AAPM Task Group 334: A guidance document to using radiotherapy immobilization devices and accessories in an MR environment.

Use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in radiation therapy has increased substantially in recent years as more radiotherapy centers are having MR simulators installed, requesting more time on clinical diagnostic MR systems, or even treating with combination MR linear accelerator (MR-linac) systems. With this increased use, to ensure the most accurate integration of images into radiotherapy (RT), RT immobilization devices and accessories must be able to be used safely in the MR environment and produce minimal perturbations. The determination of the safety profile and considerations often falls to the medical physicist or other support staff members who at a minimum should be a Level 2 personnel as per the ACR. The purpose of this guidance document will be to help guide the user in making determinations on MR Safety labeling (i.e., MR Safe, Conditional, or Unsafe) including standard testing, and verification of image quality, when using RT immobilization devices and accessories in an MR environment.

Carotenoid deprivation and beta-carotene's effects on male and female turtle color.

Carotenoid-colored integuments commonly function as sexually selected honest signals because carotenoid pigments can be costly to obtain, ingest, absorb, metabolize or transport before being deposited into the integument. As such, carotenoid pigmentation is often sexually dichromatic, with males being more colorful than females. Sexual dichromatism may also occur in ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, which is visible to organisms who possess UV-sensitive photoreceptors. The stripes and spots of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) are carotenoid-based and reflect UV wavelengths. This research describes UV sexual dichromatism in painted turtles and shows how carotenoid deprivation changes spot and stripe color in male and female painted turtles. Adult turtles were fed a diet that was supplemented with carotenoids (i.e., C diet) or deprived of carotenoids (C-). Stripe and spot color were measured with UV-vis spectrometry, and blood was drawn from all turtles before and after the dietary treatment. HPLC analysis revealed five carotenoids (4 xanthophylls and beta-carotene) circulating in turtle blood. C-diet reduced yellow chroma and increased brightness of yellow and red stripes or spots, relative to the C diet, but there was no sexually dimorphic effect of carotenoid deprivation on color, nor did carotenoid deprivation affect UV reflectance. Carotenoid deprivation reduced all circulating carotenoids, but beta-carotene was the only pigment with a significant effect on post-experimental carotenoids, implying that changes in color were due in part to reduction in circulating levels of beta-carotene. Color generation appears to be complex in turtles and have dietary as well as non-dietary components.

Amplified seasonal cycle in hydroclimate over the Amazon river basin and its plume region.

The Amazon river basin receives ~2000 mm of precipitation annually and contributes ~17% of global river freshwater input to the oceans; its hydroclimatic variations can exert profound impacts on the marine ecosystem in the Amazon plume region (APR) and have potential far-reaching influences on hydroclimate over the tropical Atlantic. Here, we show that an amplified seasonal cycle of Amazonia precipitation, represented by the annual difference between maximum and minimum values, during the period 1979-2018, leads to enhanced seasonalities in both Amazon river discharge and APR ocean salinity. An atmospheric moisture budget analysis shows that these enhanced seasonal cycles are associated with similar amplifications in the atmospheric vertical and horizontal moisture advections. Hierarchical sensitivity experiments using global climate models quantify the relationships of these enhanced seasonalities. The results suggest that an intensified hydroclimatological cycle may develop in the Amazonia atmosphere-land-ocean coupled system, favouring more extreme terrestrial and marine conditions.

The effect of dietary carotenoid increase on painted turtle spot and stripe color.

Determination of how carotenoid-based color patches change with pigmentary access is important to understanding color patch function in animals. We performed a carotenoid addition experiment on male painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) to determine if an increase in dietary carotenoids led to location-specific changes in painted turtle spot and stripe color. Turtles fed large quantities of carotenoids had increased yellow chroma in chin stripes and increased red chroma in the neck and carapace stripes, as well as reduced ultraviolet (UV) chroma in the neck (orange to the human eye) and fore -limb (red to the human eye) stripes. Turtles fed large quantities of carotenoid had reduced brightness (B1) in the hind-limb stripes (red to the human eye) as well as reduced red and UV chroma in the post orbital spot of turtles (yellow to the human eye) compared to turtles fed moderate amounts of carotenoid. These results imply that integumentary spot and stripe colors are dependent upon carotenoid access, and increased lutein access leads to increased yellow and red chroma, as well as reduced ultra-violet chroma and brightness in male painted turtles. These results are discussed with respect to dietary access to carotenoids and color in other model systems, and the possibility that spot and stripe color functions as a visual signal.

A statewide consortium's adoption of a unified nursing curriculum: evaluation of the first two years.

