https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/13041 2026-09-21T14:55:37Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33886 Title: An Investigation on the association between HIV-1 Integrase and gene knock-out Authors: Chianea, Yaghoub Gozaly; Suleman, Saqlain; Bowden, Johnathan; Reja, Safia; Fawaz, Serena; Bhatti, Ataun Nasr; Themis, Michael Abstract: ... Description: ... 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33193 Title: The Effect of Cognitive Ability on Novices’ Learning of a Field Hockey Motor Skill Authors: Staff, T; Staff, R; Gobet, F; Bishop, D; Parton, A Abstract: Elite athletic performance is linked to advanced cognitive functioning, yet cognition’s role in motor skill acquisition among novices remains underexplored. This study examined how cognition influences learning a complex field hockey skill in participants with minimal prior experience. Forty novices (mean age = 20.04 years) completed a hockey ball control task assessed across six timepoints, three before and three after viewing a coaching video of an expert performing the task. Cognitive measures included fluid intelligence (Raven’s Progressive Matrices), crystallized intelligence (Spot-the-Word), working memory (OSpan), perceptual speed (Inspection Time), and psychomotor ability (Fitts’s task). Declarative and procedural knowledge were also recorded. Performance was evaluated using positional and technical scoring systems. Gains through repetition were modeled via linear regression. No overall significant improvement occurred during uncoached repetition. However, crystallized intelligence predicted individual differences in pre-coaching gains while fluid intelligence was positively associated with immediate coaching effects. Post-intervention improvements were predicted by working memory capacity and number of practice attempts. Psychomotor ability predicted gains through repetition both before and after intervention. Distinct cognitive domains support different phases of motor learning. Cognitive profiling may inform talent identification in early skill acquisition. Description: Supplementary material: Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02701367.2026.2655029# . 2026-04-17T00:00:00Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32837 Title: The legacy of a humble scientist: Edoardo Alesse, MD, PhD (1958–2025) Authors: Papa, S; Bubici, C Abstract: As we walked down the long, dark corridor of the Coppito-II campus research facility at the University of L’Aquila, the air buzzed with anticipation and the faint rumours of laboratory equipment. A group of us, anxious graduate students, clutched our notebooks, hearts pounding with the uncertainty of meeting our supervisor for our final year theses. From the shadows, an imposing figure emerged, dressed in plastic goggles and personal protective equipment. Pausing briefly, his voice—warm yet authoritative—pierced the tension. “Welcome, everyone,” he announced. This was our introduction to Professor Edoardo Alesse on a chilly afternoon in L’Aquila in the late 1990s. In one gloved hand, he held an A3-sized X-ray film, its translucent surface illuminated by the radioactive signal from one of his experiments. Without hesitation and with a gleam in his eyes, he began to explain the significance of the results shown on the film. In that moment, standing in the corridor, we realized we were embarking on a transformative journey, guided by a mentor whose expertise promised to expand our understanding of scientific discovery. ... Description: Obituary. 2025-12-07T00:00:00Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32653 Title: A comparative study of biostatistical pipelines for benchmark concentration modeling of in vitro screening assays Authors: Carstens, KE; Dönmez, A; Hsieh, J-H; Bartmann, K; Paul Friedman, K; Koch, K; Scholze, M; Fritsche, E Abstract: New approach methods (NAMs) have been prioritized to reduce the use of animals for chemical safety assessment while continuing to protect human health and the environment. A key challenge of generating toxicity data is the implementation of a standardized analysis approach for transparent and reproducible benchmark concentration (BMC) estimation and uncertainty quantification for assay developers, regulators, and other stakeholders. In this study, we compared the bioactivity results of 321 chemical samples from four established BMC analysis pipelines used for evaluation of developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) NAMs data: the ToxCast pipeline (tcpl), CRStats, DNT DIVER (Curvep and Hill pipelines). We found an overall activity hit call concordance of 77.2 % and highly correlated BMC estimations (r = 0.92 ± 0.02 SD), demonstrating generally good agreement across pipelines. Discordance appeared to be explained predominantly by noise within the data and borderline activity (activity occuring near the benchmark response level). Evaluation of the BMC confidence intervals indicated that pipeline selection may impact the estimation of the BMC lower bound. Consideration of biphasic models appeared important for capturing biologically-relevant changes in activity in the DNT battery. Lastly, different approaches to compute ‘selective’ bioactivity (activity below the threshold of cytotoxicity) were compared, identifying the CRstats classification model as more stringent for classifying selective activity. Overall, these findings indicated greater confidence in NAMs bioactivity results and emphasize the importance of understanding strengths and uncertainties of concentration–response modeling pipelines for informing biological interpretation and application decision making. Description: Data availability: Source data and code are available on GitHub linked in the manuscript.; Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468111325000209?via%3Dihub#s0130 . 2025-05-30T00:00:00Z