Social mindfulness (SoMi), defined as demonstrating goodwill with minimal resources, is a central component of prosociality. Although sport participation has been associated with changes in prosocial behavior, its influence on intergroup bias in SoMi remains unclear. This research used four studies (N = 463) with adapted SoMi and minimal group paradigms to explore this issue in adolescents. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that sport participation significantly reduced intergroup bias, particularly by increasing SoMi behaviors toward outgroup members, with variations across different sport contexts. In Study 3, the roles of cooperation and competition within sport participation were examined separately, revealing that cooperation heightened ingroup favoritism while competition increased outgroup derogation. Study 4 examined these effects in non-sport contexts, revealing that competition fostered both ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation, whereas cooperation did not significantly affect overall bias but alleviated outgroup derogation. These findings suggest that sport participation can substantially influence intergroup bias in SoMi through sport-specific mechanisms of cooperation and competition.

Background Action video game experience has been widely associated with differences in cognitive functions. However, it remains unclear whether such experience is differentially associated with distinct components of procedural learning, including statistical learning (sensitivity to probabilistic regularities) and higher-order sequence learning (extraction of serial order structures). This study aimed to examine descriptive patterns of these components using the Alternating Serial Reaction Time (ASRT) task. Methods A total of 142 undergraduate students were recruited and categorized into action video game (AVG; n = 72) and non-video game (NVG; n = 70) group based on their self-reported gaming history. The ASRT task was used to evaluate procedural learning. Reaction times to three types of stimulus triplets were recorded across four epochs to assess general skill learning, statistical learning, and sequence learning. Mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted to examine learning effects and group differences. Results AVG group exhibited significantly faster reaction times across all epochs, reflecting a descriptive pattern of faster general response speed. NVG group demonstrated a significant improvement in sensitivity to statistical regularities over time, whereas AVG group showed consistently lower levels of statistical learning. Conversely, AVG group showed reduced inverse learning effects in high-order sequence learning, suggesting better extraction of sequential structures. Conclusion AVG experience was associated with faster motor responses and better sequence extraction ability, whereas NVG participants showed greater sensitivity to probabilistic regularities. These descriptive patterns are consistent with a multifactorial view of procedural learning and highlight potential interactions between statistical and sequence learning components.

Background/Objectives: Attentional bias toward drug-related cues is a characteristic of drug dependence and plays a detrimental role during drug withdrawal. The present study examined attentional bias in female individuals with drug dependence. We focused on its temporal and spatial characteristics using drug-related and negative emotion dot-probe tasks. Methods: Fifty-one female participants with drug dependence (mean age = 24.71 ± 7.58 years) took part in the study. These participants were primarily dependent on methamphetamine and novel psychoactive substances. They completed tasks with two cue exposure durations (500 ms and 2000 ms) under three spatial conditions: match, mismatch, and neutral. Results: Results indicated that a global attentional bias toward drug-related cues, rather than a location-specific bias, was evident during the short cue exposure (500 ms), regardless of spatial alignment (ps < 0.05), whereas no bias was observed during the sustained attention stage (2000 ms). No attentional bias was observed for negative emotional stimuli, highlighting the stimulus-specific nature of this effect. Conclusions: These findings further support the incentive sensitization model of addiction, showing that interference from drug-related items, regardless of the specific orientation of attention, primarily drives short cue exposure attentional bias in females.

Background:Motor skill performance is influenced by attentional focus, and recent studies suggest that external focus, particularly a more distal external focus, may enhance performance more than an internal or a proximal external focus. However, the optimal distance for external focus and the influence of expertise level remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of attentional focus distance on motor performance across various tasks and expertise levels. Methods:This systematic review and meta-analysis followed established guidelines (PRISMA) and was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42024595116). Comprehensive literature searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Data extraction followed the PICOS framework, and analyses were conducted using Stata and Review Manager. Results:A total of 20 randomized controlled trials with 497 participants were included. The results indicated that a distal external focus significantly improved motor performance compared to both external proximal focus (standardized mean difference, S = 0.3, 95% CI [0.07-0.53], p = 0.01) and internal focus (SMD = 0.59, 95% CI [0.14-1.05], p = 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between the distal and proximal external focus in novices. Subgroup analyses showed that skill level significantly moderated the effectiveness of attentional focus. Conclusions:A distal external focus improves motor performance in experienced although its effectiveness in novices requires further study. Future research should explore the mechanisms underlying these effects and skill-specific guidelines for optimal attentional focus distance.

