Konan Women's University (甲南女子大学, Kōnan joshi daigaku) is a private women's college in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1920, and it was chartered as a junior college in 1955. In 1964 it became a four-year college..
We introduce a multidimensional scaling framework that represents survival outcomes and covariates in a single two-dimensional map. Two reference points called poles represent the event direction and survival or non-event direction at a fixed follow-up time. The poles and covariates are represented in a multidimensional scaling space, such that each covariate is closer to one pole. This representation is intended to combine two readings in a unified visualization, namely, the relational structure between covariates and each covariate location relative to the two survival-outcome poles. The event pole is built from the martingale residual of a null Cox model, while the non-event pole is built from a Kaplan–Meier pseudo-survival quantity. To produce a clearly interpretable unified visualization, Pearson correlations between items are converted into distances using three category-specific exponents for the pairs of covariate–covariate, covariate–pole, and pole–pole. The proposed framework is evaluated on the Rossi recidivism dataset (N = 432). Financial aid and marital status are closer to the non-recidivism pole, while prior convictions and race are closer to the recidivism pole. A simulation under Cox proportional hazards provides a known coefficient structure, with positive- and negative-coefficient covariates near the event and non-event poles, respectively.
Abstract Objective Perceived injustice is a psychosocial risk factor associated with delayed recovery and poor occupational outcomes among workers with pain conditions. We examined a theory-informed pathway linking occupational stressors, perceived injustice, pain interference, depressive symptoms, and insomnia, while evaluating selected measurement properties of the Japanese Injustice Experience Questionnaire–Short Form (IEQ-SF-J). Methods This cross-sectional online survey included 600 Japanese workers (300 with headache and 300 with low back pain). Structural validity of the IEQ-SF-J was evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and item response theory. Construct validity was examined using Spearman correlations. Structural equation modelling (SEM) estimated indirect associations between job demands or low job control and pain interference, depressive symptoms, and insomnia, with perceived injustice specified as a latent intervening construct. Results CFA supported a unidimensional structure (comparative fit index = 0.993; root mean square error of approximation = 0.080). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s α = 0.82; McDonald’s ω = 0.90), and test–retest reliability was moderate (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.60). IEQ-SF-J scores correlated significantly with pain interference, insomnia, and depressive symptoms. Job demands and low job control showed significant indirect associations with all three outcomes involving perceived injustice. Conclusions The IEQ-SF-J showed supportive evidence for several measurement properties and occupied a theoretically coherent position in associations linking occupational stressors with pain interference, depressive symptoms, and insomnia among workers with headache or low back pain.
Background: Older adults requiring long-term care often spend prolonged time in sedentary behavior. Interrupting SB requires assessing the behavioral determinants that support or hinder SB interruptions, but no dedicated instrument is available. This study aimed to develop the Sedentary Behavior Interruption Questionnaire (SB-IQ) and examine its structural and concurrent validity. Methods: Items were generated based on the Theoretical Domains Framework to create an 83-item prototype mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior system. The prototype was refined through expert review and a three-round Delphi process, yielding a 40-item, content-valid second version. Structural validity was assessed via Rasch analysis in older adults requiring long-term care (n = 129). Concurrent validity was examined in a subsample with accelerometer-measured SB (n = 57) by computing Spearman correlations between SB-IQ domain scores and ≥60-minute sedentary bouts. Results: Rasch analysis indicated that the Motivation domain was not unidimensional; items were reclassified into four domains via exploratory factor analysis, and then reevaluated. The final SB-IQ comprised 28 items across six domains: Capability (5), Opportunity (8), Beliefs about consequences (3), Goals (4), Beliefs about capabilities (5), and Behavioral regulation (3). All domains met unidimensionality and fit criteria. Significant negative correlations with sedentary bouts were seen between Behavioral regulation (rho = –0.349) and Beliefs about capabilities (rho = –0.348). Conclusions: The final SB-IQ was established after structural validation. Its associations with objectively measured sedentary bouts support concurrent validity. The SB-IQ may help clinicians design individualized strategies and identify the behavioral determinants of interruptions in prolonged SB in older adults requiring long-term care.
Purpose: Personalized therapy in acromegaly is limited by interindividual variability in drug responses and the lack of robust markers predicting tumor shrinkage, rather than biochemical control alone. To test whether ex vivo drug-induced viability changes in patient-derived 3D cultures (Pd3D) of GH–secreting pituitary adenomas reflect tumor cell-intrinsic pharmacological sensitivity and align with established clinical predictors. Methods: Spheroid-based Pd3D cultures were established from 27 patients with acromegaly. Cultures were exposed to octreotide, cabergoline, pasireotide, or vehicle control. We assessed cell viability changes; sample-level responder status (viability reduction vs vehicle, p < 0.05); and associations between responder status and known predictive markers, including clinical characteristics, MRI findings, dynamic drug tests, and pathological features. In 6 cases, AI-based digital image analysis quantified pre- and post-treatment SSTR2 expression in liquid-based cytology (LBC). Results: All agents modestly reduced median cell viability (84–86%, p < 0.05), with responder rates of 33–40%. Concordance with established predictors was observed: octreotide responders correlated with T2 hypointensity (88% vs 44%, p = 0.04); cabergoline with positive bromocriptine tests (100% vs 45%, p = 0.03); and pasireotide with sparsely granulated patterns (64% vs 19%, p = 0.04). AI-based dynamic analysis demonstrated that ex vivo responders showed relatively stable SSTR2 expression after treatment, whereas nonresponders exhibited marked depletion. Conclusion: Spheroid-based Pd3D ex vivo viability assays revealed modest but significant cohort-level effects and sample-level concordance with clinical predictors, supporting the platform's validity. Additionally, AI-based quantification of SSTR2 dynamics captured functional receptor shifts.
Background: Foreign residents in Japan faced various barriers that hindered their access to governmental COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) support, which may have influenced their satisfaction with available services and overall well-being. However, limited evidence exists on how awareness of such support relates to satisfaction. This study examined the association between awareness of governmental COVID-19 support and satisfaction among foreign residents living in Japan. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between September and November 2023 using a commercial online survey panel of foreign residents in Japan. Satisfaction with governmental support was assessed using a 10-point scale and dichotomized at the median. Signal detection analysis was applied to identify factors associated with higher satisfaction. Results: Among 427 respondents, 400 (93.7%) reported receiving COVID-19 vaccination. Satisfaction with government support was assessed using a 10-point scale, with a mean score of 5.8. Awareness of support was the strongest predictor of satisfaction, and length of residence was an additional determinant among those aware of support. Distinct demographic and socioeconomic patterns were observed across awareness and residence groups. Conclusions: Awareness of governmental COVID-19 support played a key role in shaping satisfaction among foreign residents, regardless of service use. Tailored, group-specific approaches considering length of residence and individual characteristics may improve access to support and enhance well-being.
