Himeji Dokkyo University

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of generative AI on technostress among second language (L2) English students at two Japanese universities. While the use of generative AI technologies in education is rapidly increasing, research on how these tools impact learners' psychological well-being—particularly in L2 learning contexts—remains limited. This study primarily aimed to explore students’ experiences of generative AI–related technostress. In addition, a secondary analysis examining whether technostress levels varied by students’ language proficiency was conducted, although no significant differences were observed. A total of 100 L2 English students, 60 beginner learners and 40 intermediate-advanced learners, fully completed the survey, which consisted of Likert-scale and open-ended written response items. While the quantitative results indicated that the participants did not exhibit high levels of technostress, the qualitative findings suggested a more nuanced picture of the impact of AI-related technostress on university L2 students. Namely, the students were concerned about the accuracy of AI output and thus desired explicit training and guidance. These results indicate that while generative AI may not cause significant levels of technostress, the emerging technology still presents specific challenges that must be addressed. The article concludes with practical suggestions for language teachers and institutions so that they can better support L2 students’ AI literacy and reduce the risks of technostress.

This study was conducted to examine disproportionality, times to onset, incidence rates, and outcomes of trastuzumab deruxtecan-associated pulmonary adverse events (AEs) using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database. We analyzed data for the period from April 2004 to December 2024. Data on pulmonary AEs were extracted, and the relative disproportionality of AEs was estimated using reporting odds ratios (RORs). Of the 3,221,393 reports analyzed, we identified 1561 reports of AEs associated with trastuzumab deruxtecan, including 505 pulmonary AEs. Only 474 reports were identified as signal-positive: interstitial lung disease, pulmonary toxicity, pneumonitis, and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Among these, interstitial lung disease was the most frequently reported (26.6%) and included several fatal cases. Histograms of median times to onset for the four detected pulmonary AE signals showed that AEs occurred at a median of 7-27.5 days after trastuzumab deruxtecan administration. Weibull distributions showed that interstitial lung disease occurred early after administration (early failure type), but pulmonary toxicity occurred constantly throughout the exposure period (random failure type). We focused on pulmonary AEs associated with trastuzumab deruxtecan as postmarketing AEs. Serious outcomes can arise after trastuzumab deruxtecan administration. Patients should be monitored for signs of onset of these AEs not only at the start of administration but also over an extended period.

The morphology of single chains and micelles formed by a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) alternating multiblock (AMB) copolymer in water was investigated using scattering techniques. Two series of PEO–PPO AMB copolymers, (EO220PO33)n and (EO68PO33)n─where EO and PO represent ethylene oxide and propylene oxide units, respectively, and n denotes the number of repeating PEO–PPO units─were synthesized with varying overall chain lengths while maintaining a 1:1 block ratio of PEO to PPO. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic light scattering revealed that both (EO220PO33)n and (EO68PO33)n adopt a collapsed conformation in water at ambient temperature. Interestingly, the morphology of the AMB copolymers changes with n: in both series, the polymers exhibit increased shrinkage in water as n increases. AMB copolymers possessing longer PEO chains undergo a more pronounced shrinkage. This aligns with the theoretical prediction for the hydrophobic collapse in protein folding [Y. Harano and M. Kinoshita, Biophys. J. 2005, 89, 2701]. As the temperature increases, AMB copolymers associate to form micelles. The SAXS profiles for (EO220PO33)n are independent of n, indicating that the size and morphologies of micelles remain consistent. A similar trend is observed for (EO68PO33)n. These results suggest that the entropy gain of the surrounding water─resulting from the association of a specific number of PPO blocks─compensates for the entropy loss associated with micelle formation.

