Exploring the potential of ChatGPT for foreign language education at the university level.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to explore students' attitudes and perceived usefulness of using ChatGPT for learning a foreign language to reveal how this new trend tool affects its end-users. Methods: The authors conducted qualitative research by using a questionnaire survey based on hands-on experience by university students. Results: The findings reveal that students are fascinated, satisfied, and stimulated to use this technology despite some of their reservations and potential threats. The authors of this study also list pedagogical implications, including specific activities, while using ChatGPT. Discussion: Although ChatGPT can be very beneficial for teachers and help them in their preparation, it sets a challenging task for them to change the existing teaching approaches and assessments to boost students' cognitive, creative, and critical thinking skills. In addition, both teachers and students will have to upskill their competencies to handle the current advancements in AI technology, such as ChatGPT.

Assessing the Usability of ChatGPT for Formal English Language Learning.

Recently, the emerging technologies have been constantly shaping the education domain, especially the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for language learning, which has attracted significant attention. Many of the AI tools are being used for learning foreign languages, in both formal and informal ways. There are many studies that have explored the potential of the recent technology "ChatGPT" for education and learning languages, but none of the existing studies have conducted any exploratory study for assessing the usability of ChatGPT. This paper conducts an assessment for usability of ChatGPT for formal English language learning. The study uses a standard questionnaire-based approach to ask participants about their feedback for usefulness and effectiveness of ChatGPT. The participants were asked for their feedback after performing series of tasks related to formal English language learning with ChatGPT. A variety of student participants were selected for this study with diverse English language proficiency levels, education levels, and nationalities. The quantitative analysis of the participant responses shed light on their experience with regards to the usability of ChatGPT for performing different English language learning tasks such as conversation, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. The findings from this study are quite promising and indicate that ChatGPT is an effective tool to be used for formal English language learning. Overall, this study contributes to the fast-growing research domain on using emerging technologies for formal English language learning by conducting in-depth assessment of usability for ChatGPT in formal English language learning.

Cognitive Gain in Digital Foreign Language Learning.

This systematic review examines the potential of digital language learning in contributing to students' cognitive gains. The study reviews existing research on the relationship between digital language learning and cognitive benefits, with a focus on enhanced problem-solving skills, memory, and multitasking ability. The research questions explored in this study are (1) does digital language learning contribute to cognitive gains in foreign language education? and (2) what are the pedagogical implications for cognitive improvement in digital foreign language education? The study employs the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology to identify and analyze relevant research articles. The results of the review suggest that working with printed texts may be more effective for cognitive gains compared to electronic texts. Additionally, implementing more senses through digital language education appears to be beneficial for cognitive gains. Thus, several pedagogical implications emerge for promoting cognitive improvement in digital foreign language education. Firstly, it is crucial to implement techniques and strategies that best align with students' language needs in a digital learning environment, whether it involves pen-and-paper activities or a flipped classroom approach. Secondly, exposing students to a variety of techniques that engage multiple senses can have a positive impact on cognitive gains. Finally, providing students with feedback is essential to maintain their motivation and foster continued progress in their foreign language studies.

Using DeepL translator in learning English as an applied foreign language - An empirical pilot study.

With the advent of new emerging technologies, machine translation, especially natural machine translation (NMT) and its tools, is being increasingly applied in second language (L2) acquisition. The aim of this study is to investigate the usefulness of machine translation, specifically DeepL Translator, in the second language acquisition process, since it has a great potential to transform foreign language education. The present empirical pilot study describes an experiment dealing with the use of neural machine translation in the process of formal writing (i.e., writing a summary) in a foreign language. Altogether 16 university students learning English as an applied foreign language with C1 level of English proficiency participated in the experiment. The results show differences between pre-test and post-test, and a significant improvement in students' language skills due to the use of DeepL Translator. The questionnaire survey, among other things, reveals positive perceptions of this tool and awareness of improved language skills by the research participants. The findings indicate that purposefully guided working with a NMT tool can contribute to the perceived usefulness of its use in learning English as an applied foreign language.