Olfactory function plays a vital role in daily life but tends to decline with age, affecting health and wellbeing. While previous studies suggest a link between physical activities and olfactory function in older adults, the relationship between cognitive activity and olfactory function remains unclear, as do the combined effects of both activities. This cross-sectional study examined associations between physical and cognitive activity and three domains of olfaction (identification, sensitivity, and memory) in 583 community-dwelling older adults. Both types of activity were positively associated with overall olfactory performance. Physical activity exhibited the strongest link with olfaction identification, while cognitive activity was more closely related to olfaction memory. Furthermore, participants engaging in moderate-to-high levels of both activities achieved the best overall olfactory scores. These findings suggest that a combined lifestyle of physical exertion and cognitive engagement may help preserve olfactory function in aging, with implications for autonomy, safety, and quality of life.

This study examines the relationship between leisure activities and subjective memory complaints (SMC) in retired older adults, emphasizing the mediating role of working memory. A cross-sectional design was employed with 540 adults aged 60 and older. Leisure activities, encompassing both physical and cognitive domains, were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Cognitive Activity Scale. Both physical and cognitive activities were found to be significantly negatively associated with SMC. High levels of engagement in these activities were associated with reduced SMC. Cognitive activity demonstrated a particularly strong protective effect among individuals with low physical activity levels. Structural equation modeling indicated that working memory partially mediated the relationship between leisure activities and SMC, with a stronger mediating effect observed for physical activity. These findings underscore the importance of promoting physical leisure activities to enhance cognitive health and reduce SMC in older adults.

This study aims to explore the impact of acute exergaming on short video-related inhibitory control, and to compare its effectiveness with that of a conventional aerobic exercise (cycling ergometer). In a between-subjects design, 87 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) exergaming, (2) cycling, or (3) control. Each participant engaged in 30 min of the assigned activity. Following the intervention, participants completed a Go/No-go task to measure their short video-related inhibitory control. Behavioral outcomes and event-related potential components were measured. The results showed that both acute exergaming and cycling enhanced the accuracy and P3 amplitudes for non-video app image stimuli (NVA). Acute exergaming specifically enhanced accuracy and P3 amplitudes for short-video app image stimuli (SVA), a pattern not observed following cycling. Latency analyses showed that exergaming and cycling resulted in shorter P3 latency than the control condition. In conclusion, while both interventions improved general inhibitory control, exergaming uniquely demonstrated enhancements in short video-related inhibitory control. These findings underscore the potential advantage of exergaming within its own contexts that benefit from higher cognitive, motivational, and multisensory engagement.

Providing feedback is a key instructional strategy in motor learning. Recently, interest has grown in self-controlled (SC) feedback, which allows learners to choose when to receive feedback. However, evidence on its effectiveness remains mixed, and its impact across different learning phases and populations is unclear. This meta-analysis assessed the effect of SC feedback on motor skill learning during acquisition, retention, and transfer phases, compared to passively received (PR) feedback and Yoked (YK) feedback groups. A comprehensive search of three datasets identified 29 studies comprising 1147 participants. Although SC feedback did not bring a significant advantage in the acquisition phase, it facilitated motor skill learning in both the retention and transfer phases. Moderator analyses revealed that cognitive status influenced SC feedback efficacy during the acquisition phase, with significant effects observed only in cognitively impaired individuals. Additionally, skill type moderated outcomes in the transfer phase, with series skills showing greater benefits than discrete skills, and this effect was significant only when compared to the YK group. In summary, SC feedback-enhanced motor skill learning in the retention and transfer phases, supporting its role in the consolidation and generalization of learning. Additionally, cognitively impaired individuals showed greater benefits during the acquisition phase, and series skills demonstrated more substantial gains in the transfer phase.

