Ecological assessment of unilateral spatial neglect in immersive virtual reality: A multiple-case study to assess the feasibility and relevance of a Baking Tray Task.

The assessment of unilateral spatial neglect (USN) primarily relies on paper-and-pencil tests, which do not fully represent daily life difficulties. To address this limitation, ecological tests, like the Baking Tray Test (BTT), have been developed. However, the original BTT identifies the presence of USN without providing information on its severity. In this aim, a new severity measure, the Centre of Mass (CoM), has been proposed, but its calculation in real environments poses challenges. Immersive virtual reality (VR) offers a promising solution for implementing a BTT in which measures are automatically calculated. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and relevance of an immersive VR BTT. Nineteen right brain-damaged patients with and without USN and 25 healthy participants were included. Group analyses showed an equivalence between the two BTT versions. Individual analyses revealed that all USN patients, except one, had pathological results in both versions. They also underlined pathological scores in patients without USN signs on paper-and-pencil tests. Finally, the CoM strongly correlated with paper-and-pencil tests and appeared to be a good indicator of USN severity. These findings support the relevance of implementing the BTT in an immersive VR version, suggesting its potential to enhance USN assessment.

Climate change and ecological assessment in Europe under the WFD - Hitting moving targets with shifting baselines?

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets the fundamental structure for assessing the status of water bodies in the European Union. Its implementation is currently entering its fourth six-year cycle assisted by a total of 38 guidance documents. The principal objective is to ensure good status for surface and ground waters. The functioning of the WFD is based on detecting the impact of human pressures on biological, physico-chemical, or hydromorphological parameters, and reducing these causal pressures through a program of measures to achieve good status. Climate change can exert a significant influence on ecological status by directly altering parameters monitored, pressure interactions, or influencing the effectiveness of programs of measures. Aquatic systems respond holistically to climate change with different pressures having additive, synergistic, or antagonistic interactions. The challenge is how to adapt the framework to manage aquatic systems in the context of climate change while maintaining focus on implementing measures to tackle key pressures. This paper examines potential approaches, including reassignment of waterbody type, quantifying the portion of Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) driven by climate change, and creating an assessment module of climatic pressures and ecological responses. The overall purpose is to stimulate discussion and explore ways to incorporate climate change into the WFD structure.

Integrated evaluation of the impact of water diversion on water quality index and phytoplankton assemblages of eutrophic lake: A case study of Yilong Lake.

Water diversion has been widely utilized to enhance lake water quality and mitigate cyanobacterial blooms. However, previous studies have mainly focused on investigating the effects of water diversion on water quality or aquatic ecological health. Consequently, there is limited research investigating the combined impact of water diversion on the water quality and the ecological health of eutrophic lakes, and whether the WQI and phytoplankton assemblages demonstrate similar patterns following water diversion. In this study, the effects of water diversion on the ecosystem health of eutrophic lakes were comprehensively evaluated based on the WQI indices and phytoplankton assemblages during the NWDP-21 and WDP-22. The results showed that the annual mean of WQI increased from 52.02 to 54.36 after water diversion, which improved the water quality of the lake, especially NH3-N and TN decreased by 58.6% and 15.2%, respectively. The phytoplankton assemblages changed significantly before and after water diversion, and we observed that the total biomass of phytoplankton decreased by 12.3% and phytoplankton diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener diversity, Pielou evenness, and Simpson index) increased by 8.6%-8.9% after water diversion, with an improvement in the connectivity and stability of the phytoplankton. Notably, enhanced adaptations of rare sub-communities for resource use in water diversion environments, and water diversion inhibited the dispersal ability of dominant functional groups, and the effects of hydrological disturbances on the structure of phytoplankton assemblage favored the ecological health of eutrophic lakes. VPA analysis further reveals that water diversion alters the drivers of phytoplankton functional group biomass and phytoplankton diversity. The results of the PLS-PM analysis clarify that water diversion indirectly impacts the total phytoplankton biomass and phytoplankton diversity primarily by modifying light availability. Significant correlations are observed between the dominant functional groups biomass and diversity indices of WQI. The trends in changes observed in water quality indices and phytoplankton following water diversion align with the evaluation of water ecological health. This study provides valuable guidance for the ecological management of the diversion project in Yilong Lake and serves as a reference for similar projects in other lakes.

