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This study used a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design at one-week intervals to determine the extent to which written, audio, and audiovisual L2 input contributed to incidental vocabulary learning. Seventy-six university students learning EFL in China were randomly assigned to four groups. Each group was presented with the input from the same television documentary in different modes: reading the printed transcript, listening to the documentary, viewing the documentary, and a nontreatment control condition. Checklist and multiple-choice tests were designed to measure knowledge of target words. The results showed that L2 incidental vocabulary learning occurred through reading, listening, and viewing, and that the gain was retained in all modes of input one week after encountering the input. However, no significant differences were found between the three modes on the posttests indicating that each mode of input yielded similar amounts of vocabulary gain and retention. A significant relationship was found between prior vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary learning, but not between frequency of occurrence and vocabulary learning. The study provides further support for the use of L2 television programs for language learning.

This article reports the first attempt to test the relevance of buoyancy—the capacity to overcome the setbacks, challenges, and pressures that are part of the ordinary course of school life—for instructed second language (L2) learning. Questionnaire data from 787 college-level L2 learners in South Korea assessed their academic buoyancy and a set of six hypothesized predictors. A two-step cluster analysis of the data identified five prominent L2 learner archetypes, providing evidence for the existence of L2 domain-specific buoyancy profiles. Using structural equation modeling, we examined links among the six predictor variables, buoyancy, and L2 achievement and grade point average (GPA). The results showed that buoyancy significantly predicted both L2 achievement and GPA and mediated the effect of the predictors on these two outcome variables. Buoyancy, thus, captures a dimension of L2 motivation that is conceptually and empirically distinct from existing constructs, and represents an essential yet underexplored capacity for success in language learning.

There is growing evidence that L2 learners pick up new words while viewing video but little is known about the role of individual differences. This study explores incidental learning after viewing a French documentary containing 15 pseudowords and investigates whether learning is moderated by participants’ prior vocabulary knowledge and working memory. Sixty-three higher-intermediate learners of French participated in this study. Prior vocabulary knowledge was measured by means of a French meaning recognition test. Participants also took a forward digit-span (phonological short-term memory), a backward digit-span, and an operation-span task (complex working memory). After viewing the video, four surprise vocabulary tests on form and meaning were administered. Results revealed that learning gains occurred at the level of form and meaning recognition. Vocabulary knowledge was positively related to picking up new words from video. Complex working memory correlated with the recognition tests showing more incidental learning gains for learners with higher complex working memory.

This study investigated the cognitive processes underlying pauses at different textual locations (e.g., within/between words) and various levels of revision (e.g., below word/clause). We used stimulated recall, keystroke logging, and eye-tracking methodology in combination to examine pausing and revision behaviors. Thirty advanced Chinese L2 users of English performed a version of the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. During the writing task, participants’ key strokes were logged, and their eye movements were recorded. Immediately after the writing task, 12 participants also took part in a stimulated recall interview. The results revealed that, when participants paused at larger textual units, they were more likely to look back in the text and engage in higher-order writing processes. In contrast, during pauses at lower textual units, they tended to view areas closer to the inscription point and engage in lower-order writing processes. Prior to making a revision, participants most frequently had viewed the text that they subsequently revised or their eye gazes had been off-screen. Revisions focused more on language- than content-related issues, but there was a smaller difference in the number of language- and content-focused stimulated recall comments when larger textual units were revised.

A second language can be learned inside and outside the classroom. In this study we investigated the English and French vocabulary knowledge of 110 Dutch-speaking children (age 10–12), who received 100 hours of instruction in French, whereas their contact with English came from out-of-school exposure only. We examined the role of individual differences (out-of-school exposure and gender) and word-related variables (cognateness, frequency, and language). The children completed a receptive vocabulary test in English and French and filled in a questionnaire. The results showed that the children had a larger vocabulary knowledge in English than in French, illustrating the power of contextual language learning. Word learning was influenced by the amount of exposure, word frequency, and cognateness. Additionally, English words were easier to learn than French words for the participants we tested. Our results point to the need for out-of-school exposure to supplement language learning in the classroom.

Theories of multimedia learning suggest that learners can form better referential connections when verbal and visual materials are presented simultaneously. Furthermore, the addition of auditory input in reading-while-listening conditions benefits performance on a variety of linguistic tasks. However, little research has been conducted on the processing of multimedia input (written text and images) with and without accompanying audio. Eye movements were recorded during young L2 learners’ (N = 30) processing of a multimedia story text in reading-only and reading-while-listening conditions to investigate looking patterns and their relationship with comprehension using a multiple-choice comprehension test. Analysis of the eye-movement data showed that the presence of audio in reading-while-listening conditions allowed learners to look at the image more often. Processing time on text was related to lower levels of comprehension, whereas processing time on images was positively related to comprehension.

