Comparing Virtual Reality-Based and Traditional Physical Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Stations for Clinical Competency Assessments: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are a widely recognized and accepted method to assess clinical competencies but are often resource-intensive.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR)-based station (VRS) compared with a traditional physical station (PHS) in an already established curricular OSCE.

Methods: Fifth-year medical students participated in an OSCE consisting of 10 stations.

Shift in diet composition of a riparian predator along a stream pollution gradient.

Terrestrial insectivores in riparian areas, such as spiders, can depend on emergent aquatic insects as high-quality prey. However, chemical pollution entering streams from agricultural and urban sources can alter the dynamics and composition of aquatic insect emergence, which may also affect the riparian food web. Few studies have examined the effects of stressor-induced alterations in aquatic insect emergence on spiders, especially in terms of chemical pollution and diet composition.

Combined effects of herbicides and insecticides reduce biomass of sensitive aquatic invertebrates.

The structure and biomass of aquatic invertebrate communities play a crucial role in the matter dynamics of streams. However, biomass is rarely quantified in ecological assessments of streams, and little is known about the environmental and anthropogenic factors that influence it. In this study, we aimed to identify environmental factors that are associated with invertebrate structure and biomass through a monitoring of 25 streams across Germany.

Elevated Fungicide and Nutrient Concentrations Change Structure but not Function of Aquatic Microbial Communities.

Leaf decomposition is a key process in stream ecosystems within forested catchments; it is driven by microbial communities, particularly fungi and bacteria. These microorganisms make nutrients and energy bound in leaves available for wider parts of the food web. Leaf-associated microorganisms are subjected to anthropogenic pressures, such as the increased exposure to nutrients and fungicides associated with land-use change.

Transcriptomic sequencing data illuminate insecticide-induced physiological stress mechanisms in aquatic non-target invertebrates.

Pesticides are major agricultural stressors for freshwater species. Exposure to pesticides can disrupt the biotic integrity of freshwater ecosystems and impair associated ecosystem functions. Unfortunately, physiological mechanisms through which pesticides affect aquatic organisms are largely unknown.