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Functional evaluation and clinical classification of BRCA2 variants

Characterizing plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers relevant to neurodegeneration in captive olive baboons (Papio anubis)

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) present a significant global disease burden that is only expected to grow in the future. As such, there is a need to develop and investigate biomarkers that identify individuals at risk of developing ADRD with the goal of providing early interventions and treatments. Non-human primate (NHP) models of neurodegeneration present opportunities to examine such biomarkers in a preclinical model with the ability to control several confounding factors present in research with humans. Baboons naturally develop several ADRD-related neuropathologies that humans also exhibit, including age-related tau and amyloid deposition. However, to our knowledge, there are no data characterizing fluid biomarkers relevant to neurodegeneration or ADRD in baboons. We collected plasma (N = 139) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, N = 44) from captive baboons ranging in age from 3–19 years old. We characterized biomarkers as a function of age, sex, and rearing status in baboons using a bead-based bioplex human assay (Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Neuroscience 18-Plex Human ProcartaPlex™ Panel). Fluid biomarkers were more detectable in CSF compared to plasma. Additionally, while sex and rearing did not significantly predict biomarkers in baboons, age significantly predicted levels of eight of the 12 biomarkers detected in the assay. Linear regressions showed that CSF levels of total tau, pTau181, NGF-beta, GFAP, NF-H, and S100B were higher in older baboons, as were plasma levels of NGF-beta. Lastly, older baboons showed a higher incidence of co-occurrence of multiple biomarkers as measured in CSF, but not in plasma. These data show that baboons exhibit age-dependent changes in biomarkers used in humans for clinical screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of ADRD, thereby further demonstrating the value of baboons as a model of aging and, possibly, ADRD.

Multifunctional molecular hybrid for targeted colorectal cancer cells: Integrating doxorubicin, AS1411 aptamer, and T9/U4 ASO

Colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a global health challenge, with current treatments often harming both cancerous and normal cells. To improve efficacy, a multifunctional drug delivery platform has been developed, integrating bioactive materials, anticancer agents, and targeted recognition ligands into a single molecule. This study aimed to create a molecular hybrid (MH) containing doxorubicin, AS1411 aptamer, and T9/U4 ASO to regulate SW480 cell proliferation. The AS1411 aptamer targets nucleolin, overexpressed on cancer cell membranes, while T9/U4 ASO inhibits human telomerase RNA activity, further hindering cancer cell proliferation. AS-T9/U4_MH was synthesized via oligonucleotide hybridization, followed by doxorubicin loading and evaluation of its impact on cell proliferation. Binding capability of this MH was verified using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, demonstrating specific recognition of SW480 cells due to nucleolin availability on the cell surface. These findings were corroborated by both microscopy and flow cytometry. AS-T9/U4_MH exhibited anti-proliferative effects, with the doxorubicin-loaded system demonstrating encapsulation and reduced toxicity. Moreover, the presence of Dox within AS-T9/U4_MH led to a notable reduction in hTERT and vimentin expression in SW480 cells. Additionally, examination of apoptotic pathways unveiled a marked decrease in Bcl-2 expression and a simultaneous increase in Bax expression in SW480 cells treated with Dox-loaded AS-T9/U4_MH, indicating its impact on promoting apoptosis. This molecular hybrid shows promise as a platform for integrating chemotherapeutic drugs with bioactive materials for cancer therapy.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological treatments to improve sleep quality in university students

Objective This paper reviews the literature evaluating psychological treatments to improve sleep quality in young adult university students. Method Participants (N = 6179) were young adult (aged 18–30 years) university students. Databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, EMBASE and Medline) were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating psychological treatments for sleep disturbance in university students. The search date was 20 September 2024. Results 22 original trials met inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed that psychological interventions outperformed control groups (n = 14) on improving sleep quality (g = 0.50, 95%CI:0.26–0.73). There were significantly different effect sizes found between studies that evaluated cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I; n = 6, g = 0.72, CI: 0.43–1.02) versus studies that evaluated mindfulness interventions (n = 5, g = 0.16, 95% CI: -0.18–0.51). Conclusions Psychological treatments improve sleep quality for young adult university students. While CBT-I showed larger effect sizes than interventions focused on mindfulness, further research is needed to verify if this reflects a true difference in the efficacy of the interventions.