Interferon Beta-1a versus Glatiramer Acetate: Changes of Innate Immunity in a Group of Women with Multiple Sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune demyelinating disease that secondarily leads to axonal loss and associated brain atrophy. Disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) have previously been studied for their ability to affect specific immunity. This study investigates the effect of interferon beta-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA) administration on changes in innate immunity cell populations. METHODS: Sixty Caucasian female patients with relapsing-remitting MS undergo blood sample testing for 15 blood parameters at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment by GA or IFN (started as their first-line DMD). RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in the change after 6 months was found in the parameter monocytes (relative count) in the group of patients treated with IFN. The median increase was 27.8%. Changes in many of the other 15 parameters studied were 10-20%. CONCLUSION: Innate immunity has long been neglected in MS immunopathology. The findings suggest that IFN treatment may modulate the immune response in MS by affecting monocyte function and may provide insight into the mechanisms of action of IFN in MS.

The use of chatbots in university EFL settings: Research trends and pedagogical implications.

This mini-review aims to identify major research trends, models, and theories and provide specific pedagogical implications for teaching when using chatbots in EFL classes. This study follows the guidelines of the PRISMA methodology and searches for open-access empirical studies in two reputable databases, Web of Science and Scopus. The results of this mini-review confirm the findings of other research studies, which show that the present research on the use of chatbots in university EFL settings focuses on their effectiveness, motivation, satisfaction, exposure, and assessment. The key contribution of this study lies in its evaluation of the chatbot's potential in applying and integrating the existing theories and concepts used in EFL teaching and learning, such as CEFR, mind mapping, or self-regulatory learning theory. This will address the gap in the literature because no previous review study has conducted such an analysis. Overall, the findings of this mini-review contribute with their specific pedagogical implications and methods to the effective use of chatbots in the EFL environment, be it formal or informal.

Assessment of Functional Capacity of Immune System in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis using QuantiFERON Monitor.

Background: The QuantiFERON®-Monitor (QFM) is an assay that measures interferon-γ production and was developed to provide an objective marker of complex immune response. In this study, we evaluated the use of the QFM test in patients with two forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), relapsing-remitting form treated with fingolimod (fMS) and secondarily progressive form not treated pharmacologically (pMS), and in healthy controls (HC). We hypothesized that IFN-γ levels would be lower in those subjects who are relatively more immunosuppressed and higher in those with normal or activated immune function. Methods: This single-center observational study was conducted from November 2020 to October 2021 and compared results in three groups of patients: 86 healthy controls, 96 patients with pMS, and 78 fMS. Combination of lyophilized stimulants was added to 1 ml heparinized whole blood within 8 hr of collection. Plasmatic IFN-γ was measured using the ELISA kit for the QFM and data were obtained in IU/ml. Results: The results showed that controls had nearly 2-fold higher levels of IFN-γ (QFM score) in median (q25, q75) 228.00 (112.20, 358.67) than the MS patient groups: pMS 144.80 (31.23, 302.00); fMS 130.50 (39.95, 217.07) which is statistically significant difference P-value: HC vs. pMS = 0.0071; HC vs. fMS = 0.0468. This result was also confirmed by a validation analysis to exclude impact of variable factors, such as disease duration and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores. Conclusions: Results showed that controls had higher levels of IFN-γ production than the MS patient groups and suggest that MS patients included in this study have a lower ability of immune system activation than HC. Results confirm that fingolimod is able to suppress production of IFN-γ. The fact that the QFM score of MS patients is significantly lower than that of HC may indicate a dysfunctional state of the immune system in baseline conditions.

A Comparative Analysis of Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning.

The use of electronic media has increased dramatically in the past decade due to the general increase in digitization of global societies. This trend has been recently enhanced by the COVID-19 occurrence and following forced implementation of various forms of eLearning into university curricula, including all forms of second language (L2) acquisition. The present study focuses on the evaluation of perceived advantages and disadvantages of online L2 acquisition via electronic media by university students of the Czech Republic (n = 114) and Poland (n = 121). The research methodology was an online questionnaire asking the users of digital media for L2 acquisition about their perceived advantages and disadvantages regarding the use of print and digital media and their potential impact on their L2 acquisition. To understand their evaluation is crucial as it could lead to increased motivation or demotivation to learn a foreign language. The results clearly show that the students realize the drawbacks of digital media and this could lead to their dissatisfaction and frustration when they have to use these media excessively. The implications of the findings could be helpful and necessary for various course designers, curricula makers, and course tutors as they are responsible for the smooth implementation of various digital tools into the educational process.

