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Background: Japanese EFL learners often fail to identify and categorise the different degrees of certainty associated with CERTAIN, PROBABLE, and POSSIBLE items. This computer‐mediated study evaluated the relative effects of animated versus static illustrations on stimulating the spatial concept of distance for the acquisition of this knowledge. Objectives: This study aimed to: (1) discover whether the spatial concept of distance captured by three‐dimensional (3D) images in animated or static illustrations help learners understand spatial relationships more clearly, and (2) whether a static illustration is sufficient for learning the different degrees of certainty. Method: Animated and static visualisation groups used 3D images of animated versus static illustrations that capture the spatial concept of distance, and a contrasting group did not use illustrations. The former applied the spatial concept of distance to learn the degrees of certainty, using animated or static illustrations. A spatial concept‐oriented approach that visualises concepts of distance enabled participants to understand the degrees of certainty. The contrasting approach involved rote learning of a list of target expressions for the different degrees of certainty in English. Results and Conclusions: Both the animated and static versions of the spatial concept‐oriented approaches were equally effective. The difference between the two versions did not significantly impact the overall performance of the groups. Takeaways: Regardless of the type of effect, the spatial concept of distance captured in words and illustrations helped the participants (1) process the different degrees of certainty cognitively in terms of distances and (2) retain them in long‐term memory. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Understanding our experiences in terms of metaphors based on spatially visualised concepts of the physical world leads to mapping the embodied concepts onto non‐embodied concepts and retaining these in long‐lasting memory.3D descriptions direct people's attention to the spatially visualised concepts, which influences people to internalise them with ease.The lack of consensus (in previous studies) on the effect of animated versus static versions of the metaphor awareness‐raising approach with either 2D or 3D images has some relevance to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. What this paper adds: Computer‐generated 3D images were used to help participants in the metaphor‐based groups understand spatial relationships related to the degrees of certainty among certain, probable, and possible items.This study evaluated the relative effects of animated versus static illustrations on stimulating the spatial concept of distance for the acquisition of this knowledge.The animated and static version of the metaphor‐based approach groups outperformed those in the non‐metaphor‐based and control groups. Implications for practice and/or policy: It is necessary to consider all possible confounding variables and control for their effects when designing future animation versus static studies.Further analysis of the spatial concept‐oriented metaphor‐based approach from the perspectives of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning combined with cognitive linguistic theory would be beneficial for fellow researchers and teachers to gain insight into the nuances of the approach and expand its application in the EFL context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Obstetrical guidelines were established in Japan in 2008, and obstetrical diagnoses and treatments were subsequently standardized nationally. We examined changes in the preterm birth rate (PTBR) and extremely preterm birth rate (EPTBR) following the introduction of such guidelines. Methods: Information on 50 706 432 live births in Japan between 1979 and 2021, including Japanese reproductive medicine, the childbearing age of pregnant women, and the employment status of reproductive‐age women between 2007 and 2020, were obtained from the Japanese government and academic societies. Regression analysis was used to compare chronological changes nationally and those of eight Japanese regions. Regional and national average PTBRs and EPTBRs from 2007 to 2020 were compared by using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: From 1979 to 2007, PTBRs and EPTBRs in Japan increased significantly. However, from 2008, the national PTBR and EPTBR decreased until 2020 (p < 0.001) and 2019 (p = 0.02), respectively. From 2007 to 2020, overall PTBR and EPTBR were 5.68% and 0.255%, respectively. A significant difference in the PTBR and EPTBR existed between the eight Japanese regions. During this period, the number of pregnancies using assisted reproductive technology increased from 19 595 to 60 381, pregnant women became older, the employment rate of those of reproductive age increased, and nonregular employment was 54%, which was 2.5 times higher than for men. Conclusions: In Japan, after obstetrical guidelines were enacted in 2008, PTRBs decreased significantly even under the pressure of increasing preterm births. Countermeasures may be necessary for regions showing high PTBRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, the importance of Advanced Care Planning has been recognized in Japan. However, it is still difficult for healthcare providers and patients to verbalize how they want to spend the last days of their lives and what unfinished business they have left to accomplish. This study aimed to clarify how nurses intervened to assist patients with cancer at the end of life to express their thoughts and concerns. Twenty‐four nurses were interviewed regarding how they intervened for patients' thoughts and concerns, and data were analyzed qualitatively using a modified grounded theory approach. A 25‐item scale was selected, and the questionnaires, which included the scale, were distributed to nurses in general wards, palliative care units, and home visiting nurse services. A total of 1864 responses were analyzed. Factor analysis and structural equation model analysis were used, and three factors were identified: "assessment and intervention," "basic care," and "knowledge and communication," which led to the formulation of an intervention structure model for uncovering thoughts and concerns. These results indicate the importance of basic care and communication during interventions for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Previous studies have reported high prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among frontline nurses caring for COVID‐19 patients. Yet, only a limited number of prospective studies examining nurses' mental health problems have been performed. The present study aimed to examine depressive symptoms and COVID‐19‐related stresses among nurses working specifically in a hospital COVID unit over a 7‐month period. Methods: In this study, depressive symptoms and COVID‐19‐related stresses of a total of 28 nurses who worked in the COVID unit were assessed using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptom (QIDS) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Distress Scale for Pandemic (TMDP) over the 7‐month period from December 2020 to June 2021. Results: The mean QIDS scores in all participants fluctuated during the study period, showing a high correlation with the reported number of new COVID‐19 cases in the region. The mean TMDP scores showed a gradual decline over the period. Scores on the social stress factor of the TMDP demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with the QIDS scores. Conclusions: The results indicate that the number of new COVID‐19 patients in the region is associated with depressive symptoms among nurses in the hospital COVID unit. Scores on the social stress factor in the TMDP are also correlated with depressive symptoms among nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]