Are there rural-urban differences in use of mental health care for US Veterans with serious mental illness?

Wiley

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An analysis published in The Journal of Rural Health found that among US Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI), rural Veterans were somewhat more likely to have co-occurring mental health conditions than urban Veterans but were less likely to receive SMI care.

Among 387,477 Veterans with SMI receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration in 2018–2022, 28% were rural. Compared with urban Veterans, rural Veterans were more likely to have mental health comorbidities including anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Rural Veterans had a 38% lower odds of receiving SMI care, a 15% lower odds of having a video-to-home telehealth mental health visit, a 13% lower odds of having an outpatient mental health visit, and a 10% lower odds of receiving multidisciplinary care. Importantly, these rural-urban differences remained after accounting for key demographic and clinical characteristics.

Older age, white race, non-Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, being male, being widowed, and not having service connection were associated with a lower likelihood of later receiving mental health care.

“The Veterans Health Administration offers some of the most comprehensive mental health services available for serious mental illness, including telehealth options designed to reach Veterans wherever they live,” said corresponding author Alexandra B. Caloudas, PhD, of the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Houston. “Our findings highlight an opportunity to ensure rural Veterans with SMI are aware of and able to access these services, by developing targeted outreach and support that addresses the barriers unique to this population.”

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jrh.70173

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
The Journal of Rural Health is a journal devoted to advancing research on rural health policy, health care delivery, and population health. It is sponsored by the National Rural Health Association.

About Wiley      
Wiley is a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation, and learning. With more than 200 years at the center of the scholarly ecosystem, Wiley combines trusted publishing heritage with AI-powered platforms to transform how knowledge is discovered, accessed, and applied. From individual researchers and students to Fortune 500 R&D teams, Wiley enables the transformation of scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. From knowledge to impact—Wiley is redefining what's possible in science and learning. Visit us at Wiley.com and Investors.Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Journal

The Journal of Rural Health

DOI

10.1111/jrh.70173 

Article Title

Rural-urban differences in use of mental health care for serious mental illness at the Veterans Health Administration: A retrospective cohort analysis

Article Publication Date

17-Jun-2026

 

Superconducting TES array X-ray

spectrometer goes into operation at 

BESSY II

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie

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image: 

The superconducting sensors need a temperature below 25 milli Kelvin. This is achieved by using a He4-He3 dilution refrigerator, pictured here. It is similar to those used for quantum computers.

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Credit: Régis Decker / HZB

Europe's first and only TES-spectrometer at a synchrotron source is now in operation at BESSY II, developed within a collaboration between the HZB, the MPI-CEC (Mühlheim-an-der-Ruhr, Germany) and the NIST (Boulder CO, USA). The photon detection efficiency of the new instrument exceeds that of wavelength-dispersive X-ray emission spectrometers by a factor of 100 to 1000.  It will be used to investigate the electronic properties of atomically thin layers, nanostructures and highly diluted atomic and molecular samples. The team is looking forward to receiving exciting research proposals from the user community.

Synchrotron radiation sources such as BESSY II provide intense, highly brilliant X-ray light that can be used to examine a wide variety of samples. However, X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS), where the photons emitted from the sample are detected, are extremely photon-hungry techniques. Therefore, XES and RIXS have been so far largely limited to high concentration and bulk samples.

Huge sensitivity

‘The superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) array photon detector that we have now put into operation at BESSY II is around 100 to 1000 times more efficient to detect photons than conventional XES and RIXS spectrometers’ says Régis Decker, HZB, responsible scientist of the new instrument.

Low-dimensional systems

‘This can provide new insights into molecular chemistry or molecular biology, but also into the quantum properties of systems in reduced dimension such as atomic monolayers, nanostructures and impurities. The TES spectrometer complements methods such as ARPES, which scans the electronic band structures of such systems,’ says Régis Decker. In addition, some XES and RIXS measurements that would otherwise take hours can be completed in a matter of minutes using this instrument.

248 superconducting sensors

The TES array spectrometer contains 248 sensors that are superconducting when cooled at 25 milli-Kelvin. Such a low temperature is reached using a He4-He3 dilution refrigerator, similar to those used for quantum computers. When a sample is examined with X-rays, it reacts by emitting photons itself. These photons then strike individual sensors in the array, causing an abrupt rise in temperature that briefly destroys the superconducting state leading to an increase of the resistance of the sensor, detected through a circuit based on an array of Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs).