As the largest human organ, the skin experiences lifelong exposure to intrinsic/extrinsic factors that over time diminish its functional capacity and structural integrity. Skin aging involves cellular dysfunction and the loss or fragmentation of extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers, clinically presenting as wrinkles, slackening, and pigmentary abnormalities. The heat shock response (HSR) is a gene regulatory program that controls the expression of molecular chaperones associated with aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. By maintaining cellular homeostasis and facilitating DNA repair, HSR exerts protective effects against skin aging, as utilized in aesthetic technologies such as radiofrequency and focused ultrasound. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism, optimal conditions, and potential risks of short-term heat shock (HS) on the senescence process of human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF-1), providing experimental evidence to support the application of thermal stress in delaying skin aging. A replicative senescence model of HFF-1 cells was first established. Subsequently, cells were subjected to HS at 41 °C, 45 °C, and 49 °C, with a control group maintained at 37 °C. Assessments, including cell proliferation and viability assays, apoptosis analysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, Western blot, and heat shock proteins (HSPs) mRNA expression, demonstrated that 49 °C HS induced irreversible cellular damage. In contrast, 30 min HS at 41 °C and 45 °C attenuated senescence-associated phenotypes to varying extents under our experimental conditions.

Cells counteract proteotoxic conditions by launching transcriptional stress responses. While synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) upon acute stress is well characterized, how distinct proteotoxic conditions reshape the transcriptome remains poorly understood. Here, we analyse polyA+ RNA expression under heat shock, HSP90 inhibition, and polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregation. We find fundamentally distinct transcriptional responses to proteotoxic stressors and a systemic deficiency of mice under chronic stress to launch acute responses. While heat shock and HSP90 inhibition induce chaperones, polyQ aggregation increases expression of RNAs linked to transcription repression, chromatin remodeling, and autophagy. Analysing wild-type and Huntington’s Disease (HD) mice reveals tissue-specific transcriptional adaptations to polyQ, including repressed cell-type specific functions and altered energy metabolism. Despite profound reprogramming, remarkably few genes exhibit consistently increased (Acy3, Abhd1, Tmc3) or decreased (Fos) RNA levels across HD brain regions. These results emphasize cellular background in disease manifestation and support energy metabolism and detoxifying enzymes as therapeutic targets in late-stage HD. Moreover, the systemic deficiency of chronically stressed mice to launch responses challenges strategies that rely on induced transcription. Altogether, we characterize transcription signatures to proteotoxic stresses, identify key trans-activators driving proteotoxic stress responses, provide an interactive gene-by-gene viewer of global changes, and delineate tissue-specific transcription programs in HD mice.

Hypoxia is a potent inducer of skeletal muscle atrophy; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely defined. Irisin, a myokine derived from Fndc5, plays a critical role in maintaining muscle mass and function, while endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in muscle degeneration. Here, we investigated the interplay between hypoxia-induced ER stress and irisin regulation in skeletal muscle. Transcriptomic analyses and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) identified Fndc5 and Hspa5 (encoding GRP78) as key genes within hypoxia-related modules, displaying a strong negative correlation. In vivo, mice exposed to hypoxia showed reduced Fndc5/irisin expression accompanied by significant GRP78 upregulation. In vitro, chemical hypoxia and pharmacological induction of GRP78 by HA15 consistently suppressed Fndc5/irisin levels and impaired C2C12 myotube formation. Gene-miRNA network analysis suggested a shared post-transcriptional link between HSPA5-centered ER stress and FNDC5-associated atrophy programs under hypoxia, with miR-34a-5p as a candidate regulator. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that GRP78-driven ER stress under hypoxic conditions disrupts irisin production, thereby accelerating skeletal muscle atrophy. This work highlights a mechanistic axis linking ER stress to irisin deficiency in hypoxia-induced muscle wasting and provides new insights into potential therapeutic targets.

Autophagy and mitophagy are essential survival mechanisms that enable cancer cells to adapt to metabolic stress, particularly during nutrient deprivation. Therefore, targeting these pathways presents a promising therapeutic strategy. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the potential of isopimaric acid (IPA), a diterpenoid compound derived from Torreya nucifera, to disrupt autophagy-related processes in colon cancer cells. Notably, IPA treatment promoted the accumulation of autophagosomes, as indicated by increased LC3-II and p62 protein levels, suggesting an inhibition of autophagic flux rather than an enhancement of initiation. Further analysis revealed that IPA impaired lysosomal function and blocked autophagosome degradation. IPA also suppressed mitophagy by downregulating key regulators, including PINK1 and Parkin, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Particularly, IPA was non-toxic under nutrient-rich conditions but induced significant cell death under serum starvation conditions. To our knowledge, these findings are the first to show that IPA selectively induces apoptotic cell death in nutrient-deprived colon cancer cells by disrupting both late-stage autophagy and PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy. Furthermore, this research establishes the development of innovative therapeutic strategies that specifically target metabolic stress and combination therapy.