Variation in ecological scorecards and their potential for wider use.

Ecological monitoring is a vital tool to help us assess habitat condition and understand the mechanism(s) for habitat change. Yet many countries struggle to meet their monitoring requirements in part due to the high assessment workload. Rapid ecological assessment methods may have an important role to play in this regard. Following their success within several European habitats (e.g., semi-natural grasslands), they are now being developed for additional habitats such as heathlands, peatlands, and other agri-associated areas. Whilst some rapid assessments using ecological scorecards have been shown to be accurate compared to traditional ecological monitoring, less is known about the functionality of these scorecards in heterogenous landscapes. In this study, we selected four existing scorecards to test alongside a prototype. We assessed how these different scorecards measured habitat condition on the same heathland sites. We found that the choice of metrics, their score weighting, and the thresholds used for categorical scores cause scorecards to assess the same site with substantial variation (37%). Vegetation metrics were the primary cause of score variation, with vegetation structure and positive indicator species being the leading causes. Our study indicates that whilst current scorecards may be representative of project-specific goals, they may not be suitable for wider monitoring uses in their current form. Ecological scorecards have great potential to drastically increase the extent of monitoring, but caution is needed before adapting existing scorecards beyond the purposes from which they were designed.

Effect of Physical Exercise Programs Based on Mobile Health and Ecological Momentary Assessment on the Physical and Mental Health, Cognitive Functions, and Social Environment of Adults in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review.

Background and Objectives: Although there is strong evidence of the positive effects of physical exercise on health, adherence to face-to-face exercise programs in the adult population is low, identifying several barriers that hinder their practice. There is research that demonstrates the viability of physical exercise programs with the use of Mobile Health in Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) mode, which contributes to overcoming many reported barriers. To synthesize the methodological characteristics and health effects of physical exercise programs based on mobile health in EMA modality in adults in developing countries. Materials and Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to guidelines established by the PRISMA statement in APA PsycArticles and CINAHL databases by EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science for articles published between 2008 and March 2024. Results: Telephone counseling on clinical-behavioral factors is believed to reduce morbidity and mortality in developed countries, but this aspect is not explored in developing countries. We included nine randomized controlled trials with a total of 4394 male and female participants aged 18 to 60 years. The interventions were mainly carried out by text messages, lasting between 20 to 80 min per session, 3 to 5 days per week, and most were carried out over 12 months. The interventions on the variables of physical activity, nutrition, and medical assessments showed significant effects, and variables such as quality of life and anthropometric measurements were not significant in most studies. Conclusions: This systematic review included studies from different developing countries, the most common diseases being diabetes, overweight, obesity, and hypertension. All the studies used mobile devices as the technology, finding a profile of the adults studied, as well as the characteristics of exercise programs based on mobile health in EMA modality.

The added value of a micro-level ecological approach when mapping self-regulatory control processes and externalizing symptoms during adolescence: a systematic review.