Nurr1 (NR4A2) is a member of nuclear receptor superfamily that regulates gene transcription in midbrain dopaminergic neurons and also inhibits nuclear factor-κB-mediated inflammatory responses in brain microglial cells. To date, various compounds have been reported to stimulate transcriptional activity of Nurr1 on neuronal genes, but their anti-inflammatory actions are poorly characterized. The present study examined the effects of three kinds of Nurr1 ligands, amodiaquine, 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-chlorophenyl)-methane (C-DIM12) and 5-chloronaphthalen-1-amine (5-CNA), on inflammatory responses of microglial BV-2 cells. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced upregulation of interleukin-1β mRNA and tumor necrosis factor α mRNA was inhibited by all three compounds, whereas upregulation of interleukin-6 mRNA and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA was significantly inhibited only by 5-CNA. On the other hand, LPS-induced nuclear translocation of p65 subunit of nuclear factor-κB was prevented only by amodiaquine. C-DIM12 increased nuclear localization of Nurr1 and transiently upregulated Nurr1 protein expression, whereas amodiaquine and 5-CNA had no effect on these parameters. Notably, inhibitory effect of 5-CNA on iNOS mRNA upregulation was reversed by co-application of amodiaquine. Conversely, inhibitory effect of amodiaquine on p65 nuclear translocation was cancelled by 5-CNA. These results reveal distinct characteristics of anti-inflammatory actions of Nurr1 ligands.

Objective: Sex differences exist in sepsis, but the commitment of neutrophils to these differences remains unclear. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) function to remove pathogens, yet excessive NETs release can contribute to organ damage. This study explores effects of the gender hormones on endotoxin-induced NETs using neutrophils from both male and female sources. Methods: Blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers. Isolated neutrophils were seeded in collagen-coated cell culture plates, and NETs were induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. After 15 minutes of LPS treatment, 17β-estradiol (0.03-272.4 ng/mL), testosterone enanthate (0.01-10 ng/mL), dimethyl sulfoxide, or ethanol (vehicle control) was added to the plates. These were incubated for three hours at 37°C with 5% CO2. Neutrophil extracellular traps formation was assessed using immunofluorescence staining. Results: Lipopolysaccharide-induced NETs formation was significantly greater in females than in males. In male-derived neutrophils, 17β-estradiol at above the blood concentrations significantly suppressed LPS-induced NETs. No effect was seen while using testosterone enanthate to NETs at any concentration. In female-derived neutrophils, 17β-estradiol, which was near to the highest concentration of non-pregnant women's blood, tended to increase NETs. Testosterone enanthate, which was near to female blood concentration, significantly promoted NETs. Conclusions: Sex differences existed in LPS-induced NETs of human neutrophil. In males, high concentrations of 17β-estradiol administration may have a suppressive effect on excessive NETs during infection. In females, endogenous gender hormones may promote NETs during infection. Sex differences in neutrophils may need to be considered in organ damage owing to NETs excess such as sepsis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of patients at risk for undernutrition among patients of 65 years of age and older presenting to a citywide dispensary, and the risk factors for the transition to undernutrition among elderly patients at risk of undernutrition. The study was based on a Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) screening. The results showed that 3％ were undernourished, 19％ were feared undernourished, and 78％ were in good nutritional condition. Those with low nutrition and threatened low nutrition were significantly more likely to be amongst the late elderly (P = 0.007), and there was no gender difference. The mean number of medications taken was 7.31 (SD 2.42) in the well-nourished group, 8.27 (SD 3.68) in the feared undernourished group, and 9.38 (SD 3.01) in the undernourished group.

Abstract In this conceptual article, the author introduces decolonization as an alternative to social justice frameworks. As stakeholders in second language (L2) teaching, the author stresses decolonization as a means for L2 researchers to work against colonial practices in educational research, which negatively impact historically disenfranchised communities. Specifically, Patel’s (Patel, Leigh. 2016. Decolonizing educational research: From ownership to answerability. New York: Routledge) answerability framework is introduced as a practical method to support decolonization in L2 research. The article is made up of four main sections. The first section explains the concept of settler colonialism and highlights how it is ingrained in educational research. In the second section, the author defines decolonization and distinguishes it from the more popular social justice movement. In the third section, the author summarizes four computer-assisted language learning (CALL) papers which were featured in a recent special issue on the topic of social justice. The author then provides a critical analysis of the reviewed studies from a decolonial perspective in the fourth and final section, while also suggesting ways in which researchers and educators can re-orient their work towards decolonization.