1141. Influence of selected cognitive performances on musculoskeletal injury occurrence in adult male professional Slovenian PrvaLiga football players in a prospective cohort studyF. Giesche, Manca Peskar, Luka Šlosar, Boštjan Šimunič, Rado Pišot, Uroš Marušič, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Evidence suggests athletes with lower baseline cognitive performance are at higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries. This prospective cohort study investigates basic and executive cognitive functions in predicting injuries in 78 professional male football (soccer) players from four Slovenian f irst league teams. Data were collected during the 2018/2019 winter break, and injuries recorded in the second half of that and the 2019/2020 season. Cognitive functions assessed by computerized tests (PsyToolkit) included psychomotor vigilance (simple, choice reaction time) and visuospatial memory (Corsi-block-tapping-test), while pen-and-paper tests assessed motor speed, visual scanning, and executive functions (TMT; Delis-Kaplan-Executive-Function-System). Forty-two players sustained at least one musculoskeletal injury (9 contact injuries), 36 remained injury-free. Logistic regression analyses indicated that none of the cognitive measures significantly influenced injury occurrence (p > 0.05). However, non-significant trends were observed for the TMT ratio score (p = 0.065, OR = 1.64), reflecting cognitive flexibility, and for TMT-A (p = 0.05, OR = 0.60), reflecting visual scanning. Specifically, players with lower cognitive flexibility showed a 64% increase in the odds of sustaining an injury, while better visual scanning performance was associated with a 40% reduction in injury odds. No significant association was found between basic or executive cognitive functions and musculoskeletal injuries in professional male football players. However, a non-significant trend suggested that lower cognitive flexibility may be associated with increased injury risk. These findings underscore the need for larger studies to better clarify the role of executive functions in assessing injury risk in football.
Keywords: neurocognitive testing, cognitive-motor tests, sports injury, risk screening
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 289; Downloads: 138
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1142. Determination of silver(I)-binding sites in canonical B-DNA by NMR spectroscopyTabea Lenz, Uroš Javornik, Marian Hebenbrock, Janez Plavec, Jens Müller, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The interaction of metal ions with nucleic acids was studied by determining the initial binding sites of Ag+ ions at unmodified B-DNA by NMR spectroscopy. In particular, NMR spectra were recorded of the Dickerson-Drew dodecamer sequence in the presence of different ratios of Ag+ ions to DNA. The data indicate that the coordination of the first three Ag+ ions per duplex preferentially takes place inside the B-DNA helix rather than at other possible binding sites such as the negatively charged phosphate backbone and/or the endocyclic N7 position of purine residues. Larger DNA aggregates are formed in the presence of excess Ag+ ions, as indicated by the formation of a precipitate and by significant changes in the circular dichroism spectra. As shown by a titration with chloride ions, the Ag+ ions are only loosely bound to the nucleic acids and can be released by precipitation of AgCl.
Keywords: biochemistry, DNA, spectroscopy, NMR
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 295; Downloads: 116
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1144. Morphometrics of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic saline marsh under environmental stressNeven Iveša, Paolo Paliaga, Matej Čief, Petra Burić, Valentina Pitacco, Moira Buršić, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) has rapidly expanded across the Mediterranean, raising concerns over its ecological and economic impacts. This study examines the morphometric characteristics and environmental influences on C. sapidus populations in the Palud-Palù swamp (western Istrian coast) from 2022 to 2024. A total of 203 specimens were analyzed for carapace width, length, depth, and body mass, alongside monthly measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen saturation, and pH. Statistical analyses (t-tests, ANOVA, PCA, and RDA) revealed pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males consistently larger than females. Interannual differences in size distribution showed larger individuals in 2022, followed by a decline in 2023 and 2024, likely due to environmental stressors (e.g., salinity, temperature, hypoxia) and increased anthropogenic pressures (e.g., trapping and illegal harvesting). RDA identified temperature, oxygen saturation, and pH as key abiotic drivers of morphometric variation. These findings suggest that while C. sapidus demonstrates physiological plasticity, enabling its persistence in estuarine environments, its growth and invasive potential may be constrained under extreme or suboptimal local conditions. This study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and integrated management to mitigate ecological disruption in sensitive coastal ecosystems.