Deficits in self-regulatory control (SRC) represent a core characteristic of externalizing (EXT) symptoms (e.g., rule-breaking behavior or aggressive behaviors) in adolescents. This review aims to specify the added value of ecologically valid assessments at a micro-level when examining the associations between SRC and EXT symptoms in adolescents. This systematic review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020. The search strategy addressed the added value of (1) naturalistic assessment for the understanding of the relationship between (2) SRC and (3) EXT symptoms in (4) adolescents. We conducted comprehensive searches in bibliographic databases. An additional search was conducted in Google Scholar and supplementary studies were identified through backward and forward citation tracking. Twenty-four studies (n = 4071 adolescents) met the inclusion criteria. The methods used to assess naturalistic aspects included the experience sampling method (ecological momentary- or ambulatory assessment) and the time-course approach (i.e., real-time assessment of SRC processes referring to situations approximating real-life experience where SRC are to be engaged such as in frustrating situations). Micro-level ecological assessments, when mapping the intra-individual relationships between SRC processes and EXT symptoms over time in adolescents within their natural context (i.e., real world) of expression in real time, added a finer-grained observation alongside with a higher ecological validity. Micro-level approaches may enhance the understanding of the complex interplay between SRC and EXT symptoms in adolescence, especially in interventional studies, allowing for the acquisition of endpoints with a higher relevance for everyday functioning.

Nematode community structures in the presence of wastewater treatment plant discharge.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent major point sources of pollution in coastal systems, affecting benthic ecosystems. In the present study, we assessed the potential role that WWTPs have in shaping nematode communities and established baseline knowledge of free-living nematode community structures in St. Andrew Bay, Florida. Sediment samples were collected from four sites representing areas of WWTP outflow and areas with no apparent outflow, during the winter and summer. Nematode communities across sites were significantly different, and the differences were strongly associated with the distance to the nearest WWTP. While the communities were not different along transects at each site, nor across seasons, community dissimilarity across sites was high, implying strong contrasts throughout the bay system. Dominance of tolerant, opportunistic genera and Ecological Quality Status assessments suggest that the system is stressed by organic enrichment, possibly linked to the WWTPs. Our results suggest that knowledge on the life-history of dominant genera is imperative to assess the ecological quality of a benthic system, in addition to taxonomic and functional metrics. Considering the value of marine nematodes as bioindicators, more work should be done to monitor temporal variability in nematode communities in this system as future infrastructure changes alter its dynamics.

A new diatom-based multimetric index to assess lake ecological status.

Eutrophication impairs lake ecosystems at a global scale. In this context, as benthic microalgae are well-established warnings for a large range of stressors, particularly nutrient enrichment, the Water Framework Directive required the development of diatom-based methods to monitor lake eutrophication. Here, we present the diatom-based index we developed for French lakes, named IBDL (Indice Biologique Diatomées en Lacs). Data were collected in 93 lakes from 2015 to 2020. A challenge arose from the discontinuous pressure gradient of our dataset, especially the low number of nutrient-impacted lakes. To analyze the data we opted for the so-called "Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis" method, which makes it possible to determine a list of "alert taxa." We obtained a multimetric index based on specific pressure gradients (Kjeldahl nitrogen, suspended matter, biological oxygen demand, and total phosphorous). Considering the European intercalibration process, the very good correlation between IBDL and the common metric (R2 from 0.52 to 0.87 according to the lake alkalinity type) makes us very confident in our ability to match future IBDL quality thresholds with European standards. The IBDL proved at last to be particularly relevant as it has a twofold interest: an excellent relationship with total phosphorus (R2 from 0.63 to 0.83 according to the lake alkalinity type) and a possible application to any lake metatype. Its complementarity with macrophyte-based indices moreover justifies the use of at least two primary producer components for lake ecological status classification.

LANDMark: an ensemble approach to the supervised selection of biomarkers in high-throughput sequencing data.

