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It is Not Easy to Find a Clean and Functional Public Toilet in Many Countries: Lessons to Learn from Japan
SATO, N.; ISHII, E. It is Not Easy to Find a Clean and Functional Public Toilet in Many Countries: Lessons to Learn from Japan JAS4QoL 2022, 8(1) 1 online at: https://as4qol.org/xAJT1
Categories: > Volume 8, > Wisdom Notes, Journal Articles, Volumes
Tags: History, ISHII; Erina, Public Toilets; Japan, SATO; Noriko, Social Infrastructure, Wisdom Note
Imex Japan Co. Ltd., 3F Imex Japan Building, 22 Shimomidori-cho, Shichiku, KitaKu, Kyoto 603-8425, JAPAN
Traveling in Europe, the United States, and most countries in Asia, it is always a painful and embarrassing moment when nature calls. For people living in Japan especially, the situation maybe unbearable when a language barrier arises as well. All these come back to the one and one only question: Why are public toilets or washrooms not readily available outside Japan? The answer to this question goes back to the 19th century when a well-meaning reformer, Augustus Gardner spoke out in 1862: “Any man, and far more, any woman may walk from one end of this city to the other, in the most dire torture, without finding the relief to the necessities of the body, without such indecent exposure of the person as would render the individual liable to arrest and fine by the civic authorities.”
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Be a Good and Reliable Co-Driver
SATO, N. Be a Good and Reliable Co-Driver JAS4QoL 2021, 7(1) 2 online at: https://as4qol.org/jwsWt
Categories: > Volume 7, > Wisdom Notes, Journal Articles, Volumes
Tags: Co-driving, Driving, Etiquette, SATO; Noriko, Wisdom Note
Chief Executive Officer, Imex Japan Co Ltd, 22-8 Shimomidori-cho, Shinchiku, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8425, Japan
For drivers to enjoy driving a vehicle, whether they are maneuvering forward or negotiating a curve, he/she should be free to steer, slow down, accelerate, and brake without the distraction of uneccessary noises or disturbances around them. At the same time, a person driving a car is often accompanied by companions, friends, or family members. In such situations, there is usually a so-called “co-driver” in the seat next to them.
All in all, co-drivers will greatly help facilitate the driver’s task by adhering to the following guidelines.
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Development and Evaluation of a Community Consumer Education Program for Parents and Children
SUZUKI, M. Development and Evaluation of a Community Consumer Education Program for Parents and Children JAS4QoL 2021, 7(1) 1 online at: https://as4qol.org/6PMMS
Categories: > Mini Reviews, > Volume 7, Journal Articles, Volumes
Tags: community consumer education program, consumer education image-map, Mini Review, parent-child dialogue, SUZUKI; Mihoko
Development and Evaluation of a Community Consumer Education Program for Parents and Children
R&D Department, Imex Japan Co Ltd, 22-8 Shimomidori-cho, Shinchiku, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8425, Japan (mihoyuki2014@gmail.com)
Although the Consumer Education Promotion Act in Japan stipulates that "Education deepens the understanding of participation in planning for consumers forming a society," the goals for consumers – especially for elementary school children and their parents – have not been well established. A "community consumer education program" was developed, implemented, and evaluated according to the "image-map" framework for the consumer education system. Participant surveys using questionnaire in this study revealed that the program helped children to develop clear awareness of the issue of food waste at home and in society, developing a greater concern for the socially vulnerable. Adults were motivated to learn more about ethical consumption and developed improved awareness of the social consequences of consumption. Parent-child communication via this program enabled adults and children to learn from each other.
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Development of a Free-Electron Laser in the Terahertz Region
ISOYAMA; G. Development of a Free-Electron Laser in the Terahertz Region JAS4QoL 2020, 6(1) 2 online at: https://as4qol.org/2JCCK
Categories: > Mini Reviews, > Volume 6, Journal Articles, Volumes
Tags: Electron, Far-Infrared, Free Electron Laser (FEL), ISOYAMA; Goro, Linear Accelerator (Linac), Mini Review, Terahertz (THz)
Development of a Free-Electron Laser in the Terahertz Region
Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan (isoyama@sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp)
We have been developing a free-electron laser (FEL) in the far-infrared or terahertz (THz) region for higher intensity and stability, using the L-band (1.3 GHz) electron linear accelerator (linac) at the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR), Osaka University. The FEL was progressively upgraded, and the maximum energy of micropulses, which form an FEL macropluse of a duration of some microseconds, reached 260 μJ at a wavelength around 65 μm or a frequency around 4.6 THz, which is an order of magnitude higher than micropulse energies obtained in other FELs in this wavelength or frequency range. Experiments have begun using high-intensity narrow-band terahertz radiation from the FEL. This paper summarized the progress of the FEL and its application experiments.