Sex and age differences in cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle in patients recently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study in Spanish primary health care

Aims To describe the main characteristics of patients recently diagnosed with DM regarding cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes-related complications, compare possible differences according to sex and age group, and examine healthy lifestyle behaviors such as adherence to the Mediterranean diet and physical activity and their associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study of 681 patients aged >30 years diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in the previous 4 years was performed. The patients were treated in primary care centers in Madrid (Spain). The variables were obtained from their electronic medical records, physical examination, complete analysis, and lifestyle questionnaires. Results The main comorbidities were: hypercholesterolemia (64.4%; 95% CI, 60.6–68.2), hypertension (55.2%; 95% CI, 51.3–59.1), obesity (58.9%; 95% CI, 55.2–62.6), metabolic syndrome (58.5%; 95% CI, 54.6–62.5); and hypertriglyceridemia (25.3%; 95% CI, 21.9–28.7). Despite being newly diagnosed, 7.6% (95% CI, 5.4–9.8) had microalbuminuria, and 10.3% (95% CI, 8.0–12.6) cardiovascular disease. The main unhealthy lifestyles were: low physical activity (52%; 95% CI, 48.1–55.9), alcohol consumption (47.7%; 95% CI, 44.0–51.5) and smoking (19.2%; 95% CI, 16.2–22.3). Compared with men, women had more morbid obesity (9.7% vs 4.6%, p = .014), worse lipid profile (total cholesterol: 184 (IQR, 158–207) vs. 165 (IQR, 144–192), p < .01), less treatment with metformin (74.8% vs. 84.4%, p < .01) and antiplatelet agents (8.1% vs.18.6%, p < .01), but women had fewer comorbidities. Patients with a high educational level (OR = 1.90, 95% CI, 1.28–2.81)) and those >60 years (OR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.01–2.21) were more adherent to the Mediterranean diet, and the older ones did less intense exercise (OR = 0.34, 95% CI, 0.16–0.75). Normal blood pressure was associated with Mediterranean diet (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.05–2.21) and high physical activity (OR = 4.03; 95% CI, 1.69–9.61); and body mass index was inversely associated with physical activity (OR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85–0.99). Conclusions Patients newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus may also have crucial cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities at the onset of the disease. However, patients with a healthy lifestyle were more likely to have a normal blood pressure and a lower body mass index.

Image captioning in Bengali language using visual attention

Automatically generating image captions poses one of the most challenging applications within artificial intelligence due to its integration of computer vision and natural language processing algorithms. This task becomes notably more formidable when dealing with a language as intricate as Bengali and the overall scarcity of Bengali-captioned image databases. In this investigation, a meticulously human-annotated dataset of Bengali captions has been curated specifically for the encompassing collection of pictures. Simultaneously, an innovative end-to-end architecture has been introduced to craft pertinent image descriptions in the Bengali language, leveraging an attention-driven decoder. Initially, the amalgamation of images’ spatial and temporal attributes is facilitated by Gated Recurrent Units, constituting the input features. These features are subsequently fed into the attention layer alongside embedded caption features. The attention mechanism scrutinizes the interrelation between visual and linguistic representations, encompassing both categories of representations. Later, a comprehensive recursive unit comprising two layers employs the amalgamated attention traits to construct coherent sentences. Utilizing our furnished dataset, this model undergoes training, culminating in achievements of a 43% BLEU-4 score, a 39% METEOR score, and a 47% ROUGE score. Compared to all preceding endeavors in Bengali image captioning, these outcomes signify the pinnacle of current attainable standards.