BACKGROUND: Identification of biomarkers, which are measurable characteristics of biological datasets, can be challenging. Although amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) can be considered potential biomarkers, identifying important ASVs in high-throughput sequencing datasets is challenging. Noise, algorithmic failures to account for specific distributional properties, and feature interactions can complicate the discovery of ASV biomarkers. In addition, these issues can impact the replicability of various models and elevate false-discovery rates. Contemporary machine learning approaches can be leveraged to address these issues. Ensembles of decision trees are particularly effective at classifying the types of data commonly generated in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) studies due to their robustness when the number of features in the training data is orders of magnitude larger than the number of samples. In addition, when combined with appropriate model introspection algorithms, machine learning algorithms can also be used to discover and select potential biomarkers. However, the construction of these models could introduce various biases which potentially obfuscate feature discovery. RESULTS: We developed a decision tree ensemble, LANDMark, which uses oblique and non-linear cuts at each node. In synthetic and toy tests LANDMark consistently ranked as the best classifier and often outperformed the Random Forest classifier. When trained on the full metabarcoding dataset obtained from Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park, LANDMark was able to create highly predictive models and achieved an overall balanced accuracy score of 0.96 ± 0.06. The use of recursive feature elimination did not impact LANDMark's generalization performance and, when trained on data from the BE amplicon, it was able to outperform the Linear Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression models, and Stochastic Gradient Descent models (p ≤ 0.05). Finally, LANDMark distinguishes itself due to its ability to learn smoother non-linear decision boundaries. CONCLUSIONS: Our work introduces LANDMark, a meta-classifier which blends the characteristics of several machine learning models into a decision tree and ensemble learning framework. To our knowledge, this is the first study to apply this type of ensemble approach to amplicon sequencing data and we have shown that analyzing these datasets using LANDMark can produce highly predictive and consistent models.

Genus-level, trait-based multimetric diatom indices for assessing the ecological condition of rivers and streams across the conterminous United States.

Taxonomic inconsistency in species-level identifications has constrained use of diatoms as biological indicators in aquatic assessments. We addressed this problem by developing diatom multimetric indices (MMIs) of ecological condition using genus-level taxonomy and trait-based autecological information. The MMIs were designed to assess river and stream chemical, physical and biological condition across the conterminous United States. Trait-based approaches have the advantage of using both species-level and genus-level data, which require less effort and expense to acquire than traditional species-based approaches and eliminate the persistent taxonomic biases introduced over vast geographic extents. For large-extent assessment programs that require multiple taxonomic laboratories to process samples, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA), the trait approach can eliminate discrepancies in species-level identification or nomenclature that hinder diatom data interpretation. We developed trait-based MMIs using NRSA data for each of the three large ecoregions across the U.S. - the East, Plains, and West. All three MMIs performed well in discriminating least-disturbed from most-disturbed sites. The MMI for the East had the greatest discrimination ability, followed by MMIs for the Plains and West, respectively. The performance of the MMIs was comparable to that observed in existing NRSA fish and macroinvertebrate MMIs. Our research shows that trait-based diatom indices constructed on genus-level taxonomy can be effective for large-scale assessments, and may also allow programs such as NRSA to assess trends in freshwater condition retrospectively, by revisiting older diatom datasets. Moreover, our genus-based approach facilitates including of diatoms into other assessment programs that have limited monitoring resources.

Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and rivers, Part 1: Geoclimatic controls and anthropogenic alteration.

Anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat structure in streams and rivers is increasingly recognized as a major cause of impairment worldwide. As part of their assessment of the status and trends in the condition of rivers and streams in the U.S., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) quantify and monitor channel size and slope, substrate size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, anthropogenic disturbance activities, and channel-riparian interaction. Like biological assemblages and water chemistry, physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that can obscure or amplify the influence of human activities. We developed a systematic approach to estimate the deviation of observed river and stream physical habitat from that expected in least-disturbed reference conditions. We applied this approach to calculate indices of anthropogenic alteration of three aspects of physical habitat condition in the conterminous U.S. (CONUS): streambed sediment size and stability, riparian vegetation cover, and instream habitat complexity. The precision and responsiveness of these indices led the USEPA to use them to evaluate physical habitat condition in CONUS rivers and streams. The scores of these indices systematically decreased with greater anthropogenic disturbance at river and stream sites in the CONUS and within ecoregions, which we interpret as a response of these physical habitat indices to anthropogenic influences. Although anthropogenic activities negatively influenced all three physical habitat indices in the least-disturbed sites within most ecoregions, natural geoclimatic and geomorphic factors were the dominant influences. For sites over the full range of anthropogenic disturbance, analyses of observed/expected sediment characteristics showed augmented flood flows and basin and riparian agriculture to be the leading predictors of streambed instability and excess fine sediments. Similarly, basin and riparian agriculture and non-agricultural riparian land uses were the leading predictors of reduced riparian vegetation cover complexity in the CONUS and within ecoregions. In turn, these reductions in riparian vegetation cover and complexity, combined with reduced summer low flows, were the leading predictors of instream habitat simplification. We conclude that quantitative measures of physical habitat structure are useful and important indicators of the impacts of human activities on stream and river condition.

Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and Rivers, part 2: A quantitative assessment of habitat condition.

Rigorous assessments of the ecological condition of water resources and the effect of human activities on those waters require quantitative physical, chemical, and biological data. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's river and stream surveys quantify river and stream bed particle size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, and anthropogenic disturbance activities. Physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that co-vary with human activities. We expressed the anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat as O/E ratios of observed habitat metric values divided by values expected under least-disturbed reference conditions, where site-specific expected values vary given their geoclimatic and geomorphic context. We set criteria for good, fair, and poor condition based on the distribution of O/E values in regional least-disturbed reference sites. Poor conditions existed in 22-24% of the 1.2 million km of streams and rivers in the conterminous U.S. for riparian human disturbance, streambed sediment and riparian vegetation cover, versus 14% for instream habitat complexity. Based on the same four indicators, the percentage of stream length in poor condition within 9 separate U.S. ecoregions ranged from 4% to 42%. Associations of our physical habitat indices with anthropogenic pressures demonstrate the scope of anthropogenic habitat alteration; habitat condition was negatively related to the level of anthropogenic disturbance nationally and in nearly all ecoregions. Relative risk estimates showed that streams and rivers with poor sediment, riparian cover complexity, or instream habitat cover conditions were 1.4 to 2.6 times as likely to also have fish or macroinvertebrate assemblages in poor condition. Our physical habitat condition indicators help explain deviations in biological conditions from those observed among least-disturbed sites and inform management actions for rehabilitating impaired waters and mitigating further ecological degradation.

Compliance With Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment of Self-Reported Health-Related Behaviors and Psychological Constructs in Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mobile ecological momentary assessment (mEMA) permits real-time capture of self-reported participant behaviors and perceptual experiences. Reporting of mEMA protocols and compliance has been identified as problematic within systematic reviews of children, youth, and specific clinical populations of adults. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the use of mEMA for self-reported behaviors and psychological constructs, mEMA protocol and compliance reporting, and associations between key components of mEMA protocols and compliance in studies of nonclinical and clinical samples of adults. METHODS: In total, 9 electronic databases were searched (2006-2016) for observational studies reporting compliance to mEMA for health-related data from adults (>18 years) in nonclinical and clinical settings. Screening and data extraction were undertaken by independent reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. Narrative synthesis described participants, mEMA target, protocol, and compliance. Random effects meta-analysis explored factors associated with cohort compliance (monitoring duration, daily prompt frequency or schedule, device type, training, incentives, and burden score). Random effects analysis of variance (P≤.05) assessed differences between nonclinical and clinical data sets. RESULTS: Of the 168 eligible studies, 97/105 (57.7%) reported compliance in unique data sets (nonclinical=64/105 [61%], clinical=41/105 [39%]). The most common self-reported mEMA target was affect (primary target: 31/105, 29.5% data sets; secondary target: 50/105, 47.6% data sets). The median duration of the mEMA protocol was 7 days (nonclinical=7, clinical=12). Most protocols used a single time-based (random or interval) prompt type (69/105, 65.7%); median prompt frequency was 5 per day. The median number of items per prompt was similar for nonclinical (8) and clinical data sets (10). More than half of the data sets reported mEMA training (84/105, 80%) and provision of participant incentives (66/105, 62.9%). Less than half of the data sets reported number of prompts delivered (22/105, 21%), answered (43/105, 41%), criterion for valid mEMA data (37/105, 35.2%), or response latency (38/105, 36.2%). Meta-analysis (nonclinical=41, clinical=27) estimated an overall compliance of 81.9% (95% CI 79.1-84.4), with no significant difference between nonclinical and clinical data sets or estimates before or after data exclusions. Compliance was associated with prompts per day and items per prompt for nonclinical data sets. Although widespread heterogeneity existed across analysis (I2>90%), no compelling relationship was identified between key features of mEMA protocols representing burden and mEMA compliance. CONCLUSIONS: In this 10-year sample of studies using the mEMA of self-reported health-related behaviors and psychological constructs in adult nonclinical and clinical populations, mEMA was applied across contexts and health conditions and to collect a range of health-related data. There was inconsistent reporting of compliance and key features within protocols, which limited the ability to confidently identify components of mEMA schedules likely to have a specific impact on compliance.

