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Lecture capture is widely used within higher education as a means of recording lecture material for online student viewing. However, there is some uncertainty around whether this is a uniformly positive development for students. The current study examines the impact of lecture capture introduction and usage in a compulsory second year research methods module in a undergraduate BSc degree. Data collected from a matched cohort before (N = 161) and after (N = 160) lecture capture introduction showed that attendance substantially dropped in three matched lectures after capture became available. Attendance, which predicts higher attainment (controlling for students' previous grade and gender), mediates a negative relationship between lecture capture availability and attainment. Lecture capture viewing shows no significant relationship with attainment whilst factoring in lecture attendance; capture viewing also fails to compensate for the impact that low attendance has on attainment. Thus, the net effect of lecture capture introduction on the cohort is generally negative; the study serves as a useful example (that can be communicated students) of the pitfalls of an over-reliance on lecture capture as a replacement for lecture attendance. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).

In the scientific literature, there is much evidence of a relationship between age and dexterity, where increased age is related to slower, less nimble and less smooth, less coordinated and less controlled performances. While some suggest that the relationship is a direct consequence of reduced muscle strength associated to increased age, there is a lack of research that has systematically investigated the relationships between age, strength and hand dexterity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the associations between age, grip strength and dexterity. 107 adults (range 18-93 years) completed a series of hand dexterity tasks (i.e. steadiness, line tracking, aiming, and tapping) and a test of maximal grip strength. We performed three phases of analyses. Firstly, we evaluated the simple relationships between pairs of variables; replicating the existing literature; and found significant relationships of increased age and reduced strength; increased age and reduced dexterity, and; reduced strength and reduced dexterity. Secondly, we used standard Multiple Regression (MR) models to determine which of the age and strength factors accounted for the greater variance in dexterity. The results showed that both age and strength made significant contributions to the data variance, but that age explained more of the variance in steadiness and line tracking dexterity, whereas strength explained more of the variance in aiming and tapping dexterity. In a third phase of analysis, we used MR analyses to show an interaction between age and strength on steadiness hand dexterity. Simple Slopes posthoc analyses showed that the interaction was explained by the middle to older aged adults showing a relationship between reduced strength and reduced hand steadiness, whereas younger aged adults showed no relationship between strength and steadiness hand dexterity. The results are discussed in terms of how age and grip strength predict different types of hand dexterity in adults.

Differences in phenological responses to climate change among species can desynchronise ecological interactions and thereby threaten ecosystem function. To assess these threats, we must quantify the relative impact of climate change on species at different trophic levels. Here, we apply a Climate Sensitivity Profile approach to 10,003 terrestrial and aquatic phenological data sets, spatially matched to temperature and precipitation data, to quantify variation in climate sensitivity. The direction, magnitude and timing of climate sensitivity varied markedly among organisms within taxonomic and trophic groups. Despite this variability, we detected systematic variation in the direction and magnitude of phenological climate sensitivity. Secondary consumers showed consistently lower climate sensitivity than other groups. We used mid-century climate change projections to estimate that the timing of phenological events could change more for primary consumers than for species in other trophic levels (6.2 versus 2.5–2.9 days earlier on average), with substantial taxonomic variation (1.1–14.8 days earlier on average). An ambitious study has used more than 10,000 datasets to examine how the phenological characteristics—such as the timing of reproduction—of various taxa alter in response to climate change, and suggests that differing levels of climate sensitivity could lead to the desynchronization of seasonal events over time. The shifting biological seasons Variations in the phenological responses of different species to climate change have fuelled concerns that key species interactions may desynchronize over time, with consequences for ecosystem functioning. Stephen Thackeray et al . examine the climate sensitivity of 812 terrestrial and aquatic taxa across the United Kingdom, using more than 10,000 phenological data sets spanning 1960 to 2012, together with temperature and precipitation data. There was a systematic difference in the magnitude and direction of phenological climate sensitivity across trophic levels, despite marked heterogeneity among organisms sharing taxonomic affinities and trophic position. In particular, secondary consumers showed lower levels of climate sensitivity than primary producers and consumers. The authors suggest that the differential sensitivity of phenology to climate across trophic levels could result in the desynchronization of seasonal events in the future.