Formulation and evaluation of atorvastatin calcium trihydrate Form I tablets

Solid forms transformations and new crystal structures of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can occur due to various manufacturing process conditions, especially if the drug substance is formulated as a hydrate. The conversion between hydrate and anhydrate forms caused by changes in temperature and humidity must be evaluated because of the risk of dehydration and phase transitions during the manufacturing process. Differences in physicochemical, mechanical, and rheological properties have been observed between solid forms of the same API that can cause manufacturing and product-related issues. Atorvastatin calcium trihydrate (ACT) is a synthetic lipid-lowering agent that was discovered during Lipitor® (its anhydrous form) Phase 3 clinical trials after passing Phase I and II. This case highlights the importance of routinely performing solid form screenings because of the probability of finding new solid forms during the development and scale-up process. Therefore, in this contribution, ACT tablet formulation was performed and evaluated starting from the compatibility of 1:1 proportions of drug and the excipients microcrystalline cellulose 101 (MCC 101), calcium carbonate, lactose monohydrate, croscarmellose sodium, hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, and polysorbate 80. Then, 40 mg ACT tablets were prepared on a small pilot scale, and manufacturing process assessment was conducted by sampling process stages selected as critically prone to solid forms formation or phase transition. Final product quality was evaluated regarding weight variation, hardness, disintegration, dissolution, and assay tests. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied to solid state evaluation. The starting raw material was confirmed to be ACT Form I. From the preformulation studies, PXRD, FT-IR and TGA analyses showed no interactions between ACT and excipients, while DSC results revealed a physical interaction with MCC 101, not considered an incompatibility. The effect of the tablet manufacturing process was achieved by amorphization, while some ACT long-range crystalline structure remained, as confirmed by PXRD, FT-IR and DSC. However, the tablets’ quality parameters were found to be within the acceptable range of both the pharmacopeia guidelines and manufacturer parameters regarding weight variation, hardness, disintegration, dissolution, and assay tests.

You can’t see what you don’t measure! A scoping review of measurements of gender-based violence, its determinants and consequences in academia

Introduction Assessing the problem of gender-based violence in academia internationally is challenging due to a lack of empirical evidence and differences in how it is measured. The contribution of this article is to reflect on survey measurements and to propose new avenues for future quantitative measurements of gender-based violence, its determinants, and consequences in an academic context. For this purpose, we present the results of a scoping review of ten national and cross-national prevalence studies on gender-based violence. We examined the studies’ quantitative operationalisation of (1) sex and gender, (2) prevalence of gender-based violence, (3) socio-demographic determinants from an intersectional perspective, individual and contextual factors, (4) and consequences. Materials and methods Prevalence studies were identified through a comprehensive search of electronic databases and specialised data repositories. The selection criteria included studies with a focus on gender-based violence, the use of closed-ended survey questions, i.e., in a questionnaire, the potential for applicability in different national contexts, and the specific context of higher education. Eligible sources also described the quantitative operationalisation of the survey measurements. Results Our work critically reviews previous efforts to measure gender-based violence, its determinants, and consequences in academic contexts. The findings of our assessment show, first, that quantitative gender-related measurements tend to conflate the concepts of sex and gender, and hence their operationalisation in quantitative surveys. Second, there is a strong emphasis on sexual harassment and sexual violence to the detriment of other relevant forms of violence, as well as a rooting of measurement concepts in locally valid but diverse legal definitions of gender-based violence. Third, there is a lack of socio-demographic determinants to provide an intersectional lens, as well as a focus on measurement frameworks that individualise the experiences of gender-based violence. This prevents a conceptualisation of harassment and abuse as a structural problem in the academic sector and ignores that violence is both as a cause and a consequence of unbalanced gendered power relations and inequalities in institutional and societal contexts. Fourth, there is generally a retrospective approach to measuring the consequences of gender-based violence, which may represent a source of potential bias. We reflect on how future survey instruments could address these issues in academic environments. Discussion Overall, our paper demonstrates how the evidence generated by different conceptualisations and operationalisations of gender-based violence in academia, as well as its determinants and consequences, shapes how we think and talk about the problem. In doing so, this article contributes to the ongoing methodological discussion on the measurement of gender-based violence and provides a rationale for improving its measurement framework in academic environments by taking a feminist-theory informed approach to collecting these data.

Experiences of rehabilitation one year after breast cancer diagnosis–A focus group study from the ReScreen randomized controlled trial