The quantitative evaluation of subjective satisfaction with digital media in L2 acquisition in younger adults: A study from Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Foreign language learning has recently been transferred into an online or hybrid mode and this has brought many challenges for both the teachers and the students. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore students' subjective satisfaction with the use of digital media in their L2 acquisition conducted online, as well as to provide specific recommendations for meeting students' needs in digital media L2 instruction. This is large-scale comparative research conducted in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Iraq, and Malaysia. The data were collected through an online questionnaire in May, June, and July 2021 in the given countries. The findings reveal that students' subjective satisfaction that is related to students' attitudes toward the online learning process, the general usefulness of language, the role of the teacher, and the matters that affect the general process of teaching and learning all gained the positive answers. Whereas the items that are related to students' subjective satisfaction toward language skills, digital-based reading, the effectiveness of online education over face-to-face, and communicating with teachers and peers via social media are all gained negative results. These results need further analysis but they can be an impetus for much larger research and further implications to optimize L2 acquisition.

Vocabulary Mobile Learning Application in Blended English Language Learning.

Mobile devices and applications, which have become an integral part of our lives, are gradually used for different purposes, including learning languages in EFL classrooms. Since vocabulary plays an important role in the process of foreign language learning, the aim of this study was to explore the use of the vocabulary mobile learning application and its usefulness in blended English learning. Quantitative and qualitative approach to research was used, since the integration of both approaches created the possibility to solve complex research problem. The case study was based on the use of the developed mobile application called Anglictina Today the content of which corresponded to the language needs of the target group of students. The quantitative approach used a method of quasi-experiment aiming to achieve the pre-tests and post-test results of the students from the experimental and control groups. The results showed that the students facing blended learning, including mobile application in the process of language learning, achieved better results than the students exposed to the traditional, face-to-face education. In addition, the results revealed students' overall satisfaction with the application. The main reasons for their satisfaction were improved vocabulary knowledge, ease of use, and enhanced motivation. Based on these findings from the current study, it can be argued that the vocabulary mobile learning application proved to be useful in the process of blended English language learning.

Analysis of the Group of Pediatric Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Data From the Czech National Registry.

Importance: Multiple sclerosis can also affect children. Approximately 3-10% of patients develop multiple sclerosis before the age of 16. Objective: The aim of this analysis is to describe the characteristics of pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis who started their treatment with disease-modifying drugs in 2013-2020, with data obtained from the Czech National Registry of patients with multiple sclerosis. Design and Setting: A method of retrospective analysis conducted with 134 pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis was used. Results: The findings reveal that the mean age at the date of the introduction of the first disease-modifying drugs treatment is 15.89 years, and gender does not play any role. In addition, moderate (51.6%) and mild (45.2%) relapses are predominant in these young patients. Seventy five percent of patients will not experience a confirmed progression of the expanded disability status scale within 54.7 months from starting the treatment. Furthermore, the results confirm that the first-choice treatment is interferon beta-a and glatiramer acetate, which is common for adult patients. However, some factors, such as a low efficacy or a lack of tolerance may impact on treatment discontinuation in children. Conclusion: More research should be performed on novel disease-modifying drugs for this target group.

University Students and Their Ability to Perform Self-Regulated Online Learning Under the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of the educational system, including students' learning styles, which are heavily dependent on self-regulated studying strategies and motivation. The purpose of this study was to discover whether Central European students, in this case the Slovak and Czech students, were able to perform self-regulated learning during online learning under the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve their learning goals and improve academic performance, as well as to propose a few practical recommendations how to develop and maintain students' self-regulation learning in this new online environment. The methodology was based on a questionnaire survey conducted among 268 students at two Central European universities in February and March 2021. The findings indicate that Central European students seemed to be able to perform their online self-study, especially in regard to personal competencies, meaningfulness and motivation. They reported higher awareness of their strengths and weaknesses in learning, time management, and/or the usefulness of making an effort to study. However, the findings reveal an urgent need for more work to be done in the area of metacognitive strategies, such as reflective and critical thinking, analyzing and evaluating. In this respect, the teacher's role is replaceable since s/he serves as a facilitator and promotes these metacognitive strategies by providing students with constructive feedback, monitoring their learning, reviewing their progress, and/or providing opportunities to reflect on their learning. There were not any striking differences between the Czech and Slovak students. Nevertheless, Slovak students (females in particular) seemed to be more self-disciplined and goal-oriented in their learning.

