Publications

    How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind: The Strange Career of Cold War Rationality
    Rebecca Lemov. 2013. How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind: The Strange Career of Cold War Rationality, Pp. 272. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Publisher's VersionAbstract
    In the United States at the height of the Cold War, roughly between the end of World War II and the early 1980s, a new project of redefining rationality commanded the attention of sharp minds, powerful politicians, wealthy foundations, and top military brass. Its home was the human sciences—psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, among others—and its participants enlisted in an intellectual campaign to figure out what rationality should mean and how it could be deployed.
               
    How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind brings to life the people—Herbert Simon, Oskar Morgenstern, Herman Kahn, Anatol Rapoport, Thomas Schelling, and many others—and places, including the RAND Corporation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Cowles Commission for Research and Economics, and the Council on Foreign Relations, that played a key role in putting forth a “Cold War rationality.” Decision makers harnessed this picture of rationality—optimizing, formal, algorithmic, and mechanical—in their quest to understand phenomena as diverse as economic transactions, biological evolution, political elections, international relations, and military strategy. The authors chronicle and illuminate what it meant to be rational in the age of nuclear brinkmanship.
    Johanna Mårtensson, Markus Nilsson, Freddy Ståhlberg, Pia C Sundgren, Christer Nilsson, Danielle van Westen, Elna-Marie Larsson, and Jimmy Lätt. 2013. “Spatial analysis of diffusion tensor tractography statistics along the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus with application in progressive supranuclear palsy.” MAGMA, 26, 6, Pp. 527-37.Abstract
    BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to develop a method for analysis of diffusion parameters along white matter (WM) tracts, using spatial normalization based on anatomical landmarks, and to introduce the apparent area coefficient (AAC). The method's applicability was tested in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO) in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: A framework for analysis of diffusion parameters was developed. Spatial normalization of the tracts was performed using anatomical landmarks, to avoid deformations caused by cerebral atrophy. Initially, 38 HCs were used to optimize a threshold for the minimal size of regions that differ between groups. The fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, AAC, and the hemispheric asymmetry index (AI), were compared between 11 PSP patients and 15 HCs. RESULTS: The method was feasible for analysis of PSP patients and HCs. The AI showed that the observed hemispheric asymmetry of AAC was significantly larger in PSP patients compared with HCs in small regions of the IFO. CONCLUSIONS: The method was successfully employed for analysis of diffusion parameters along the IFO in a patient group. This method can be potentially useful in studies of WM diseases, with or without cerebral atrophy.
    Henry Córdova, Raúl San José Estépar, Antonio Rodríguez-D'Jesús, Graciela Martínez-Pallí, Pedro Arguis, Cristina Rodríguez de Miguel, Ricard Navarro-Ripoll, Juan M Perdomo, Miriam Cuatrecasas, Josep Llach, Kirby G Vosburgh, and Gloria Fernández-Esparrach. 2013. “Comparative study of NOTES alone versus NOTES guided by a new image registration system for navigation in the mediastinum: a study in a porcine model.” Gastrointest Endosc, 77, 1, Pp. 102-7.Abstract
    BACKGROUND: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) mediastinoscopy (MED) through the esophagus has proved to be feasible in the animal model. However, injury of the adjacent pleura and pneumothorax has been reported as a frequent adverse event when using a blind access. OBJECTIVE: To assess the utility and safety of a CT-based image registration system (IRS) for navigation in the mediastinum. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial in 30 Yorkshire pigs. Thirty-minute MEDs were performed: 15 MEDs were performed with IRS guidance (MED-IRS), and 15 MEDs were performed with a blind access. SETTING: Animal research laboratory. INTERVENTIONS: In both groups, the mediastinum was accessed through a 10-cm submucosal tunnel in the esophageal wall. Timed exploration was performed with identification of 8 mediastinal structures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Technical feasibility, adverse events, and the number of mediastinal structures identified. RESULTS: Thirty animals weighing 31.5 ± 3.5 kg were included in this study. MED was not possible in 2 animals in the "MED with blind access" group but was possible in all MEDs performed with IRS. The mean number of identified organs was slightly higher in "with IRS-MED" (6.13 ± 1.3) than with MED with blind access (4.7 ± 2.3; P = .066). Moreover, the right atrium and vena cava were identified in more cases with IRS-MED than in MED with blind access (13 vs 3 and 15 vs 11, P = .000 and P = .03, respectively). There were 3 (23%) adverse events with IRS-MED and 4 (27%) with "MED with blind access" (P = not significant), with pneumothorax being the most frequent (2 and 3, respectively). LIMITATIONS: Nonsurvival animal study. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the IRS system appears feasible in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery MED and suggests that IRS guidance might be useful for selected procedures.
    Henry Córdova, Raúl San Jose Estépar, Antonio Rodríguez-D'Jesús, Graciela Martínez-Pallí, Pedro Arguis, Cristina Rodríguez de Miguel, Ricard Navarro-Ripoll, Juan M Perdomo, Miriam Cuatrecasas, Josep Llach, Kirby G Vosburgh, and Gloria Fernandez-Esparrach. 2013. “Comparative study of NOTES alone versus NOTES guided by a new image registration system for navigation in the mediastinum: a study in a porcine model.” Gastrointestinal endoscopyGastrointestinal endoscopy, 77, Pp. 102-107.Abstract