Background Treatment for breast cancer poses major challenges and leads to a variety of side-effects and problems that affect life for a long time. Experiences and symptoms vary, and research indicates a lack of structures for ensuring individualized rehabilitation. This qualitative focus group study aims to explore the experience of women with BC after participating in a complex randomized controlled trial (RCT) (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03434717) focusing on cancer rehabilitation from a comprehensive perspective. Method Nine semi-structured focus group interviews with women (n = 30) who participated in the Rescreen RCT were conducted. The women were interviewed divided into three RCT groups (intervention, control, or observation group). Data were initially analyzed inductively using conventional content analysis, followed by a deductive approach, guided by the result from the inductive analysis. Results The inductive analysis resulted in two categories and four sub-categories and showed a great variation in experiences and needs. Some women described a well-functioning process, while others described lack of individualized information, continuity with healthcare providers, and clear pathways for support. After the deductive analysis, a variation between the groups appeared. Women in the intervention group expressed that a proactive and individualized approach facilitated rehabilitation and they experienced a feeling of being recognized as a person, which they highlighted as important. On the contrary, women from the control group described feelings of being abandoned from healthcare, hindering rehabilitation. The observation group expressed that their needs had been fulfilled within the healthcare system. Conclusions This study adds important knowledge to the evaluation of the ReScreen model and contributes to existing research on how individualized rehabilitation after breast cancer can be applied in clinical practice. A proactive, person-centered approach in rehabilitation, aimed at those with extended needs, would potentially optimize rehabilitation and facilitate the recovery process after breast cancer treatment.

Sickness absenteeism among nurses after the COVID-19 pandemic: A study protocol

Introduction Sickness absenteeism among the nurses in Malaysia is not fully understood. Complicated with the increase in workload and mental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and the manifestation of long COVID-19 symptoms, there is a need for an updated insight on the prevalence and the risk factors of sickness absenteeism among nurses in Malaysia. As such, we designed a study protocol that assess the prevalence and risk factors of sickness absenteeism among nurses in Malaysia in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Materials and methods This is a correlational cross-sectional study. The sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, sickness absenteeism questionnaire, job characteristics questionnaire, Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ), Work-Related Strain Inventory (WRSI), Work and Family Conflict Scale (WAFCS), the COVID-19-related workplace worries questionnaire, as well as the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DASS-21) questionnaire will be randomly distributed to 166 nurses from October 2024 to May 2025. Discussion While physical illnesses, psychological disorders, job-related factors, and sociodemographic factors have been identified as risk factors to sickness absenteeism among healthcare professionals in general, the role of these risk factors in causing sickness absenteeism among the nurses remains unclear. Additionally, the increased stress and workload faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, may have further impacted sickness absenteeism. Conclusion By examining the various risk factors of sickness absenteeism, especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, this research will inform future targeted interventions to reduce sickness absenteeism among Malaysian nurses and its associated consequences.

From larva to adult: In vitro rearing protocol for honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones

Development of a successful in vitro rearing protocol has been essential for pesticide safety assessment of immature honey bee workers under laboratory conditions. In contrast, pesticide safety testing of honey bee drones is limited, in part due to the lack of successful laboratory rearing protocols for this reproductive caste. Considering that healthy drones are essential for successful mating and reproduction of the honey bee queen, a standardized in vitro rearing protocol for honey bee drones is necessary to support reproductive safety studies, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of honey bee drone development. Using the established in vitro rearing protocol for honey bee workers, we modified the days of grafting and pupal transfer, as well as the diet volume, pupation plate orientation, and absorbent tissue in the pupal wells to successfully rear honey bee drones in vitro. In vitro-reared drones were evaluated for gross wing abnormalities, body weight, testes weight, and abdominal area, and compared with age-matched drones reared in field colonies. We found that honey bee drones reared in a vertically oriented pupation plate containing WypAll® absorbent tissue in each well had a mean survival to adulthood of 74 ± 3.5% (SEM) until adulthood. In contrast, drones reared in a horizontally oriented pupation plate containing Kimwipe® absorbent tissue in each well had significantly lower survival (5.5 ± 2.3%) and demonstrated gross wing abnormalities. All in vitro-reared drones had significantly lower body weight, testes weight and abdominal area relative to colony-reared control drones. Accordingly, we successfully developed an in vitro rearing protocol for honey bee drones which has the potential to improve future reproductive safety assessment of pesticides for honey bees.

