Article Biology Life Sciences and Basic Medicine

Pilot study on changes in frontal oxygenated hemoglobin levels in beginners during practice of Karate Forms

Karate exhibits characteristics of several movement forms. This study investigated and compared cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (∆oxyHb) levels, an indicator of brain activity, during form performances in Karate beginners. Significant increases in ∆oxyHb levels in the frontal region of the brain were observed during the performance of Karate Forms A, B, and C, as well as a radio exercise. Increases during Forms A and B were significantly greater than those during Form C and radio exercise. Rated perceived exertion (RPE) increased from Karate Forms A to C, with radio exercise exhibiting the lowest RPE. Although previous studies have suggested that cerebral ∆oxyHb tends to increase with rated perceived exertion, the relatively smaller ∆oxyHb change observed during Form C might be interpreted as reflecting greater cognitive effort and motor control demands in beginners. The modest ∆oxyHb response during the radio exercise might be related to higher motor familiarity and reduced cognitive requirements. Overall, these observations may imply that Karate practice is capable of engaging frontal brain regions in beginners, and that the degree of activation might be influenced by cognitive effort, motor control load, and familiarity with the movements.

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Article Agriculture Food Sciences Information Sciences Psychology Psychology and Education

Why do you recall that smelly food? Effects of childhood residence region and potential reinforcing effect of marriage

Little is known about why smelly foods have been maintained for long periods of time despite their unpleasant smell. Previous research suggests that regional background and family environment during upbringing influence food selection. Based on those findings, we hypothesized that living in a region where traditional smelly foods are produced and consumed during one's childhood would enhance the recall of such foods in adulthood. Additionally, we proposed that this childhood experience would positively influence the effect of marriage on an individual’s recall of smelly foods. We selected *kusaya* as the chosen smelly food and examined how, as the main effect, living in the Kanto region of Japan until the age of 20 impacts an individual’s *kusaya* recall. Furthermore, we explored the moderating effect of this upbringing on *kusaya* recall and marital status by sequentially inputting variables into a logistic regression model. Both effects were confirmed. This study contributes to the understanding of how characteristic smelly foods can be preserved by clarifying the factors that enhance their recall, using *kusaya* as an example.

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Article Architecture Biology Engineering in General General Medicine Life Sciences and Basic Medicine Social Medicine

Accuracy of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) at rest determined by a smart ring: A Study in Controlled Hypoxic Environments

Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) measured by small wearable devices has garnered significant attention as a tool for detecting vital signs in acute and chronic diseases. However, the accuracy of such devices, particularly smart rings measuring SpO₂ at the finger base, remains underexplored. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of SpO₂ measurements obtained from a smart ring by comparing them with a clinical pulse oximeter in a controlled hypoxic environment. A total of 10 active males and females lay in the supine position at rest in a hypoxic environment, where oxygen saturation was maintained between 80% and 100% (normoxic levels). The participants wore a smart ring with photoplethysmography at the base of the second and third fingers of the dominant hand and a clinical pulse oximeter on their fingertips. To validate the accuracy of SpO₂ measured by a smart ring, leave-one-out cross-validation was performed, comparing root-mean-square error (RMSE) for 6793 data samples. The mean SpO₂ was 88.3 ± 7.2% for the smart ring and 88.3 ± 8.0% for the clinical-grade pulse oximeter, with a RMSE of 3.55%. These findings suggest that the smart ring provides reasonably accurate SpO₂ readings at rest, supporting its potential utility for health monitoring.

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Article Agriculture Food Sciences

A Study on the Effectiveness of Glycerophosphocholine (α-GPC) as an e-Sports Supplement

This study examined the effects of oral intake of Glycerophosphocholine (α-GPC) on stress response and cognitive function in e-sports. α-GPC is a precursor of acetylcholine and is sometimes used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, but its potential effects in e-sports have not been investigated. In this study, 21 participants from university e-sports clubs and other groups were given α-GPC for 2 weeks. We measured their stress responses induced by e-sports and their performance in cognitive tasks. The results showed that the placebo increased the rate of increase in salivary amylase after e-sports, but α-GPC significantly decreased this increase. It also suppressed the increase in heart rate after e-sports. Furthermore, 1g of α-GPC significantly increased the rate of correct responses in a 3-back task, a cognitive task involving working memory, after ingestion. These results suggest that 2-week intake of α-GPC may enhance cognitive function and contribute to stress reduction and suppression of autonomic nervous system disturbances caused by e-sports. Further study is needed to determine the minimum effective intake period of the supplement.

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Special Issue Agriculture Electrical and Electronic Engineering Food Sciences Information Sciences

Wildlife Approach Detection Using a Custom-Built Multimodal IoT Camera System with Environmental Sound Analysis

This paper presents a custom-built IoT camera system designed for recognizing wild animal approaches, where data transmission and power consumption are critical concerns in resource-constrained outdoor settings. The proposed method involves the spectral analysis on both infrared and environmental sound data before uploading images and videos to the remote server. Experiments, including battery endurance tests and wildlife monitoring, were conducted to validate the system. These results showed that the system minimized false positives caused by environmental factors such as wind or vegetation movement. Importantly, adding frequency features from audio waveforms that capture sounds including wind noise and footsteps led to an improvement in detection accuracy, which increased the AUC from 0.894 to 0.990 in Random Forest (RF) and from 0.900 with infrared sensor data alone to 0.987 in Logistic Regression (LR). These findings contribute to applications in wildlife conservation, agricultural protection, and ecosystem monitoring.