    BACKGROUND:Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) mediastinoscopy (MED) through the esophagus has proved to be feasible in the animal model. However, injury of the adjacent pleura and pneumothorax has been reported as a frequent adverse event when using a blind access.OBJECTIVE:To assess the utility and safety of a CT-based image registration system (IRS) for navigation in the mediastinum.DESIGN:Prospective, randomized, controlled trial in 30 Yorkshire pigs. Thirty-minute MEDs were performed: 15 MEDs were performed with IRS guidance (MED-IRS), and 15 MEDs were performed with a blind access.SETTING:Animal research laboratory.INTERVENTIONS:In both groups, the mediastinum was accessed through a 10-cm submucosal tunnel in the esophageal wall. Timed exploration was performed with identification of 8 mediastinal structures.MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS:Technical feasibility, adverse events, and the number of mediastinal structures identified.RESULTS:Thirty animals weighing 31.5 ± 3.5 kg were included in this study. MED was not possible in 2 animals in the "MED with blind access" group but was possible in all MEDs performed with IRS. The mean number of identified organs was slightly higher in "with IRS-MED" (6.13 ± 1.3) than with MED with blind access (4.7 ± 2.3; P = .066). Moreover, the right atrium and vena cava were identified in more cases with IRS-MED than in MED with blind access (13 vs 3 and 15 vs 11, P = .000 and P = .03, respectively). There were 3 (23%) adverse events with IRS-MED and 4 (27%) with "MED with blind access" (P = not significant), with pneumothorax being the most frequent (2 and 3, respectively).LIMITATIONS:Nonsurvival animal study.CONCLUSIONS:This study demonstrates that the IRS system appears feasible in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery MED and suggests that IRS guidance might be useful for selected procedures.