Although aerobic exercise modulates self-experienced pain, its impact on empathy for pain remains unclear. Moreover, whether exergaming, which combines exercise with interactive gaming, influences empathy-related neural responses is unknown. The present study investigated the effects of exergaming on the neural mechanisms underlying empathy for pain, comparing them with those of conventional aerobic exercise (cycling) and a non-active control condition. A total of ninety-one participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: exergaming (Nintendo Fitness Ring Adventure), moderate intensity cycling, or rest. After a 30-min intervention, participants completed a pain judgement task while event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded. Behavioral outcomes (reaction time, accuracy, pain intensity, and emotional valence ratings) and ERP components (N1, P2, N2, P3, LPP) were analyzed. Results revealed that both exergaming and cycling enhanced emotional valence ratings for painful images relative to the control condition. ERP analyses demonstrate that exergaming significantly amplified late-stage components (P3 and LPP) in response to painful stimuli, indicating enhanced cognitive appraisal processes associated with empathy for pain, while early components (N1, P2, N2) remain unaffected across conditions. These findings suggest that exergaming, through its combination of multisensory and cognitive engagement, uniquely enhances cognitive empathy for pain.

Background: Response-response (RR) binding, involving the integration of independently planned and executed responses, presents a novel perspective on action control. While behavioral evidence on RR binding has been extensively examined, corresponding electrophysiological evidence remains scarce. This study aims to contribute novel insights into RR binding by event-related potentials (ERP) techniques to provide new evidence for RR binding. Methods: An adapted prime-probe paradigm was employed, in which the required responses could either involve repetition or change conditions from the prime to the probe phase. EEG data were collected from thirty-six participants, and ERP analysis focused on the peak amplitude and latency of the P1 and P3 components. Results: Notably shorter RTs were observed in the response-repetition conditions compared to others, consistent with previous findings on RR binding. Furthermore, the response-repetition conditions exhibited larger P3 amplitudes and shorter P1 and P3 latencies relative to other conditions. Conclusions: In summary, this study strengthens the evidence base for RR binding by bridging both behavioral and electrophysiological perspectives.

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo is a tonic plant that has both ornamental and medicinal properties. Terpenoids are significant and diverse secondary metabolites in plants, and are one of the important natural active ingredients in D. officinale. The AP2/ERF gene family plays a major role in primary and secondary metabolism. However, the AP2/ERF transcription factor family has not been identified in D. officinale, and it is unclear if it is involved in the regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis. This study identified a sesquiterpene synthetase-β-patchoulene synthase (DoPAES) using transcriptome and terpenic metabolic profile analyses. A total of 111 members of the AP2/ERF family were identified through the whole genome of D. officinale. The tissue-specific expression and gene co-expression pattern of the DoAP2/ERF family members were analyzed. The results showed that the expression of DoPAES was highly correlated with the expression of DoAP2/ERF89 and DoAP2/ERF47. The yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assays and dual-luciferase experiments demonstrated that DoAP2/ERF89 and DoAP2/ERF47 could regulate the expression of DoPAES. The transcriptional regulatory effects were examined using homologous transient expression of DoAP2/ERF89 in protocorms of D. officinale. DoAP2/ERF89 positively regulated the biosynthesis of β-patchoulene. This study showed that DoAP2/ERF89 can bind to the promoter region of DoPAES to control its expression and further regulate the biosynthesis of β-patchoulene in D. officinale. These results provide new insights on the regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis.

Social mindfulness entails the consideration of the interests of others while respecting their autonomy. Although long-term group identity generates in-group favoritism in social mindfulness decisions, the effect of temporary group identity on social mindfulness remains to be validated. This study examined this effect by recruiting a convenience sample of 74 adolescents from a youth basketball club, who were randomly assigned to either an in-group or out-group decision-making condition. A basketball game scenario was used to establish temporary group identities, referencing the Minimal Group paradigm for grouping while applying the SoMi paradigm in a real-world context. The results showed that adolescents exhibited higher social mindfulness (χ2 = 22.774, df = 1, p < 0.001) and preference-adjusted social mindfulness (χ2 = 6.861, df = 1, p < 0.01) toward in-group compared to out-group members. Conversely, they displayed higher levels of preference-adjusted social hostility toward out-group members (χ2 = 11.291, df = 1, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that even temporary group identities, formed in a sports setting, can lead to intergroup bias in adolescents’ social decision-making, promoting goodwill toward the in-group while restricting the autonomy of out-group members.

