Article Education Psychology and Education

Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Transformative Learning Experiences through an eHealth Literacy Workshop in Japan

by Takafumi Tomura - October 7, 2025

The purpose of this study was to explore Japanese undergraduate students’ transformative learning experiences during an eHealth literacy workshop. Grounded in transformative learning theory, the study employed a descriptive qualitative approach using an explanatory case study design. Six undergraduate students who participated in the workshop completed a demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method, resulting in three major themes: (Theme I) learning about searching strategies to identify problematic assumptions, (Theme II) task-oriented learning to develop evaluation skills, and (Theme III) necessity of learning eHealth literacy for students who live alone. The findings emphasize the importance of prioritizing eHealth literacy in Japanese universities to prevent students from engaging in risky health information practices. Therefore, we hope the findings will contribute to the development of both formal and informal eHealth literacy education in Japanese universities, enhancing students’ capacity to become effective and responsible seekers of online health information.

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Article Architecture Biology Engineering in General General Medicine Life Sciences and Basic Medicine Social Medicine

Accuracy of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) at rest determined by a smart ring: A Study in Controlled Hypoxic Environments

by Yohei Takai - June 15, 2025

Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) measured by small wearable devices has garnered significant attention as a tool for detecting vital signs in acute and chronic diseases. However, the accuracy of such devices, particularly smart rings measuring SpO₂ at the finger base, remains underexplored. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of SpO₂ measurements obtained from a smart ring by comparing them with a clinical pulse oximeter in a controlled hypoxic environment. A total of 10 active males and females lay in the supine position at rest in a hypoxic environment, where oxygen saturation was maintained between 80% and 100% (normoxic levels). The participants wore a smart ring with photoplethysmography at the base of the second and third fingers of the dominant hand and a clinical pulse oximeter on their fingertips. To validate the accuracy of SpO₂ measured by a smart ring, leave-one-out cross-validation was performed, comparing root-mean-square error (RMSE) for 6793 data samples. The mean SpO₂ was 88.3 ± 7.2% for the smart ring and 88.3 ± 8.0% for the clinical-grade pulse oximeter, with a RMSE of 3.55%. These findings suggest that the smart ring provides reasonably accurate SpO₂ readings at rest, supporting its potential utility for health monitoring.

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Article Agriculture Food Sciences

A Study on the Effectiveness of Glycerophosphocholine (α-GPC) as an e-Sports Supplement

by Yuki Kamioka - February 18, 2025

This study examined the effects of oral intake of Glycerophosphocholine (α-GPC) on stress response and cognitive function in e-sports. α-GPC is a precursor of acetylcholine and is sometimes used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, but its potential effects in e-sports have not been investigated. In this study, 21 participants from university e-sports clubs and other groups were given α-GPC for 2 weeks. We measured their stress responses induced by e-sports and their performance in cognitive tasks. The results showed that the placebo increased the rate of increase in salivary amylase after e-sports, but α-GPC significantly decreased this increase. It also suppressed the increase in heart rate after e-sports. Furthermore, 1g of α-GPC significantly increased the rate of correct responses in a 3-back task, a cognitive task involving working memory, after ingestion. These results suggest that 2-week intake of α-GPC may enhance cognitive function and contribute to stress reduction and suppression of autonomic nervous system disturbances caused by e-sports. Further study is needed to determine the minimum effective intake period of the supplement.

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Technical Article Engineering in General Information Sciences Others

An attempt to realize digital transformation in local governments by utilizing the IT skills of information science students

by Edmund Soji Otabe - January 6, 2025

Division of Business Improvement and Digital Transformation of Iizuka City Hall in Fukuoka Prefecture and students from Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering at Kyushu Institute of Technology collaborated to attempt to use IT to improve various aspects of Iizuka City Hall's operations. First, Division of the Business Improvement and Digital Transformation solicited themes from divisions in Iizuka City Hall, selected around 10 from these and assigned university students to the themes to be solved. The information science students had a range of skill levels. They solved the problems in a variety of ways, including using automated processing, using cloud services, and developing software for tablet devices. While some of these methods have actually been used, there are also cases where they are not. This is thought to be because the system was created without sufficient consideration of how it would be used in the real case.

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