Keywords: Free Electron Laser (FEL), Electron, Linear Accelerator (Linac), Terahertz (THz), Far-Infrared
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Review of Research on Covid-19
DE JERSEY; J. Review of Research on Covid-19 JAS4QoL 2020, 6(1) 1 online at: https://as4qol.org/EvP4w
Categories: > Volume 6, > Wisdom Notes, Announcements, Journal Articles, Volumes
Tags: coronavirus, Coronavirus Epidemiology, Coronavirus Treatments, covid-19, Covid-19 Epidemiology, Covid-19 Treatments, DE JERSEY; John, Wisdom Note
Review of Research on Covid-19
The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia (jandjdej@bigpond.net.au)
A number of approaches to alleviate the Covid-19 pandemic have been discussed as well as longer term solutions. It seems possible that, when the pandemic has run its course, Covid-19 will continue at a low level in the community and be controlled by a vaccine and selective drugs developed as a consequence of the pandemic. How rapidly the properties of the virus may change as a result of mutations remains to be seen. Changes may lead to weakening of vaccine efficacy, development of drug resistance and/or to a strengthening or weakening of the virus' infectivity. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted once again the possibility that future viruses may cross the animal human barrier with devastating consequences. Such events are rendered more likely by increases in world population and destruction of wild animal habitat.
Keywords: Covid-19, Coronavirus, Covid-19 Epidemiology, Covid-19 Treatments
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Promoting Psychological and Health Status of the Elderly: The Underlying Mechanisms of Chin-Don Therapy
HATTA; K. Promoting Psychological and Health Status of the Elderly: The Underlying Mechanisms of Chin-Don Therapy JAS4QoL 2019, 5(1) 4 online at: https://as4qol.org/3YZPK
Categories: > Mini Reviews, > Volume 5, Announcements, Journal Articles, Volumes
Tags: CDT, Chin-Don Therapy, Elderly, HATTA; Kanji, Mini Review, Psychological Health of Elderly, Quality of Life
Promoting Psychological and Health Status of the Elderly: The Underlying Mechanisms of Chin-Don Therapy
Department of Psychiatric Medicine, School of Nursing, Takarazuka University, Osaka, Japan (k-hatta@takara-univ.ac.jp)
Chin-Don (CD) performance – a kind of musical performance for common people in Japan during the Edo Period – has been proven useful for healthcare promotion and healing, and was therefore employed as CD therapy (CDT) in a series of studies. Since CDT induces favorable outcomes in three elderly subjects, we further investigated the benefits of CDT in promoting quality-of-life in the cognitively impaired elderly using objective approaches: i) measuring salivary cortisol and immunoglobulin-A; ii) self-assessment of mood, emotion, and behavior using a face-scale; (iii) monitoring blood levels of neurotransmitters such as adrenalin (AD), noradrenalin (NA), and dopamine (DP) as well as the stress-related hormone cortisol (CT) and β-endorphin (BE); and (iv) monitoring stress-related CT, as well as immunodefense system-related BE and natural killer (NK) cell activity. Our studies focus on endogenous factors closely related to humor, laughter, stress, emotion, depression, joy, movement, and other apparent physiological responses such as being more alert and aroused (such as AD, NA, CT, BE). CDT works effectively in improving mood (emotional and psychological states) for the elderly. The significant blood CT level decreases in CDT patents may have due to less stress during CDT exposure, as CT is associated with elevated stress input. We did not measure the effect of immunity by CT decrease, as the effect would be transient and short-lived. Of the local vs global categories of BE function, the latter function is more relevant with CDT in decreasing bodily stress and maintaining homeostasis (e.g. in pain management, reward effects, and behavioral stability), providing enthusiastic participation and satisfactory post-event emotions and/or behavior in the CD-induced dancing. All in all, CDT induces favorable de-stressing effects, euphoric reliefs, reduction in pain and/or physical handicaps experienced by the elderly participants. These favorable psychological and physiological responses could be explained via relevant objective monitoring of blood indexes (although more endogenous factors need to be monitored), thus advocating the useful effects of CDT.