In view of the development of society and lifestyle, contemporary college students are faced with many problems in physical health, especially the decline of physical fitness level of college students, which urgently need effective intervention. This study used a quasi-experimental approach to explore functional training as a way to improve the physical fitness of female college students who scored low or failed in the physical fitness test. The aim is to explore the effectiveness of functional training for female students with low fitness test scores. The results showed that functional training significantly improved the physical level of female students, especially on 50 m, curling, 1-minute sit-up and stand, long jump. In addition, at 800 meters, the functional training effect is inferior to the traditional training effect. This shows that functional training has obvious effect on the speed, strength and flexibility of female universities with low scores, but not on endurance programs.The results emphasize the functional training as a low physical students overall health level is an effective method.

Background:The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of trunk kinematic characteristics and trunk muscle electromyography (EMG) activity on propulsion speeds in wheelchair racing T54 athletes. Method:The Vicon infrared high-speed 3D motion capture system was utilized to acquire kinematic data of the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and trunk from twelve T54 athletes at four different speeds (5.55 m/s, 6.94 m/s, 8.33 m/s, and personal maximum speed). Additionally, the Trigno Wireless EMG system was employed to collect synchronous surface electromyography (EMG) data from the rectus abdominis and erector spinae muscles. The kinematics and EMG data of the trunk were compared across various wheelchair propulsion speeds while also examining the correlation coefficient between wheelchair propulsion speeds and: (1) the range of motion of upper limb joints as well as the trunk; (2) the maximum angular velocities of the upper limbs joints as well as the trunk; and (3) rectus abdominis and erector spinae EMG activity. Two multiple linear stepwise regression models were utilized to examine the impact of variables that had been identified as significant through correlation coefficient tests (1) and (2) on propulsion speed, respectively. Results:There were significant differences in the range of motion (p<0.01) and angular velocity (p<0.01) of the athlete's trunk between different propulsion speeds. The range of motion (p<0.01, r = 0.725) and angular speed (p<0.01, r = 0.882) of the trunk showed a stronger correlation with propulsion speed than did upper limb joint movements. The multiple linear stepwise regression model revealed that the standardized β values of trunk motion range and angular velocity in athletes were greater than those of other independent variables in both models. In terms of the EMG variables, four of six variables from the rectus abdominis showed differences at different speeds (p<0.01), one of six variables from the erector spinae showed differences at different speeds (p<0.01). All six variables derived from the rectus abdominis exhibited a significant correlation with propulsion speed (p<0.05, r>0.3), while one variable derived from the erector spinae was found to be significantly correlated with propulsion speed (p<0.01, r = 0.551). Conclusion:The movement of the trunk plays a pivotal role in determining the propulsion speed of wheelchair racing T54 athletes. Athletes are advised to utilize trunk movements to enhance their wheelchair's propulsion speed while also being mindful of the potential negative impact on sports performance resulting from excessive trunk elevation. The findings of this study indicate that it would be beneficial for wheelchair racing T54 athletes to incorporate trunk strength training into their overall strength training regimen, with a specific emphasis on enhancing the flexion and extension muscles of the trunk.

