The Influence of Cortisol, Flow, and Anxiety on Performance in E-Sports: A Field Study

Background and Objectives. Most performance theories were tested under controlled laboratory settings and offer therefore only limited transferability to real-life situations. E-sport competitions offer a relatively controllable while at the same time competitive setting, and our aim was to examine different influencing factors on competitive performance. Design and Methods. Salivary cortisol was measured immediately before, after, and 30 minutes after a game of 23 computer players during e-sport tournaments. The players answered the Flow Short Scale, which consists of the two subdimensions “flow experience” and “anxiety” subsequent to their game. The performance was assessed by the result of each player’s game (win or loss). Results. Mean cortisol levels increased significantly during the game but response patterns were inconsistent. Winners and losers differed significantly in anxiety with winners showing higher anxiety levels. After dividing the sample into three groups of different cortisol response patterns, significant differences in performance and anxiety were found, with low to moderate levels of cortisol being associated with the highest performance and anxiety. Conclusions. A low to moderate physiological arousal and a simultaneously high level of anxiety represent a favorable state for achieving optimal performance during e-sports. Anxiety seems to exert a stronger influence on performance than physiological arousal

Kompetenzen in Lehrveranstaltungen und Prüfungen : Handreichung für Lehrende

Die vorliegende Handreichung versteht sich als Hilfestellung bei der Vermittlung von Kompetenzen und deren Bewertung in der Hochschullehre – sowohl auf der Ebene von Veranstaltungstypen als auch von Prüfungen – mit dem Ziel, Lehrende bei der Planung von Studiengängen und einzelnen Veranstaltungen zu unterstützen. Sie gliedert sich in drei Teile: Im ersten Teil werden die verschiedenen universitären Veranstaltungsformen dargestellt. Einer Beschreibung der jeweiligen Veranstaltungsform folgt eine grafische Aufschlüsselung der primär vermittelten Kompetenzarten. Zusätzlich werden veranstaltungsspezifische Beispiele für hochschuldidaktische Methoden zur Optimierung des Lehr-/Lernprozesses und des Learning Outcome aufgeführt, die zur Planung und Durchführung herangezogen werden können. Abschließend werden mögliche geeignete Prüfungsformen vorgeschlagen. Der zweite Teil widmet sich dem Zusammenspiel von Prüfungen und Kompetenzen. Ziel ist es darzustellen, welche Prüfungsformen sich besonders für die Bewertung von Kenntnissen im Hinblick auf einzelne Kompetenzen eignen. Die vorgestellten hochschuldidaktischen Methoden werden im dritten Teil der Handreichung näher beschrieben, wobei besonders auf deren Potenzial für die Vermittlung der einzelnen Kompetenzen eingegangen wird

High-dimensional immune profiling identifies a biomarker to monitor dimethyl fumarate response in multiple sclerosis

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an immunomodulatory treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite its wide clinical use, the mechanisms underlying clinical response are not understood. This study aimed to reveal immune markers of therapeutic response to DMF treatment in MS. For this purpose, we prospectively collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a highly characterized cohort of 44 individuals with MS before and at 12 and 48 wk of DMF treatment. Single cells were profiled using high-dimensional mass cytometry. To capture the heterogeneity of different immune subsets, we adopted a bioinformatic multipanel approach that allowed cell population–cluster assignment of more than 50 different parameters, including lineage and activation markers as well as chemokine receptors and cytokines. Data were further analyzed in a semiunbiased fashion implementing a supervised representation learning approach to capture subtle longitudinal immune changes characteristic for therapy response. With this approach, we identified a population of memory T helper cells expressing high levels of neuroinflammatory cytokines (granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF], interferon γ [IFNγ]) as well as CXCR3, whose abundance correlated with treatment response. Using spectral flow cytometry, we confirmed these findings in a second cohort of patients. Serum neurofilament light-chain levels confirmed the correlation of this immune cell signature with axonal damage. The identified cell population is expanded in peripheral blood under natalizumab treatment, substantiating a specific role in treatment response. We propose that depletion of GM-CSF–, IFNγ-, and CXCR3-expressing T helper cells is the main mechanism of action of DMF and allows monitoring of treatment response.ISSN:0027-8424ISSN:1091-649

