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Finding “just right”:Optimizing challenge and support in sport coaching to foster both growth and well-being: Perspectives and guidelines for sport psychology practitioners
Get PDFWith increased societal attention on mental health and safeguarding, coaches face growing pressures to foster resilience while maintaining performance standards. Against this, psychologist advice, support, and proactivity can play a crucial role. Accordingly, we clarify key psychological constructs—such as psychological safety, challenge, post-traumatic growth, and feedback—highlighting potential misapplications in performance settings. Through synthesis of theoretical insights and sport-specific examples, we outline how psychologists can empower coaches with strategies grounded in emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility, and psychological literacy. Guidelines and frameworks are presented to help practitioners guide coaches in optimizing challenge levels, fostering athlete well-being, and enhancing long-term development
Weakly interacting species as drivers of ecological stability
Get PDFDetermining how individual species can act to moderate the stability of entire ecosystems is a pressing challenge in a world undergoing rapid environmental change. Here, we show that even very weakly interacting species with no discernible effect on ecological dynamics can contribute substantially to ecosystem stability. Further, the nature of this contribution depends on biotic context, and both the type and complexity of interspecific interactions in the community. By manipulating multitrophic aquatic microcosm communities experimentally, we found that the contributions of a bacteriophage parasite to overall system stability following a pulse perturbation were variously stabilizing, destabilizing and neutral, depending on the presence of competitor or predator species of its bacterial host. This was despite the phage itself having no detectable effect on the biomass or growth rates of its host. Our results demonstrate the pivotal importance of both weak and indirect interactions in moderating the stability of whole ecological networks, and have profound implications for our ability to predict the consequences of perturbations on ecosystems
A workflow for practical training in plant genomics using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing
Get PDFSocietal Impacts Statement Advances in DNA sequencing technologies are revolutionising all areas of plant genomic research. In response to the current deficit of educational resources in modern plant genomic methods, we have developed a comprehensive genomics training course for sequencing and analysing non-model plant species. This course effectively equips students in all stages of a genomic workflow, enabling them to produce partial nuclear and complete plastid genomes with long-read sequencing data. Such an approach significantly enhances science education by empowering students with the skills necessary for generating and analysing contemporary plant genomic data. Summary Long-read sequencing technologies continue to grow in popularity and provide an effective way to resolve large and complex genomic variants. However, uptake of these technologies for teaching and training is hampered by the complexity of high molecular weight DNA extraction protocols, the time required for library preparation and the costs for sequencing, as well as challenges with downstream data analyses. We present a long-read workflow for teaching, that covers each stage from DNA extraction, to library preparation and sequencing, to data QC and genome assembly and characterisation, which can be completed in under two weeks. We use a case study of plant identification, where students generate sequence data and assemble genomes to help identify an unlabelled plant sample. Long-read genome skimming of wild-collected plant species extracted with a modified kit-based approach produced an average of 8Gb of Oxford Nanopore data, enabling the complete assembly of plastid genomes, and partial assembly of nuclear genomes. All students were able to complete the protocol, and to correctly identify their sample based on sequence matches of barcoding loci extracted from the plastid genome, coupled with phylogenetic analyses of whole plastid genomes. Our comprehensive and easy-to-follow workflow will enable training in the use of long-read sequencing for plant genomic analysis in a range of teaching settings
SLAMseq reveals potential transfer of RNA from liver to kidney in the mouse
Get PDFExtracellular RNA (exRNA) mediates intercellular communication in lower animals; whether it serves a signalling function in mammals is uncertain. Reductionist experiments, in which a single RNA is over-expressed or tagged, have shown RNA transfer between tissues but may not be relevant to normal physiology. Here, we seek to determine the scale of RNA transfer between liver and kidney using metabolic RNA labelling in mice. We use 4-thiouracil to label RNA in hepatocytes and then detect labelled RNA in the kidney using SLAMseq: SH-Linked Alkylation for Metabolic RNA sequencing. We show that in the kidney, 5% of mRNA transcripts are labelled in health, increasing to 34% after acute hepatocellular injury. In the kidney, we do not detect labelled small RNA, but do find higher levels of the liver-enriched miRNA, miR-122 after liver injury. Our results show potential transfer of RNA from liver to kidney: a phenomenon that is augmented by liver injury. There were important limitations: we could not confidently identify transferred RNA transcripts at the single-gene level and we did not assess the physiological consequences of any RNA transfer