Ethical issues of the use of AI-driven mobile apps for education.

Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) affects our lives every single day and brings with it both benefits and risks for all spheres of human activities, including education. Out of these risks, the most striking seems to be ethical issues of the use of AI, such as misuse of private data or surveillance of people's lives. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to describe the key ethical issues related to the use of AI-driven mobile apps in education, as well as to list some of the implications based on the identified studies associated with this research topic. The methodology of this review study was based on the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The results indicate four key ethical principles that should be followed, out of which the principle of algorithmovigilance should be considered in order to monitor, understand and prevent the adverse effects of algorithms in the use of AI in education. Furthermore, all stakeholders should be identified, as well as their joint engagement and collaboration to guarantee the ethical use of AI in education. Thus, the contribution of this study consists in emphasizing the need for joint cooperation and research of all stakeholders when using AI-driven mobile technologies in education with special attention to the ethical issues since the present research based on the review studies is scarce and neglected in this respect.

An Insight into Online Foreign Language Learning and Teaching in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed and transformed the traditional educational setting. Both teaching and learning have been transformed to online settings at all educational levels. The purpose of this article is to discuss students' perception of and attitudes to online foreign language learning in the COVID-19 pandemic at the Faculty of Informatics and Management of the University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. The key method was a questionnaire survey, which was conducted among the third-year distant students. The results, based on five constructs/variables, i.e. language skills, learning materials, students' motivation to study online, preparedness for online teaching and learning, and effectiveness of foreign online teaching, reveal that students do not feel that they have improved their language skills by studying purely online. The results also demonstrate students' preference for printed materials because they are more suitable for taking notes and retaining new words and phrases, especially when students can highlight them. In addition, the findings confirm that both teachers and students are well prepared for performing their online instruction. Although students feel motivated to study online, these students experience social distance as those who are not stimulated to learn online. Moreover, the results confirm that students consider the online language classes effective, but face-to-face classes cannot be replaced. In this respect teacher's role is irreplaceable. Therefore, educational institutions should invest in supporting them technically, mentally, as well as financially, in this difficult period in order to ensure and provide quality teaching for future generations.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation Through Intervention by Second Language Acquisition in Older Adults.

The paper deals with a possibility of foreign language learning (FLL) intervention in older adults as a psychosocial rehabilitation method to improve the quality of life (QoL) in this age segment, i.e. the people who are over 55 years. FLL has been researched as a successful tool to maintain or even enhance cognitive functions in older age along with other intentional activities, such as engagement in any physical activity. FLL cannot dramatically improve memory and cognitive deterioration of older adults, however, it can improve QoL by increasing subjective happiness that is connected to improved wellbeing. The research was conducted in two groups of seniors who are engaged in FLL, specifically in the Czech Republic and Poland. The major premise of the research was based on the positive psychology concept, i.e., the subjective happiness leads to improved levels of QoL. Both groups consisted of about a hundred respondents whose opinions were researched by an online questionnaire. The major focus of this questionnaire was to evaluate the level of subjective happiness and then compare the results obtained from the respondents from these two geographically different regions. The findings clearly showed that those who had engaged in FLL had reached high levels of subjective happiness, therefore, their subjective wellbeing could be improved. These results might be important for psychosocial rehabilitation practices because they can create a framework for further non-pharmacological intervention to maintain healthy aging. FLL can thus be a very efficient tool for any psychosocial rehabilitation in older healthy adults who do not suffer from any cognitive pathological development but who are just experiencing negative side effects of natural aging process. The research into this topic is very scarce, and therefore, this paper could be an inspiration for further and larger-scale research.