Phenology, the study of annually recurring life cycle events such as the timing of migrations and flowering, can provide particularly sensitive indicators of climate change 1 . Changes in phenology may be important to ecosystem function because the level of response to climate change may vary across functional groups and multiple trophic levels. The decoupling of phenological relationships will have important ramifications for trophic interactions, altering food-web structures and leading to eventual ecosystem-level changes. Temperate marine environments may be particularly vulnerable to these changes because the recruitment success of higher trophic levels is highly dependent on synchronization with pulsed planktonic production 2 , 3 . Using long-term data of 66 plankton taxa during the period from 1958 to 2002, we investigated whether climate warming signals 4 are emergent across all trophic levels and functional groups within an ecological community. Here we show that not only is the marine pelagic community responding to climate changes, but also that the level of response differs throughout the community and the seasonal cycle, leading to a mismatch between trophic levels and functional groups.

Background After a stroke, experts recommend regular monitoring and kinematic assessments of patients to objectively measure motor recovery. With the rise of new technologies and increasing needs for neurorehabilitation, an interest in virtual reality has emerged. In this context, we have developed an immersive virtual reality version of the Box and Block Test (BBT-VR). The aim of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of the BBT-VR among patients with stroke and healthy participants. Methods Twenty-three healthy participants and 22 patients with stroke were asked to perform the classical Box and Block Test (BBT) and BBT-VR three times with both hands. Concurrent validity was assessed through correlations between these two tests and reliability of the BBT-VR through correlation on test–retest. Usability of the BBT-VR was also evaluated with the System Usability Scale. Hand kinematic data extracted from controller’s 3D position allowed to compute mean velocity (V mean ), peak velocity (V peak ) and smoothness (SPARC). Results Results showed strong correlations between the number of blocks displaced with the BBT and the BBT-VR among patients with stroke for affected (r = 0.89; p < 0.001) and less-affected hands (r = 0.76; p < 0.001) and healthy participants for dominant (r = 0.58; p < 0.01) and non-dominant hands (r = 0.68; p < 0.001). Reliability for test–retest was excellent (ICC > 0.8; p < 0.001) and usability almost excellent ( System Usability Scale  = 79 ± 12.34%). On average participants moved between 30 and 40% less blocks during the BBT-VR than during the BBT. Healthy participants demonstrated significantly higher kinematic measures (V mean  = 0.22 ± 0.086 ms −1 ; V peak  = 0.96 ± 0.341 ms −1 ; SPARC = − 3.31 ± 0.862) than patients with stroke (V mean  = 0.12 ± 0.052 ms −1 ; V peak  = 0.60 ± 0.202 ms −1 ; SPARC = − 5.04[− 7.050 to − 3.682]). Conclusion The BBT-VR is a usable, valid and reliable test to assess manual dexterity, providing kinematic parameters, in a population of patients with stroke and healthy participants. Trial registration http://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT04694833, Date of registration: 11/24/2020

Background Recent technological advancements present promising opportunities to enhance the frequency and objectivity of functional assessments, aligning with recent stroke rehabilitation guidelines. Within this framework, we designed and adapted different manual dexterity tests in extended reality (XR), using immersive virtual reality (VR) with controllers (BBT-VR-C), immersive VR with hand-tracking (BBT-VR-HT), and mixed-reality (MD-MR). Objective This study primarily aimed to assess and compare the validity of the BBT-VR-C, BBT-VR-HT and MD-MR to assess post-stroke manual dexterity. Secondary objectives were to evaluate reliability, usability and to define arm kinematics measures. Methods A sample of 21 healthy control participants (HCP) and 21 stroke individuals with hemiparesis (IHP) completed three trials of the traditional BBT, the BBT-VR-C, BBT-VR-HT and MD-MR. Content validity of the different tests were evaluated by asking five healthcare professionals to rate the difficulty of performing each test in comparison to the traditional BBT. Convergent validity was evaluated through correlations between the scores of the traditional BBT and the XR tests. Test-retest reliability was assessed through correlations between the second and third trial and usability was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Lastly, upper limb movement smoothness (SPARC) was compared between IHP and HCP for both BBT-VR test versions. Results For content validity, healthcare professionals rated the BBT-VR-HT (0[0–1]) and BBT-MR (0[0–1]) as equally difficult to the traditional BBT, whereas they rated BBT-VR-C as more difficult than the traditional BBT (1[0–2]). For IHP convergent validity, the Pearson tests demonstrated larger correlations between the scores of BBT and BBT-VR-HT ( r  = 0.94; p  < 0.001), and BBT and MD-MR ( r  = 0.95; p  < 0.001) than BBT and BBT-VR-C ( r  = 0.65; p  = 0.001). BBT-VR-HT and MD-MR usability were both rated as excellent, with median SUS scores of 83[57.5–91.3] and 83[53.8–92.5] respectively. Excellent reliability was found for the BBT-VR-C (ICC = 0.96; p  < 0.001), BBT-VR-HT (ICC = 0.96; p  < 0.001) and BBT-MR (ICC = 0.99; p  < 0.001). The usability of the BBT-VR-C was rated as good with a median SUS of 70[43.8–83.8]. Upper limb movements of HCP were significantly smoother than for IHP when completing either the BBT-VR-C (t = 2.05; p  = 0.043) and the BBT-VR-HT (t = 5.21; p  < 0.001). Conclusion The different XR manual tests are valid, short-term reliable and usable tools to assess post-stroke manual dexterity. Trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04694833 ; Unique identifier: NCT04694833, Date of registration: 11/24/2020.

