Exploring shared public perspectives on biodiversity attributes

1. Researchers, practitioners and policymakers have widely documented the multifarious ways that nature influences human well-being. However, we still have only a limited understanding of how the public interact with, respond to and talk about attributes of biodiversity. 2. We used image-based Q methodology to explore the shared and contrasting perspectives people hold for biodiversity. This approach is a powerful way of allowing people to articulate what is, or is not, important to them, free from constraints associated with statement-based stimuli. 3. We used British woodlands as a study system, as they are accessible and well-visited by the public. The elements of biodiversity incorporated in the Q methodology represented vertebrates, invertebrates, trees and understorey plants and fungi. 4. The shared public perspectives varied, and the reasons underpinning those perspectives were rich and diverse. People articulated reasons related to an array of biodiversity attributes (e.g. functions, behaviours, colours, smells, shapes). Many of the perspectives transcended specific species or taxonomic groups. 5. Although woodlands were used as a study system, people referenced perceptions and experiences external to this habitat (e.g. within their gardens) and associated with their everyday lives. Cultural influences and memories linked to particular people and places were also prominent. 6. Few of the shared perspectives map onto the objective measures and dimensions that researchers use to describe and categorise biodiversity (e.g. rarity, ecosystem service provision)

BIO-WELL: The development and validation of a human wellbeing scale that measures responses to biodiversity

The evidence linking nature and human wellbeing is compelling. Yet, there is a lack of understanding regarding which aspects of nature contribute to wellbeing and the role biodiversity plays specifically. This knowledge gap hampers our ability to understand and manage natural environments from an ecological perspective to improve human wellbeing. To investigate the impact of biodiversity on wellbeing in a range of contexts, there is a need for a psychometric scale. Here, we present BIO-WELL, a novel, reliable and validated self-reported wellbeing scale designed to investigate the biodiversity-health/wellbeing relationship. We describe the conceptual foundation, empirical development and psychometric evaluation of BIO-WELL. We detail five studies, involving 2962 participants, describing the steps taken in the scale's development: (1) a series of deliberative workshops to identify how people conceptualise biodiversity metrics and attributes, and the impact these have on wellbeing; (2) an in-depth qualitative analysis of biodiversity-focused stem questions and wellbeing response items, assessed through an expert panel, focus groups and cognitive interviewing techniques; (3) combined methods associated with classical test theory (e.g. factor analysis) and more modern measurement approaches drawn from item response theory to develop the scale; (4) a confirmatory factor analysis alongside classical test and item response theories to evaluate the scale; and (5) scale validation including discriminant/convergent, concurrent and predictive. The studies demonstrate that BIO-WELL is a valid and reliable scale with strong psychometric properties. We discuss ways it could be applied in research, policy and practice to further develop our conceptual and empirical understanding of the biodiversity-health relationship and assess the effectiveness of related interventions

A visual processing advantage for young-adolescent deaf observers: Evidence from face and object matching tasks

It is unresolved whether the permanent auditory deprivation that deaf people experience leads to the enhanced visual processing of faces. The current study explored this question with a matching task in which observers searched for a target face among a concurrent lineup of ten faces. This was compared with a control task in which the same stimuli were presented upside down, to disrupt typical face processing, and an object matching task. A sample of young-adolescent deaf observers performed with higher accuracy than hearing controls across all of these tasks. These results clarify previous findings and provide evidence for a general visual processing advantage in deaf observers rather than a face-specific effect

Atherosclerotic pattern of coronary myocardial bridging assessed with CT coronary angiography

The aim of our study was to evaluate the atherosclerotic pattern of patients with coronary myocardial bridging (MB) by means of CT Coronary Angiography (CT-CA). 254 consecutive patients (166 male, mean age 58.6 ± 10.3) who underwent 64-slice CT-CA according to current clinical indications were reviewed for the presence of MB and concomitant segmental atherosclerotic pattern. Coronary plaques were assessed in all patients enrolled. 73 patients (29%) presented single (90%) or multiple (10%) MB, frequently (93%) localized in the mid-distal left anterior descending artery. The MB segment was always free of atherosclerosis. Segments proximal to the MB presented: no atherosclerotic disease (n = 37), positive remodeling (n = 23), 50% stenoses (n = 7). Distal segments presented a different atherosclerosis pattern (P < 0.0001): absence of disease (n = 73), no significant lesions (n = 8). No significant differences were found between segments proximal to MB and proximal coronary segments apart from left main trunk. Pattern of atherosclerotic lesions located in segments 6 and 7 significantly differs between patients with MB and patients without MB (P < 0.05). CT-CA is a reliable method to non-invasively demonstrate MB and related atherosclerotic pattern. CT-CA provides new insight regarding atherosclerosis distribution in segments close to MB

Energy applications of ionic liquids

Ionic liquids offer a unique suite of properties that make them important candidates for a number of energy related applications. Cation–anion combinations that exhibit low volatility coupled with high electrochemical and thermal stability, as well as ionic conductivity, create the possibility of designing ideal electrolytes for batteries, super-capacitors, actuators, dye sensitised solar cells and thermoelectrochemical cells. In the field of water splitting to produce hydrogen they have been used to synthesize some of the best performing water oxidation catalysts and some members of the protic ionic liquid family co-catalyse an unusual, very high energy efficiency water oxidation process. As fuel cell electrolytes, the high proton conductivity of some of the protic ionic liquid family offers the potential of fuel cells operating in the optimum temperature region above 100 °C. Beyond electrochemical applications, the low vapour pressure of these liquids, along with their ability to offer tuneable functionality, also makes them ideal as CO2 absorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture. Similarly, the tuneable phase properties of the many members of this large family of salts are also allowing the creation of phase-change thermal energy storage materials having melting points tuned to the application. This perspective article provides an overview of these developing energy related applications of ionic liquids and offers some thoughts on the emerging challenges and opportunities

The power of monitoring: optimizing survey designs to detect occupancy changes in a rare amphibian population

Biodiversity conservation requires reliable species assessments and rigorously designed surveys. However, determining the survey effort required to reliably detect population change can be challenging for rare, cryptic and elusive species. We used a tropical bromeliad-dwelling frog as a model system to explore a cost-effective sampling design that optimizes the chances of detecting a population decline. Relatively few sampling visits were needed to estimate occupancy and detectability with good precision, and to detect a 30% change in occupancy with 80% power. Detectability was influenced by observer expertise, which therefore also had an effect on the sampling design – less experienced observers require more sampling visits to detect the species. Even when the sampling design provides precise parameter estimates, only moderate to large changes in occupancy will be detected with reliable power. Detecting a population change of 15% or less requires a large number of sites to be surveyed, which might be unachievable for range-restricted species occurring at relatively few sites. Unless there is high initial occupancy, rare and cryptic species will be particularly challenging when it comes to detecting small population changes. This may be a particular issue for long-term monitoring of amphibians which often display low detectability and wide natural fluctuations