Neuropharmacology of Cevimeline and Muscarinic Drugs-Focus on Cognition and Neurodegeneration.

At present, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias cannot be cured. Therefore, scientists all over the world are trying to find a new approach to prolong an active life of patients with initial dementia. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological pathways are investigated to improve the key symptom of the disease, memory loss. In this respect, influencing the neuromodulator acetylcholine via muscarinic receptors, such as cevimeline, might be one of the therapeutic alternatives. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of cevimeline on the cognitive functions of AD patients. The methodology is based on a systematic literature review of available studies found in Web of Science, PubMed, Springer, and Scopus on the research topic. The findings indicate that cevimeline has shown an improvement in experimentally induced cognitive deficits in animal models. Furthermore, it has demonstrated to positively influence tau pathology and reduce the levels of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide in the cerebral spinal fluid of Alzheimer's patients. Although this drug has not been approved by the FDA for its use among AD patients and there is a lack of clinical studies confirming and extending this finding, cevimeline might represent a breakthrough in the treatment of AD.

A Novel Educational Smartphone Application for Cognitively Healthy Seniors: A Pilot Study.

Modern technologies surround people every day, including seniors. The aim of this pilot study was to create a maximally user-friendly mobile application in order to meet older users' individual needs. The research sample consisted of 13 older individuals at the age of 55+ years with a mean age of 67 years, living in the Czech Republic. The key assessment tools of this pilot study were the developed application and usability testing. The findings confirmed that the newly developed mobile application for teaching English met the needs of cognitively healthy seniors, and was acceptable and feasible. In addition, it indicated what technical (e.g., visual interface or easy navigation) and pedagogical (e.g., an instructional manual or adjusting to seniors' learning pace or clear instructions) aspects should be strictly followed when designing such an educational smartphone application. In addition, the authors of this pilot study provide several implications for pedagogical practice. Further research should include more empirical studies aimed at the exploration of educational mobile applications for older generation groups with respect to meeting their individual needs in order to enhance their overall well-being. However, such studies are, nowadays, very rare.

The Effect of Mediterranean Diet on Cognitive Functions in the Elderly Population.

At present, due to the demographic changes and the rise of senior population worldwide, there is effort to prolong an active life of these people by both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. The purpose of this article is, on the basis of the literature review of recent clinical studies, to discuss one of such strategy, i.e., the effect of Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) on the cognitive functions among both the cognitively unimpaired and impaired elderly people. The methodology includes a literature review of full-text, peer-reviewed journal studies written in English and published in Web of Science and PubMed between 1 January 2016 and 28 February 2021. The findings indicate that the adherence to MedDiet has a positive effect on both cognitively impaired and unimpaired older population, especially on their memory, both in the short and long run. The results show that the higher adherence to MedDiet proves to have a better effect on global cognitive performance of older people. In addition, the adherence to MedDiet offers other benefits to older people, such as reduction of depressive symptoms, lowered frailty, as well as reduced length of hospital stays.

Multiple sclerosis and immune system biomarkers: Novel comparison in glatiramer acetate and interferon beta-1a-treated patient groups.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). T cells and B lymphocytes are involved in the development of this disease. METHODS: The following biomarkers were determined in peripheral blood in 28 patients treated with glatiramer acetate (GA) and 21 patients treated with interferon beta 1-a (IFN): IL-10, BAFF, Mx1, IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 (at baseline and after 6 months of treatment). All participants had confirmed MS diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective is to assess a percentual change of biomarkers after 6 months since the first-line treatment initiation with GA or IFN. The secondary objective is to explore correlations between the baseline biomarkers' values (levels). RESULTS: A positive trend was observed in the increase in IL-10 concentration by 30.33 % (IFN) and by 15.65 % (GA). In the IFN group, we observed a statistically significant increase in the BAFF protein concentration by 29.9% (P < 0.001). We found that Mx1 protein levels did not change with the administration of GA, which can be explained by the different mechanisms of action of GA. The serum levels of IgG immunoglobulins and both IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses in both groups of patients were increased. Thus, our data were in accordance with the generally accepted assumption that both IFN and GA are capable of modulating the B cell system. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that treatment with IFN and GA has a more pronounced influence on the B cell system of MS.