Introducing IsoMad, a compilation of isotopic datasets for Madagascar.

We present the first open-access, island-wide isotopic database (IsoMad) for modern biologically relevant materials collected on Madagascar within the past 150 years from both terrestrial and nearshore marine environments. Isotopic research on the island has increasingly helped with biological studies of endemic organisms, including evaluating foraging niches and investigating factors that affect the spatial distribution and abundance of species. The IsoMad database should facilitate future work by making it easy for researchers to access existing data (even for those who are relatively unfamiliar with the literature) and identify both research gaps and opportunities for using various isotope systems to answer research questions. We also hope that this database will encourage full data reporting in future publications.

Variable digestibility of captive northern greater galagos (Otolemur garnettii) fed experimental "frugivorous" and "invertebrate" diets.

Few studies have addressed the nutritional ecology of galagos. Observations of galagos in the wild reveal that they rely on fruits and invertebrates to varying degrees depending on their availability. We conducted a 6-week comparative dietary analysis of a colony of captive-housed northern greater galagos (Otolemur garnettii), which included five females and six males with known life histories. We compared two experimental diets. The first was fruit dominated and the second was invertebrate dominated. For each diet, we examined dietary intake and apparent dry matter digestibility over the course of 6 weeks. We found significant differences between the apparent digestibility of the diets, with the "invertebrate" diet being more digestible than the "frugivorous" diet. The lower apparent digestibility of the "frugivorous" diet was driven by the higher fiber contents of the fruits provided to the colony. However, variation in apparent digestibility of both diets was found among individual galagos. The experimental design used in this study may provide useful dietary data for the management of captive colonies of galagos and other strepsirrhine primates. This study may also be helpful for understanding the nutritional challenges faced by free-ranging galagos through time and across geographic space.

Healing Hanuman's Army: Veterinary Care as a Core Component of One Health Principles in a Southeast Asian Monkey Forest.

Wildlife that inhabit urban landscapes face the dual challenge of negotiating their positions in their group while navigating obstacles of anthropogenically modified landscapes. The dynamics of urban environments can result in novel injuries and mortalities for these animals. However, these negative impacts can be mitigated through planning, and onsite veterinary care like that provided by the Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali, Indonesia. We examined 275 recorded injuries and mortalities among six social groups of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) brought to the veterinary clinic from 2015-2018. We fit the probabilities of injury vs. death among macaques brought to the clinic using a multilevel logistic regression model to infer the relationship between injury vs. death and associated demographic parameters. Males were more likely to sustain injuries and females were more likely to die. The frequency of injuries and mortalities changed over the four-year study period, which was reflected in our model. The odds of mortality were highest among young macaques and the odds of injury vs. mortality varied across the six social groups. We categorized injuries and mortalities as "natural" or "anthropogenic". Most injuries and mortalities were naturally occurring, but powerlines, motorized vehicles, and plastic present ongoing anthropogenic threats to macaque health. Most wounds and injuries were successfully treated, with healthy animals released back to their group. We suggest other sites with high levels of human-alloprimate interplays consider the Ubud Monkey Forest veterinary office as a model of care and potentially adopt their approaches.

Confinement of Skyrmions in Nanoscale FeGe Device-like Structures.

Skyrmion-based devices have been proposed as a promising solution for low-energy data storage. These devices include racetrack or logic structures and require skyrmions to be confined in regions with dimensions comparable to the size of a single skyrmion. Here we examine skyrmions in FeGe device shapes using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy to reveal the consequences of skyrmion confinement in a device-like structure. Dumbbell-shaped elements were created by focused ion beam milling to provide regions where single skyrmions are confined adjacent to areas containing a skyrmion lattice. Simple block shapes of equivalent dimensions were also prepared to allow a direct comparison with skyrmion formation in a less complex, yet still confined, device geometry. The impact of applying a magnetic field and varying the temperature on the formation of skyrmions within the shapes was examined. This revealed that it is not just confinement within a small device structure that controls the position and number of skyrmions but that a complex device geometry changes the skyrmion behavior, including allowing skyrmions to form at lower applied magnetic fields than in simple shapes. The impact of edges in complex shapes is observed to be significant in changing the behavior of the magnetic textures formed. This could allow methods to be developed to control both the position and number of skyrmions within device structures.

