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Effects of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Studio Ghibli Films on Young People’s Sense of Exploration, Calm, Mastery and Skill, Purpose and Meaning, and Overall Happiness in Life: Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study

Background: Young people feel increasingly anxious and sad nowadays. Engaging with works of art and entertainment, such as playing open-world games or watching Studio Ghibli films, can be more than just a pastime. However, the extent to which, if at all, open-world games and feelings of nostalgia affect overall happiness in life remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the extent to which open-world games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and nostalgia evoked by Studio Ghibli films, such as Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki’s Delivery Service, affect postgraduate students’ sense of exploration, calm, mastery and skill, purpose and meaning, and, ultimately, happiness in life.

Methods: A controlled laboratory experiment was conducted using a 2 (playing an open-world game vs no open-world game) × 2 (nostalgia vs no nostalgia) between-subject design. Study participants (N=518) were randomly assigned to the study’s 4 conditions and answered a brief questionnaire, examining their sense of exploration, calm, mastery and skill, purpose and meaning, and, ultimately, happiness in life. As part of the study, we conducted univariate analysis and bootstrapping-based moderated mediation analysis with 5,000 resamples.

Latest Data Rule Out a Leading Explanation of a Neutrino Anomaly

In 2018, results from the MiniBooNE neutrino experiment suggested the exciting possibility that low-energy muon neutrinos quantum-mechanically flip into electron neutrinos more frequently than predicted by the standard model of particle physics. Theorists have sought to explain this anomaly, known as the low-energy excess (LEE), by invoking beyond-standard-model explanations such as the existence of new flavors of neutrinos (see Viewpoint: The Plot Thickens for a Fourth Neutrino). However, there was always the possibility that photon emission attributed to electron-neutrino interactions had been caused by other processes. Now, an analysis of five years of data from MicroBooNE, a follow-up experiment with a different design, has effectively ruled out the electron-neutrino-based interpretation of the LEE [1].

MiniBooNE operated by observing the Cherenkov radiation from fast-moving charged particles generated by neutrino–nucleus interactions in the 800 tonnes of mineral oil that constituted the detector’s sensitive volume. But the experiment could not easily exclude photons from other sources. MicroBooNE has a smaller sensitive volume composed of liquid argon, but it can reconstruct charged particles’ trajectories and energies precisely, allowing it to identify photon origins more reliably. As well as taking advantage of this intrinsic selectivity, the MicroBooNE team took elaborate steps to reduce all sources of uncertainty, both instrumental and theoretical.

The resulting high-quality data show good agreement with the standard-model predictions. By comparing these results with those from MiniBooNE, the researchers were able to exclude the electron-neutrino-based explanation for the apparent LEE at a confidence level of over 99%. While this conclusion might be disappointing for some, it compels scientists to look for new explanations for the MiniBooNE anomaly, the cause of which is still unknown.

Overcoming disordered energy in light-matter interactions

Polaritons are formed by the strong coupling of light and matter. When they mix together, all the matter is excited simultaneously—referred to as delocalization. This delocalization has the unique ability to relay energy between matter that is otherwise not possible.

Disordered energy is ubiquitous in nature and the universe. Disordered energy is less organized and less available to do work, such as with . Even in , disorder can ruin effective energy transfer.

In the context of polaritons, as disorder increases, it can negatively affect light-matter interactions, including polariton-enabled energy transfers. Overcoming this disorder is an important topic across many scientific fields.

Computational approach meets biology to connect neural progenitor cells with human disorders

For much of the 20th century it was thought that the adult brain was incapable of regeneration. This view has since shifted dramatically and neurogenesis—the birth of new neurons—is now a widely accepted phenomenon in the adult brain, offering promising avenues for treating many neurological conditions.

One of the main challenges in the field has been identifying neural stem and (NPCs) responsible for generating these new neurons. NPCs are rare, diverse and difficult to isolate from other due to overlapping molecular signatures. As a result, understanding their biology—and particularly their role in human brain disorders—has remained elusive.

In a study published in Stem Cell Reports, a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital reveals that define NPCs.

Scientists uncover sugar pathway driving aggressive childhood cancer

Scientists have uncovered a hidden weakness in one of the deadliest childhood cancers. The tumors, which spread quickly and are notoriously hard to treat, rely on a sugar-processing pathway to survive and grow. By blocking this pathway, researchers were able to slow down the cancer and make it more vulnerable to treatment. This breakthrough opens the door to new therapies for children and young adults facing a disease with very few options today.

Human neural organoid microphysiological systems show the building blocks necessary for basic learning and memory

Neural organoids exhibit key aspects of learning and memory, including input-specific synaptic plasticity, basal and evoked immediate early gene expression, and critical network dynamics, highlighting their value in modeling human neurophysiology.

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