AIM: This article provides an evaluation of the first two years of implementation of a statewide nursing consortium (SNC) curriculum on nursing faculty work life, teaching productivity, and quality of education. BACKGROUND: In response to the call for nursing education reform, the SNC incorporated new approaches to competency-based, student-centered learning and clinical education. METHOD: Faculty and two cohorts of students were measured at three points over the first two years of the curriculum implementation. RESULTS: The expected positive impact of the SNC was documented at the start of the first year, but not sustained. Students reported having more confidence in their clinical skills at the start of the first year, yet demonstrated significantly less confidence in their ability after two years. CONCLUSION: Faculty indicated that the SNC allowed greater opportunity for collaboration, but that the experience did not alter their classroom performance or satisfaction beyond the first year.

Prevalence and correlates of criminal victimization among new admissions to outpatient mental health services in Hawaii.

Adults with serious mental illness (SMI) experience criminal victimization at rates higher than the general population whether they reside in the community or correctional settings. This study examines the past-six month prevalence and correlates of criminal victimization among a large community sample (N = 2,209) of consumers with SMI newly admitted to outpatient mental health services during 2005 through 2008. A cross-sectional design was used with self-report and clinical data collected from administrative records. Victimization was determined by responses to direct questions about experiences in the previous 6 months with respect to victimization of a non-violent and/or violent crime. Socio-demographic, clinical and criminal correlates of victimization were abstracted from a quality of life survey and clinical assessment interview conducted at admission. Overall, 25.4 % of consumers reported being a victim of any crime (violent or non-violent) in the past 6 months, with 20.3 % reporting non-violent and 12.3 % violent victimization. The risk of victimization was elevated for those who were female, White, not taking atypical psychotropic medication, not feeling safe in their living arrangement, and were arrested or homeless in the six-months prior to engaging in mental health outpatient treatment. Policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed.

Host stress response is important for the pathogenesis of the deadly amphibian disease, Chytridiomycosis, in Litoria caerulea.

Chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has contributed to worldwide amphibian population declines; however, the pathogenesis of this disease is still somewhat unclear. Previous studies suggest that infection disrupts cutaneous sodium transport, which leads to hyponatremia and cardiac failure. However, infection is also correlated with unexplained effects on appetite, skin shedding, and white blood cell profiles. Glucocorticoid hormones may be the biochemical connection between these disparate effects, because they regulate ion homeostasis and can also influence appetite, skin shedding, and white blood cells. During a laboratory outbreak of B. dendrobatidis in Australian Green Tree Frogs, Litoria caerulea, we compared frogs showing clinical signs of chytridiomycosis to infected frogs showing no signs of disease and determined that diseased frogs had elevated baseline corticosterone, decreased plasma sodium and potassium, and altered WBC profiles. Diseased frogs also showed evidence of poorer body condition and elevated metabolic rates compared with frogs showing no signs of disease. Prior to displaying signs of disease, we also observed changes in appetite, body mass, and the presence of shed skin associated with infected but not yet diseased frogs. Collectively, these results suggest that elevated baseline corticosterone is associated with chytridiomycosis and correlates with some of the deleterious effects observed during disease development.

The effects of working alliance and client-clinician ethnic match on recovery status.

Sixty-seven clients with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) recruited from community mental health centers were interviewed to assess their subjective quality of life, self-efficacy, importance of ethnic matching and level of working alliance (WA) with their clinicians. Results revealed that clients in the ethnically matched group reported significantly higher WA compared to the non-matched group. Clients who reported a higher level of WA also reported better recovery status. Results suggest that, in a multicultural community, ethnic matching may help augment WA and address potential barriers to treatment engagement, and identifying strategies to promote WA may enhance treatment effectiveness in programs for SPMI.

Cognitive motivational systems and life satisfaction in serious and persistent mental illness.

PURPOSE: Levels of life satisfaction are commonly used to measure attainment of recovery in serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI). There is some controversy about what constitutes life satisfaction and its measurement. This study explored the influence of cognitive motivational systems upon estimations of life satisfaction using structural equation modeling (SEM). METHODS: One hundred and ninety participants diagnosed with SPMI from Hawai'i's public mental health system completed instruments measuring cognitive motivational systems (e.g., behavioral activation and inhibition), psychological distress, and life satisfaction (e.g., quality of life and subjective well-being). RESULTS: Exploratory models indicated that higher behavioral inhibition or psychological distress predicts lower levels of life satisfaction. However, higher levels of behavioral activation predict higher levels of life satisfaction. There was no support for psychological distress as a mediator between cognitive motivational systems and life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, cognitive motivational systems accounted for 15% of the variance in life satisfaction while psychological distress accounted for 29%. This suggests the importance of considering cognitive schemas and motivation beyond symptomatology when examining life satisfaction.