Ecological quality assessement of marinas: An integrative approach combining biological and environmental data.

The importance of marinas as infrastructures for recreational boating is increasing substantially. However, information on their soft-bottom benthic communities, a key tool for managing programmes, is still scarce. We combined environment features with macro- and meiofaunal soft-bottom community information for assessing the ecological status of marinas with an integrative approach. To address this issue, we focused on eight marinas of the Southern Iberian Peninsula. Macro- and meiofauna data revealed high benthic heterogeneity at a spatial scale. The environmental variables which correlated best with macrofauna were mainly phosphorus, granulometry, and total organic carbon, and secondarily important variables were faecal coliforms, the biocide Irgarol, and heavy metals; total hydrocarbon concentration was also significant for meiofauna. Annelida was the dominant phylum in terms of number of species (37%) and abundance (66%) and were better descriptors of the environmental conditions than Arthropoda and Mollusca. Although identification to the species level is desirable and mandatory for assessing biological pollution, significant differences among marinas and correlations between fauna and abiotic variables were already detected at the level of family and order. This implies that biota assessment at higher levels may still be useful in monitoring programmes limited by time and budget constraints. The major novelty of this study lies in the development of an integrative assessment method based on the following selected ecological indicators: Marinas Environmental Pollution Index (MEPI), Biocontamination Index (BCI), macrofaunal biotic indices (AMBI, M-AMBI, BENTIX, MEDOCC and BENFES), macrofaunal taxa richness and Shannon-Wiener's diversity, and nematode:copepod index. This approach was able to discriminate marinas of the Southern Iberian Peninsula based on their ecological status, which ranged from poor to good. The method can be useful to design standards for assigning "sustainable quality seals" to those marinas with better values of ecological indicators.

Impact of Combined Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Speech-language Therapy on Spontaneous Speech in Aphasia: A Randomized Controlled Double-blind Study.

OBJECTIVE: Aphasia recovery depends on neural reorganization, which can be enhanced by speech-language therapy and noninvasive brain stimulation. Several studies suggested that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) associated with speech-language therapy may improve verbal performance evaluated by analytic tests, but none focused on spontaneous speech. We explored the effect of bihemispheric tDCS on spontaneous speech in patients with poststroke aphasia. METHODS: In this multicentric controlled randomized cross-over double-blind study, we included 10 patients with poststroke aphasia (4 had aphasia >6 months and 6 with aphasia <6 months). We combined the sessions of speech-language therapy and bihemispheric tDCS (2 mA, 20 min). After three baseline speech evaluations (1/week), two different conditions were randomly consecutively proposed: active and sham tDCS over 3 weeks with 1 week of washout in between. The main outcome measure was the number of different nouns used in 2 min to answer the question "what is your job." RESULTS: There was no significant difference between conditions concerning the main outcome measure (p = .47) nor in the number of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, repetitions, blank ideas, ideas, utterances with grammatical errors or paraphasias used. Other cognitive functions (verbal working memory, neglect, or verbal fluency) were not significantly improved in the tDCS group. No adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: Our results differed from previous studies using tDCS to improve naming in patients with poststroke aphasia possibly due to bihemispheric stimulation, rarely used previously. The duration of the rehabilitation period was short given the linguistic complexity of the measure. This negative result should be confirmed by larger studies with ecological measures.

