Why Are Mothers Working Longer Hours in Austria than in Germany?: A Comparative Micro Simulation Analysis

Labor force participation rates of mothers in Austria and Germany are similar, however full-time employment rates are much higher among Austrian mothers. In order to find out to what extent these differences can be attributed to differences in the tax transfersystem, we perform a comparative micro simulation exercise. After estimating structural labor supply models of both countries, we interchange two important institutional characteristics of the two countries, namely (i) the definition of the tax unit within the personal income tax and (ii) the parental leave benefit scheme. As our analysis shows, differences in mothers' employment patterns can partly be explained by the different tax systems: While Germany has a system of joint taxation with income splitting for married couples, Austria taxes everyone individually, which leads to lower marginal tax rates for secondary earners than the German system.Labor supply, micro simulation, family policy, income taxation, Austria, Germany

Why are mothers working longer hours in Austria than in Germany? A comparative micro simulation analysis

Labor force participation rates of mothers in Austria and Germany are similar, however full-time employment rates are much higher among Austrian mothers. In order to find out to what extent these differences can be attributed to differences in the tax transfer system, we perform a comparative micro simulation exercise. After estimating structural labor supply models of both countries, we interchange two important institutional characteristics of the two countries, namely (i) the definition of the tax unit within the personal income tax and (ii) the parental leave benefit scheme. As our analysis shows, differences in mothers’ employment patterns can partly be explained by the different tax systems: While Germany has a system of joint taxation with income splitting for married couples, Austria taxes everyone individually, which leads to lower marginal tax rates for secondary earners than the German system.labor supply; micro simulation; family policy; income taxation; Austria; Germany

The Stop Signal Task for Measuring Behavioral Inhibition in Mice With Increased Sensitivity and High-Throughput Operation

Ceasing an ongoing motor response requires action cancelation. This is impaired in many pathologies such as attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. Action cancelation is measured by the stop signal task that estimates how quickly a motor response can be stopped when it is already being executed. Apart from human studies, the stop signal task has been used to investigate neurobiological mechanisms of action cancelation overwhelmingly in rats and only rarely in mice, despite the need for a genetic model approach. Contributing factors to the limited number of mice studies may be the long and laborious training that is necessary and the requirement for a very loud (100 dB) stop signal. We overcame these limitations by employing a fully automated home-cage-based setup. We connected a home-cage to the operant box via a gating mechanism, that allowed individual ID chipped mice to start sessions voluntarily. Furthermore, we added a negative reinforcement consisting of a mild air puff with escape option to the protocol. This specifically improved baseline inhibition to 94% (from 84% with the conventional approach). To measure baseline inhibition the stop is signaled immediately with trial onset thus measuring action restraint rather than action cancelation ability. A high baseline allowed us to measure action cancelation ability with higher sensitivity. Furthermore, our setup allowed us to reduce the intensity of the acoustic stop signal from 100 to 70 dB. We constructed inhibition curves from stop trials with daily adjusted delays to estimate stop signal reaction times (SSRTs). SSRTs (median 88 ms) were lower than reported previously, which we attribute to the observed high baseline inhibition. Our automated training protocol reduced training time by 17% while also promoting minimal experimenter involvement. This sensitive and labor efficient stop signal task procedure should therefore facilitate the investigation of action cancelation pathologies in genetic mouse models.Peer Reviewe

The Stop Signal Task for Measuring Behavioral Inhibition in Mice With Increased Sensitivity and High-Throughput Operation

Ceasing an ongoing motor response requires action cancelation. This is impaired in many pathologies such as attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. Action cancelation is measured by the stop signal task that estimates how quickly a motor response can be stopped when it is already being executed. Apart from human studies, the stop signal task has been used to investigate neurobiological mechanisms of action cancelation overwhelmingly in rats and only rarely in mice, despite the need for a genetic model approach. Contributing factors to the limited number of mice studies may be the long and laborious training that is necessary and the requirement for a very loud (100 dB) stop signal. We overcame these limitations by employing a fully automated home-cage-based setup. We connected a home-cage to the operant box via a gating mechanism, that allowed individual ID chipped mice to start sessions voluntarily. Furthermore, we added a negative reinforcement consisting of a mild air puff with escape option to the protocol. This specifically improved baseline inhibition to 94% (from 84% with the conventional approach). To measure baseline inhibition the stop is signaled immediately with trial onset thus measuring action restraint rather than action cancelation ability. A high baseline allowed us to measure action cancelation ability with higher sensitivity. Furthermore, our setup allowed us to reduce the intensity of the acoustic stop signal from 100 to 70 dB. We constructed inhibition curves from stop trials with daily adjusted delays to estimate stop signal reaction times (SSRTs). SSRTs (median 88 ms) were lower than reported previously, which we attribute to the observed high baseline inhibition. Our automated training protocol reduced training time by 17% while also promoting minimal experimenter involvement. This sensitive and labor efficient stop signal task procedure should therefore facilitate the investigation of action cancelation pathologies in genetic mouse models