Is there a difference in student physical activity between a field school and a traditional classroom setting?

OBJECTIVES: We compared the physical activity of nine students participating in an anthropological field school to their activity expenditures in traditional classrooms. We predicted that the students would exhibit higher physical activity during the field school due to the substantial physical requirements associated with the program compared to traditional classroom environments which are frequently more sedentary. METHODS: Participants (n = 9) wore wrist accelerometers for ~23 h each day for 6 days during an anthropological field school and also in a traditional classroom environment. Accelerometers were programed with participant height, weight, age, and sex. Each accelerometer recorded total energy expenditure in kilocalories (kcal), step counts, and time in four physical activity levels (vigorous, moderate, easy, and very easy) between the field school and traditional classroom settings. RESULTS: During the field school portion of the study, participants burned more calories (p < .01), took more steps (p < .0001), and engaged in more moderate and easy exercise (p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the physical benefits of study abroad programs and field schools. Our multi-day accelerometer data revealed significant differences in even relatively low intensities of physical activity. This is particularly pertinent in the United States where sedentary lifestyles are increasing among college students. Taken together, the results underscore the importance of study abroad programs, field schools, and other applied learning opportunities beyond the educational, professional, and social benefits.

Heavy metal ecotoxicology of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) across field sites in South Africa.

Primatologists use ecological models for understanding nonhuman primate (NHP) behavior and biology. Yet few studies have focused on the impacts of naturally occurring and anthropogenically derived toxicants in NHP habitats. For humans and NHPs, toxic levels of heavy metals frequently result in poor health outcomes including improper neurological development, immune system depression, and endocrine disruption. We analyzed the concentrations of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in 48 vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) hair samples collected from eight South African groups living in environments with varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance. We used two systems to categorize anthropogenic disturbance. The first was based on behavioral observations, home range overlap with human modified environments, and interviews with local people. The second system used stable isotope analysis (mean δ13C and δ15N hair values) from each group to estimate the consumption of C4 resources and the utilization of anthropogenically disturbed habitats. Preliminary analyses revealed differences in the Pb and As hair concentrations across the field sites (p < 0.05). Comparisons between anthropogenic disturbance using observations and interviews revealed differences in As (p < 0.01). In contrast, comparisons between categories using δ13C hair values revealed differences in Pb (p < 0.05). The results from this study suggest that multiple approaches using both qualitative and quantitative data should be employed to estimate the relationship between anthropogenic disturbance and environmental toxicants. Since many NHP populations share their habitats with humans, efforts to improve these landscapes would likely be beneficial for NHP and human health.

Improving the use of patient-reported outcomes among patients receiving radiation therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The use of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) is an important part of care for patients receiving radiation therapy. Established processes for patients to complete symptom screening using PROs were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports the implementation of a Radiation Therapist led "champion" model to support the use of PROs during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Patient charts were audited May 3 to May 22, 2020 to measure the initial impact of the pandemic on weekly completion rates of PROs for patients receiving active radiation treatment. Beginning May 25, 2020, two Radiation Therapists acted as champions to promote the use of PROs among patients and staff. Weekly completion rates of PROs were monitored from May 25, 2020 to May 28, 2021. The type of Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) utilized and treatment intent was also recorded. RESULTS: After implementing the champion model, the weekly completion of PROs increased to an average of 47.0 ± 11.7 (47.5 ± 12.6%) from the initial baseline average of 8.7 ± 1.5 (9.4 ± 2.1%). For PROs completed, the distribution of PROMs was an average of 37.2 ± 9.6 (47.7 ± 12.7%) and 9.8 ± 3.5 (47.0 ± 16.9%) for the Revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS-r) and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) respectively. An average of 5.1 ± 2.9 (26.3 ± 12.7%) and 41.9 ± 10.1 (52.4 ± 14.1%) was recorded for palliative and curative intent respectively. DISCUSSION: An increased number of PROs were completed after implementing the Radiation Therapist led champion model. Patients receiving a radical course of treatment more frequently completed PROs, which in part reflects the longer treatment courses with increased opportunity for PROs to be completed. CONCLUSION: The Radiation Therapist led champion model supported ongoing monitoring and completion of PROs during the COVID-19 pandemic and has now been integrated into the department's standard clinical practice.

