The Ohio State University

Sport-based positive youth development (SBPYD) programs leverage sport as a context in communities to help youth build competencies and developmental assets, reduce risk factors, and transfer skills learned to other social settings. However, many programs do not fully achieve their objectives due to challenges with implementation fidelity. The purpose of this process evaluation was to (a) examine the implementation fidelity of a SBPYD program across multiple program domains, and (b) explore temporal and environmental factors influencing fidelity. The SBPYD program of interest, LiFEsports, is a four-week summer camp designed to enhance the social and athletic competence of youth experiencing social vulnerabilities. The LiFEsports curriculum consists of four sessions per day of sport-specific instruction, healthy lifestyle lessons, and play-based educational activities designed to teach social skills. Program staff (N = 59) completed four valid and reliable self-report tools (aka "Session Logs") to assess their perceived implementation fidelity across four key domains of the program, including social skills coaching, sport coaching, program curriculum, staff practices. Our analyses consisted of a repeated measures ANOVA and multi-level modeling to assess differences across key program domains, changes in perceptions over time, and factors influencing fidelity. Results demonstrated significant differences in fidelity scores, with staff reporting the highest fidelity implementing staff practices and sport coaching, and lower perceptions of fidelity implementing program curriculum and social skills coaching. Multi-level modeling revealed higher perceptions of fidelity related to social skills coaching and program curriculum during the second and third curricular sessions of the day, whereas staff practices had lower fidelity during the fourth session (compared to the first session). Implementation of sport coaching decreased as the week progressed, whereas implementation of program curriculum and staff practices improved. Staff roles (coach vs counselor), perceived staff training efficacy, level of physical contact in sport (minimal vs high), type of session (sport vs education), social skills taught (introduction vs targeted skills), and group size (separate vs combined) significantly predicted implementation fidelity. Evaluation findings have implications for program design and organization, including priorities to enhance staffs' understanding of the program model through quality training and support; the design of simple lessons with focused activities that are replicated throughout the program; helping staff with making cross-curricular connections, planning and problem solving related to group dynamics, accommodating youth developmental differences; and increasing administrative support and accountabilities toward the end of a program week and day. Practitioners, educators, and evaluators can leverage our findings to inform high-quality programs designed to support youth development.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous population of lipid bilayer-enclosed particles secreted by nearly all cell types into the extracellular milieu. Once considered cellular debris, EVs are now recognized as biologically active entities capable of transferring proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids to recipient cells, thereby modulating their function and contributing to intercellular communication. EVs play pivotal roles in immune regulation, signal transduction, and antigen presentation. EV molecular cargo reflects the physiological or pathological state of the parent cell, offering potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in a range of diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular disorders. Traditionally, EVs have been classified into exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies based on their size and biogenesis. Recent discoveries have expanded this taxonomy to include novel subtypes with distinct biophysical and molecular characteristics. This review focuses on EVs, with an emphasis on their biogenesis, mechanisms of ionic balance and homeostasis, and the presence and function of ion channels and transporters. We also highlight current methodologies for detecting functional ion channels within exosomes, underscoring their emerging significance in cellular physiology and disease pathogenesis.

Begonia is one of the most diverse plant genera, native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Throughout its long cultivation history, Begonia has become widely spread across the Americas, Asia, and Africa. In addition to morphological, ecological, and geographic origin differences, Begonia species also vary significantly in genome size. In this study, flow cytometry was employed to estimate the genome sizes for 93 Begonia accessions, including plants from 68 identified species, eight unassigned species and hybrids, representing 26 sections of the genus. A total of 68 accessions are newly reported, including 47 identified species, eight unassigned species and hybrids. The results showed a wide range of 2C DNA values, from 0.47 pg in Begonia convolvulacea to 2.39 pg in Begonia polygonoides . Sections Knesebeckia , Parvibegonia , and Tetraphila had the largest mean genome sizes, whereas Wagenaria had the smallest. Significant variation in genome size was observed among individual accessions within the Central and South American sections of Ephemera , Gireoudia , and Pritzelia . These data expand the genomic foundation for Begonia , providing a valuable resource for future genomic and genetic research, advancing breeding efforts in this genus.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presents with higher incidence and poorer prognosis in males compared to females, yet the mechanisms underlying this sex disparity remains unclear. We investigated whether sex-specific immune responses contribute to differential tumor control using syngeneic and oral carcinogen-induced HNSCC mouse models., Female mice exhibited significantly reduced tumor burden, delayed progression and decreased metastatic potential compared to males. Immune profiling revealed a more robust antitumor immune landscape in females, characterized by heightened effector T cell activation, increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α), reduced expression of T cell exhaustion markers (PD-1, TIGIT), and a lower frequency of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Importantly, CD8+ T cell depletion in females abrogated the resistance to HNSCC in females, establishing CD8+ T cells as key mediators of sex-dependent antitumor immunity. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that enhanced effector T cell function coupled with reduced immunosuppression underlies improved tumor control in females and underscores the importance of integrating sex as a biological variable in immuno-oncology.