Cognitive training of mice attenuates age-related decline in associative learning and behavioral flexibility

Identifying factors that influence age-related cognitive decline is crucial, given its severe personal and societal impacts. However, studying aging in human or animal models is challenging due to the significant variability in aging processes among individuals. Additionally, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies often produce differing results. In this context, home-cage-based behavioral analysis over lifespans has emerged as a significant method in recent years. This study aimed to explore how prior experience affects cognitive performance in mice of various age groups (4, 12, and 22 months) using a home-cage-based touchscreen test battery. In this automated system, group-housed, ID-chipped mice primarily obtain their food during task performance throughout the day, motivated by their own initiative, without being subjected to food deprivation. Spatial working memory and attention were evaluated using the trial unique non-matching to location (TUNL) and the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), respectively. The same set of mice learned both of these demanding tasks. While signs of cognitive decline were already apparent in middle-aged mice, older mice exhibited poorer performance in both tasks. Mice at both 12 and 22 months displayed an increase in perseverance and a decrease in the percentage of correct responses in the TUNL test compared to the 4-month-old mice. Furthermore, during the 5-CSRTT, they exhibited higher rates of omissions and premature responses compared to their younger counterparts. Additionally, the correct response rate in 22-month-old mice was lower than that of the 4-month-old ones. However, mice that had undergone cognitive training at 4 months maintained high-performance levels when re-tested at 12 months, showing an increase in correct responses during TUNL testing compared to their untrained controls. In the 5-CSRTT, previously trained mice demonstrated higher correct response rates, fewer omissions, and reduced premature responses compared to naive control mice. Notably, even when assessed on a visual discrimination and behavioral flexibility task at 22 months, experienced mice outperformed naive 4-month-old mice. These findings highlight the advantages of early-life cognitive training and suggest that its benefits extend beyond the cognitive domains primarily targeted during early training. The success of this study was significantly aided by the fully automated home-cage-based testing system, which allows for high throughput with minimal human intervention.Peer Reviewe

Learning Set Formation and Reversal Learning in Mice During High-Throughput Home-Cage-Based Olfactory Discrimination

Rodent behavioral tasks are crucial to understanding the nature and underlying biology of cognition and cognitive deficits observed in psychiatric and neurological pathologies. Olfaction, as the primary sensory modality in rodents, is widely used to investigate cognition in rodents. In recent years, automation of olfactory tasks has made it possible to conduct olfactory experiments in a time- and labor-efficient manner while also minimizing experimenter-induced variability. In this study, we bring automation to the next level in two ways: First, by incorporating a radio frequency identification-based sorter that automatically isolates individuals for the experimental session. Thus, we can not only test animals during defined experimental sessions throughout the day but also prevent cagemate interference during task performance. Second, by implementing software that advances individuals to the next test stage as soon as performance criteria are reached. Thus, we can prevent overtraining, a known confounder especially in cognitive flexibility tasks. With this system in hand, we trained mice on a series of four odor pair discrimination tasks as well as their respective reversals. Due to performance-based advancement, mice normally advanced to the next stage in less than a day. Over the series of subsequent odor pair discriminations, the number of errors to criterion decreased significantly, thus indicating the formation of a learning set. As expected, errors to criterion were higher during reversals. Our results confirm that the system allows investigating higher-order cognitive functions such as learning set formation (which is understudied in mice) and reversal learning (which is a measure of cognitive flexibility and impaired in many clinical populations). Therefore, our system will facilitate investigations into the nature of cognition and cognitive deficits in pathological conditions by providing a high-throughput and labor-efficient experimental approach without the risks of overtraining or cagemate interference