    Yulia Surova, Filip Szczepankiewicz, Jimmy Lätt, Markus Nilsson, Bengt Eriksson, Alexander Leemans, Oskar Hansson, Danielle van Westen, and Christer Nilsson. 2013. “Assessment of global and regional diffusion changes along white matter tracts in parkinsonian disorders by MR tractography.” PLoS One, 8, 6, Pp. e66022.Abstract
    PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to determine the usefulness of diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) in parkinsonian disorders using a recently developed method for normalization of diffusion data and tract size along white matter tracts. Furthermore, the use of DTT in selected white matter tracts for differential diagnosis was assessed. METHODS: We quantified global and regional diffusion parameters in major white matter tracts in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive nuclear palsy (PSP), idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) and healthy controls). Diffusion tensor imaging data sets with whole brain coverage were acquired at 3 T using 48 diffusion encoding directions and a voxel size of 2×2×2 mm(3). DTT of the corpus callosum (CC), cingulum (CG), corticospinal tract (CST) and middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP) was performed using multiple regions of interest. Regional evaluation comprised projection of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD) and the apparent area coefficient (AAC) onto a calculated mean tract and extraction of their values along each structure. RESULTS: There were significant changes of global DTT parameters in the CST (MSA and PSP), CC (PSP) and CG (PSP). Consistent tract-specific variations in DTT parameters could be seen along each tract in the different patient groups and controls. Regional analysis demonstrated significant changes in the anterior CC (MD, RD and FA), CST (MD) and CG (AAC) of patients with PSP compared to controls. Increased MD in CC and CST, as well as decreased AAC in CG, was correlated with a diagnosis of PSP compared to IPD. CONCLUSIONS: DTT can be used for demonstrating disease-specific regional white matter changes in parkinsonian disorders. The anterior portion of the CC was identified as a promising region for detection of neurodegenerative changes in patients with PSP, as well as for differential diagnosis between PSP and IPD.
    Takefumi Yamaguchi, Aslihan Turhan, Deshea L Harris, Kai Hu, Harald Prüss, Ulrich von Andrian, and Pedram Hamrah. 2013. “Bilateral nerve alterations in a unilateral experimental neurotrophic keratopathy model: a lateral conjunctival approach for trigeminal axotomy.” PLoS One, 8, 8, Pp. e70908.Abstract
    bilateral_nerve_alterations_in_a_unilateral_experimental_neurotrophic_keratopathy_model-_a_lateral_conjunctival_approach_for_trigeminal_axotomy.pdf
    To study bilateral nerve changes in a newly developed novel mouse model for neurotrophic keratopathy by approaching the trigeminal nerve from the lateral fornix. Surgical axotomy of the ciliary nerve of the trigeminal nerve was performed in adult BALB/c mice at the posterior sclera. Axotomized, contralateral, and sham-treated corneas were excised on post-operative days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 and immunofluorescence histochemistry was performed with anti-β-tubulin antibody to evaluate corneal nerve density. Blink reflex was evaluated using a nylon thread. The survival rate was 100% with minimal bleeding during axotomy and a surgical time of 8±0.5 minutes. The blink reflex was diminished at day 1 after axotomy, but remained intact in the contralateral eyes in all mice. The central and peripheral subbasal nerves were not detectable in the axotomized cornea at day 1 (p<0.001), compared to normal eyes (101.3±14.8 and 69.7±12.0 mm/mm² centrally and peripherally). Interestingly, the subbasal nerve density in the contralateral non-surgical eyes also decreased significantly to 62.4±2.8 mm/mm² in the center from day 1 (p<0.001), but did not change in the periphery (77.3±11.7 mm/mm², P = 0.819). Our novel trigeminal axotomy mouse model is highly effective, less invasive, rapid, and has a high survival rate, demonstrating immediate loss of subbasal nerves in axotomized eyes and decreased subbasal nerves in contralateral eyes after unilateral axotomy. This model will allow investigating the effects of corneal nerve damage and serves as a new model for neurotrophic keratopathy.