Structural variant landscape provides insights into genome organisation and domestication in European seabass
No full textBackground: Structural variants (SVs) are genetic polymorphisms including deletions, insertions, inversions, and duplications, with potential to influence traits through impacts on gene function and expression. SVs have not been widely utilized in genetic analysis, owing to the challenge of their accurate detection and genotyping. Addressing this general issue, and the broader demand to understand their role in commercially important taxa, we report a comprehensive analysis of SVs in the genome of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), the most commercially important fish in the Mediterranean region. Results: Using whole genome sequencing from a farmed population (n=90 samples), 21,428 SVs were identified using a comprehensive detection and genotyping strategy involving manual curation of every variant. This high-confidence SV atlas was annotated to predict impacts on genes and evolutionarily conserved sequences. We explored the overlap between SVs and repeats, identified heterogeneity in SV density across the genome, and tested if the coding genes disrupted by SVs are enriched for specific biological processes or conserved protein domains. SVs impacting evolutionarily conserved genomic regions were enriched in genes with nervous system and developmental functions. Finally, we performed a comparative analysis incorporating 38,408 high-confidence SVs identified independently for three wild populations (n=80 samples) using identical methods. An analysis of 41,336 SVs merged across the two datasets provides insights into genes and biological functions targeted during aquaculture domestication, with evidence of shifts in allele frequency for SVs located within or near genes controlling behaviour, enriched for forebrain and synaptic functions, and specifically expressed in the brain.Conclusions:This study sheds light on the global organisation of SVs across the European seabass genome, revealing a potential role in aquaculture domestication. The reported datasets provide a novel, high-quality reference for future genetic investigations of both farmed and wild European seabass
Community Detection in Multimodal Data:A Similarity Network Perspective
No full textSimilarity network construction is a fundamental step in many approaches to community detection in biomedical analysis. It is utilised both in the creation of network structures from non-relational data and as a processing step in clustering pipelines. The foundation of any network analysis approach hinges on the quality of the underlying network. With the rising popularity of network learning and use of network-based clustering, the importance of correctly constructing the network is vital. The underlying mechanisms of similarity network construction, particularly the implications of the choice of approach for multi-modal integration, remain poorly explored. By introducing differences in embedded cluster information and noise levels across modalities, we assess the performance of popular similarity integration techniques such as Similarity Network Fusion (SNF) and NEighborhood based Multi-Omics clustering (NEMO). Notably, SNF and NEMO fail to outperform simpler techniques such as mean similarity aggregation when incorporating modalities with inconsistently embedded clusters. We demonstrate how integration methods can be used to incorporate partial modalities - datasets where not all individuals have a full set of measurements in all modalities. SNF shows significant sensitivity to incomplete modalities while NEMO and mean aggregation are more resilient
Extended reality environments and child safety:Examining the emerging risks for child sexual exploitation and abuse and discussing prevention and response through a technologised neo-ecological perspective
No full textThis paper examines the harms and risks for child sexual exploitation and abuse arising from emerging Extended Reality technologies, together with challenges and suggestions for prevention and response through a technologised neo-ecological perspective. To do so, we conducted a scoping review of scholarly and grey literature due to the emerging nature of this topic and the evidence on it, in order to summarise existing knowledge and understand the gaps in theory and policymaking; as well as qualitative online interviews with professionals with expertise in technology, child protection, social work, law and policymaking that were informed by our scoping review and aimed to further explore the gaps and themes that arose through our examination of emerging literature. Evidently, the risks arising from Extended Reality may impact all layers of a child’s ecology and may therefore have long-term repercussions for children, negatively affecting their growth and welfare, as well as their immediate and wider environments. Given the multidimensionality of these harms, preventative and responsive efforts need to follow an equally multidimensional approach to safeguard children in these new, immersive online worlds
Assessment of a behavioral scale for the measurement of fear, anxiety and stress in dogs visiting the veterinary practice