Assessment of executive functions in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) using a novel complex multi-tasking computerised task: The Jansari assessment of Executive Functions for Children (JEF-C©).

Objectives: The Jansari assessment of Executive Functions for Children (JEF-C©) is a new non-immersive computerised assessment of executive functions. The objectives of the study were to test the feasibility and validity of JEF-C© in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods: Twenty-nine patients with ABI aged 10-18 years and 30 age-and gender-matched controls were tested. Participants performed JEF-C©, Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (BADS-C), while parents completed the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) questionnaire. Results: The JEF-C© task proved feasible in patients with ABI. The internal consistency was medium (Cronbach's alpha = 0.62 and significant intercorrelations between individual JEF-C© constructs). Patients performed significantly worse than controls on most of the JEF-C© subscales and total score, with 41.4% of participants with ABI classified as having severe executive dysfunction. No significant correlations were found between JEF-C© total score, the BRIEF indices, and the BADS-C. Significant correlations were found between JEF-C© and demographic characteristics of the sample and intellectual ability, but not with severity/medical variables. Conclusion: JEF-C© is a playful complex task that appears to be a sensitive and ecologically valid assessment tool, especially for relatively high-functioning individuals.

Environmental DNA: An Emerging Tool in Ecological Assessment.

Environmental DNA (eDNA), as a recent research hotspot in environmental science, the use of eDNA in biological monitoring has the advantages of sensitivity and time/labor saving. The eDNA technology combined with scientific advancement has been applied in investigations of target species (such as invasive species, endangered species and other rare species), biomass, and biodiversity. In addition, ecotoxicology studies and environmental pollution impact assessments based on the development of eDNA technology have gradually emerged in recent years. In this article, we summarizes the application of eDNA in ecological assessment, include species diversity assessment and chemical contamination impacts assessment, provide guiding questions for study design. We additionally discuss current challenges associated with eDNA. Finally, looking to the future, we discuss the opportunities of eDNA technology in environmental protein, environmental sample processor and ecogenomic sensors.

Habitat-contingent responses to disturbance: impacts of cattle grazing on ant communities vary with habitat complexity.

Predicting community responses to disturbance is a major challenge for both ecology and ecosystem management. A particularly challenging issue is that the same type and intensity of disturbance can have different impacts in different habitats. We investigate how habitat contingency influences ant community responses to disturbance in arid Australia, testing the hypothesis that disturbance has a greater impact in more complex habitats. We also assess the effectiveness of a highly simplified ant assessment protocol that considers larger species only. We sampled ants at 46 sites from two habitats (Chandler, low chenopod shrubland; and mulga, low woodland) with contrasting complexity, using distance from water as a surrogate for variation in grazing intensity. We assessed variation in habitat structural variables (basal area of perennial grass, and cover of herbs, litter, and bare ground) and ant communities in relation to habitat and distance from water, first using data from the entire ant community and then for larger ants (>4 mm body length) only. Site species richness was almost twice as high in mulga, the more structurally complex habitat, than in Chandler, and ant communities in mulga showed far more variation in relation to distance from water. Litter cover was the key environmental variable associated with the interaction between grazing and habitat: it increased with increasing distance from water in mulga and was virtually absent from Chandler. Analysis of only larger species revealed the same patterns of variation in ant abundance, species richness and composition in relation to habitat and grazing as shown by entire ant communities. Our findings support the hypothesis that disturbance impacts on faunal communities increase with increasing habitat complexity. An appreciation of such habitat contingency is important for a predictive understanding and therefore effective management of disturbances such as rangeland grazing. Our findings also show that simplified assessment can provide robust information on the responses of highly diverse ant communities to disturbance, which enhances their feasibility for use as bio-indicators in land management.