The spectrometer is attached to a custom ultra-high vacuum sample chamber, which enables the transfer, preparation and measurements of samples with precise temperature control from 10 K to room temperature. The ensemble of spectrometer and sample chamber is installed at the BESSY II UE52-SGM beamline, which allows full polarisation control. Future developments include improvements of the sample preparation capabilities and measurements of samples in magnetic field for X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism in absorption (XMCD) and emission (RIXS-MCD).

Europe's only TES-spectrometer 

TES spectrometers were originally developed for astrophysical measurements to enable even the weakest photon fluxes to be evaluated. Until now, only five TES spectrometers worldwide existed at X-ray sources, four of them in the USA and one in Japan. BESSY II hosts now the only synchrotron TES spectrometer in Europe. ‘We are looking forward to receiving exciting research proposals from our user community,’ says Decker.

 

The photo shows the detector array, composed of 248 sensors.

Credit

Régis Decker / HZB

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Journal

Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI

10.1063/5.0332443 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

A next-generation superconducting transition edge sensor array for soft x-ray emission spectroscopies of low-dimensional and trace-level concentration systems

Article Publication Date

20-Jun-2026

 

When health matters, status doesn't

New research suggests people stop worrying about being better off than others and focus instead on what is best for themselves

University of East London

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People become much less concerned about being better off than other people when health enters the picture, according to new research.

The study found that people often compare themselves with others when making status decisions such as money, education or social standing. But when choices involve health, they are much more likely to focus on what gives them the best personal outcome instead.

For example, a pay rise can feel disappointing if everyone else gets a bigger one, even though you are objectively better off. But the same is not true in matters of health. Considerations around social status diminish.

Researchers from the School of Management, Angers, France, and the University of East London carried out two experiments involving almost 400 people in France.

Participants were presented with a series of hypothetical choices in which they could either maximise their own outcome or choose an option that left them better off than other people, even if it meant sacrificing some personal benefit.

In non-health situations, many participants preferred to come out ahead of others. But that changed once health information was introduced. Decisions involving life expectancy, surgery waiting times and health insurance shifted people away from social comparison and status and towards choosing what was best for themselves.

Influence key decisions

The researchers say the findings could help policymakers and healthcare organisations communicate more effectively by understanding which types of health information have the greatest influence on decision making.

Co-author Professor Kirk Chang, from the Royal Docks School of Business and Law at the University of East London, said:

“People naturally compare themselves with others in many areas of life. Our research found that this changes when health information becomes part of the decision.

“Instead of asking, 'Am I better off than everyone else?', people become much more focused on what gives them the best outcome personally because the stakes are higher and more significant. We found that this shift was strongest when the information involved life expectancy, surgery waiting times and health insurance.”

The study, published in the Review of Behavioral Economics, also found that not all health information has the same effect. Information about life expectancy, surgery waiting times and health insurance had the strongest influence on decision making.

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Journal

Review of Behavioral Economics

DOI

10.1108/RBE-12-2025-0126 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Article Title

Better for self or better than others, the secret of relative position in behavior

Article Publication Date

16-Jun-2026

 

New bumblebee goby species discovered on Hengqin island named after Jennie Ruby Jane

Pensoft Publishers

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image: 

Photographs of a fresh non-type specimen of Brachygobius jennie sp. nov., showing dorsal, lateral, and ventral views, alongside the preserved holotype of Brachygobius jennie sp. nov. from Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, China, showing dorsal, lateral, and ventral views.

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Credit: Jiangyan Tian et al. (2026).

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University and collaborating institutions have discovered a new species of bumblebee goby on Hengqin Island in Guangdong Province, marking the first recorded presence of this fish genus in China. The discovery and description of Brachygobius jennie, detailed in a newly published study in Zoosystematics and Evolution, expands the known geographical distribution of these small coastal fishes northeastward into the subtropical mangrove wetlands of the Zhujiang River Estuary.

Jiangyan Tian, the first author of this study and a postgraduate student at SYSU under the supervision of Jianrong Huang, recalled: “One day, during fieldwork in the wetlands of the Zhujiang River Estuary, my attention was drawn to small fish living close to the substrate in shallow waters. At first, I thought they were juveniles. However, their body marking pattern did not match that of any fish species known from this region.”

Back in the laboratory, Jianrong Huang encouraged Jiangyan Tian to investigate these specimens further using integrated genetic and morphological approaches. With the assistance of Chunliu Lan and Jianyong Wu, she discovered that they belonged to a previously undescribed species of bumblebee goby. This finding was unexpected, as the fish fauna of this region is generally considered to be relatively well documented.

