Speciation is often considered as a prolonged, continuous and complex process shaped by interactions among multiple evolutionary forces, including both biotic and abiotic factors. Robust species delimitation is fundamental for understanding the basic biology and ecology of organisms and of course the implementation of effective conservation policies. The red bamboo ratsnake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus) is a polytypic species in the family Colubridae widely distributed across Asia with a subspecific taxonomy has long been complex and controversial. Here, we integrated double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-Seq) with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data to re-evaluate the subspecific taxonomy of this species primarily using samples from China and Vietnam. Phylogenetic relationships, population structure, tests of gene flow and species delimitation analyses consistently revealed that the species comprises at least four highly divergent, geographically structured lineages (five in the mtDNA phylogeny). Notably, these distinct evolutionary lineages are inconsistent with current taxonomic classifications. We propose a revised taxonomy that integrates genomic evidence with morphological data, and we discuss the distribution boundaries for each delineated species.

The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) plays a pivotal role in executive functions and exhibits a hierarchical rostro-caudal organization critical for higher-order cognition. Using connectome gradient mapping of resting-state fMRI data across young, middle-aged, and older adults (N = 478), we found preserved global gradient structure but significant compression of the principal gradient in older adults relative to middle-aged adults, particularly in dorsolateral (DLPFC) and frontopolar (FPC) regions. This reduced functional differentiation corresponded to lower spatial separation between LPFC subdivisions. Meta-analytic decoding linked these changes to attenuated engagement of executive functions. Crucially, in an independent cohort of older adults (N = 99), individuals with better executive function exhibited greater gradient range and variation at the global level, along with higher gradient values in the DLPFC and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and lower values in the premotor cortex at the regional level. These findings suggest that age-related disruption of LPFC gradient organization may reflect neural dedifferentiation and is closely related to executive decline. Gradient compression in the LPFC may serve as a novel biomarker of cognitive aging, offering insights into the hierarchical reorganization of brain networks in late life.

Understanding the functional organization of the primate cortex requires metrics that capture both the temporal and topological dimensions of functional connectivity. Here we propose the spatial connectivity for local homogeneity in cortex (SoHo), a vertex-wise, continuous metric that quantifies the degree to which a cortical vertex and its immediate neighbors share similar spatial profiles of whole-brain functional connectivity. We validated SoHo using large-scale wakeful resting-state fMRI datasets from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and the NIH Marmoset Brain Mapping Project. In humans, SoHo values showed a striking correspondence with the parcellation boundaries of the HCP multimodal atlas, with low-value regions consistently aligning with areal boundaries. Higher-order association areas exhibited lower SoHo values (functional diversity), while primary sensorimotor areas demonstrated higher values (functional uniformity). Cross-species SoHo mapping revealed that this primary-to-association gradient is evolutionarily conserved across primates, alongside species-specific adaptations in frontoparietal and motor regions. By capturing the local concordance of spatial fingerprints of whole-brain connectivity, SoHo bridges discrete parcellation schemes and continuous models of brain function, offering new insights into primate brain organization and evolution.

The expanding scale and complexity of functional brain image datasets require space-time analytics. Spacetime concordance (STC) meets this need through an adaptive and robust framework optimized for high-speed analysis. At the core of STC, the Regional Functional Affinity (RFA) metric quantifies functional diversity and uniformity in primate connectomes using wakeful fMRI. This data-driven optimization achieves considerably faster processing, becoming broadly relevant to comparative neuroscience applications. We validated this approach using large-scale datasets from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) (N = 1,003) and the NIH Marmoset Brain Mapping Project (N = 26). Results demonstrate striking correspondence between parcellation boundaries of HCP atlas and functional heterogeneity, with boundary lines consistently aligning with regions of low RFA values. In humans, higher-order association networks exhibited lower RFA values indicating functional diversity, while primary sensorimotor networks displayed higher RFA values reflecting uniformity. Cross-species analysis revealed evolutionary conservation of this organizational principle alongside species-specific adaptations. The RFA metric successfully bridges discrete parcellation schemes and continuous models of brain function, offering new insights into primate brain organization and evolution.

