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The sound of the roman empire: effects of playing a history video game with and without sound
(Elsevier BV, 2026-06-19)
Amedeo Viccari
;
Marlit Annalena Lindner
;
Anna Kienitz
;
Jens-Uwe Hahn
;
Richard Göllner
;
Valentin Emslander
;
Lisa Bardach
;
Nakhchivan State University
Background: Sound is a core component of digital games, and its integration is assumed to support learning, motivation, and positive emotions. However, empirical evidence on the role of sound in educational video games remains limited, particularly in narrative-driven educational adventure games such as digital history games. Methods: In a laboratory experiment, university students (N = 111) either played an educational history video game without sound or with additional sound features (ambient audio, character voices, and narrated codex entries providing additional historical information). Post-test measures assessed factual knowledge, triggered and maintained situational interest, and academic emotions (enjoyment and boredom). Engagement with optional supplemental historical information provided through in-game codex entries was measured using behavioral log data. We analyzed differences between the two conditions while controlling for relevant pre-test variables. Results: Participants in the add-on sound condition did not score significantly higher on the knowledge test than those in the no-sound condition. Likewise, no statistically significant differences emerged in situational interest, enjoyment, boredom, or codex engagement between conditions. Additional analyses indicated that participants’ interactions with codex entries positively predicted knowledge test performance, indicating that voluntary engagement with supplemental content contributed to learning. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the presence of sound alone may not enhance academic outcomes in a narrative-driven educational video game. Additionally, our findings indicate that learning outcomes depended strongly on learners’ engagement with in-game codex entries. Overall, our results on the inclusion of sound highlight the importance of examining specific design features within educational history video games.
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Distinct interaction between management history and nitrogen source drive microbial nitrogen processes in soil
(Elsevier BV, 2026-07-07)
Misato Toda
;
Michael Scheifele
;
Jochen Mayer
;
Marcel G.A. van der Heijden
;
Florian Walder
;
Nakhchivan State University
Microbial processes in soil primarily govern nitrogen (N) availability to plants. However, microbial processes can be altered by farming history due in part to resource adaptation by microbes and such changes could further modify N dynamics between fertiliser and plants. Here, using a two-months greenhouse experiment, we investigated plant N uptake from applied fertilisers as well as microbial parameters in N cycling modified by management history and fertiliser types. Sixteen soils were collected from either organically or conventionally managed fields and fertilised with (15NH4)2SO4 (mineral N fertiliser) or 15N-Lolium multiflorum (organic N fertiliser). Among microbial parameters tested, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (amoA) and membrane-bound nitrate reductase (narG) gene abundance responded to management × fertiliser interaction. Organically managed soils exhibited greater gene abundances with organic fertiliser compared to mineral fertiliser, and the opposite trend was observed with conventional management and mineral fertiliser. Plant fertiliser N uptake was associated with all microbial parameters tested, however, no positive interactions between management history and fertiliser type was observed. A clear management × fertiliser interaction effect was found exclusively in microbial biomass N with mineral fertiliser application where its association with plant N uptake was negative with organically managed soil but positive with conventionally manged soil at first harvest. Our results suggested that soil microbes are highly versatile and respond strongly to current nutrients conditions. Thus, fertiliser type and timing would be a key driver of short-term plant N uptake and warrant consideration to improve plant N recovery.
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Altered cognitive performance and frontal alpha asymmetries during emotion–cognition interactions in older adults with a history of depression and/or anxiety
(Elsevier BV, 2026-05-10)
Fan Peng
;
Ada W.S. Leung
;
Anthony Singhal
;
Nakhchivan State University
Emotion–cognition interactions are essential for mental health in aging, yet their disruption in older adults with a history of affective disorders is poorly understood. We compared older adults reporting a history of depression and/or anxiety (History Group; n = 20) to those without such history (No-History Group; n = 28) using an emotional oddball task to examine behavioral performance and frontal and occipital alpha asymmetry patterns. Behaviorally, the history group exhibited generally delayed reaction times across all target types and reduced accuracy specifically in targets following fearful distractors, compared with the no-history group, indicating increased susceptibility to emotional interference associated with affective history. EEG analysis (electrodes F3/ F4 for frontal and O1/O2 for occipital) revealed distinct frontal alpha asymmetries: the history group exhibited a left visual field bias in frontal alpha following fearful distractors, alongside a right-frontal dominance across target types. In contrast, the No-history group showed balanced bilateral frontal activation across target conditions. No group differences emerged in occipital alpha asymmetry, suggesting comparable visual processing strategies. These findings indicate that a history of depression and/or anxiety is associated with altered cognitive task performance and distinct frontal neural signatures in older adults, highlighting the potential value of emotion regulation interventions for supporting cognitive flexibility in this population.