Magnetic Vortex States in Toroidal Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Combining Micromagnetics with Tomography.

Iron oxide nanorings have great promise for biomedical applications because of their magnetic vortex state, which endows them with a low remanent magnetization while retaining a large saturation magnetization. Here we use micromagnetic simulations to predict the exact shapes that can sustain magnetic vortices, using a toroidal model geometry with variable diameter, ring thickness, and ring eccentricity. Our model phase diagram is then compared with simulations of experimental geometries obtained by electron tomography. High axial eccentricity and low ring thickness are found to be key factors for forming vortex states and avoiding net-magnetized metastable states. We also find that while defects from a perfect toroidal geometry increase the stray field associated with the vortex state, they can also make the vortex state more energetically accessible. These results constitute an important step toward optimizing the magnetic behavior of toroidal iron oxide nanoparticles.

Collaborating with the Community: Improving Patient Access to Palliative Radiation Therapy.

PURPOSE: Palliative radiation therapy (PRT) has an essential role in cancer symptom control but is underutilized in Ontario. This initiative aimed to implement an educational outreach intervention to improve knowledge of and access to PRT among interprofessional palliative health care teams across an Ontario Local Health Integration Network. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A needs assessment was completed from June to September 2018 with interprofessional palliative health care teams. Participants completed a survey to identify perceived opportunities, barriers, and enablers to recommending or referring patients for PRT. Thematic analysis informed content of the educational outreach intervention and included how to access PRT, common indications, case studies, and side-effect management after completing PRT. The educational outreach intervention was completed from October 2018 to January 2019. Participants completed a survey, and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The number of patients who received PRT was determined by cross-referencing the regional database with the radiation oncology information system. RESULTS: Although 22.9% of participants had previously recommended or referred patients, 96.2% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they are likely to recommend or refer patients for PRT after the educational outreach intervention (n = 131). An increase was observed in the number of patients receiving PRT from the community during the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: The educational outreach intervention improved knowledge and the likelihood of interprofessional palliative health care teams providing access to PRT for patients in the community. More patients now receive PRT, conveying improved symptom control and quality of life.

Balancing Projects and Operations to Improve Organizational Capability.

Radiation therapy projects are necessary to improve organizational performance, implement new technology, and integrate evidence-based practices into the clinical environment. Although large-scale projects may have dedicated resources, relatively smaller scale projects may instead redirect resources from operational activities. This article explores how to facilitate continuous improvement by applying project management principles to health care projects at the level of the clinical team or department. Concepts described will focus on understanding the operational value of projects, common project management methodologies that can be applied, and strategies to resource smaller scale projects while continuing to meet operational demands.

Development of a Collaboration Model between Two Cancer Centres to Maintain Patient Access to Radiation Therapy during the Replacement of a Sole CT Simulator at a Regional Cancer Centre.

