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Objectives:This study structurally analyzed physiotherapists' activity outcomes dispatched via the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer program, aiming to develop future strategies for physiotherapy education, practice, and global health engagement. Methods:We analyzed Reports 1-5 from 123 JICA-dispatched physiotherapists (2014-2024), focusing primarily on the "activity outcomes" section of Report 5 using KH Coder for text mining. Additional variables, such as year of dispatch, gender, host country, geographic region, and number of physiotherapists at the placement site, were extracted. Regions were divided into 5 categories: Asia, Africa, Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central Asia and the Middle East. Frequency and hierarchical cluster analyses were also performed. Utilizing clustering patterns, activity outcomes were classified into 8 categories. External variables-region and staffing levels-were used for cross-tabulations. Results:The study grouped outcomes into 2 main types: 4 categories reflecting direct support through clinical practice and technology transfer, and 3 categories representing institutional and organizational contributions rooted in logical problem solving. The small effect sizes indicated that external factors had limited influence on activity outcomes, such as a greater use of the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) approach in Latin America and areas with limited physiotherapy personnel. Conclusions:These findings indicate that JICA volunteer physiotherapists consistently fulfilled core professional roles across diverse contexts, emphasizing clinical support, capacity development, and system improvement. Despite regional and contextual differences, the weak effect sizes suggest that individual adaptability and shared professional values contribute to sustaining context-appropriate rehabilitation practices in global health settings.
IntroductionThree-dimensional (3D) printers can produce customized assistive devices in occupational therapy; however, occupational therapists' perceptions and early usage following clinical introduction remain poorly understood. This study examined perceptions, perceived barriers and enabling conditions, and early usage patterns among occupational therapists following 3D printer introduction in a rehabilitation hospital with minimal formal implementation support.MethodsA 3D printer was installed in the occupational therapy department, allowing trial printing of existing design data after brief basic instruction was provided to one representative therapist; no structured staff training, CAD instruction, formal usage recommendations, workflow integration, or dedicated institutional support was provided. A self-administered study-specific, non-validated questionnaire assessed perceptions and selected implementation-related conditions before and six months after installation. Paired data from 43 participants (follow-up rate: 79.6%) were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and McNemar tests.ResultsAfter installation, selection of the barrier “there is no 3D printer in the workplace” significantly decreased (adjusted p < 0.001), whereas selection of institutional and operational constraints, including insufficient time (adjusted p < 0.001) and lack of medical reimbursement (adjusted p = 0.044), increased. Participants showed less agreement that using a 3D printer was difficult (adjusted p = 0.047), while agreement that 3D printing was useful in occupational therapy practice also decreased (adjusted p = 0.044). Although statistically significant, these changes were small in magnitude. No statistically significant change was observed in future intention to use 3D printing (adjusted p = 0.063). Available printer records did not permit quantitative assessment of individual use; use remained limited to exploratory printing of existing designs.DiscussionThe introduction of a printer with minimal formal support was not accompanied by clear progression toward routine clinical use during the six-month observation period. These exploratory findings support further evaluation of structured education, technical assistance, workflow integration, and institutional arrangements, but do not establish their effectiveness or the causal effect of printer availability.
Research on mattering has increased exponentially, yet research in non-Western cultural contexts remains limited, in part because of the lack of valid and reliable mattering scales. Measures are needed both for research purposes and for identifying individual students who may lack this key component of personal worth. This study sought to fill the gap by translating and validating major mattering scales into Japanese. The General Mattering Scale-6, Anti-Mattering Scale, and Fear of Not Mattering Inventory were translated into Japanese and administered to university students in Japan ( N = 481) along with measures of loneliness, depression, burnout, and positive and negative affect. The psychometric results showed that the translated scales were reliable and the model fit indices were acceptable. The scales showed the theoretically expected correlations with self-esteem, depression, loneliness, and burnout, providing evidence of construct validity with clear relevance to student mental health. These findings highlight the utility of these instruments for examining mattering constructs among Japanese students and point to the need for interventions and programs that promote mattering and reduce anti-mattering and the fear of not mattering.
Marine mammals face the dual challenge of foraging underwater while relying on limited oxygen stores, making efficient oxygen management essential for survival. The dive response, which includes bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction, helps conserve oxygen for critical organs, such as the heart and brain. While the heart rate (HR) is known to decline with dive duration, the independent effect of dive depth, often confounded by longer dives, remains unclear. To isolate this effect, we measured HR and heart rate variability (HRV) in seven bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during voluntary dives to 0.5 m, 5 m and 10 m, with controlled dive durations ranging from 60, 90 and 120 s. We found that both HR and HRV decreased with increasing dive depth and duration, and that pre-dive breathing rate was positively correlated with HR before and during diving. Additionally, minimal activity to maintain depth did not influence cardiac metrics. These findings support the hypothesis that hydrostatic pressure influences cardiac function during diving, likely through its effects on lung volume. This study underscores the power of comparative physiology to reveal how air-breathing marine animals finely regulate cardiovascular function in response to environmental changes. Understanding these mechanisms is not only fundamental to evolutionary biology but also critical for predicting how diving species may be impacted by climate-driven changes in ocean temperature and hydrostatic pressure. KEY POINTS: Dive depth significantly influences cardiac function in bottlenose dolphins, even when dive duration and activity are controlled. Pre-dive respiratory rate influences diving heart rate, highlighting cardiorespiratory regulation. Cardiac responses followed a triphasic pattern during dives, mirroring patterns observed in other marine mammals. Findings provide mechanistic insight into oxygen management strategies critical for survival and foraging in diving marine mammals and offer predictive value for how air-breathing marine predators may physiologically adapt to climate-driven shifts in their environment.