Sébastien Lavoué, from Universiti Sains Malaysia and co-author of the study, said: “I was excited when Jianrong Huang and his team invited me to collaborate on the description of this species because I had never encountered such a small and distinctive bumblebee goby.”

Exhibiting extreme miniaturisation, Brachygobius jennie is the smallest species within its genus described to date, possibly the smallest fish in China and one of the smallest known fishes in the world, with a maximum standard length of less than nine millimetres.

Brachygobius jennie is distinguished from all other species of bumblebee goby by its unique marking pattern comprising four narrow body bars behind the head, two of which are located past the anal fin base, including a chevron-shaped second bar that extends fully to the midventral line. Genetics confirmed its distinctiveness.

The species has been named Brachygobius jennie, commonly known as Jennie’s Bumblebee Goby, in honour of the South Korean singer Jennie Ruby Jane. Jiangyan Tian who discovered the fish explained: “Listening to the songs of Jennie Ruby Jane during my studies was a constant source of inspiration. Naming this species after her is my way of acknowledging the positive influence she had on my work.”

This study contributes to the field of ichthyology by describing estuarine fishes from Asia, which are still insufficiently characterised and currently under multiple threats. Further, because drastic size reduction forces profound adaptations in anatomy and ecology, the newly identified species offers an important biological model. Indeed, it provides scientists with an organism to study the developmental constraints, physiological trade-offs, and evolutionary mechanisms associated with extreme vertebrate miniaturisation.

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Journal

Zoosystematics and Evolution

DOI

10.3897/zse.102.184142 

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Brachygobius jennie, a new bumblebee goby (Teleostei, Oxudercidae) from Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, China

Article Publication Date

17-Jun-2026

Live photographs of four paratypes of Brachygobius jennie sp. nov., illustrating intra-specific marking pattern.

Credit

Photographed by Mr. Haocong Yang and Mr. Danyang Zhou.

Diagnostic marking pattern comparison among all species of Brachygobius.

Brackish mangrove habitat of Brachygobius jennie sp. nov. on Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, southern China.

Credit

Jiangyan Tian et al. (2026).

The greener the street view, the richer the microbiota?

University of Helsinki

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The Green View Index can be used to identify and develop areas where vegetation is likely to support urban microbial diversity.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Tamkang University, and National Taiwan University investigated how the Green View Index (GVI) relates to the richness and diversity of bacteria in the Taipei metropolitan area in Taiwan. The more vegetation in the area, the richer its microbial community. The Green View Index measures visible greenery from the pedestrian perspective.

“Urban biodiversity hotspots, such as parks, green walls, trees and potted plants, had clearly higher microbial richness and Shannon diversity than pavements or entrances to residential buildings. The Shannon Diversity Index measures both the number of species and the evenness of their distribution. In addition, the GVI correlates with the microbiota particularly in these biodiversity hotspot sites, unlike elsewhere in the studied urban environment,” says Long Xie, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki.

Surprisingly, the GVI was found to correlate more strongly with microbial richness than with Shannon diversity. This suggests that vegetation primarily supports the accumulation of microbial species, while the evenness of distribution in the microbial community is also shaped by filtering processes in the urban environment, including light, temperature, humidity and other microclimate conditions, impermeable surfaces, human intervention and broader urban morphology.

Streetscape meets environmental DNA

The study combined two methods that have rarely been used together: the Green View Index derived from street view images with the help of semantic segmentation based on deep learning, and environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing. Instead of actually counting microbes, they were profiled by analysing the eDNA left in the environment.

“Urban greenery serves not only aesthetic purposes or climate regulation, but also maintains unseen microbial diversity that potentially benefits the human immune system. The Green View Index provides urban planners with a concrete and scalable tool that can be used to identify and develop areas where vegetation is likely to support microbial diversity,” says Associate Professor of Wood Material Science Tuula Jyske from the University of Helsinki.

The study was conducted in one urban area during one winter season. Different climates, seasons and vegetation types may produce different results. Moreover, the study did not directly measure outcomes related to human health. The researchers are calling for longitudinal and cross-seasonal studies in multiple cities to determine the kind of urban greenery that best supports both microbial diversity and human wellbeing.

 

The green view index

The green view index (GVI) describes the percentage of green vegetation in a street view image or images of a certain location. The index only counts the vegetation that is visible in a pedestrian's field of view.

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Journal

Landscape and Urban Planning

DOI

10.1016/j.landurbplan.2026.105709 

Article Title

Linking street-level greenery to environmental microbial diversity: A multiscalar analysis in the Taipei metropolitan area