Screening zur frühen Identifizierung des psychosozialen Unterstützungsbedarfs bei Kindern psychisch erkrankter Eltern

Background: Children of mentally ill parents have an increased risk for mental disorders themselves, which is increased once again by the experience of abuse and neglect. Objective: The aim of this study is to present the development and preliminary piloting of a specific screening procedure that enables an early identification of a possible need for support in children with mentally ill parents. Material and methods: For children of mentally ill parents, two screening procedures were developed. In the parent questionnaire of the "children screening" mental abnormalities of the children and adolescents (6-18 years old) as well as resources are collated in an abbreviated form (mental abnormalities: 26 items, available resources: 4 items). In the "family screening" familial risk and stress factors (8 items) are also enquired about in a self-report of the parents as well as indications for abuse and neglect in the family (9 items). Results: Both screening procedures are easy to evaluate with the help of a traffic light system. The responsible psychiatrist receives a preliminary estimation and definite indications on the current need for psychosocial treatment and support of the whole family and particularly the children. Subsequently, they can initiate further steps for the integrated care of the family. Conclusion: The children and family screening procedures are economical in time and easily understandable screening procedures for identification of the need for treatment and support of the family. Subsequently, after the final validation it is planned to systematically implement the screening procedures in the psychiatric care of mentally ill parents. In this way the far-reaching negative consequences for these children can be prevented

Postpartum Blood Loss in Women Treated for Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE To evaluate postpartum blood loss in women with treated intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. METHODS In a retrospective case-control study, 15,083 deliveries including 348 women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (2.3%) were analyzed from 2004 to 2014. To adjust for differences in baseline characteristics, a propensity analysis was performed and women in the control group were matched to the women in the intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy group in a 5:1 ratio. Blood loss was analyzed by estimated blood loss and Δ hemoglobin (Hb, difference between prepartum and postpartum Hb). A subgroup analysis regarding severity of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy based on maximum bile acid level (mild [less than 40 micromoles/L], moderate [40-99 micromoles/L], and severe intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy [100 micromoles/L or greater]) was performed. Differences in estimated blood loss, ΔHb, and meconium staining between subgroups were analyzed. A Spearman rank correlation was performed to evaluate the association of bile acid levels and blood loss within subgroups. RESULTS Estimated blood loss (median 400 [300-600] mL compared with 400 [300-600] mL, P=.22), ΔHb (14.0 [5.0-22.0] compared with 12.0 [4.0-21.0] g/L, P=.09), meconium staining (14.5% compared with 11.4%, P=.12), and number of stillbirths after 26 weeks of gestation (0.6% compared with 1.8%, P=.10) were not significantly different in the study compared with the control group. In moderate and severe intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, meconium staining was observed significantly more often compared with that in a control group (23.0% and 32.3% compared with 11.4%, P<.01). There was no correlation between estimated blood loss or ΔHb and severity of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS In our cohort of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy who are treated with ursodeoxycholic acid and have planned delivery (induction of labor or planned cesarean delivery) at 38 weeks of gestation, no differences in postpartum blood loss were seen

The Canadian Northern Corridor Community Engagement Program: Results and Lessons Learned

The Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC) Research Program is an investigation of the feasibility, desirability, and acceptability of infrastructure corridors in advancing integrated, long-term infrastructure planning and development in Canada. The Corridor Concept involves a series of multi-modal rights-of-way across mid- and northern Canada — connecting all three coasts and linked to existing corridors in southern Canada — for the efficient, timely and integrated development of trade, transportation, and communications infrastructure. Corridors are expected to make public and private infrastructure investments more attractive by reducing the uncertainty associated with project approval processes; sharing the costs associated with establishing and administering rights-of-way; decreasing negative environmental impacts; and moving to a more strategic, integrated and long-term approach to national infrastructure planning and development. A key outcome of corridor development is decreasing the existing infrastructure gap that persists between northern and southern Canadian regions and communities. The causes of this gap are complex and will require a diverse set of tools and solutions to resolve; the CNC is a useful conceptual tool to initiate discussions on northern infrastructure and to identify feasible and lasting solutions to address Canada’s infrastructure gap