Investigating the safety of physical rehabilitation with critically ill patients receiving vasoactive drugs: An exploratory observational feasibility study

Background Physical rehabilitation of critically ill patients may improve physical outcomes; however, the relative benefits and risks with patients requiring vasoactive drugs is currently unknown. A feasibility study is needed to inform the design of a future trial required to address this issue. Methods A two-phase exploratory observational feasibility study was carried out: A retrospective study to clarify the current practice of rehabilitation with patients receiving vasoactive drugs to inform future trial interventions and design. A prospective study exploring recruitment and outcome measurement. Intensive care patients receiving vasoactive drugs were recruited and asked about the acceptability of a future trial. The feasibility of using an adverse event tool was measured during rehabilitation. Patients were followed up after 60 days to describe the feasibility of measuring outcomes for a future trial. Results Retrospective study (n = 78): Twenty-one percent of patients took part in physical rehabilitation whilst receiving vasoactive drugs. Of 321 days with vasoactive drugs administered, physical rehabilitation occurred on 27 days (8%). Prospective study (n = 40): Eighty-one percent of participants indicated acceptability of being recruited into a future trial (n = 37). Eighty-eight percent of clinicians found it acceptable to randomise patients into either early rehabilitation or standard care. The adverse event tool was implemented by researchers with 2% loss of information. Finally, a 100% follow-up rate at day 60 was achieved for mortality outcomes. Follow-up rates were 70% for the EQ-5D (5 level), 65% for the World Health Organisation’s Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 and RAND 36-item Health Survey 1.0 and 26% for the 6-minute walk test. Conclusions This study found a low frequency of physical rehabilitation occurring with intensive care patients receiving vasoactive drugs. A high proportion of clinicians and patients found a future RCT within this patient group acceptable. Mortality and patient-reported outcomes were the most feasible to measure.

The impact of carbohydrate quality on gut health: Insights from the NHANES

Background High- and low-quality carbohydrate diets are linked to gut health. However, their specific relationship with constipation or diarrhea is unclear. This study uses 2005–2010 NHANES data to examine the relationship between carbohydrate quality and constipation and diarrhea, and to identify suitable populations for different carbohydrate diets. Methods Chronic constipation was defined as BSFS types 1 and 2, and chronic diarrhea as types 6 and 7. Dietary intake data were provided by the FPED, using data from the NHANES database. Subjects recalled foods and beverages consumed in the past 24 hours, and intake was averaged and divided into quartiles (Q). After adjusting for covariates, associations between high- and low-quality carbohydrate diets and constipation or diarrhea were assessed using weighted RCS curves and multivariate logistic regression. Results were expressed as weighted ORs and 95% CIs, with subgroup analyses performed. Results A total of 11,355 people participated, with 10,488 in the constipation group and 10,516 in the diarrhea group. Multiple regression showed that high-quality carbohydrates were negatively associated with constipation (OR: 0.852, 95% CI: 0.796–0.912, P = 0.0001). Low-quality carbohydrates were positively associated with constipation (OR: 1.010, 95% CI: 1.002–1.018, P = 0.0295). There was no significant direct association between carbohydrate quality and diarrhoea (P = 0.5189, P = 0.8278). Segmented regression results showed a non-significant association between low quality carbohydrate intake above 40.65 servings/day and constipation, while quality carbohydrate intake above 3.84 servings/day was not significantly associated with diarrhoea. Subgroup analyses showed differences in carbohydrate quality and constipation or diarrhoea across populations. Conclusions High-quality carbohydrates lowered constipation risk by 33.7% and reduced diarrhea risk with intake up to 3.84 servings/day. In contrast, low-quality carbohydrates increased constipation risk by 83.4%, with risk stabilizing beyond 40.65 servings/day. These effects varied across groups, suggesting that better carbohydrate quality supports gut health, especially in sensitive individuals.

Dozens of new obesity drugs are coming: these are the ones to watch

Exploring the underlying mechanisms of customers’ intention to adopt product recommendations from live streamers: A moderated mediation approach

Live streaming has emerged as one of the indispensable channels for product information dissemination. Product recommendations from live streamers play an increasingly important role in customers’ purchasing decisions. Our study aims to understand the mechanism behind individuals’ intention to adopt product recommendations in live streaming. To that end, we implemented a moderated mediation model to test the direct and indirect effects of perceived value on customers’ intention to adopt product recommendations from live streamers, the mediating role of perceived credibility in the relationship between perceived value and adoption intention, the moderating role of sense of telepresence in the link between perceived value and perceived credibility, and the moderating role of self-identification in the association between perceived credibility and adoption intention. Results show that perceived credibility plays a partial intermediary role in the link between perceived value and adoption intention, sense of telepresence can positively predict perceived credibility but cannot significantly moderate the relationship between perceived value and adoption intention, and self-identification can positively buffer the association between perceived credibility and adoption intention, but negatively moderate the relationship between perceived value and adoption intention. This study advances theoretical research on product recommendations in the live-streaming context and provides practical inspiration for live streamers and managers of social commerce companies.