Integrating the systematic assessment of psychological states in the epilepsy monitoring unit: Concept and compliance.

BACKGROUND: Admission to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) for long-term video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring (VEEG) constitutes the gold standard for seizure diagnosis and presurgical evaluation. This study applied the concept of a high-frequency systematic monitoring of psychological states and tested patients' compliance in order to evaluate if its integration in the EMU is feasible and if patients benefit from the graphically underpinned discussion of their EMU stay-related cognitions and emotions. METHODS: The process-monitoring is technically realized by an internet-based device for data collection and data analysis, the Synergetic Navigation System (SNS). A convenient sample was enrolled: All eligible patients who were admitted to the EMU of the Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Salzburg, Austria, between November 6th 2017 and January 26th 2018 were approached and recruited upon consent. After a short resource-oriented interview, each enrolled patient was provided with a tablet. The daily questionnaire included eight standardized and up to three personalized items. Self-assessments were collected every 5 h prior to meal times (6:30 am, 11:30 am, and 4:30 pm) and at 9:30 pm. The detailed visualizations of the patients' replies were discussed with the participants during a feedback session at the end of the EMU stay. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (12 women/9 men, median age 29 years [range 18-74 years]) were consecutively recruited (72% of all eligible patients). Compliance rates were high (median: 82%, range 60%-100%) among the respondents. Mood correlated strongly with hopefulness (r = 0.71) and moderately with energy (r = 0.63) in all patients. When correlating the intraindividual medians of the process questionnaire time series with the pretest total scores, energy correlated moderately and negatively with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (r = -0.45), while self-efficacy correlated moderately and negatively with the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) total scores in all patients (r = -0.5). Nine patients (43%) reported that they learned something meaningful about themselves after the feedback discussion of their individual time series. CONCLUSION: The results support the feasibility of high-frequency monitoring of psychological states and processes in routine EMU settings. Repeated daily collections four times per day of psychological surveys allow for the assessment of highly resolved, equidistant time series data, which gives insight into psychological states and processes during EMU admission.

Can we predict diatoms herbicide sensitivities with phylogeny? Influence of intraspecific and interspecific variability.

Diatoms are used as indicators of freshwater ecosystems integrity. Developing diatom-based tools to assess impact of herbicide pollution is expected by water managers. But, defining sensitivities of all species to multiple herbicides would be unattainable. The existence of a phylogenetic signal of herbicide sensitivity was shown among diatoms and should enable prediction of new species sensitivity. However, diatoms present a cryptic diversity that may lead to variation in their sensitivity to herbicides that would need to be taken into account. Using bioassays, the sensitivity to four herbicides (Atrazine, Terbutryn, Diuron, Isoproturon) was evaluated for 11 freshwater diatom taxa and intraspecific variability was assessed for two of them (Nitzschia palea and Achnanthidium spp.). Intraspecific variability of herbicide sensitivity was always smaller than interspecific variability, but intraspecific variability was more important in N. palea than in Achnanthidium spp. Indeed, one species showed no intraspecific phylogenetic signal (N. palea) whereas the other did (Achnanthidium spp.). On one hand, species boundaries are not set properly for Achnanthidium spp. which encompass several taxa. On the other hand, there is a higher phenotypic plasticity for N. palea. Finally, a phylogenetic signal of herbicide sensitivity was measured at the interspecific level, opening up prospects for setting up reliable biomonitoring tools based on sensitivity prediction, insofar as species boundaries are correctly defined.