Two new genera, Shupaludina Z.-G. Chen, Y.-T. Dai, H. Chen & X.-P. Wu, gen. nov., and Bapaludina Z.-G. Chen & Y.-S. Guo, gen. nov., and two new species, Shupaludina luzhouensis Z.-G. Chen & Y.-S. Guo, gen. et sp. nov., and Bapaludina dazhouensis Z.-G. Chen & Y.-S. Guo, gen. et sp. nov., of river snails are described from the upper Changjiang River Basin in China based on comparative morphology and molecular phylogeny. The two new genera have similar shell morphology and can be distinguished from other genera of the subfamily by common features such as a small-to medium-sized shell, a blunt apex, inflated whorls, the inner lip of the aperture folded and tightly overlapping the columellar margin, completely covering the umbilicus and forming with growth a crescent-shaped fortification (even in juvenile specimens), and an operculum much smaller than the aperture. They can be distinguished from each other by the presence or absence of keels on the teleoconch, differences in the size of the crescent-shaped fortification, differences in the size of the operculum, and differences in the radula. The discovery increases the known diversity of river snails in the upper Changjiang River.

Executive functions (EFs), encompassing inhibition, shifting, and updating as three fundamental subdomains, are typically characterized by a unity/diversity construct. However, given the dedifferentiation trend observed in aging, it remains controversial whether the construct of EFs in older adults becomes unidimensional or maintains unity/diversity. This study aims to explore and validate the construct of EFs in older adults. At the behavioral level, we conducted confirmatory factor analysis on data from 222 older adults who completed six tasks specifically targeting inhibition, shifting, and updating. One unidimensional model and six unity/diversity models of EFs were evaluated. Our results indicated that the EFs of older adults demonstrated greater congruence with the unity/diversity construct. At neural level, thirty older adults completed three thematically consistent fMRI tasks, targeting three subdomains of EFs respectively. Multivariate pattern analysis showed that rostromedial prefrontal cortex robustly showed similar neural representation across different tasks (unity). Meanwhile, the three EF domains were encoded by distinct global neural representation and the lateral prefrontal cortex play a crucial role in classification (diversity). These findings underscore the unity/diversity framework of EFs in older adults and offer important insights for designing interventions aimed at improving EFs in this population.

A major challenge to biodiversity conservation is prioritizing species and regions for conservation under limited resources. Phylogenetic diversity (PD) and phylogenetic endemism (PE) together could provide an effective estimate for biodiversity conservation by identifying areas rich in evolutionarily unique lineages and range-restricted evolutionary history that are in urgent need of protection. Furthermore, understanding the spatial patterns and environmental correlates of these phylogenetic metrices is crucial because it helps to uncover the underlying processes driving biodiversity. We used recently updated distributions and phylogenetic relationships of all Chinese lizards (similar to 90%), and found that the PD and the PE hotspots are mainly located in southern China. We found that temperature plays a stronger role than precipitation, historical climatic stability and seasonality in shaping the spatial patterns of PD and PE. Additionally, PE tends to be higher in regions with greater heterogeneity. Based on the categorical analysis of neo- and paleo-endemism, our results also indicated that the majority of PE hotspots (mix of neo- and paleo-endemism) were located in mountainous terrain (e.g., Hengduan-Himalaya) and on islands (Hainan, Taiwan). Importantly, we show that these hotspots in Chinese mainland are mostly located outside protected areas. Overall, our study highlights these regions with high PD and PE are mainly in mountains of southern and northwestern China. However, current protected areas are insufficient for lizard conservation in China, as they do not adequately cover key centres of evolutionary history.