INTRODUCTION: Replacement of a sole computed tomography (CT) simulator at a Regional Cancer Centre risks interruption of patient access to radiation therapy clinical services. This study reports a collaboration model between two cancer centres to maintain patient access to radiation therapy during the replacement period. METHODS: Representatives from each cancer centre collaborated to plan and facilitate offsite CT simulation. Activities required were identified and included process coordination, patient consent, patient registration, requisitions, appointment bookings, immobilization equipment, staffing strategy, clinical practice protocols, data transfer, and cost recovery. The logistics of each activity were planned and mapped, with roles identified to perform each activity. During the 2-week replacement duration, from April 30 to May 11, 2018, patients consulted for radiotherapy were offered offsite CT simulation. RESULTS: A detailed process was developed to outline the flow of activities for successful coordination of offsite CT simulations. A total of 14 patients consented to radiation treatment during the CT simulator replacement downtime, of which 8 patients agreed to offsite CT simulation. A total of 11 body regions were simulated for the 8 patients. CT images acquired offsite were electronically transferred to the primary cancer centre to proceed with treatment planning and delivery. DISCUSSION: A collaboration model between two cancer centres was successfully developed and implemented to maintain patient access to radiation therapy during the replacement of a sole CT simulator at a regional cancer centre. CONCLUSION: This strategy and process developed could be valuable for future major equipment upgrades/replacements at other centres.

The effects of dislocations on crystallographic twins and domain wall motion in magnetite at the Verwey transition.

Pure magnetite experiences a first-order phase transition (the Verwey transition) near 120-125 K wherein the mineral's symmetry changes from cubic to monoclinic. This transformation results in the formation of fine-scale crystallographic twins and is accompanied by a profound change in magnetic properties. The Verwey transition is critical to a variety of applications in environmental magnetism and paleomagnetism because its expression is diagnostic for the presence of stoichiometric (or nearly stoichiometric) magnetite and cycling through the Verwey transition tends to remove the majority of multidomain magnetic remanence. Internal and external stresses demonstrably affect the onset of the Verwey transition. Dislocations create localized internal stress fields and have been cited as a possible source of an altered Verwey transition in deformed samples. To further investigate this behavior, a laboratory-deformed magnetite sample was examined inside a transmission electron microscope as it was cooled through the Verwey transition. Operating the microscope in the Fresnel mode of Lorentz microscopy enabled imaging of the interactions between dislocations, magnetic domain walls, and low-temperature crystallographic twin formation during the phase transition. To relate the observed changes to more readily measurable bulk sample magnetic behavior, low-temperature magnetic measurements were also taken using SQUID magnetometry. This study allows us, for the first time, to observe the Verwey transition in a defect-rich area. Dislocations, and their associated stress fields, impede the development of monoclinic magnetite twin structures during the phase transition and increase the remanence of a magnetite sample after cooling and warming through the Verwey transition.

Do Images of Biskyrmions Show Type-II Bubbles?

The intense research effort investigating magnetic skyrmions and their applications for spintronics has yielded reports of more exotic objects including the biskyrmion, which consists of a bound pair of counter-rotating vortices of magnetization. Biskyrmions have been identified only from transmission electron microscopy images and have not been observed by other techniques, nor seen in simulations carried out under realistic conditions. Here, quantitative Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, X-ray holography, and micromagnetic simulations are combined to search for biskyrmions in MnNiGa, a material in which they have been reported. Only type-I and type-II magnetic bubbles are found and images purported to show biskyrmions can be explained as type-II bubbles viewed at an angle to their axes. It is not the magnetization but the magnetic flux density resulting from this object that forms the counter-rotating vortices.

Outcomes of Peer Review for Radiotherapy Treatment Plans With Palliative Intent.

PURPOSE: Peer review of a proposed treatment plan is increasingly recognized as an important quality activity in radiation medicine. Although peer review has been emphasized in the curative setting, applying peer review for treatment plans that have palliative intent is receiving increased attention. This study reports peer review outcomes for a regional cancer center that applied routine interprofessional peer review as a standard practice for palliative radiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Peer review outcomes for palliative radiotherapy plans were recorded prospectively for patients who began radiotherapy between October 1, 2015, and September 30, 2017. Recommended and implemented changes were recorded. The content of detailed discussions was recorded to gain insight into the complexities of palliative treatment plans considered during peer review. RESULTS: Peer review outcomes were reviewed for 1,413 treatment plans with palliative intent. The proportions of detailed discussions and changes recommended were found to be 139 (9.8%) and 29 (2.1%), respectively. The content of detailed discussions and changes recommended was categorized. Major changes represented 75.9% of recommended changes, of which 84.2% were implemented clinically. CONCLUSION: Many complexities exist that are specific to palliative radiotherapy. Interprofessional peer review provides a forum for these complexities to be openly discussed and is an important activity to optimize the quality of care for patients with treatment plans that have palliative intent.