Background To plan treatment and measure post-stroke recovery, frequent and time-bounded functional assessments are recommended. With increasing needs for neurorehabilitation advances, new technology based methods, such as virtual reality (VR) have emerged. Here, we developed an immersive VR version of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT-VR) to complement neurorehabilitation. Objective This study aimed to assess the validity, usability and test–retest reliability of the ARAT-VR among individuals with stroke, healthcare professionals and healthy control subjects (HCS). Methods Among the 19 items of the ARAT, 13 items were selected and developed in immersive VR. 11 healthcare professionals, 30 individuals with stroke, and 25 HCS were recruited. Content validity was assessed by asking healthcare professionals to rate the difficulty of performing each item of the ARAT-VR in comparison to the classical Action Research Arm Test (ARAT-19). Concurrent validity was first measured using correlation (Spearman tests) between the ARAT-VR and ARAT-19 scores for the individuals with stroke, and second through correlation and comparison between the scores of the ARAT-VR and the reduced version of the ARAT (ARAT-13) for both individuals with stroke and HCS (Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Bland–Altman plots). Usability was measured using the System Usability Scale. A part of individuals with stroke and HCS were re-tested following a convenient delay to measure test–retest reliability (Intra-class correlation and Wilcoxon tests). Results Regarding the content validity, median difficulty of the 13 ARAT-VR items (0[0 to − 1] to 0[0–1]) evaluated by healthcare professionals was rated as equivalent to the classical ARAT for all tasks except those involving the marbles. For these, the difficulty was rated as superior to the real tasks (1[0–1] when pinching with the thumb-index and thumb-middle fingers, and 1[0–2] when pinching with thumb-ring finger). Regarding the concurrent validity, for paretic hand scores, there were strong correlations between the ARAT-VR and ARAT-13 (r = 0.84), and between the ARAT-VR and ARAT-19 (r = 0.83). Usability (SUS = 82.5[75–90]) and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.99; p < 0.001) were excellent. Conclusion The ARAT-VR is a valid, usable and reliable tool that can be used to assess upper limb activity among individuals with stroke, providing potential to increase assessment frequency, remote evaluation, and improve neurorehabilitation. Trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04694833 ; Unique identifier: NCT04694833, Date of registration: 11/24/2020.