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Bayesian analysis of lacustrine charcoal from Fuyun, northwestern China, records spatio-temporal variability in Altai Range fire history
(Elsevier BV, 2026-05-05)
Chris Gouramanis
;
Stephen Chua
;
Marie Etchebes
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Yann Klinger
;
Xiwei Xu
;
Paul Tapponnier
;
Nakhchivan State University
Burning histories derived from charcoal preserved in sediment archives offer scope to reconstruct past climate and landscape dynamics. The fault-bounded Aksay Pond in northwestern China preserves an 80-year sediment sequence spanning 1931 to 2012 that reveals undetected punctuated fire events within the last ca. 1000 years. We used Bayesian inferential modelling of 24 macrocharcoals that have been directly 14C Accelerated Mass Spectrometry dated to examine past phases of fire activity and compare these phases with other fire-proxy records from the Altai Ranges. That these charcoals formed, were stored in the landscape and subsequently mobilised into the pond suggests that fires occurred at these different times. This method for examining fire histories differs from more traditional techniques and has some inherent uncertainties that are discussed. Importantly, our charcoal record does not attempt to infer severity, intensity or number of fires but identifies undetected periods of burning. Charcoal was dated to three statistically distinct phases spanning 95% highest posterior density ranges of 1170 to 1290 CE (Phase 3), 1410 to 1650 CE (Phase 2) and 1720 to 1900 CE (Phase 1) with some post-1950 CE charcoal. Bayesian modelling also demonstrates that Phase 3 does not coincide with burning histories from elsewhere in the Altai Ranges suggesting localised fires during the early to middle stages of the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Phase 2 charcoals overlap with a significant period of burning from the western Altai Range during the early stages of the Little Ice Age (LIA) indicating a larger regional environment primed for fire. Phase 3 charcoals from Aksay Pond occurs during the transition from peak LIA to Recent Warming and likely reflects regional increases in anthropogenic burning. Our Bayesian analysis of the burning periods from the Aksay Pond with other fire records from the Altai Ranges demonstrates that burning in the region is spatio-temporally heterogeneous and that further sites need investigating to capture the true history of burning from the region.Our novel approach also demonstrates the utility of shortlived sedimentary archives as alternative proxy sources for long-term fire histories in datascarce regions.
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Exploratory inflammatory profiles in patients with depressive disorders and a history of cancer considering alcohol consumption
(Elsevier BV, 2026-05-08)
Théodore Vinais
;
Brigitte Plansont
;
Alexis Parenté
;
Philippe Nubukpo
;
Aurélie Lacroix
;
Nakhchivan State University
Purpose: Psychiatric disorders, including recurrent unipolar depression and bipolar disorder, are associated with increased cancer risk and premature mortality. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and immune dysregulation may underlie these associations. Objectives: This exploratory study investigated whether inflammatory and neuroplasticity-related biomarkers differ according to cancer history and alcohol abstinence in patients with AUD and depressive disorders. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 172 patients from a French clinical cohort, including 53 participants with longitudinal inflammatory and neuroplasticity biomarkers assessed over six months. Results: Among the study sample (mean age: 45.7 years; 134 men/38 women), 12.8% had cancer history, predominantly ear, nose and throat (27.3%) and breast cancers (22.7%), with psychiatric diagnoses preceding cancer onset by approximately 15 years. IL-8 (Interleukin-8) levels were significantly higher in participants with cancer history and depressive disorders, independently of alcohol abstinence, suggesting a stable cancerassociated inflammatory signature. In contrast, TNF-α (Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha) levels varied according to alcohol abstinence status over time, distinguishing abstinent from non-abstinent individuals independently of cancer history. BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) levels did not differ according to cancer history or abstinence. Conclusions: These findings suggest that distinct inflammatory pathways may characterize cancer history and alcohol abstinence in patients with AUD and depressive disorders. IL-8 and TNF-α may represent candidate biomarkers associated with cancer-associated inflammation and alcohol abstinence status, respectively. Given the small cancer subgroup, these results should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Future studies integrating genetic, epigenetic, and molecular markers are needed to refine these associations and support personalized approaches.