The Influence of Cortisol, Flow, and Anxiety on Performance in E-Sports: A Field Study

Background and Objectives. Most performance theories were tested under controlled laboratory settings and offer therefore only limited transferability to real-life situations. E-sport competitions offer a relatively controllable while at the same time competitive setting, and our aim was to examine different influencing factors on competitive performance. Design and Methods. Salivary cortisol was measured immediately before, after, and 30 minutes after a game of 23 computer players during e-sport tournaments. The players answered the Flow Short Scale, which consists of the two subdimensions “flow experience” and “anxiety” subsequent to their game. The performance was assessed by the result of each player’s game (win or loss). Results. Mean cortisol levels increased significantly during the game but response patterns were inconsistent. Winners and losers differed significantly in anxiety with winners showing higher anxiety levels. After dividing the sample into three groups of different cortisol response patterns, significant differences in performance and anxiety were found, with low to moderate levels of cortisol being associated with the highest performance and anxiety. Conclusions. A low to moderate physiological arousal and a simultaneously high level of anxiety represent a favorable state for achieving optimal performance during e-sports. Anxiety seems to exert a stronger influence on performance than physiological arousal

Application of Population Balance Models in Particle-Stabilized Dispersions

In this study, a first approach to model drop size distributions in agitated nanoparticle-stabilized liquid/liquid systems with population balance equations is presented. Established coalescence efficiency models fail to predict the effect of steric hindrance of nanoparticles at the liquid/liquid interface during the film drainage process. A novel modified coalescence efficiency is developed for the population balance framework based on the film drainage model. The elaborate submodel considers the desorption energy required to detach a particle from the interface, representing an energy barrier against coalescence. With an additional implemented function in the population balance framework, the interface coverage rate by particles is calculated for each time step. The transient change of the coverage degree of the phase interface by particles is thereby considered in the submodel. Validation of the modified submodel was performed with experimental data of agitated water-in-oil (w/o) dispersions, stabilized by well-defined spherical silica nanoparticles. The nanospheres with a size of 28 nm are positively charged and were hydrophobized by silanization with dimethyloctadecyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ammoniumchloride. This modeling approach is a first step toward predicting time-resolved dynamic drop size distributions of nanoparticle-stabilized liquid/liquid systems

Arthroscopic Treatment of Acute Tibial Avulsion Fracture of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament Using the TightRope Fixation Device

Avulsion fracture of the posterior cruciate ligament from its tibial insertion is a rare condition. Early surgical treatment has been regarded as necessary, but the optimal surgical technique remains unclear. The purpose of this technical note is to present a novel all-inside arthroscopic reconstruction technique for bony tibial avulsion fractures of the posterior cruciate ligament using the TightRope device (Arthrex, Naples, FL)

The thioredoxin-1 system is essential for fueling DNA synthesis during T-cell metabolic reprogramming and proliferation

Thioredoxin (Trx), Trx reductase, Txnip and NADPH together comprise the Trx system. Here the authors make a T cell-specific thioredoxin reductase-1 knockout mouse to show how this system reprograms cellular metabolism to enable T cell development, proliferation and responses

Additional file 2: Figure S2. of Metabolic modelling in a dynamic evolutionary framework predicts adaptive diversification of bacteria in a long-term evolution experiment

Diauxic growth in DM250 medium containing glucose and acetate at 10:90 ratio. Clone 6.5KS1 (red) exhibits a diauxic shift from glucose to acetate consumption much earlier than either the ancestor (green) or clone 6.5KL4 (blue). Curves show the average of three biological replicates. (PDF 113 kb

Immunological Predictors of Dimethyl Fumarate-Induced Lymphopenia

Treatment with dimethyl fumarate (DMF) leads to lymphopenia and infectious complications in a subset of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we aimed to reveal immune markers of DMF-associated lymphopenia. This prospective observational study longitudinally assessed 31 individuals with MS by single-cell mass cytometry before and after 12 and 48 weeks of DMF therapy. Employing a neural network-based representation learning approach, we identified a CCR4-expressing T helper cell population negatively associated with relevant lymphopenia. CCR4-expressing T helper cells represent a candidate prognostic biomarker for the development of relevant lymphopenia in patients undergoing DMF treatment. ANN NEUROL 2022ISSN:0364-5134ISSN:1531-824