Considering the critical role of working memory (WM) in age-related cognitive decline, WM interventions are proposed as an effective approach for promoting healthy aging. However, traditional WM interventions often yield limited results, possibly due to a lack of interest and challenge. In light of the recent prominent trend of gamification, this study developed a challenging gamified WM intervention aimed at improving WM and providing extensive cognitive benefits for older adults, along with entertainment. Seventy-six older adults were randomly assigned to either the WM intervention group or the active control group. All participants underwent twelve 1-hr training sessions spanning 6 weeks. For each participant, cognitive assessments were completed at pretest, posttest, and 6 months after the intervention while structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state functional MRI scans were conducted before and after intervention. The results revealed significant improvements in WM, inhibitory control, visuospatial processing, and episodic memory among older adults following the intervention. The left frontal pole, located in the rostral prefrontal cortex (rPFC), exhibited increased cortical thickness accompanied by reduced functional homogeneity and weakened connectivity with the left inferior temporal gyrus. Further statistical learning analysis demonstrated a consistent relationship between the changes at the left frontal pole and improved WM performance, suggesting that the rPFC may support WM and play a protective role in brain aging. The findings highlight the broad benefits of the gamified WM intervention on neurocognitive plasticity in the rPFC of older adults, indicating its potential as a promising tool for mitigating neurocognitive decline during the aging process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The study aimed to develop and validate a gamified cognitive flexibility task through brain imaging, and to investigate behavioral and brain activation differences between young and older adults during task performance. Thirty-one young adults (aged 18-35) and 31 older adults (aged 60-80) were included in the present study. All participants underwent fMRI scans while completing the gamified cognitive flexibility task. Results showed that young adults outperformed older adults on the task. The left inferior frontal junction (IFJ), a key region of cognitive flexibility, was significantly activated during the task in both older and young adults. Comparatively, the percent signal change in the left IFJ was stronger in older adults than in young adults. Moreover, older adults demonstrated more precise representations during the task in the left IFJ. Additionally, the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and superior parietal lobule in older adults and the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and inferior frontal gyrus in young adults were also activated during the task. Psychophysiological interaction analyses showed significant functional connectivity between the left IFJ and the left IPL, as well as the right precuneus in older adults. In young adults, significant functional connectivity was found between the left IFJ and the left MFG, as well as the right angular. The current study provides preliminary evidence for the validity of the gamified cognitive flexibility task through brain imaging. The findings suggest that this task could serve as a reliable tool for assessing cognitive flexibility and for exploring age-related differences of cognitive flexibility in both brain and behavior.

Executive functions (EFs), encompassing inhibition, shifting, and updating as three fundamental subdomains, are typically characterized by a unity/diversity construct. However, given the dedifferentiation trend observed in aging, it remains controversial whether the construct of EFs in older adults becomes unidimensional or maintains unity/diversity. This study aims to explore and validate the construct of EFs in older adults. At the behavioral level, we conducted confirmatory factor analysis on data from 222 older adults who completed six tasks specifically targeting inhibition, shifting, and updating. One unidimensional model and six unity/diversity models of EFs were evaluated. Our results indicated that the EFs of older adults demonstrated greater congruence with the unity/diversity construct. At neural level, thirty older adults completed three thematically consistent fMRI tasks, targeting three subdomains of EFs respectively. Multivariate pattern analysis showed that rostromedia prefrontal cortex robustly showed similar neural representation across different tasks (unity). Meanwhile, the three EF domains were encoded by distinct global neural representation and the lateral prefrontal cortex play a crucial role in classification (diversity). These findings underscore the unity/diversity framework of EFs in older adults and offer important insights for designing interventions aimed at improving EFs in this population. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

BackgroundEpisodic memory naturally deteriorates with age, and its deficits are widely recognized as the most significant feature and the most sensitive indicator of cognitive decline. It has been suggested that adopting a healthy lifestyle can play a protective role in preserving episodic memory. This study aimed to systematically examine the relationship between lifestyle factors (social activities, leisure activities, physical activities, internet use, smoking, alcohol drinking, and sleep quality) and episodic memory in middle-aged and older adults.MethodsThe current study included 10,392 participants from the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey. A linear mixed model was used to explore the associations between lifestyle factors and episodic memory performance and the age- and sex-specific effects of the association.ResultsLow-frequency alcohol drinking, higher engagement in social, leisure, and physical activities, increased internet use, and improved sleep quality were associated with better episodic memory performance in middle-aged and older adults. Stratified analyses demonstrated that internet use significantly correlated with episodic memory performance in middle-aged adults but not in older adults. On the other hand, sleep quality showed a significant association with episodic memory performance in women but not in men.ConclusionsThis study highlights the association between various lifestyle factors and episodic memory performance, with variations observed based on age and sex. Adopting healthy lifestyle factors can have positive effects on episodic memory in middle-aged adults, emphasizing the importance of adhering to healthy lifestyles from middle age onwards to counteract episodic memory decline.

