ABSTRACT
Addressing anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems is a focus of lake management. Controlling phosphorus and nitrogen can mitigate these impacts, but determining management effectiveness requires long-term datasets. Recent analysis of the LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal database for the Northeast (LAGOS-NE) United States found stable water quality in the northeastern and midwestern United States; however, sub-regional trends may be obscured. We used the University of Rhode Island's Watershed Watch Volunteer Monitoring Program (URIWW) dataset to determine if there were sub-regional (i.e., 3000 km2) water quality trends. URIWW has collected water quality data on Rhode Island lakes and reservoirs for over 25 yr. The LAGOS-NE and URIWW datasets allowed for comparison of water quality trends at regional and sub-regional scales, respectively. We assessed regional (LAGOS-NE) and sub-regional (URIWW) trends with yearly median anomalies calculated on a per-station basis. Sub-regionally, temperature and chlorophyll a increased from 1993 to 2016. Total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and the nitrogen:phosphorus ratio (N:P) were stable. At the regional scale, the LAGOS-NE dataset showed similar trends to prior studies of the LAGOS-NE with chlorophyll a, total nitrogen, and N:P all stable over time. Total phosphorus did show a very slight increase. In short, algal biomass, as measured by chlorophyll a in Rhode Island lakes and reservoirs increased, despite stability in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio. Additionally, we demonstrated both the value of long-term monitoring programs, like URIWW, for identifying trends in environmental condition, and the utility of site-specific anomalies for analyzing for long-term water quality trends.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study aimed to quantify the variability in the values of radiomic features extracted from a right parotid gland (RPG) delineated by a series of independent observers. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of anonymous data from a delineation workshop. Inter-observer variability of the RPG from 40 participants was quantified using DICE similarity coefficient (DSC) and Hausdorff distance (HD). An additional contour was generated using Varian SmartSegmentation. Radiomic features extracted include four shape features, six histogram features, and 32 texture features. The absolute mean paired percentage difference (PPD) in feature values from the expert and participants were ranked . Feature robustness was classified using pre- determined thresholds. RESULTS: 63% of participants achieved a DSC > 0.7, the auto- segmentation DSC was 0.76. The average HD for the participants was 16.16 mm ± 0.66 mm, and 15.16 mm for the auto-segmentation. 48% (n = 20) and 33% (n = 14) of features were deemed to be robust with a mean absolute PPD < 5%, for the auto-segmentation and manual delineations respectively; the majority of which were from the grey-run length matrix family. 7% (n = 3) of features from the auto- segmentation and 10% (n = 4) from the manual contours were deemed to be unstable with a mean absolute PPD > 50%. The value of the most robust feature was not related to DSC and HD. CONCLUSION: Inter-observer delineation variability affects the value of the radiomic features extracted from the RPG. This study identifies the radiomic features least sensitive to these uncertainties. Further investigation of the clinical relevance of these features in prediction of xerostomia is warranted.
Subject(s)
Parotid Gland , Humans , Observer Variation , Parotid Gland/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
A continuous care team provides ongoing treatment for chronic mentally ill patients at a community mental health center in an inner-city area. The team, which consists of a nurse-social worker, a psychiatrist, four clinicians, and an addictions counselor, uses aggressive outreach and remains in charge of treatment while the patient is hospitalized. Preliminary outcomes for 32 of 39 patients treated during the first 15 months of the program included increased rates of treatment compliance, decreased frequency of crises, and decreased frequency and duration of hospitalization. However, substance abuse continued to be a problem and was negatively correlated with improvement.
Subject(s)
Ambulatory Care , Community Mental Health Centers , Continuity of Patient Care , Mental Disorders/rehabilitation , Patient Care Team , Poverty Areas , Adult , Aged , Baltimore , Combined Modality Therapy , Female , Humans , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation , Male , Mental Disorders/psychology , Middle Aged , Psychotic Disorders/psychology , Psychotic Disorders/rehabilitation , Social Adjustment , Social Work, Psychiatric , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/rehabilitationABSTRACT
The ability of long-acting fluphenazine decanoate and oral fluphenazine hydrochloride to forestall relapse among newly discharge schizophrenic patients is examined in the context of high and low degrees of social therapy (ST). A total of 105 patients were randomly assigned to the various treatments and maintained under controlled conditions for two years or until relapse. Relapse rates for all treatments remained traditionally high. Relpase rates for long-acting fluphenazine decanoate and oral fluphenazine hydrochloride are nearly identical in the first year, indicating that drug noncompliance does not adequately explain early schizophrenic relapse. However, patients who received long-acting fluphenazine decanoate and ST have a reduced risk of relapse over time. Relapsers who received long-acting fluphenazine decanoate appeared more affectively disturbed than other relapsers, yet both groups were diagnostically and symptomatically equivalent prior to treatment. Personal discomfort and intrafamilial stress are important predictors.
Subject(s)
Aftercare , Fluphenazine/administration & dosage , Schizophrenia/rehabilitation , Socioenvironmental Therapy , Administration, Oral , Adolescent , Adult , Delayed-Action Preparations , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Dropouts , Probability , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Random Allocation , Recurrence , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Time FactorsSubject(s)
Personality Inventory , Analysis of Variance , Anxiety/diagnosis , Depression/diagnosis , Female , Hostility/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Methods , PsychometricsSubject(s)
Anxiety , Personality Inventory , Adult , Aged , Analysis of Variance , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Set, PsychologyABSTRACT
Seismicity, volcanism, and a linear pattern of very large magnetic anomalies that show symmetry about a broad negative anomaly suggest that a type of sea-floor spreading occurs near the Galapagos Islands in the east-equatorial Pacific. This spreading results from the tensile stresses generated by different spreading directions of two adjacent segments of the East Pacific Rise, and it is suggested that the area be called the Galapagos Rift Zone.