Background Cognitive functioning is dependent on working memory and a decline in working memory is the main cause of cognitive aging. Many studies have suggested that physical exercise or cognitive intervention can effectively improve working memory in the elderly. However, it is still unknown whether a combination of exercise and cognitive training (CECT) is more effective than either intervention alone. The present systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken to evaluate the effect of CECT on working memory in the elderly. Methods The review was registered in the International Prospective Systematic Review (PROSPERO, CRD42021290138). Systematic searches were conducted on Web of Science, Elsevier Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. The data were extracted according to the PICOS framework. Comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) software was used to perform the meta-analysis, moderator analysis and publication bias testing. Results The current meta-analysis included 21 randomized controlled trials (RCT). Results showed that CECT had a significantly greater impact on working memory in older adults compared to no intervention groups (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI [0.14–0.44], p < 0.01), with no significant difference between CECT and exercise (SMD = 0.16, 95% CI [−0.04–0.35], p = 0.12) or cognitive intervention alone (SMD = 0.08, 95% CI [−0.13–0.30], p = 0.44). Furthermore, the positive effect of CECT was moderated by intervention frequency and cognitive state. Conclusions The CECT can effectively improve working memory of older adults, but the effect of CECT compared to single intervention needs to be further explored.

Protein-protein interactions are fundamental components in the life activities of each cell. They play a pivotal role in various biological processes, including replication, transcription, translation, cell cycle regulation, and signal transduction. Distinct interaction networks are present in every species, individual, and cell. Various technical methods have been confirmed to map these interactions and to identify proteins that interact directly or indirectly. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) is an extensively employed system for determining the interaction sites or domains between two known proteins with physiological effects. However, the yeast dual hybrid method has certain limitations, as the autoactivation of bait proteins often lead to false positive outcomes. In this study, we optimized the assembly of bait proteins by introducing a transcriptional silencing motif (EAR inhibitory motif of SUPERMAN gene SRDX) to suppress the autoactivation. We selected five bait proteins with autoactivation activity, including ApGNAT12, ApCPP5, ApVOZ1, ApMYB2, and ApWRKY41. Notably, by introducing SDRX inhibitory motifs at the C-terminus of these proteins, the autoactivation activity of these proteins was effectively suppressed. In addition, we conducted a yeast two-hybrid library screening experiment coupled with high-throughput sequencing, using ApMYB2 as an example, and the outcomes revealed the reliability of this method. Together, our findings indicate that the inhibitory motif can effectively inhibit autoactivation in yeast two-hybrid systems, suggesting broad applications in the protein-protein interaction research.

Background Video game play has been linked to a range of cognitive advantages, and investigations in this domain have predominantly utilized cross-sectional designs or long-term training paradigms. Nevertheless, the specific effects of engaging in a single bout of video game play remain poorly understood. Consequently, the objective of this study is to examine the influence of a single session of mobile action video game (MAVG) play on attentional networks among college students. Methods Seventy-two nonvideo game players were assigned randomly into an MAVG and a control game group. Participants in the MAVG group engaged in a 60-minute session of an action video game played on mobile phones, while the control group played a mobile card game for the same duration. All participants completed the attentional network test (ANT), which assesses alerting, orienting, and executive control network efficiencies, before and after the intervention. Results The MAVG group had significantly improved alerting network efficiency following the intervention, compared to before (p < 0.05); the control game group did not. Neither executive control network efficiency nor orienting network efficiency were found to be improved by the intervention. Conclusion The present data demonstrated that a single bout of MAVG play can improve alerting network efficiency selectively in young-adult college students. MAVGs may be useful for promoting attentional function with the advantages of being accessible virtually any time and anywhere.

Devising cooperative or competitive situations is an important teaching strategy in educational practices. Nevertheless, there is still controversy regarding which situation is better for learning. This study was conducted to explore the effects of cooperative and competitive situations on statistical learning, through the alternating serial reaction time (ASRT) task. Individual cooperative and competitive situations were devised in this study, in which individual situation served as the control condition. Ninety recruited participants were randomly assigned to a cooperative, competitive, or individual group to perform the ASRT task. For general learning, cooperative and competitive situations could indeed make learners respond faster, and there was no significant difference in the RT between the cooperative and competitive groups. Moreover, statistical learning was observed in all three groups. An additional analysis of the early stage of the experiment showed that the learning effect of the competitive group was greater than those of the cooperative and individual groups, in terms of statistical learning. However, the final learning effect was not significantly different among the three groups. Overall, the cooperative and competitive situations had a positive impact on learning and enabled the students to acquire approximately the same learning effect in a shorter time period, compared with the individual situation. Specifically, the competitive situation accelerated the statistical learning process but not the general learning process.