PIL was more stable than QOL and was therefore a potential psychological resource for patients and caregivers. Critical periods-after diagnosis and approaching death-accompanied more rapid PIL decline. QOL was also impacted by proximity to critical periods. PIL within-dyad relationships may reflect a shared disease experience. Psychological intervention focused on enhancing purpose, particularly during critical periods, is a promising direction for future study. (PsycINFO Database Record

Mixed reality (MR) in standalone headsets has many advantages over other types of devices. With the recent appearance of the Passthrough of Oculus Quest 2, new possibilities open up. This work details the features of the current Passthrough and how its potential was harnessed and its drawbacks minimized for developing a satisfying MR experience. It has been applied to learning to play the piano as a use case. A total of 33 piano students participated in a study to compare participants' interpretation outcomes and subjective experience when using a MR application for learning piano with two visualization modes (border lines on all the keys (Wireframe) vs. solid color hiding the real keys (Solid)). The two visualization modes provided a satisfying experience. Even thoughthere were no significant differences in the analyzed variables, the students preferred the Solid mode, indicating that short-distance Passthrough limitations should be minimized in application development.

Introduction and Purpose Manadas Creek is an urban tributary of the Rio Grande that flows past a decommissioned antimony smelter and processing plant. This antimony plant is associated with heavy metal contamination in the creek and still poses a threat to the surrounding aquatic environment. Corbicula fluminea was used to determine bioaccumulation from the water column and sediments in Manadas Creek. The metals arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) and thallium (Tl) were analyzed in the water, sediments, gills, mantle, foot, digestive (DI) tract, gonads and shell of clams being monitored at eight sites between March and August 2013. Materials and methodsSediment, water, and dissected Corbicula fluminea samples from different sites in the Creek were acid-digested and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Results and discussion High levels of antimony (25.88 ug/L; 75.96 mg/kg) and arsenic (8.26 ug/L; 6.41 mg/kg) in the water and sediments were observed at the site downstream from the smelter. There were no detectable concentrations of arsenic, antimony, or thallium in the shell of C. fluminea. Arsenic and antimony were detected in the tissues of C. fluminea but thallium was not detected. Conclusion Based on the results, the organotropism for arsenic is DI tract > gills > gonads > foot > mantle > shell and the organotropism for antimony is gills > DI tract > gonads > mantle > foot > shell. This study shows that the Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) is a useful bio-monitor to provide data on the status of metal pollution in Manadas Creek, Laredo, Texas.