No full textValidated, reliable instruments for assessing canine stress behaviors during veterinary visits are crucial in mitigating escalating behavioral responses, thereby maximizing patient welfare, facilitating accurate diagnoses and enhancing staff safety. Although various behavioral assessment tools have been developed, few have been evaluated specifically for the veterinary context. This study addresses this deficit by evaluating the Spectrum of Fear, Anxiety and Stress, (FAS, Fear Free® 2022) an eight-item scale, graduating from 0 to 5, designed to assess canine fear, stress and anxiety during veterinary visits. An online survey featuring 14 video recordings of dogs undergoing mock veterinary examination was distributed to 79 participants, including dog owners, veterinarians, behavior experts and trainers. This study assessed inter- and intra-rater reliability, concurrent validity, and ease of use. Scores at either end of the spectrum had the highest percentage of correct responses (FAS 0 Relaxed; 51.90% incorrect, FAS 4 Severe signs; 44.30% incorrect), while mid-range scores were more challenging for participants to correctly identify (FAS 0-1 Perked/Interested/Anxious; 72.78% incorrect). Behavior experts and owners significantly differed in their ability to assess some moderate and severe signs (FAS 3 Moderate signs; p = 0.0025, FAS 4a Flight; p = 0.0355), suggesting that experience in assessing dog behavior may impact the ability to identify fear, stress and anxiety correctly. Inter-rater reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.99 with 95% confidence interval [0.99–1.00]), intra-rater reliability was very good (ICC = 0.83 with 95% confidence interval [0.80-0.86]), and a strong correlation was found between participant FAS scores and cumulative scores on the Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (ρ = 0.811, p =<0.001, n = 79), suggesting good concurrent validity. Thematic analysis praised the scale's visual aspects, but revealed challenges related to overlapping categories and unfamiliar numbering. The results of this research support further development, including some minor design adjustments and sufficient participant training, of the FAS Spectrum as a valid and reliable behavioral assessment tool for evaluating acute stress in dogs visiting the veterinary practice, in order to provide reliable behavioral assessment to facilitate stress reduction in clinic
Cerebral Organoids with Integrated Endothelial Networks Emulate the Neurovascular Unit and Mitigate Core Necrosis
No full textCerebral organoids (COs) are multicellular, self-organized, in vitro, 3D brain-like tissues used for developmental biology, disease modelling, and drug screening. However, their lack of vascularity renders them less physiologically accurate. Vascularization of COs remains challenging due to the different requirements between COs and vascular cells, limited vascular network penetration within the organoid, and the absence of luminal perfusion. Here, an encapsulation approach is devised in which human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVECs) are delivered to developing COs from progressively degrading extracellular matrix (ECM)-based hydrogel droplets. By tuning this hydrogel concentration and media composition, an enhanced vascular-like network formation is observed, expanding within the organoid tissue. Using pathway inhibitors, a subset of the endothelial cells (ECs) is shown to originate from the CO itself, promoting network integration. Endothelial networks displayed blood-brain barrier (BBB) features, including astrocytic end-foot-like interactions, pericyte wrapping, and collagen-laminin basal lamina. Vascularized COs exhibited greater media internalization and up to three-fold lower apoptosis than non-vascularized COs. This comprehensive 3D neurovascular model is a promising platform for cerebrovascular research and drug testing applications
Density-dependent network structuring within and across wild animal systems
No full textTheory predicts that high population density leads to more strongly connected spatial and social networks, but how local density drives individuals’ positions within their networks is unclear. This gap reduces our ability to understand and predict density-dependent processes. Here we show that density drives greater network connectedness at the scale of individuals within wild animal populations. Across 36 datasets of spatial and social behaviour in >58,000 individual animals, spanning 30 species of fish, reptiles, birds, mammals and insects, 80% of systems exhibit strong positive relationships between local density and network centrality. However, >80% of relationships are nonlinear and 75% are shallower at higher values, indicating saturating trends that probably emerge as a result of demographic and behavioural processes that counteract density’s effects. These are stronger and less saturating in spatial compared with social networks, as individuals become disproportionately spatially connected rather than socially connected at higher densities. Consequently, ecological processes that depend on spatial connections are probably more density dependent than those involving social interactions. These findings suggest fundamental scaling rules governing animal social dynamics, which could help to predict network structures in novel systems
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