Perch-height specific predation on tropical lizard clay models: implications for habitat selection in mainland neotropical lizards.

Predation has been hypothesized to be a strong selective force structuring communities of tropical lizards. Comparisons of perch height and size-based predation frequencies can provide a unique window into understanding how predation might shape habitat selection and morphological patterns in lizards, especially anoles. Here I use plasticine clay models, placed on the trunks of trees and suspended in the canopy to show that predation frequency on clay models differs primarily according to habitat (canopy vs. trunk-ground), but not according to size. These data are discussed in light of observed lizard abundances in the lowland forests of Costa Rica, and are presented as partial explanation for why fewer lizards are found in tree canopies, and more lizards are found on ground-trunk habitats.

Perch-height specific predation on tropical lizard clay models: implications for habitat selection in mainland neotropical lizards

Predation has been hypothesized to be a strong selective force structuring communities of tropical lizards. Comparisons of perch height and size-based predation frequencies can provide a unique window into understanding how predation might shape habitat selection and morphological patterns in lizards, especially anoles. Here i use plasticine clay models, placed on the trunks of trees and suspended in the canopy to show that predation frequency on clay models differs primarily according to habitat (canopy vs. trunk-ground), but not according to size. These data are discussed in light of observed lizard abundances in the lowland forests of Costa Rica, and are presented as partial explanation for why fewer lizards are found in tree canopies, and more lizards are found on ground-trunk habitats. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 (3): 859-864. Epub 2009 September 30.

Existe la hipótesis de que la depredación es una fuerte fuerza selectiva que estructura las comunidades de lagartijas tropicales. Las comparaciones de las frecuencias de altura de la percha y de depredación con base en el tamaño pueden proveer una ventana única en el entendimiento de cómo la depredación podría moldear la selección del hábitat y los patrones morfológicos en las lagartijas, especialmente anoles. En este estudio uso modelos de plasticina, ubicados en troncos de árboles y suspendidos en el dosel para mostrar que la frecuencia de depredación en los modelos de plasticina difiere primariamente según el hábitat (dosel vs. tronco-suelo) pero no según el tamaño. Estos datos se discuten a la luz de las abundancias de lagartijas observadas en los bosques de bajura de Costa Rica, y se presentan como una explicación parcial a porqué menos lagartijas se encuentran en los doseles, y más lagartijas se encuentran en los hábitats suelo-tronco.

How dewlap color reflects its carotenoid and pterin content in male and female brown anoles (Norops sagrei).

Sexually selected colors in animals can be created by multiple pigments (e.g., carotenoids, melanins, pterins), but how these pigment classes interact to generate intraspecific color variation has rarely been tested, especially in reptiles. We examined full-spectrum color variation as well as pterin (i.e., drosopterin) and carotenoid (i.e., xanthophyll) pigment concentrations in the yellow and red sexually dichromatic dewlaps of male and female Brown Anoles (Norops sagrei) to understand their color-generating mechanisms and information content. Reflectance curves showed significant sexual differences in dewlap color that could only partially be explained by pigment composition. For example, drosopterin concentration correlated significantly with red chroma in the male's dewlap center. In females, drosopterin concentration correlated significantly with yellow and red chroma along the dewlap edge. In addition, xanthophyll concentration showed a significant inverse correlation with hue in the center of female dewlaps only. There were several other correlations between pigment concentrations and spectral variables, which hinted at ways that pigments produce color in male and female dewlaps, but these were non-significant after statistically correcting for multiple comparisons. These results demonstrate that sexes differ in how pigment classes influence dewlap spectral variation, but also that there may be other aspects of the integument not measured here that also influence dewlap color.

The recovery promotion fidelity scale: assessing the organizational promotion of recovery.

The Recovery Promotion Fidelity Scale (RPFS) was developed to evaluate the extent to which public mental health agencies in Hawai'i incorporate recovery principles into their services and operations. The project progressed through two phases using concept mapping and expert review methods to generate scale items and identify dimensions of recovery that were used as scale domains. The resultant measure consists of 12 items organized around five recovery domains. This paper describes the development of the RPFS, illustrating how public mental health stakeholders, particularly persons in recovery, can be involved in efforts toward making a system of care more recovery oriented.

A field test of female mate preference for male plumage coloration in eastern bluebirds.

