This study examined whether counterarguments generated by large language models (LLMs) influence the moral judgments of younger and older adults, and whether these effects vary by dilemma type, cognitive functioning, trust in AI, and prior LLM experience. Using the switch and footbridge trolley dilemmas, 130 participants (56 younger adults and 74 older adults) were presented with ChatGPT-generated counterarguments that opposed their initial judgments. More than 30% of participants reversed their judgments in both dilemmas (32.31% in the switch dilemma and 36.92% in the footbridge dilemma). Older adults tended to be more likely than younger adults to reverse their judgments and showed a significantly greater degree of judgment change in the switch dilemma. In the emotionally aversive footbridge dilemma, older adults with lower cognitive functioning were significantly more likely to align with the LLM-generated counterargument. General trust in AI and prior LLM experience did not predict judgment reversal, whereas lower initial confidence and higher perceived task difficulty were associated with greater susceptibility to LLM influence. These findings suggest that LLMs may support cognitive offloading but increase susceptibility among individuals with limited cognitive resources. The ecological generalizability of these findings to everyday dilemma situations remains to be examined in future research.
Human brain organoids (HBOs) are three-dimensional structures derived from human stem cells that model aspects of brain development and function, offering potentially unprecedented opportunities for studying neurological disorders and for developing treatments. This consensus paper presents recommendations from the Asia Pacific Neuroethics Working Group, developed through interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, bioethicists, philosophers, and legal scholars who convened in Singapore in November 2024. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the ethical, legal, and sociocultural dimensions of HBO research, addressing both current realities and future possibilities. The paper examines key ethical considerations, including the potential moral status of HBOs, particularly regarding sentience and consciousness, while identifying and dispelling common misconceptions and “ethical red herrings” arising from sensationalized portrayals. We analyze consent frameworks for cell donation, privacy concerns, dual-use risks, and questions of distributive justice. Legal challenges are explored, including the categorical ambiguity of HBOs within existing regulatory frameworks, intellectual property issues, and cross-border inconsistencies in standards. Sociocultural perspectives emphasize the importance of public understanding, cross-cultural engagement, and empirical research on diverse community attitudes toward HBO research. In our recommendations, we advocate for evidence-based ethical discussions, anticipatory frameworks addressing potential future developments, contextualized analysis comparing HBOs to related experimental models, robust informed consent processes, proportionate responses to consciousness concerns, development of adaptive regulatory frameworks, responsible science communication to manage public expectations, and sustained interdisciplinary collaboration. We emphasize a balanced approach that promotes scientific innovation while maintaining rigorous ethical oversight, recognizing HBOs’ significant potential for advancing neuroscience and medicine. This represents the first comprehensive ethical framework for HBO research from the Asia Pacific region, helping to establish foundational principles for responsible development of this rapidly advancing field.
The Yamaguchi earthquake swarm in western Japan occurred at unusually deep depths (25-40 km), well below the seismogenic zone, and exhibited prolonged zigzag hypocenter migrations over at least similar to 180 days. Seismicity initiated in the southwestern part of the swarm area, followed by systematic migration eastward, northeastward, and northwestward. The swarm is confined in an area of similar to 10 & times; 10 km, but a total distance of small-scale zigzag hypocenter migrations reaches similar to 160 km in the period from February 1 to 31 July 2025, with an average velocity of similar to 0.9 km/day. Spectral analyses indicate that low-frequency earthquakes are relatively enriched in low-frequency energy but form a continuum with regular earthquakes. Fifteen deep earthquakes occur in the early stage of the swarm activity at similar to 72 km depth below the swarm area. We propose that high-temperature fluids ascending in the mantle wedge cause the deep earthquake cluster on their pathways, which eventually infiltrate pre-existing fault zones in the lower crust. Substantial heat flux, carried by high-temperature fluids and injected into the lower crust, induces dehydration of hydrous minerals along fault zones, supplying aqueous fluids, reducing the frictional strength, and triggering brittle failure even in the lower crust. We interpret that positive feedback between externally injected high-temperature fluids and internally produced aqueous fluids sustains long-term zigzag hypocenter migrations. These interpretations would highlight the potential role of high-temperature fluid migrations and resultant dehydration reactions along fault zones for triggering and sustaining lower-crustal earthquake swarms in regions normally dominated by ductile deformation.
Understanding how tree growth responds to climate is important for predicting how plantation forests may react to ongoing climate change. In this study, we examined the climate–growth relationships of six Cryptomeria japonica cultivars across five common-garden sites in southwestern Japan using dendrochronological methods. We analyzed 48 years of ring width data to evaluate how monthly and annual temperature and precipitation affect radial growth at site and cultivar levels. Static and moving correlation analyses revealed that late winter to early spring temperatures (February–March) positively influenced radial growth at most sites, likely by facilitating cambial reactivation, while high summer precipitation tended to suppress growth at some sites, possibly through reduced solar irradiance. Precipitation effects were variable across sites, with autumn rainfall showing positive effects at lower-elevation sites. At the cultivar level, early-growth type cultivars tended to show positive temperature responses, while late-growth types showed more variable precipitation responses, though the majority of cultivar-level correlations did not reach statistical significance. Multivariate ordination (PCA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) on correlation-based response profiles indicated that geographic location was a significant driver of climate-growth response patterns (R2 = 0.28, p = 0.014), while cultivar type explained a substantial but non-significant proportion of variance (R2 = 0.23, p = 0.085). These results suggest that local environmental conditions primarily shape climate sensitivity in C. japonica, while genetic provenance provides an additional, non-negligible layer of variation. Our findings underscore the importance of considering both site characteristics and cultivar characteristics in forest management and climate adaptation strategies for C. japonica plantations.
: Although previous research suggests a positive shift among older adults with chronic pain, few studies have investigated how this phenomenon occurs in different cultural settings. We compared age-related differences in pain catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy, pain intensity, and pain interference among older, middle-aged, and young adult Japanese and examined age-related differences in patterns of association between pain-related beliefs and pain-related outcomes. Seven hundred and forty participants responded to questionnaires. Analyses of covariance did not show statistically significant age differences in the study variables. The multigroup path analysis showed different patterns in associations of helplessness and rumination subcomponents with pain-related outcomes across age groups. Generally, and contrary to previous research, we did not observe evidence supporting a positive shift of experience in older Japanese adults with chronic pain. The different patterns of associations in the pain-related cognitive model have implications as a guiding framework for pain management in older adults with chronic pain.