Background Intensive rehabilitation through challenging and individualized tasks are recommended to enhance upper limb recovery after stroke. Robot-assisted therapy (RAT) and serious games could be used to enhance functional recovery by providing simultaneous motor and cognitive rehabilitation. Objective The aim of this study is to clinically validate the dynamic difficulty adjustment (DDA) mechanism of ROB i GAME, a robot serious game designed for simultaneous rehabilitation of motor impairments and hemispatial neglect. Methods A proof of concept, with 24 participants in subacute and chronic stroke, was conducted using a 5-day protocol (two days were dedicated to assessment and three days to consecutive training sessions). Participants performed three consecutive ROB i GAME sessions during which overall task difficulty was determined through simultaneous DDA of motor and attentional parameters. Relationships between clinical and robotic assessment scores with respective task-difficulty parameters were analyzed using a multivariate regression model and a principal component analysis. Results Game difficulty rapidly (within approximately thirty minutes) auto-adapted to match individual impairment levels. The relationship between task-difficulty parameters with motor (Fugl Meyer Assessment: r = 0.84 p < 0.05) and with attentional impairments (Bells test total omissions: r = 0.617 p < 0.05) showed that task-difficulty during RAT adapted to each participant’s degree of impairment. Principal component analysis identified two data subsets determining overall task-difficulty, one subset for motor and the other for cognitive functional evaluation scores with respective task-difficulty parameters. Conclusions This proof of concept clinically validated a DDA mechanism and showed how task-difficulty adequately adapted to match individual degrees of impairment during RAT after stroke. ROB i GAME provided simultaneous motor and attentional exercises with parameters determining task-difficulty strongly related with respective clinical and robotic evaluation scores. Individualized levels of game difficulty and rapid adjustment of the system suggest implementation in clinical practice. Registry number  This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02543424).

Background Virtual Reality (VR) Serious Games (SGs) can provide a functionally relevant framework to capture cognitive and motor dynamics. Their interactive and engaging nature improves compliance, measurement reliability and allows for more frequent evaluations. Additionally, VR SGs enable the parallel collection of multiple types of data within a single session. We present REAsmash-ET, an immersive VR adaptation of the REAsmash SG, grounded in Feature Integration Theory (FIT) and integrating eye-tracking (ET) and upper limb kinematic (UL) analyses. REAsmash-ET introduces a novel methodological framework for the simultaneous assessment of attentional and motor functions in VR. Methods REAsmash is an interactive search-and-reach task designed to elicit structured visual exploration and UL motor responses under varying target-distractor saliency conditions. Custom algorithms extract metrics on visual search strategies and UL motor efficiency. Three age groups of adult healthy participants (n = 15 each) were included to test the feasibility and methodological consistency of the task and its metrics. Relative Response Time (RRT) and ET metrics were analyzed using ANOVA with factors: age group (20–39, 40–59, 60–80 years), target-distractor saliency (high vs. low), and number of distractors (11, 17, 23). Kinematic metrics were analyzed by age group and response hand (dominant vs. non-dominant). Results REAsmash-ET differentiated visuomotor performance across task conditions. RRT and ET metrics showed significant effects of saliency, number of distractors, and their interaction, consistent with FIT. Age-related differences emerged in both RRT and visual search efficiency. Kinematic analyses revealed slower and less efficient movements in older participants, with effects of hand dominance.. The results support the robustness and feasibility of REAsmash-ET as a methodological framework. Conclusions The results support the robustness and internal consistency of REAsmash-ET as a methodological framework for the integrated assessment of visual attention and UL motor control in immersive VR. The task’s ability to capture visuomotor variability and its multidimensional approach highlight its potential for future research and clinical applications in both healthy and clinical populations. Registry number This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04694833).

Absent natural population control, invasive red lionfish Pterois volitans (hereafter, lionfish) have reached record densities in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM), though the role of density dependence on their population dynamics remains poorly understood. This study examined the effects of population density, sex, and habitat on lionfish condition (i.e. mass relative to total length) and size-at-age. Lionfish density was estimated with a remotely operated vehicle during 2010–2017 at a series of nGOM natural (n = 16) and artificial (n = 22) reefs, and individual lionfish (n = 3296) were sampled at additional reefs in the same system between 2013 and 2017. Mean lionfish total length increased across time, while density increased through 2015 and then stabilized or slightly declined. Lionfish density at artificial reefs was 2 orders of magnitude greater than at natural reefs throughout the study. Fish condition was lower on artificial reefs across all years, and lower on natural reefs during 2015–2017 versus 2013–2014. Age estimates obtained from sagittal otoliths ranged from 0.2–7.7 yr, corresponding to birth years between 2008 and 2016. There were significant differences in growth and size-at-age between sexes and habitats, with males attaining larger sizes-at-age than females and fish growing faster at natural reefs. Significant declines in mean size-at-age and condition as a function of lionfish density were also observed. Overall, these results indicate condition and size-at-age displayed density-dependent effects that were likely due to inter- and intra-specific competition, which has important implications for invasive lionfish carrying capacity in the nGOM.