A growing body of evidence shows that female birds use male plumage coloration as an important criterion in mate choice. In the field, however, males with brighter coloration may both compete better for high quality territories and be the object of female choice. Positive associations between territory quality, male-male competitive ability, and female preferences can make it difficult to determine whether females actively choose the most ornamented males. Male eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) display brilliant ultraviolet (UV)-blue plumage coloration on their heads, backs, wings, and tails, and chestnut coloration on their breasts which is positively correlated with condition, reproductive effort, and reproductive success. We tested the hypothesis that female bluebirds prefer males that display brighter and more chromatic coloration by widowing males in the field and allowing replacement females to choose partners. We controlled for the influence of territory quality on female choice by widowing dyads of males with adjacent territories. We found no evidence that UV-blue or chestnut plumage coloration, body size, or body condition predicted the male with which females would pair. We found no support for the hypothesis that the coloration of male eastern bluebirds functions as a criterion in female mate choice.

Contributions of pterin and carotenoid pigments to dewlap coloration in two anole species.

Animals can acquire bright coloration using a variety of pigmentary and microstructural mechanisms. Reptiles and amphibians are known to use two types of pigments - pterins and carotenoids - to generate their spectrum of colorful red, orange, and yellow hues. Because both pigment classes can confer all of these hues, the relative importance of pterins versus carotenoids in creating these different colors is not always apparent. We studied the carotenoid and pterin content of red and yellow dewlap regions in two neotropical anole species - the brown anole (Norops sagrei) and the ground anole (N. humilis). Pterins (likely drosopterins) and carotenoids (likely xanthophylls) were present in all tissues from all individuals. Pterins were more enriched in the lateral (red) region, and carotenoids more enriched in the midline (yellow) region in N. humilis, but pterins and carotenoids were found in similar concentrations among lateral and midline regions in N. sagrei. These patterns indicate that both carotenoid and pterin pigments are responsible for producing color in the dichromatic dewlaps of these two species, and that in these two species the two pigments interact differently to produce the observed colors.

The relationship between cognitive dysfunction and coping abilities in schizophrenia.

Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia [Psychiatr. Clin. North Am., 16 (1993) 295; Psychopharmacology: The fourth generation of progress, Raven Press, New York (1995) 1171; Clinical Neuropsychology, Oxford University Press, New York (1993) 449] and is related to psychosocial functioning in this population [Am. J. Psychiatry, 153 (1996) 321]. It is unclear whether cognitive dysfunction is related to specific areas of functioning in schizophrenia, such as coping abilities. Individuals with schizophrenia have deficient coping skills, which may contribute to their difficulties dealing with stressors [Am. J. Orthopsychiatry, 62 (1992) 117; J. Abnorm. Psychol., 82 (1986) 189]. The current study examined the relationship between coping abilities and cognitive dysfunction in a community sample of individuals with schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that executive dysfunction and mnemonic impairments would be positively related to deficiencies in active coping efforts involving problem solving and self-initiation (e.g. advocating for oneself and others with mental illness and becoming involved in meaningful activities, such as work), independent of the contributions of the general intellectual deficits associated with the disorder and psychiatric symptoms. The results indicated that both executive dysfunction and mnemonic impairments were related to decreased usage of active coping mechanisms after controlling for general intellectual deficits. Further, recognition memory made independent contributions to the prediction of coping involving action and help seeking after controlling for the effects of negative symptoms. These findings suggest that individuals with schizophrenia may be less flexible in their use of coping strategies, which may in turn contribute to their difficulties in coping with mental illness and its consequences.

Health care experiences and preferences of uninsured workers.

An exploratory study of the experiences, beliefs, and preferences of uninsured workers found that uninsured workers are active in seeking solutions to their health care needs and have decided opinions about health care. They use a cost-benefit analysis in deciding which health problems warrant professional attention. However, uninsured workers also exhibit a contradictory pattern of behaviors and beliefs. They say their health is good, yet many have illnesses that they neglect. They are satisfied with the health care services they use, yet they want health insurance because they believe it provides more choice and ensures better care and treatment. They express few negative feelings about Medicaid, yet even among the poorest of these workers, few have recently used Medicaid. These findings can inform policy options being considered.

Exercise and eating disorders in college-aged women: profiling excessive exercisers.

This study examined associations among excessive exercise, eating disorders, and selected psychological characteristics in college women (N = 586). Participants were recruited from university classes and administered the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire, Eating Disorders Inventory-2, Bulimia Test-Revised, and other psychosocial measures. Results indicated that obligatory exercise is best viewed as multidimensional. These dimensions were used, through cluster analysis, to generate a typology of exercisers. One identified group clearly manifested eating disorder traits and behaviors, as well as signs of psychological disturbance. Another group who exercised with equal intensity but less emotional fixation showed the fewest signs of eating disorders and psychological distress.