Je suis pas tatamisé: five spectrums of variation in the narratives of 20 aikido experts worldwide in 2020

This qualitative study delved into the contemporary meaning of aikido through 20 expert interviews conducted in 2020. The interviewees were purposively selected and the analysis of the interview data identified five spectrum themes. (1) The spectrum of aikido practice ranges from soft to tough training style. (2) The aikido motivation spectrum moves from self-defence to self-transformation. (3) The spectrum of aikido in society shows the different social contexts in which aikido is practised. (4) The spectrum of tangible values reveals the various material aspects of Japanese culture that experts adopt. Finally, (5) the spectrum of intangible values shows how experts perceive the immaterial significance of aikido differently. While the answers of the experts varied, the analysis revealed similarities and differences that prove aikido is a worldwide phenomenon with unique experiences. The study concludes that the five spectrums of variation add to the discourse against simplifying aikido or other martial arts

Loss of DPP6 in neurodegenerative dementia : a genetic player in the dysfunction of neuronal excitability

Emerging evidence suggested a converging mechanism in neurodegenerative brain diseases (NBD) involving early neuronal network dysfunctions and alterations in the homeostasis of neuronal firing as culprits of neurodegeneration. In this study, we used paired-end short-read and direct long-read whole genome sequencing to investigate an unresolved autosomal dominant dementia family significantly linked to 7q36. We identified and validated a chromosomal inversion of ca. 4Mb, segregating on the disease haplotype and disrupting the coding sequence of dipeptidyl-peptidase 6 gene (DPP6). DPP6 resequencing identified significantly more rare variants-nonsense, frame-shift, and missense-in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD, p value = 0.03, OR = 2.21 95% CI 1.05-4.82) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD, p = 0.006, OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.28-5.49) patient cohorts. DPP6 is a type II transmembrane protein with a highly structured extracellular domain and is mainly expressed in brain, where it binds to the potassium channel K(v)4.2 enhancing its expression, regulating its gating properties and controlling the dendritic excitability of hippocampal neurons. Using in vitro modeling, we showed that the missense variants found in patients destabilize DPP6 and reduce its membrane expression (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001) leading to a loss of protein. Reduced DPP6 and/or K(v)4.2 expression was also detected in brain tissue of missense variant carriers. Loss of DPP6 is known to cause neuronal hyperexcitability and behavioral alterations in Dpp6-KO mice. Taken together, the results of our genomic, genetic, expression and modeling analyses, provided direct evidence supporting the involvement of DPP6 loss in dementia. We propose that loss of function variants have a higher penetrance and disease impact, whereas the missense variants have a variable risk contribution to disease that can vary from high to low penetrance. Our findings of DPP6, as novel gene in dementia, strengthen the involvement of neuronal hyperexcitability and alteration in the homeostasis of neuronal firing as a disease mechanism to further investigate

An Evolutionary Trade-Off between Protein Turnover Rate and Protein Aggregation Favors a Higher Aggregation Propensity in Fast Degrading Proteins

We previously showed the existence of selective pressure against protein aggregation by the enrichment of aggregation-opposing ‘gatekeeper’ residues at strategic places along the sequence of proteins. Here we analyzed the relationship between protein lifetime and protein aggregation by combining experimentally determined turnover rates, expression data, structural data and chaperone interaction data on a set of more than 500 proteins. We find that selective pressure on protein sequences against aggregation is not homogeneous but that short-living proteins on average have a higher aggregation propensity and fewer chaperone interactions than long-living proteins. We also find that short-living proteins are more often associated to deposition diseases. These findings suggest that the efficient degradation of high-turnover proteins is sufficient to preclude aggregation, but also that factors that inhibit proteasomal activity, such as physiological ageing, will primarily affect the aggregation of short-living proteins

An analysis of structural and evolutionary mechanisms against protein aggregation

Proteins are essential cell components and correct folding is crucial for their biological activity. Folding however is an error prone process,often producing misfolded protein conformations, which in turn can result in protein aggregation. The aggregation process is driven by exposureof short aggregation-prone regions (APRs) within protein sequences thatcan self-associate to form intermolecular β-structured assemblies. Under native conditions, these APRs are buried inside the protein core. As aggregation is a detrimental process, cellular organisms have developed an efficient protein quality control machinery consisting of chaperones and various proteases to minimize the risk of misfolding and ensure protein homeostasis. In addition, strategically placed aggregation-opposing gatekeeper residues - usually charged amino acids - have evolved along the sequence.In my thesis, I investigated in more detail the selective forces on protein sequences to avoid protein aggregation and in addition the impact of non-synonymous mutations on protein stability and aggregation.I demonstrated that short-living proteins have a lower tendency to aggregate. This suggests that the short lifetime of these proteins is sufficient to preclude protein aggregation. As the efficiency of protein degradation wanes with aging, this would explainwhy we observe a higher association of high turnover proteins with age-dependent aggregation-related diseases.Because the strategic placement of gatekeeper residues at the flanks of APRs is crucial in keeping the aggregation tendency limited, it would not be surprising to find them highly conserved within a species. Although gatekeeper residues are thermodynamically unfavorable for protein structure, my research showed they are indeed mutational cold spots, thereby confirming their important role for protein solubility. Consequently, mutations of gatekeeper residues in human proteins are often found to be disease-associated. Protein destabilization due to mutation can result in exposure of APRs. Thus, it would be useful to have a way to estimate the prevalence of protein aggregation upon non-synonymous mutation. To accomplish this, I first redesigned the SNPeffect webserver. This online prediction tool returns themolecular and structural effect of protein coding variants using TANGO,WALTZ, and FoldX. It allowed me to analyze in an automated way a representative dataset of variants, which revealed that 34% of disease mutations could result in protein aggregation by being destabilizing and occurring in a domain with a strong aggregating stretch. This basic finding indicates that protein aggregation could be a major disease modifier, not only in neurodegeneration, but also in cancer.status: publishe

