Parasites and Raven Mothers: A German-Japanese Comparison on (Lone) Motherhood

Having a child out of wedlock used to be associated with shame and scorn. This is mostly not the case anymore in the western world. Therefore, freed from social sanctions, single motherhood has become an additional family-choice alternative for women, along with marriage and childlessness. Yet, the institutions that infl uence women’s decisions diff er across countries. We compare the institutional frame, in particular labor-market characteristics and family law, in Germany and Japan and, in addition, the interaction between culture and institutions. Both countries had a very traditional (one-earner) family system until the second half of the 20th century. Now we can observe that social changes that happened in Germany decades ago are happening only now in Japan. We analyze if and how the consequences in terms of family structures and fertility rates that resulted in Germany can be transfered to Japan.Out-of-wedlock childbearing; fertility; family law; Germany; Japan

Parasites and Raven Mothers: A German-Japanese comparison on (lone) motherhood

Having a child out of wedlock used to be associated with shame and scorn. This is mostly not the case any more in the western world. Therefore, freed from social sanctions, single motherhood has become an additional family-choice alternative for women, along with marriage and childlessness. Yet, the institutions that influence women’s decisions differ across countries. We compare the institutional frame, in particular labor-market characteristics and family law, in Germany and Japan and, in addition, the interaction between culture and institutions. Both countries had a very traditional (one-earner) family system until the second half of the 20th century. Now we can observe that social changes that happened in Germany decades ago are happening only now in Japan. We analyze if and how the consequences in terms of family structures and fertility rates that resulted in Germany can be transfered to Japan.

Lipid Emulsion Therapy for Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity

This paper explores Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST) and the effectiveness of lipid emulsion (LE) therapy as a potential treatment modality. Regional anesthesia is a common method of anesthesia due to the significant benefits in both the perioperative and postoperative periods. LAST is a potential complication of regional anesthesia due to local anesthetic inadvertently entering the bloodstream and causing central nervous system and cardiac toxicities. Extensive research was performed through highly respected, evidence-based search engines to gather evidence of LE therapy for LAST. Through numerous animal studies, literature reviews, systematic reviews, and case reports that were reviewed to complete this paper, evidence has concluded the LE therapy is a proven effective and potentially life-saving treatment for LAST. It is, therefore, recommended that LE be included in the treatment of LAST in order to improve morbidity and mortality. The outcomes of this project improve the knowledge base of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists pertaining to LAST and LE therapy thus contributing to improved patient outcome

Small-Group Activity to Reinforce the Impact of Valvular Defects and Heart Failure on Cardiac Pressure-Volume Relationships

Introduction: An important topic in cardiac physiology is the relationship between changes in intracardiac pressures and volumes during the cardiac cycle. This topic lends itself well to utilizing active learning principles to facilitate student understanding of pressure and volume changes in normal cardiac physiology and in the pathophysiology of valve disease and heart failure. We describe an active learning exercise regarding this topic that engages and facilitates student learning in a small-group setting. Methods: Following an overview lecture on the normal cardiac physiology, small groups of students under the guidance of a facilitator were provided with a worksheet consisting of questions related to background knowledge of cardiac physiology. Additional questions related to five valve disease and heart failure cases were also provided to promote the application of basic physiology principles to clinically relevant problems. The facilitator was provided with a guide to help facilitate the student interactions. Following the group worksheet activity, an animated slide presentation was shown to further engage student learning through active discussion of their worksheet answers. Results: Students were assessed by written examination, and were found to have a higher performance on the subset of questions related to this learning activity compared to the overall exam. Of the 175 students completing the exercise, 23 voluntarily provided feedback via a survey. Student surveys provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the benefits of this active learning exercise. Discussion: Small group, active learning exercises benefited student learning by providing a framework for analysis, synthesis, and application of clinically relevant cardiac physiology concepts

Method for Measuring the Contribution of the Vastus Lateralis to Cycling in Incremental Tests to Fatigue in Women

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not there is a significant increase in the muscle activity of the vastus lateralis at different stages of a resistance ramp test to fatigue during cycling. The vastus lateralis is the quadriceps muscle on the lateral side of the leg. Basically, this study is figuring out if this muscle is more active at a higher power, or higher resistance, during cycling