The stable isotope ecology of Pan in Uganda and beyond.

Stable isotope analysis has long been used to study the dietary ecology of living and fossil primates, and there has been increasing interest in using stable isotopes to study primate habitat use and anthropogenic impacts on non-human primates. Here, we examine the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) from seven communities in Uganda across a continuum of habitat structure (closed to more open) and access to anthropogenic resources (no reliance to heavy reliance). In general, the hair δ(13) C, but not δ(15) N, values of these communities vary depending on forest structure and degree of anthropogenic influence. When integrated with previously published hair δ(13) C and δ(15) N values for Pan, it is apparent that modern "savanna" and "forest" Pan form discrete clusters in carbon and nitrogen isotope space, although there are exceptions probably relating to microhabitat specialization. The combined dataset also reveals that Pan δ(13) C values (but not δ(15) N values) are inversely related to rainfall (r(2) = 0.62). We converted Pan hair δ(13) C values to enamel equivalents and made comparisons to the fossil hominoids Sivapithecus sp., Gigantopithecus blacki, Ardipithecus ramidus, and Australopithecus anamensis. The δ(13) C values of the fossil hominins Ar. ramidus and Au. anamensis do not cluster with the δ(13) C values of modern Pan in "forest" habitats, or with fossil hominoids that are believed to have inhabited forests. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1070-1085, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Using the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to examine questions in ethnoprimatology.

This study seeks to understand how humans impact the dietary patterns of eight free-ranging vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) groups in South Africa using stable isotope analysis. Vervets are omnivores that exploit a wide range of habitats including those that have been anthropogenically-disturbed. As humans encroach upon nonhuman primate landscapes, human-nonhuman primate interconnections become increasingly common, which has led to the rise of the field of ethnoprimatology. To date, many ethnoprimatological studies have examined human-nonhuman primate associations largely in qualitative terms. By using stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis, we use quantitative data to understand the degree to which humans impact vervet monkey dietary patterns. Based on initial behavioral observations we placed the eight groups into three categories of anthropogenic disturbance (low, mid, and high). Using δ13C and δ15N values we estimated the degree to which each group and each anthropogenically-disturbed category was consuming C4 plants (primarily sugar cane, corn, or processed foods incorporating these crops). δ13C values were significantly different between groups and categories of anthropogenic-disturbance. δ15N values were significantly different at the group level. The two vervet groups with the highest consumption of C4 plants inhabited small nature reserves, appeared to interact with humans only sporadically, and were initially placed in the mid level of anthropogenic-disturbance. However, further behavioral observations revealed that the high δ13C values exhibited by these groups were linked to previously unseen raiding of C4 crops. By revealing these cryptic feeding patterns, this study illustrates the utility of stable isotopes analysis for some ethnoprimatological questions.

Stable isotope analysis in primatology: a critical review.

Stable isotope analysis has become an important tool in ecology over the last 25 years. A wealth of ecological information is stored in animal tissues in the relative abundances of the stable isotopes of several elements, particularly carbon and nitrogen, because these isotopes navigate through ecological processes in predictable ways. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes have been measured in most primate taxonomic groups and have yielded information about dietary content, dietary variability, and habitat use. Stable isotopes have recently proven useful for addressing more fine-grained questions about niche dynamics and anthropogenic effects on feeding ecology. Here, we discuss stable carbon and nitrogen isotope systematics and critically review the published stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data for modern primates with a focus on the problems and prospects for future stable isotope applications in primatology.