創価大学

People differ in their susceptibility to both negative and positive environmental influences. Environmental Sensitivity is a framework that explains such individual differences, and its phenotypic trait can be measured using the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) scale. From the cultural/ethnic differences perspective, this study investigates the measurement invariance of the HSP scale and its associations with the Big Five personality traits and Negative/Positive Affect using samples from Japan and the United States. Participants from Japan (n = 531, Mage = 20.6 ± 1.5 years) and the United States (n = 487, Mage = 20.8 ± 2.2 years) completed an online questionnaire survey. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis supported the partial metric and full scalar invariance of the HSP scale across the samples, suggesting that the measurement of sensitivity is largely consistent across countries. Sensitivity was negatively correlated with Conscientiousness only in the Japanese sample, while higher sensitivity was associated with lower Extraversion and higher Neuroticism in both samples. Similar trends were observed in both samples for the correlations between sensitivity and Negative/Positive Affect. These findings illuminate both cultural and ethnic differences, as well as similarities, in sensitivity. Such differences were discussed in light of the individualism–collectivism framework.

Ammonium is abundant in agro-industrial effluents, providing a cost-effective and sustainable nitrogen source for cultivating the cyanobacterium Limnospira fusiformis. However, under high pH conditions, ammonium converts into free ammonia (NH3), causing inhibition. Therefore, an optimal ammonium supply strategy is required. This study assessed L. fusiformis growth under intermittent, continuous, and nighttime ammonium supply methods across four nitrogen loading rates: 3.9, 5.8, 11.6, and 17.4 mg NH4+-N L--(1) d(-)(1) . At a loading rate of 11.6 mg NH4+-N L--(1) d(-)(1) , intermittent and continuous supply yielded higher productivities (0.22 and 0.20 g L--(1) d(-)(1), respectively) than the nighttime method (0.15 g L--(1) d(-)(1)) (p < 0.05). Increasing the loading rate to 17.4 mg NH4+-N L--(1) d(-)(1) resulted in elevated NH3 concentrations, leading to growth inhibition and productivity declines to 0.09, 0.10, and 0.06 g L--(1) d(-)(1) under intermittent, continuous, and nighttime supply, respectively (p < 0.05). This study is the first to demonstrate that continuous or intermittent ammonium supply strategies can be effectively applied in the mass cultivation of L. fusiformis.

This study proposes a Bayesian semi-parametric framework for forecasting Value-at-Risk (VaR) and expected shortfall, with emphasis on tail risk dynamics driven by forward-looking geopolitical uncertainty. Narrative-based information is incorporated through the Geopolitical Threats Index (GPT), while market variability is captured using range-based volatility measures that provide stable high-frequency inputs. The model accommodates nonlinear and asymmetric dynamics in both the quantile and expected shortfall processes and introduces a threshold extension to capture regime-dependent tail behavior. Five competing model specifications are estimated within a unified Bayesian setting, enabling full probabilistic inference and coherent uncertainty quantification. Empirical analyses for Bitcoin and Brent crude oil futures evaluate predictive performance using loss-based scoring rules and regulatory backtests. The results show that incorporating geopolitical signals and threshold dynamics leads to substantial improvements in tail risk forecasting.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains a major clinical challenge, as tumor growth persists despite androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibition. Glycosaminoglycans, particularly chondroitin sulfate (CS), are increasingly recognized as modulators of oncogenic signaling. However, the contribution of distinct sulfation motifs to therapeutic resistance is poorly understood. Here, we identify the CS-E motif as a critical regulator of IL-6/STAT3 signaling and a driver of hormone-independent growth in CRPC. Transcriptomic profiling (RNA-seq), real-time PCR, and flow cytometry were employed to assess CS sulfation changes in C4-2 prostate cancer cells under androgen-deprived conditions. Because reliable tools to detect CS-E have been lacking, we engineered a novel mutant lectin (Cochlin B8) with selective affinity for CS-E. This innovation enabled precise monitoring and functional characterization of CS-E on the surface of cancer cells. Functional studies combined GALNAC4S-6ST knockdown, pharmacological inhibition with Chst15-IN-1, and signaling assays to examine effects on IL-6/STAT3 activation and cell proliferation. Androgen deprivation induced upregulation of GALNAC4S-6ST and enhanced CS-E biosynthesis on the cell surface. Elevated CS-E facilitated IL-6 binding to the cell surface, potentiated STAT3 phosphorylation, and sustained androgen-independent proliferation. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of GALNAC4S-6ST significantly reduced CS-E levels, impaired IL-6 binding, attenuated STAT3 activation, and selectively suppressed proliferation under hormone-depleted conditions (IC₅₀ = 1.39 µM under androgen-deprived conditions vs. 4.46 µM under androgen-replete conditions). These effects were specific to IL-6/STAT3, with no detectable impact on AR-independent EGFR or WNT signaling pathways. This study reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism whereby CS-E sustains CRPC progression by selectively enhancing IL-6/STAT3 signaling when AR signaling is suppressed. Importantly, the development of Cochlin B8 overcomes a major technical barrier in CS-E research, providing a novel tool for its specific detection and functional analysis. Targeting CS-E biosynthesis represents a promising therapeutic strategy to counter resistance and improve prostate cancer treatment. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Many patients initially respond well to treatments that block male hormones (androgens), because the cancer depends on androgen receptor (AR) signaling for growth. However, the disease often progresses to a stage called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), where tumors continue to grow even without androgens. At this stage, treatment options are very limited, and outcomes are poor. Our study focused on glycans, which are complex sugar chains attached to the surface of cells. Glycans act like information carriers that help cells communicate and respond to their environment. One specific glycan, chondroitin sulfate E (CS-E), became the focus of our work. We discovered that when androgens are absent, prostate cancer cells increase CS-E production. CS-E then strengthens another signaling pathway, called IL-6/STAT3, which enables the cancer to keep growing without androgens. Until now, it has been difficult to study CS-E because no reliable detection tools existed. To overcome this challenge, we created a new research tool called Cochlin B8, an engineered protein that selectively binds CS-E. This breakthrough allowed us to track CS-E and examine its role in cancer progression. Using Cochlin B8, we showed that blocking CS-E production with a small drug-like compound reduced cancer growth under androgen-deprived conditions. These findings reveal a new way that prostate cancer adapts to hormone therapy. By targeting CS-E, new treatments may be developed to stop cancer cells from bypassing androgen dependency, offering hope for patients with CRPC.

This paper utilizes the Bartlett decomposition of a singular Wishart variable to derive the log-expectation. A re-parameterization for maximum likelihood estimation is proposed to separately estimate the scale matrix and the degrees-of-freedom parameter. Its asymptotic and finite-sample properties are investigated.