    LM Schrems-Hoesl, WA Schrems, A Cruzat, BM Shahatit, HA Bayhan, UV Jurkunas, and P Hamrah. 2013. “Cellular and subbasal nerve alterations in early stage Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy: an in vivo confocal microscopy study.” Eye (Lond), 27, 1, Pp. 42-9.Abstract
    PURPOSE: To analyze the morphology and density of corneal epithelial cells, keratocytes, and subbasal nerves, in patients with early stage Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). METHODS: IVCM (Confoscan 4, Nidek, Inc.) of the central cornea was performed in 30 corneas of 30 patients with early stage FECD and 13 corneas of 13 normal controls. Images were analyzed for morphology and density of the superficial and basal epithelial cells, keratocyte density, endothelial cell density (ECD), as well as subbasal corneal nerve parameters. Central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured in all patients and normals by ultrasound pachymetry. RESULTS: The ECD was significantly lower (-45.5%, P<0.001) in FECD patients as compared with controls. Total number of nerves and main nerve trunks were significantly reduced (-46.3%, P<0.001; -39.7%, P<0.001) in patients with FECD. Posterior keratocyte density was significantly higher in FECD patients (P<0.001). Significant inverse correlations were found between CCT and total number of nerves (r=-0.69, P<0.001), CCT and main nerve trunks (-0.47, P=0.016), as well as CCT and total nerve length (r=-0.62, P=0.006). Significant correlation was found between ECD and total number of nerves (r=0.44, P=0.012) as well as between ECD and main nerve trunks (r=0.65, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IVCM demonstrates alterations in corneal innervation in patients with early stage FECD, suggesting a potential role of corneal nerves in the pathogenesis of FECD. Additional studies are required to investigate whether subbasal nerve alterations are caused by nonspecific corneal edema, from FECD-induced decrease in ECD, or potentially leading to loss of endothelial cells.
    Takefumi Yamaguchi, Aslihan Turhan, Deshea L Harris, Kai Hu, Harald Prüss, Ulrich von Andrian, and Pedram Hamrah. 2013. “Bilateral nerve alterations in a unilateral experimental neurotrophic keratopathy model: a lateral conjunctival approach for trigeminal axotomy.” PLoS One, 8, 8, Pp. e70908.Abstract
    To study bilateral nerve changes in a newly developed novel mouse model for neurotrophic keratopathy by approaching the trigeminal nerve from the lateral fornix. Surgical axotomy of the ciliary nerve of the trigeminal nerve was performed in adult BALB/c mice at the posterior sclera. Axotomized, contralateral, and sham-treated corneas were excised on post-operative days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 and immunofluorescence histochemistry was performed with anti-β-tubulin antibody to evaluate corneal nerve density. Blink reflex was evaluated using a nylon thread. The survival rate was 100% with minimal bleeding during axotomy and a surgical time of 8±0.5 minutes. The blink reflex was diminished at day 1 after axotomy, but remained intact in the contralateral eyes in all mice. The central and peripheral subbasal nerves were not detectable in the axotomized cornea at day 1 (p<0.001), compared to normal eyes (101.3±14.8 and 69.7±12.0 mm/mm² centrally and peripherally). Interestingly, the subbasal nerve density in the contralateral non-surgical eyes also decreased significantly to 62.4±2.8 mm/mm² in the center from day 1 (p<0.001), but did not change in the periphery (77.3±11.7 mm/mm², P = 0.819). Our novel trigeminal axotomy mouse model is highly effective, less invasive, rapid, and has a high survival rate, demonstrating immediate loss of subbasal nerves in axotomized eyes and decreased subbasal nerves in contralateral eyes after unilateral axotomy. This model will allow investigating the effects of corneal nerve damage and serves as a new model for neurotrophic keratopathy.
    2013. “Altos niveles de violencia contra la mujer en Latinoamerica y Caribe.” Nueva tribuna. Publisher's VersionAbstract