Objective: In recent years, an increasing number of gamification tools have been developed for older adults; however, few studies have explored the acceptability of these tools after initial use and sustained use in older adults. In the current study, we focus on "FISHERMAN," an executive function training game containing a cognitive game and an exergame, with the aim of investigating and comparing the acceptability of both versions of "FISHERMAN" after initial use and 3 months of sustained use in older adults. Materials and Methods: Seventy-six older adults were randomly assigned to the cognitive game training group or the exergame training group. Participants completed two 1-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks. Acceptability was evaluated through a validated, 7-point, self-rating, Interactive Technology Art Installation Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire after the first and last training sessions, with higher ratings representing higher acceptability. The questionnaire included 22 items and 9 acceptability dimensions: usage behavior, intention to use, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived playfulness, subjective norm, image, output quality, and result demonstrability. Descriptive statistics were conducted to evaluate acceptability after initial and sustained use. Two-way (time: initial use and sustained use; group: cognitive game group and exergame group) repeated ANOVAs were conducted to investigate the differences in acceptability. Post hoc, within-group, paired-sample t test analyses were performed to evaluate changes in game acceptability for each group over time. Results: After initial use and 3 months of sustained use, the average scores for overall acceptability and individual dimensions exceeded 5.5 of 7 points in both groups. The two groups presented different changes from initial use to sustained use. The overall acceptability, usage behavior, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use were significantly improved after training within the cognitive game group, while perceived playfulness was significantly reduced within the exergame group. Conclusions: The current study provided preliminary evidence that older adults had high acceptability for both the cognitive game and exergame versions of "FISHERMAN." After sustained use, acceptability of the cognitive game increased and acceptability of the exergame decreased, highlighting the importance of assessing game acceptability after initial and sustained use.

The elucidation of species diversity and distribution is critical within the fields of evolution, genetics, and conservation. The genus Sibynophis contains rare snakes that have historically received little attention. In this study, we conducted comprehensive sampling and use both mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers to explore Sibynophis species diversity within China. Our findings revealed that S. c. miyiensis should be considered synonymous with S. c. grahami, and S. c. grahami should be gave a specific rank as S. grahami. In addition, we discovered S. triangularis was new to China and Myanmar. Based on the specimens and molecular phylogeny results, we redefined the species distribution boundaries of each Chinese species.

Management of hypertension and prevention of cognitive decline are challenging public health problems. However, the effects of exergame intervention on blood pressure (BP) remain to be explored, and whether exergame intervention is an effective alternative to traditional physical exercise intervention for older adults with hypertension remains to be demonstrated. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of moderate-intensity exergame intervention and bicycle exercise training on BP and executive function in older hypertensive patients. A total of 128 participants were randomly assigned to the exergame intervention group (n = 41), bicycle exercise intervention group (n = 44), and control group (n = 43). The intervention groups exercised for 60 min, 3 times per week, for 16 weeks, while the control group maintained their normal lifestyle. The results revealed that there were no significant differences between two intervention groups and control group in systolic BP and diastolic BP changes (ps > 0.05). Both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in working memory when compared with control group (exergame intervention group: -461.9 ms, p = 0.025; bicycle exercise intervention group: -470.1 ms, p = 0.021). There were no significant differences in systolic BP, diastolic BP, or working memory between the two intervention groups after 16 weeks of training (ps > 0.05). No difference in inhibition or cognitive flexibility was observed between the intervention and control groups (ps > 0.05). The current results showed that moderate-intensity exergame intervention did not produce significant benefits in reducing BP, but yielded similar beneficial effects in working memory to that of bicycle exercise intervention. More studies are needed on whether exergame intervention has the potential to be a promising supplemental therapeutic tool for older adults with hypertension.

Executive functions (EFs) are essential for daily living activities but decline with age. Convenient assessment and timely intervention have particular significance for older adults. However, the traditional laboratory tasks of EFs are typically monotonous and inconvenient. The current study aimed to develop an interesting and convenient supplementary tool to assess EFs for older adults. According to the theory of EFs, we developed a serious game, FISHERMAN, to assess EFs. The game includes three subgames, Cautious Fisherman, Agile Fisherman, and Wise Fisherman, targeting core components of inhibition, shifting, and working memory, respectively. The current study aims to verify the reliability and validity of the game. One hundred and eight healthy older adults participated in this study and were tested through the FISHERMAN game and a battery of cognitive tests. The results show that the FISHERMAN game has high internal consistency reliability and good construct validity as well as criterion-related validity, suggesting that the game design is valid and can be used in EFs assessment for older adults. Future studies are warranted to establish the norm of the FISHERMAN game in older adults and investigate whether the FISHERMAN game can be generalized to other populations.

