.21; p = 0.01). In conclusion, TOF and TGA z-scores of the ascending aorta differ significantly from those of the normal population. Progression of z-scores over time is influenced by diagnosis, sex, and presence of AR.

Testing for Measurement Equivalence in Surveys: Dimensions of Social Trust across Cultural Contexts

Our study evaluates the dimensionality and equivalence of social trust across cultural contexts, using new data from Switzerland and the World Values Survey 2005–2008. Whereas some scholars assert that trust should be regarded as a coherent concept, others claim that trust is better conceived of as a multidimensional concept. In contrast to the conventional dichotomy of the forms of social trust, we identify three distinct forms of trust, namely, particularized, generalized, and identity-based trust. Moreover, we dispute the view that respondents understand the wording of survey questions regarding social trust differently between different cultural contexts, which would imply that comparative research on trust is a pointless endeavor. Applying multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis to the various constructs of social trust, we conclude that one may study relationships among the three forms of trust and other theoretical constructs as well as compare latent means across cultural contexts. Our analyses therefore provide an optimistic outlook for future comparative analyses that investigate forms of social trust across cultural contexts.

Normative MR Cervical Spinal Canal Dimensions

Purpose To provide normal values of the cervical spinal canal and spinal cord dimensions in several planes with respect to spinal level, age, sex, and body height. Materials and Methods This study was approved by the institutional review board; all individuals provided signed informed consent. In a prospective multicenter study, two blinded raters independently examined cervical spine magnetic resonance (MR) images of 140 healthy volunteers who were white. The midsagittal diameters and areas of spinal canal and spinal cord, respectively, were measured at the midvertebral levels of C1, C3, and C6. A multivariate general linear model described the influence of sex, body height, age, and spinal level on the measured values. Results There were differences for sex, spinal level, interaction between sex and level, and body height, while age had significant yet limited influence. Normative ranges for the sagittal diameters and areas of spinal canal and spinal cord were defined at C1, C3, and C6 levels for men and women. In addition to a calculation of normative ranges for a specific sex, spinal level, age, and body height data, data for three different height subgroups at 45 years of age were extracted. These results show a range of the spinal canal dimensions at C1 (from 10.7 to 19.7 mm), C3 (from 9.4 to 17.2 mm), and C6 (from 9.2 to 16.8 mm) levels. Conclusion : The dimensions of the cervical spinal canal and cord in healthy individuals are associated with spinal level, sex, age, and height. © RSNA, 2013 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Social control and smoking: Examining the moderating effects of different dimensions of relationship quality

A common form of social regulation of an individual’s health behavior is social control. The contextual model of social control assumes that higher relationship quality goes along with more beneficial effects of social control on health behavior. This study examined potential differential moderating effects of different dimensions of relationship quality on the associations between positive and negative social control and smoking behavior and hiding smoking. The sample consisted of 144 smokers (n = 72 women; mean age = 31.78, SD = 10.04) with a nonsmoking partner. Positive and negative social control, dimensions of relationship quality consensus, cohesion and satisfaction, numbers of cigarettes smoked (NCS), hiding smoking (HS), and control variables were assessed at baseline. Four weeks later NCS and HS were assessed again. Only for smokers with high consensus, but not cohesion and satisfaction, a negative association between positive control and NCS emerged. Moreover, smokers with high consensus tended to report more HS when being positively and negatively socially controlled. This also emerged for cohesion and positive control. Satisfaction with the relationship did not display any interaction effects. This study’s results emphasize the importance of differentiating not only between positive and negative social control but also between different dimensions of relationship quality in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics in romantic dyads with regard to social regulation of behavioral change.

Mountain geography: physical and human dimensions

Mountains cover a quarter of the Earth's land surface and a quarter of the global population lives in or adjacent to these areas. This title gives students a foundation for understanding the geographical processes occurring in the world's mountains and the overall impact of these regions on culture and society as a whole.

Dimensions of culture in intra-cultural comparisons: Individualism/collectivism and family-related values in three generations

The goal of the present study is to supplement inter-cultural comparison of values as a cultural dimension by intra-cultural comparisons, and to go beyond comparisons of single values representing cultural dimensions by studying value patterns on the individual level. Therefore, relationships among general (individualism, collectivism) and domain-specific (family- and child-related) values and the transmission of values in three generations of one family were analyzed. The sample consisted of 100 complete triads of three generations (grandmothers, mothers, and adolescents). The results showed that the individual value orientations of these three generations dif- fered in the expected direction. Individualistic values were more supported by the younger and less by the older generation. While individualism did not show significant relations to other specific values, collectivism was the most powerful dimension to predict family and child-related values. Individual- ism and collectivism clearly turned out as separate dimensions with different functions for the individual value system. The value structure of grandmoth- ers as compared to the younger generations showed more internal consistency. A relative transmission of values was obvious for the adjacent generations. The results are discussed from the perspective of cultural change and stability, and the relation among cultural dimensions and individual value orientations.

Personality dimensions in persons symptomatically at risk of psychosis: pronounced but lacking a characteristic profile

AIM Personality dimensions are frequently abnormal in psychosis. We examined if these abnormalities form a personality profile that is characteristic for patients symptomatically at risk of psychosis. METHODS Four higher order personality dimensions were assessed in 104 at-risk patients, 67 clinical and 97 healthy controls with the 'Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology', and analysed by two-step cluster procedure to detect personality profiles. Logistic regression was used to test for predictors of profile assignment. RESULTS Low and high scorers were distinguished by two profiles. Patients were more likely high scorers. The presence of clinically relevant depression, though equally frequent in clinical groups, best predicted high scorers among patients. CONCLUSIONS Though at-risk patients were significantly more often high scorers, this seemed to be a general reflection of the level of psychopathology rather than a group characteristic. Thus, personality dimensions might be of little value for facilitating early detection but might be important to consider in early intervention approaches.