Understanding the aliya pulsed electric field dose-response relationship: Implications for ablation size, thermal load, and immune response in an orthotopic murine breast cancer model

Aliya®Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology is an emerging strategy in the field of cancer treatment, offering a novel approach to ablation therapy that does not rely on thermal mechanisms. By employing a multi-stage experimental setup, including potato tuber, porcine liver, and murine breast cancer models, we explored the dose-response relationship on ablation and immune modulation by varying the pulse packets delivered from 20 to 100. The biologic response observed with 60 packets represented a minimum effective dose yielding reproducible ablation parameters, immune response, and efficacy which could be augmented with immune checkpoint blockade. This pre-clinical analysis provides a first step toward understanding the therapeutic index for PEF technology beyond ablation, a consideration that will require robust clinical validation in well-designed prospective studies.

MorPhiC Consortium: towards functional characterization of all human genes

Sample Size Impact (SaSii): An R script for estimating optimal sample sizes in population genetics and population genomics studies

Obtaining large sample sizes for genetic studies can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive, and small sample sizes may generate biased or imprecise results. Many studies have suggested the minimum sample size necessary to obtain robust and reliable results, but it is not possible to define one ideal minimum sample size that fits all studies. Here, we present SaSii (Sample Size Impact), an R script to help researchers define the minimum sample size. Based on empirical and simulated data analysis using SaSii , we present patterns and suggest minimum sample sizes for experiment design. The patterns were obtained by analyzing previously published genotype datasets with SaSii and can be used as a starting point for the sample design of population genetics and genomic studies. Our results showed that it is possible to estimate an adequate sample size that accurately represents the real population without requiring the scientist to write any program code, extract and sequence samples, or use population genetics programs, thus simplifying the process. We also confirmed that the minimum sample sizes for SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) analysis are usually smaller than for SSR (simple sequence repeat) analysis and discussed other patterns observed from empirical plant and animal datasets.

EEG theta and alpha oscillations during tactical decision-making: An examination of the neural efficiency hypothesis in volleyball

According to the neural efficiency hypothesis (NEH), individuals with higher expertise in a domain use their brain more efficiently when processing domain-specific tasks and show more efficient brain activity than individuals with lower expertise. In this study 64 participants with differing levels of volleyball expertise were recruited to investigate the NEH by means of a volleyball-specific tactical decision-making task. The participants, which were allocated to three different expertise groups (based on prior volleyball experience), saw videos of setting situations of real volleyball matches and were asked to predict the outcome of these situations. Behavioral performance and event-related de-/synchronization (ERD/S) in the EEG theta and alpha bands during the completion of the task, were examined. Our results show significantly higher prediction accuracy in relation to volleyball expertise. Significantly stronger theta synchronization, as well as alpha desynchronization were observed during the tactical prediction condition compared to a control condition. No significant group differences in theta or alpha ERD/S were observed. Descriptive examinations of theta and alpha ERD/S distributions, which revealed mixed results regarding support for the NEH, are discussed. Our findings provide new insights to the ongoing debate on how the NEH applies to the domain of sport.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of Forsythia ovata, a Korean endemic, based on genotyping-by-sequencing

The perennial shrub Forsythia ovata Nakai, native to the Korean Peninsula, has a highly restricted natural habitat, occurring only in a small area within the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range located in Gangwon-do Province. These characteristics give this species high conservation value, but there is a significant lack of genetic concerning about its populations for conservation purposes. In this study, we utilized genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to examine the genetic diversity and population structure of F. ovata. Our analysis including 5,017 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 72 individuals, representing nine distinct populations. The results revealed a mean expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.212, indicating a moderate level of genetic diversity within the species. Additionally, a relatively low levels of genetic differentiation (FST) and high gene flow (Nm) between populations were detected. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) results indicated that most genetic variation occurred within individuals, accounting for 86.66% of the total variance. In contrast, only 6.90% and 6.44% of the molecular variance was attributed to differences among individuals and between populations, respectively. Considering the results of Bayesian structure analysis on the basis of ∆ K, principal coordinate analysis and phylogenetic analysis, we propose two management units for conservation. In addition, given the current conditions faced by F. ovata, both in situ and ex situ conservation should be considered for some populations (SG and BD).