Moody Foundation

Abstract Coastal common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that inhabit urban estuaries are exposed to a myriad of anthropogenic threats. To manage and conserve these populations, it is imperative to understand their habitat use and residency patterns. In this study, we evaluated the site fidelity of common bottlenose dolphins in upper Galveston Bay (UGB), a heavily industrialized area of the Galveston Bay estuary. We aimed to identify groups within the population with varying affinity to UGB and to determine if there are resident dolphins in UGB. The Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program conducted monthly photo‐identification surveys in UGB between January 2016 and December 2019. We identified 442 distinct dolphins within UGB and used their sighting histories to calculate occurrence, permanence, and periodicity. These site fidelity metrics were incorporated into a cluster analysis that revealed three groups. Group 1 (n = 192, 43%) consisted of individuals with the highest site fidelity to UGB and were classified as year‐round or seasonal long‐term residents. Group 2 (n = 141, 32%) were transients and Group 3 (n = 109, 25%) were short‐term users of UGB. This study identified resident dolphins in UGB, and we recommend that this group be monitored closely, as they are particularly vulnerable to stressors in the upper estuary.

Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX *See also p. 960. Dr. Prough received support for article research from the Moody Foundation. Dr. DeWitt has disclosed that he does not have any potential conflicts of interest.

To assess selected cognitive functions of persons with traumatic brain injury using a computer-simulated virtual reality environment. A computer-simulated virtual kitchen was used to assess the ability of 30 patients with brain injury and 30 volunteers without brain injury to process and sequence information. The overall assessment score was based on the number of correct responses and the time needed to complete daily living tasks. Identical daily living tasks were tested and scored in participants with and without brain injury. Each subject was evaluated twice within 7 to 10 days. A total of 30 tasks were categorized as follows: information processing, problem solving, logical sequencing, and speed of responding. Persons with brain injuries consistently demonstrated a significant decrease in the ability to process information (P = 0.04-0.01), identify logical sequencing (P = 0.04-0.01), and complete the overall assessment (P < 0.01), compared with volunteers without brain injury. The time needed to process tasks, representing speed of cognitive responding, was also significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.01). A computer-generated virtual reality environment represents a reproducible tool to assess selected cognitive functions and can be used as a supplement to traditional rehabilitation assessment in persons with acquired brain injury.