    http://www.nuevatribuna.es/articulo/america-latina/altos-niveles-de-viol...

    Según la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, los niveles de violencia contra la mujer afectan entre el 17% a 53% de las mujeres en cada país de la región.

    El Secretariado Permanente de la Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe para la Democracia (RedLad) alerta sobre los altos niveles de violencia contra la mujer persistentes en América Latina. Según la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, los niveles de violencia contra la mujer afectan de entre 17% a 53% de la población de mujeres en cada país de la región.

    Sidong Liu, Yang Song, Weidong Cai, Sonia Pujol, Ron Kikinis, Xiaogang Wang, and Dagan Feng. 2013. “Multifold Bayesian kernelization in Alzheimer's diagnosis.” Med Image Comput Comput Assist Interv, 16, Pt 2, Pp. 303-10.Abstract
    The accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is important in early dementia detection and treatment planning. Most of current studies formulate the AD diagnosis scenario as a classification problem and solve it using various machine learners trained with multi-modal biomarkers. However, the diagnosis accuracy is usually constrained by the performance of the machine learners as well as the methods of integrating the multi-modal data. In this study, we propose a novel diagnosis algorithm, the Multifold Bayesian Kernelization (MBK), which models the diagnosis process as a synthesis analysis of multi-modal biomarkers. MBK constructs a kernel for each biomarker that maximizes the local neighborhood affinity, and further evaluates the contribution of each biomarker based on a Bayesian framework. MBK adopts a novel diagnosis scheme that could infer the subject's diagnosis by synthesizing the output diagnosis probabilities of individual biomarkers. The proposed algorithm, validated using multimodal neuroimaging data from the ADNI baseline cohort with 85 AD, 169 MCI and 77 cognitive normal subjects, achieves significant improvements on all diagnosis groups compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
    Sidong Liu, Weidong Cai, Yang Song, Sonia Pujol, Ron Kikinis, Lingfeng Wen, and David Dagan Feng. 2013. “Localized Sparse Code Gradient in Alzheimer's disease staging.” Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2013, Pp. 5398-401.Abstract
    The accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) at different stages is essential to identify patients at high risk of dementia and plan prevention or treatment measures accordingly. In this study, we proposed a new AD staging method for the entire spectrum of AD including the AD, Mild Cognitive Impairment with and without AD conversions, and Cognitive Normal groups. Our method embedded the high dimensional multi-view features derived from neuroimaging data into a low dimensional feature space and could form a more distinctive representation than the naive concatenated features. It also updated the testing data based on the Localized Sparse Code Gradients (LSCG) to further enhance the classification. The LSCG algorithm, validated using Magnetic Resonance Imaging data from the ADNI baseline cohort, achieved significant improvements on all diagnosis groups compared to using the original sparse coding method.
    Sidong Liu, Yang Song, Weidong Cai, Sonia Pujol, Ron Kikinis, Xiaogang Wang, and Dagan Feng. 2013. “Multifold Bayesian Kernelization in Alzheimer's Diagnosis.” Med Image Comput Comput Assist Interv, 16, Pt 2, Pp. 303-10.Abstract
    The accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is important in early dementia detection and treatment planning. Most of current studies formulate the AD diagnosis scenario as a classification problem and solve it using various machine learners trained with multi-modal biomarkers. However, the diagnosis accuracy is usually constrained by the performance of the machine learners as well as the methods of integrating the multi-modal data. In this study, we propose a novel diagnosis algorithm, the Multifold Bayesian Kernelization (MBK), which models the diagnosis process as a synthesis analysis of multi-modal biomarkers. MBK constructs a kernel for each biomarker that maximizes the local neighborhood affinity, and further evaluates the contribution of each biomarker based on a Bayesian framework. MBK adopts a novel diagnosis scheme that could infer the subject's diagnosis by synthesizing the output diagnosis probabilities of individual biomarkers. The proposed algorithm, validated using multimodal neuroimaging data from the ADNI baseline cohort with 85 AD, 169 MCI and 77 cognitive normal subjects, achieves significant improvements on all diagnosis groups compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
    Sidong Liu, Weidong Cai, Yang Song, Sonia Pujol, Ron Kikinis, Lingfeng Wen, and David Dagan Feng. 2013. “Localized Sparse Code Gradient in Alzheimer's disease staging.” Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2013, Pp. 5398-401.Abstract
    The accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) at different stages is essential to identify patients at high risk of dementia and plan prevention or treatment measures accordingly. In this study, we proposed a new AD staging method for the entire spectrum of AD including the AD, Mild Cognitive Impairment with and without AD conversions, and Cognitive Normal groups. Our method embedded the high dimensional multi-view features derived from neuroimaging data into a low dimensional feature space and could form a more distinctive representation than the naive concatenated features. It also updated the testing data based on the Localized Sparse Code Gradients (LSCG) to further enhance the classification. The LSCG algorithm, validated using Magnetic Resonance Imaging data from the ADNI baseline cohort, achieved significant improvements on all diagnosis groups compared to using the original sparse coding method.
    Mrinali M Patel, Daniel R Lefebvre, Grace N Lee, Elena Brachtel, Joseph Rizzo, and Suzanne K Freitag. 2013. “Gaze-evoked amaurosis from orbital breast carcinoma metastasis.” Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg, 29, 4, Pp. e98-e101.Abstract
    Gaze-evoked amaurosis (GEA) is a transient monocular vision loss provoked by eccentric gaze. Gaze-evoked amaurosis has been associated with a variety of orbital lesions, most commonly optic nerve sheath meningiomas and cavernous hemangiomas. The authors describe the first report in the literature of GEA as the presenting symptom of an orbital metastasis. The patient was a 47-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer with no known history of metastasis or active disease who presented with several weeks of vision loss in the OD upon rightward gaze. She was found to have enophthalmos and optic disc edema of the OD. Imaging revealed an intraorbital lesion, and a biopsy was consistent with a scirrhous metastasis of her breast carcinoma. This case highlights the importance of considering orbital metastases among the differential for gaze-evoked amaurosis.
    Ngurah Swajaya. 2013. “ASEAN Day Panel Discussion - Presentation of Amb. I Gede Ngurah Swajaya.” In Panel Discussion on the ASEAN Community Building. Jakarta, Indonesia. Publisher's VersionAbstract