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Special Issue Others

Impact of Three-Dimensional Multiple Object Tracking (3D-MOT) on Cognitive Performance and Brain Activity in Soccer Players

Previous studies on three-dimensional multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) training have primarily been conducted in controlled laboratory settings, with limited evidence on athletes’ self-training at home. This study examined the effects of home-based 3D-MOT training using the NeuroTracker X (NTX) application on cognitive performance and brain activity in 29 university soccer players. Participants in the NTX group demonstrated significant post-training improvements in NTX scores (p < .001) and 2-back task accuracy (p = .045), which indicated enhanced 3D-MOT ability, working memory, and attentional functions. Brain wave recordings during the 2-back task revealed a significant increase in alpha power (p < .001). This provided novel evidence that NTX self-training modulated brain activity associated with working memory and attentional control among athletes. These findings highlight the potential of combining NTX interventions with EEG assessments and suggest that NTX-based 3D-MOT self-training may be a practical tool for enhancing attentional aspects of cognitive function in athletes.

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Article Information Sciences Others Psychology and Education Sociology

Clarifying the Sharpened network diversity in French flair rugby

This study aimed that open rugby, known as flair rugby, drives the modern game by analyzing the 2022-2023 international test matches of France representative team. We examined the superiority of a spatial tactic called French flair rugby. First, the advantage of creating a relatively large number of networks was demonstrated. From the transitivity analysis of the network (CUG test; Conditional Uniform Graph test), the cooperation occurs at a higher level than in other networks. The network graph structure showed which players functioned centrally at which time of match as unusual positions, i.e., multi-position and multi-skill. In this study, we operationally defined this diversity as the sum of the standardized eigenvector centralities. We found that the increase in the time-series score balance tended to reduce and sharpened the diversity. As a result of examining a scale-free model in network theory, Sharpening the diversity (central and transitive role players) tended of the network power law scaling.

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Special Issue Others

A case study of the use of match video analysis tools in Judo: Attempts of visualizing the competition realities of an athlete

In this study, we analyzed match videos of a university Judo Player (Player A) utilizing the SPLYZA TEAMS matched video analysis tool. This is the first case study of Judo match analysis using the SPLYZA TEAMS software. A total of 13 matches involving Player A were analyzed in this study. Prior to the analysis, Player A formulated three hypotheses for the matching implementation. The analysis rejected two of the three hypotheses established at the beginning of the study. However, a notable trend emerged, revealing a proclivity for the Kumite situation for initiating Nage-waza from disadvantaged positions in matches that resulted in a loss. This novel finding was obtained by analyzing the data using the SPLYZA TEAMS software.

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Article Clinical Medicine General Medicine Social Medicine

A proposal concerning exercise intensity with the Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure Exergame among older adults: A preliminary study

The Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure (RFA) (Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan) is a novel exergame that combines exercise and video game elements. Although previous RFA intervention studies have reported the health effects of the RFA, exercise intensity among older adults has not yet been documented. We hypothesized that the exercise intensity of older adults in the current RFA setting may be low. This preliminary study developed a range of prototype RFA intensity conditions and to evaluate exercise intensity among older adults. Six older adults (1 male/5 females, mean age 75.2±10.3 years old) participated in this study. Three RFA conditions were developed: "LOW" (the ‘default’ load. Older individual input actual gender and age), "MODERATE" (as defined by the American College of Sports Medicine [ACSM]: 40%-59% heart rate reserve [HRR]), and "HIGH" (highest exercise intensity that older individuals could set in the game). Exercise intensity was assessed using the %HRR. The results show that the %HRR values for the conditions were 34.9%±4.1% (LOW), 40.0%±2.9% (MODERATE), and 52.3%±3.1% (HIGH). In conclusion, this preliminary study showed that, among the three prototype RFA conditions, both MODERATE and HIGH conditions generally attain moderate or greater intensity for older adults when assessed using the heart rate.

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Technical Article Life Sciences and Basic Medicine

Effects of glucose Ramune candy ingestion on concentration during esports play and cognitive function

This study aimed to determine the effects of glucose (Ramune candy) ingestion on cognitive function during esports mediation and concentration during gameplay. The participants were 20 healthy male students who did not play games usually (mean age ± 19.85, standard deviation = 0.96). The experimental design was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. The results showed that the ingestion of Ramune candy significantly improved cognitive test scores before and after gameplay. During the esports gameplay, the power percentage of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR, 10-11.75 Hz) waves was significantly higher in the Ramune candy condition than in the placebo condition at 25 to approximately 28 min after the ingestion. These results indicate that the ingestion of Ramune candy effectively maintains a relaxed yet concentrated state during cognitively loaded esports gameplay.

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