Somatic metaphors : the impact of aikido-informed intercultural communication training on interaction skills and memory performance

This study addresses the absence of research on the effectiveness of intercultural communication training based on aikido. Scholars have described the potential of the Japanese martial art of aikido to provide a somatic metaphor for understanding arguments as harmonization rather than confrontation. This quantitative empirical study evaluates a one-day training programme that teaches an aikido interaction model to employees, employers, and entrepreneurs (n = 73). Participants were divided into two embodied groups, engaging in aikido exercises, and two comparison groups, receiving theoretical explanations without doing aikido. Pre- and post-tests with the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ-SF40) assessed the development of interaction skills, fingertip skin temperature measured tranquillity effects, and memory performance was evaluated. Qualitative analyses complemented the quantitative data. Firstly, the results showed that participants in the embodied group had lower flexibility on the multicultural personality scores, which is a positive finding as it is consistent with the supportive nature of the aikido interaction model taught. Secondly, the fingertip skin temperature measurements were inconclusive due to the low ambient temperatures caused by the 2020-2021 energy crisis and subsequent heating shutdown. Thirdly, participants in the embodied groups retained the messages they took home better than the comparison groups. In conclusion, learning an aikido interaction model through embodied techniques positively impacted intercultural communication support and memory performance. Incorporating embodiment techniques, such as aikido exercises, into communication training can increase overall effectiveness. This study contributes to the investigation of using martial arts as a metaphorical simulation of real-world activities in the classroom

Je suis pas tatamisé : the differences in twenty narratives about aikido from experts worldwide in 2020

This presentation explores the meaning of aikido, a Japanese martial art, in today's world. Aikido is practised worldwide as self-defence, a recreational activity, a meditative technique, a social activity, or even a ritual act (Niehaus 2019). Many sources on aikido trace back to the time of aikido's founder, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). To learn how aikido is understood, defined, (re)interpreted, and practised in today's globalized world, more than fifty years after Ueshiba's death, I conducted twenty semi-structured expert interviews in 2020. The list of interview topics included lineage, principles, philosophy, spirituality, demographics and uniqueness. Although the interview data indicated that the experts were referring to the same martial art, examining the data for differences revealed twenty unique stories. Four themes emerged: aikido practice (1), aikido in society (2), tangible values (3) and intangible values (4). Each theme is a spectrum on which the words of each expert occupy a unique position. The spectrums ranged from self-defence to self-transformation, and from one expert who organised an aikido clinic for patients and to another who taught aikido strategies against attacks with a machete. Some experts built a dojo at home, had a Japanese spouse or adopted barely any material aspects of Japanese (martial) culture: "Je suis pas tatamisé" (I am not japanised). An intangible meaning of aikido was absent for some, clearly associated with Ueshiba for others, and even a requirement linked to religion for one expert. The answers of each expert sounded familiar and exclusive at once. It was as if the experts spoke the same language but a different dialect. As with many martial arts, the practices, meanings, values and imageries of aikido have circulated and are inevitably subject to change (Bowman, 2021). In conclusion, the four spectrums of difference that have emerged in this study add to the discourse against simplifying aikido or other martial arts

Word-dancing in aikido : how embodied communication training shapes participants' takeaways