    http://aichr.org/documents/

    Very last document

    Promoting and protection of human rights cooperation in ASEAN is an evolving process. It was started by the endorsement of the Joint Communique of the 26th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 1993 in which ASEAN pledged, for the first time, its commitment to respect and promote human rights and fundamental freedom. The United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, Austria acknowledged and welcome this commitment. Since then, the process of establishing an ASEAN Mechanism to promote and protect human rights has been started.

    Hanoi Plan of Action, as the first Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN Vision 20202 reemphasized ASEAN's commitment to exchange information among its members on the promotion and protection of Human Rights as elaborated in section IV, paragraph 4.8.3 As the second phase of the Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN Vision 2020, the 2004 Vientiane Action Program, under the sub-section Political Development, ASEAN reaffirmed its commitment to promote human rights and fundamental freedom. ASEAN Charter that was entered into force at the end of 2008 gave a significant leapfrog to

    the ASEAN’s efforts to establish its Human Rights mechanisms and to promote further the protection of human rights and fundamental freedom. As the last phase to implement the ASEAN Vision 2020 and the establishment of the ASEAN Community 2015, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, particularly under section A.1.5, charted the way forward to further strengthen ASEAN's commitment on the promotion and protection of human rights.

    The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) established as the follow up the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter, took up its role as the ASEAN overarching mechanism to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedom in close collaboration with other mechanisms, including the ACWC. Although the current role of the AICHR is mainly focusing on human rights promotion, however, a significant progress has been achieved in its work to develop the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which was endorsed by the ASEAN Leaders through the Phnom Penh Statement on the adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

    P. S. Udomprasert, A. A. Goodman, and C. Wong. 2013. “WorldWide Telescope Ambassadors: A Year 3 Update.” In Communicating Science: A National Conference on Science Education and Public Outreach, 473: Pp. 137-140. Tuscon, AZ: Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Publisher's VersionAbstract
    2013-wwta-asp.pdf

    We give a brief overview of some key features of WorldWide Telescope and its Ambassadors Program, and we describe two goals for expanding the program in the coming year: scaling up training efforts; and developing “plug and play” Visualization Lab modules that teach key Earth and Space Science concepts to students while emphasizing important scientific processes and skills. We discuss several different ways that members of the astronomy education and outreach community can incorporate WWT-based materials into their work.

    Behzad Mansouri, Rebecca C Stacy, Joshua Kruger, and Dean M Cestari. 2013. “Deprivation amblyopia and congenital hereditary cataract.” Semin Ophthalmol, 28, 5-6, Pp. 321-6.Abstract
    Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of vision associated with decreased visual acuity, poor or absent stereopsis, and suppression of information from one eye.(1,2) Amblyopia may be caused by strabismus (strabismic amblyopia), refractive error (anisometropic amblyopia), or deprivation from obstructed vision (deprivation amblyopia). 1 In the developed world, amblyopia is the most common cause of childhood visual impairment, 3 which reduces quality of life 4 and also almost doubles the lifetime risk of legal blindness.(5, 6) Successful treatment of amblyopia greatly depends on early detection and treatment of predisposing disorders such as congenital cataract, which is the most common cause of deprivational amblyopia. Understanding the genetic causes of congenital cataract leads to more effective screening tests, early detection and treatment of infants and children who are at high risk for hereditary congenital cataract.

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