BACKGROUND:Detection of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) in early cervical cancer (CC) is challenging. To date, no standard clinical markers or screening tests have been used to detect LVSI preoperatively. Therefore, non-invasive risk stratification tools are highly desirable.OBJECTIVE:To train and validate a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-based radiomics model to detect LVSI in patients with CC and investigate its potential as a complementary tool to enhance the efficiency of risk assessment strategies.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The model was developed from the tumor volume of interest (VOI) of 125 patients with CC. A total of 1037 radiomics features obtained from conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including a small field-of-view (sFOV) high-resolution (HR)-T2-weighted MRI (T2WI), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), T2WI, fat-suppressed (FS)-T2WI, as well as axial and sagittal contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI (T1c). We conducted a radiomics-based characterization of each tumor region using pretreatment image data. Feature selection was performed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method on the training set. The predictive performance was compared with single variates (clinical data and single-layer radiomics signatures) analyzed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Three-fold cross-validation performed 20 times was used to evaluate the accuracy of the trained classifiers and the stability of the selected features. The models were validated by using a validation set.RESULTS:Feature selection extracted the six most important features (3 from sFOV HR-T2WI, 1 T2WI, 1 FS-T2WI, and 1 T1c) for model construction. The mpMRI-combined radiomics model (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.940) reached a significantly higher performance (better than the clinical parameters [AUC: 0.730]), including any single-layer model using sFOV HR-T2WI (AUC: 0.840), T2WI (AUC: 0.770), FS-T2WI (AUC: 0.710), ADC maps (AUC: 0.650), sagittal, and axial T1c values (AUC: 0.710, 0.680) in the validation set.CONCLUSION:Biomarkers using multi-parametric radiomics features derived from preoperative MR images could predict LVSI in patients with CC.

Radiomics based on lesion segmentation has been widely accepted for disease diagnosis; however, it is difficult to precisely determine the boundary for pneumonia due to its diffuse characteristics. In this study, we aimed to propose an automatic radiomics method using whole-lung segmentation in pneumonia discrimination and assist clinical practitioners in fast and accurate diagnosis. In the discovery set, data from 151 participants diagnosed with type A or B influenza virus pneumonia, 63 diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 50 healthy participants were collected. The three groups of data were compared in pairs. A total of 117 radiomics features were extracted from whole-lung images segmented by a four-layer U-net. We then utilized a logistic regression model to train the model and used the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to assess its performance. The L1 regularization term was used in feature selection, and 10-fold cross-validation was used to tune the hyperparameters. Fourteen radiomics features were selected to classify influenza pneumonia and health, and the AUC was 0.957 (95% confidential interval (CI): 0.939, 0.976) in the training set and 0.914 (95% CI: 0.866, 0.963) in the testing set. Eighteen features were selected for COVID-19 and health, and the AUC was 0.949 (95% CI: 0.926, 0.973) in the training set and 0.911 (95% CI: 0.859, 0.963) in the testing set. Twenty-eight features were selected for influenza virus pneumonia and COVID-19, and the AUC was 0.895 (95% CI: 0.870, 0.920) in the training set and 0.839 (95% CI: 0.791, 0.887) in the testing set. The results show that the automatic radiomics model based on whole lung segmentation is effective in distinguishing influenza virus pneumonia, COVID-19 and health, and may assist in the diagnosis of influenza virus pneumonia and COVID-19.

This study presents a comprehensive morphological comparison along with molecular phylogeny of the genus Gloydius based on five mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, COI, cytb, and ND4). The specimens collected from Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve are shown to be a new species, Gloydius lateralissp. nov. Zhang, Shi, Jiang & Shi based on a combination of morphological and molecular accounts. G. lateralissp. nov. differs from other congeneric species by a series of diagnostic morphological characteristics and forms a strongly supported monophyletic group. The new species is phylogenetically closely related to G. swild, another recently described species from Heishui, Aba, Sichuan.