Keywords: decapods, invasive species, crustacean morphometry, length–weight relationship, population structure, size distribution
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 273; Downloads: 127
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1145. Neurophysiological underpinnings of balance control and cognitive-motor interaction in early Parkinson’s diseaseManca Peskar, Paolo Manganotti, Uroš Marušič, Klaus Gramann, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) often compensate for impaired automatic balance control by engaging additional attentional resources for motor tasks. With disease progression, their cognitive system too becomes increasingly affected, further impairing postural stability. The interaction between cognitive and motor systems in the early disease stages, however, remains poorly investigated. The present study aimed to elucidate behavioral and neurophysiological changes in early-stage PD to identify with greater accuracy the specific disease-related discrepancies from healthy functioning on both cognitive and motor systems. Eighteen participants with PD (aged 62.9±6.6 years) and 18 healthy matched controls (aged 62.9±6.4 years) performed (i) a balancing single task in a semi-tandem stance (ST-sts), (ii) a single visual oddball task with conflicting Stroop color-word stimuli (ST-Stroop), and (iii) a dual-task (DT) combining the two single tasks. Centre of pressure displacement using a force plate and 128-channel electroencephalography (EEG) were recorded. Participants with PD exhibited reduced postural sway compared to controls, and postural sway was lower in DT as opposed to ST. Reduced sway in PD might be attributed to postural rigidity and tonic muscle activation, while in the DT, it might reflect resource conflicts. EEG analyses indicated distinct spectral activity patterns: the central midline low-frequency (δ, θ) power increased with cognitive load, centroparietal β desynchronization intensified with motor load, and parietal α desynchronization heightened during DT in both PD and control groups, underscoring specific frequency bands’ governing roles in cognitivemotor processing. Furthermore, PD participants exhibited heightened or prolonged responses in ERP components related to working memory (frontocentral P2) and conflict resolution (P300), possibly reflecting compensatory neural strategies. Overall, these findings suggest that cognitive capacities, particularly selective attention, might be more affected than sensory acuity in early PD, highlighting areas for targeted interventions.
Keywords: EEG, semi-tandem stance, COP (Center of pressure), Parkinson's disease, cognitive-motor dual-tasking
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 295; Downloads: 140
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1147. Reconfigurable structure and tunable transport in synchronized active spinner materialsKoohee Han, Gašper Kokot, Shibananda Das, Roland G. Winkler, Gerhard Gompper, Alexey Snezhko, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Ensembles of actuated colloids are excellent model systems to explore emergent out-of-equilibrium structures, complex collective dynamics, and design rules for the next generation materials. Here, we demonstrate that ferromagnetic microparticles suspended at an air-water interface and energized by an external rotating magnetic field spontaneously form dynamic ensembles of synchronized spinners in a certain range of the excitation field parameters. Each spinner generates strong hydrodynamic flows, and collective interactions of the multiple spinners promote a formation of dynamic lattices. On the basis of experiments and simulations, we reveal structural transitions from liquid to nearly crystalline states in this novel active spinner material and demonstrate that dynamic spinner lattices are reconfigurable, capable of self-healing behavior and that the transport of embedded inert cargo particles can be remotely tuned by the parameters of the external excitation field. Our findings provide insights into the behavior of active spinner materials with reconfigurable structural order and tunable functionalities.
Keywords: actuated colloids, ferromagnetic microparticles, reconfigurable structure
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 310; Downloads: 138
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1149. Innovative solutions for valorization of desalination brineAna Rotter, Baruch Rinkevich, Irem Deniz, Maggie M. Reddy, Mariana Girão, Maria F. Carvalho, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Cene Gostinčar, Mercedes Cueto, Ernesta Grigalionyte-Bembič, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Desalination is becoming increasingly important to meet the growing demand for freshwater. However, a major drawback of this technology is the production of hypersaline brine. This by-product contains salts and contaminants that have been removed during the desalination process, including antiscalants, cleaning agents, heavy metals, and organic compounds. Instead of disposing of this brine and causing environmental harm, new strategies should be developed to transform brine from a burden into an opportunity with environmental and economic benefits. Brine can harbor halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms, making it a valuable resource for studying microbial diversity, adaptations and exploring untapped biotechnological opportunities in pharmaceutical, industrial, and ecological fields. We propose two strategies of innovation: (i) using brine to cultivate micro- and macro-organisms, both of which can create circular economy models tailored to global and local needs. (ii) In addition, the amount of brine generated by desalination plants can be reduced by integrating or coupling them with biodesalination modules. These modules would harness halotolerant and halophilic organisms to retain and assimilate salts, reducing the environmental impact of desalination.
Keywords: desalination, brine, environmental impact, circular economy, biotechnology
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 306; Downloads: 141
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1150. Active turbulence in a gas of self-assembled spinnersGašper Kokot, Shibananda Das, Roland G. Winkler, Gerhard Gompper, Igor S. Aranson, Alexey Snezhko, 2017, original scientific article Keywords: fluid dynamics, magnetic colloids, self-assembly
Published in DiRROS: 08.09.2025; Views: 448; Downloads: 109
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