Despite the long-standing need for embodied training to promote better and deeper learning, few studies have explored the effectiveness of communication training with aikido. Aikido is a martial art that turns opponents into partners, even when the odds are against harmony. Typically, aikido stands for seeking harmony, common ground and nonviolence. In many parts of the world, aikido practitioners use it as a metaphor or an embodiment method in fields such as therapy and business training (Faggianelli & Lukoff, 2006; Wagner, 2015). This study investigated the efficiency and effectiveness of a business communication training day based on aikido. A literature review and expert interviews were conducted to identify core aikido principles, which we used to design an interaction model and a business communication course (De Baets & Van Praet, 2023). The course was tested in a user study with 73 employees, employers and entrepreneurs from the Netherlands and Belgium. Four training sessions were conducted in 2022 and 2023, each lasting one day. Two groups were taught the aikido interaction model using aikido exercises without slides, while the other two groups received theoretical explanations on slides without the embodied approach as comparison groups. Participants shared feedback on and takeaways from the training. For instance, one participant in the aikido embodiment group took away the following new belief for their professional interactions: ‘Ik kijk met je mee om samen in woorden te dansen. [I watch with you to word-dance together].’ The study found that the aikido approach was effective in improving communication skills for professional interactions. Firstly, participants in the aikido-based training days reported high engagement and concentration during training. Secondly, they emphasized the benefits of discovering the aikido interaction model from mental, physical and emotional perspectives. Thirdly, they found that the training involved useful physical exertion that was less tiring than conventional sitting and talking sessions. Lastly, the participants noted that the training had led to deeper retention of acquired knowledge. The study also identified universal requirements for effective professional training, such as assessing participants' needs, communicating the training approach and program, listening without bias, providing a clear theoretical framework, navigating the training explicitly, maintaining an appropriate pace, using meaningful case studies, ensuring practical applicability of the content, and alternating between theory, case studies, group discussions, and self-reflection. When comparing the two approaches, with or without aikido exercises, the study found that even participants who initially provided negative feedback reported positive takeaways they began to apply in their professional lives. It suggests that the relationship between support for a teaching approach and learning outcomes deserves further investigation. In conclusion, this study highlights the effectiveness of a business communication training program based on an aikido interaction model and physical exercises. The results of the study can serve as a basis for the design and delivery of professional training courses. They underscore the importance of addressing the needs and preferences of individual participants and incorporating embodied learning techniques for deeper and more effective learning

Je suis pas tatamisé : five spectrums of variation in the narratives of 20 aikido experts worldwide in 2020

This qualitative study delved into the multifaceted meaning of aikido through 20 expert interviews conducted worldwide in 2020. The interviewees were purposively selected and the analysis of the interview data identified five spectrum themes. (1) The spectrum of aikido practice ranges from soft to tough training style. (2) The aikido motivation spectrum moves from self-defence to self-transformation. (3) The spectrum of aikido in society shows the different social contexts in which aikido is practised from broader social applications to combating violence. (4) The spectrum of tangible values reveals the various material aspects of Japanese culture that experts adopt with degrees of japanization. Finally, (5) the spectrum of intangible values shows how experts perceive the immaterial significance of aikido differently, ranging from linking it to religion to the absence of spirituality. The varied answers from the experts showed that aikido is a worldwide phenomenon with unique relationships between the expert and the martial art. The study concludes that the five spectrums of variation add to the discourse against simplifying aikido or other martial arts

Harmony and common ground: Aikido principles for intercultural training

This paper investigates the added value of aikido, a martial art, as an embodied pedagogy for intercultural communication training: what is the potential of bringing the physical practice of aikido into the intercultural communication classroom, emphasizing experiential discovery instead of traditional didactic explanations? To this end, we conducted a benchmarking study identifying the core principles of aikido. We interviewed twenty aikido experts worldwide and performed a qualitative content analysis of the transcribed interview data relying on NVivo software. First, and foremost, our findings show fundamental similarities between aikido interaction and intercultural interaction. They reveal a shared significance of focused interaction by consciously seeking harmony and co-creating common ground. Second, we demonstrate that the aikido pedagogy teaches harmony and common ground through (i) multisensory learning practice and (ii) somatic discovery by training physiological and mental tranquility. Our conclusion is that aikido has potential as an embodied pedagogy for intercultural communication training

Interviewing aikido experts all over the world : towards a framework for intercultural training

Aikido (aikidō) is a primarily weaponless, noncompetitive martial art characterized by circular movements and throws as well as locks applied to the joints [grappling techniques involving manipulation of an opponent's joints]. Today it is practiced globally as self-defense, as a recreational activity, as a meditative technique, as a social activity, and indeed as a ritual act (Niehaus, 2019). Moreover, it is based on a philosophy of peace and non-violence (Brawdy, 2001). Aikido aims to turn opponents into partners, to build bridges even when the odds are against harmony (Ueshiba & Stevens, 1993). This presentation explores the effectiveness and efficiency of aikido as a somatic, multisensory and embodied learning method to benefit intercultural intelligence. It focuses on the principles of aikido to become a practical and useful framework. To identify the core principles of aikido, we performed a benchmark study. Semi-structured interviews with twenty key aikido experts from all over the world revealed their current views. All informants were recruited through purposive sampling. The sample was homogeneous in knowledge and expertise, heterogeneous in geographical spread (Etikan, 2016). It contained at least one expert from each continent, which was an attempt to add to the Japanese view on aikido, to avoid a Eurocentric view and to decolonize the research method. Relying on NVivo software, we performed a qualitative content analysis of the interview data, coding the data into categories to make the main inferences. The preliminary results of the study found two main categories of aikido principles. One category focuses on the interaction with the opponent such as entering into the situation (irimi), unification with the other (musubi), soft counterattacks (atemi), respect and a win-win outcome. The second category focuses on personal principles such as breath power (kokyu), balance, posture and openness. Aikido integrates the two categories into one whole. To validate and triangulate the interview findings, a large-scale survey will address different communities of aikido practitioners all over the world. The results will then feed an aikido framework for a longitudinal comparative experiment between aikido-based and non-aikido-based intercultural training