Keywords: CDT, Chin-Don therapy, Quality of Life, QoL, elderly, psychological health of elderly.
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An Investigation of the Factors Affecting Social Seclusion and the Social Activity Needs in Husband-Wife Elderly Households
KAWAMURA, K.; TAKENAKA, Y.; TOKURA, E.; KIMURA, C.; TANABE, M.; ITO, H.; MIYAMA, T.; HORI, T.; MATSUMOTO, K. An Investigation of the Factors Affecting Social Seclusion and the Social Activity Needs in Husband-Wife Elderly Households JAS4QoL 2019, 5(1) 3 online at: https://as4qol.org/7Z5S0
Categories: > Full Papers, > Volume 5, Journal Articles
Tags: Elderly, Full Paper, HORI; Taeko, husband wife households, ITO; Hiroko, KAWAMURA; Kosuke, KIMURA; Chisa, MATSUMOTO; Kenya, MIYAMA; Tsukasa, social seclusion, TAKENAKA; Yuki, TANABE; Mikiyasu, TOKURA; Emi
An Investigation of the Factors Affecting Social Seclusion and the Social Activity Needs in Husband-Wife Elderly Households
Kosuke KAWAMURA, Yuki TAKENAKA, Emi TOKURA, Chisa KIMURA, Mikiyasu TANABE, Hiroko ITO, Tsukasa MIYAMA, Taeko HORI, Kenya MATSUMOTO
Kyoto Tachibana University, 34 Yamada-cho, Oyake, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8175, Japan (kawamura-k@tachibana-u.ac.jp)
Objectives: The present study investigated the factors causing social seclusion and understanding the social activities needed in husband-wife households to gain an insight in developing a program for preventing the elderly married couples from seclusion.
Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was distributed among a community of exclusively husband-wife elderly households (age: > 65 years). The questionnaire on self-efficacy scale with regard to going out among community-dwelling elderly (SEGE), rating scale for self-efficacy of physical activity in frail elderly people (physical activity SE), geriatric depression scale - short version-Japanese (GDS-S-J), and on social capital, age, gender, and long-term care level. SEGE values were categorized variables, while others were treated as individual variables by multiple regression analysis. In addition, the median SEGE values that were categorized by gender, confirmed the trends in social activity needs.
Results: In male elderly, ‘walking’, ‘stair-climbing’, ‘lifting a weight’ in the category of physical activity SE were high, and seclusion tendency was low in couples who had good husband-wife relationship, and seclusion tendency was high when GDS-S-J values were high. As for the female elderly, seclusion tendency was low when ‘walking’, ‘lifting a weight’, and social capital were high; the seclusion tendency was high when age, long-term care level, and GDS-S-J values were high. Additionally, the social activity needs did not exhibit differences when male and female elderly were compared separately according to median SEGE values.
Discussion: In the male elderly, it is important to prevent social seclusion from society via first mutual invitation to join social activity among the couples, and subsequently through intervention towards promoting elevated self-efficacy generated by couple-participation in physical activity. However, the female elderly can continue maintaining relationships with other community residents for their reciprocity. Thus, we found a gender difference needed to consider about seclusion prevention.
Keywords: social seclusion, elderly, husband wife households
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The Diversity of Quality of Life Found at an Academic Conference Cruise in 2018
HIOKO, C. The Diversity of Quality of Life Found at an Academic Conference Cruise in 2018 JAS4QoL 2019, 5(1) 2 online at: https://as4qol.org/9TxfJ
Categories: > Full Papers, > Volume 5, Journal Articles
Tags: Conference Cruises, Full Paper, HIOKI; Chizuko, ICQoL2018, Quality of Life
The Diversity of Quality of Life Found at an Academic Conference Cruise in 2018
Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University School of Medicine 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-sayama, Osaka 589-8511, JAPAN (chioki@med.kindai.ac.jp)
I recently took part in the International Conference and Cruise on Quality of Life 2018 Cruise (ICQoL-2018) (departing from and returning to Singapore). Cruise-Conferences of this sort provide a suitable venue and an entirely unique atmosphere for the exchange of information and findings among researchers. As described by Foong, while on board, participants enjoyed a variety of entertainment and interactions with other participants, while being able to maintain good health and privacy while feeling at home. In the conference, as a member of the Academic Society for Quality of Life, I gave a presentation entitled: “Kampo (traditional medicine) helps us to control our mind and body through the endocrine, nervous and immune system.”
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It is difficult know whether the behavior of individual participants on a given moment on a cruise is a manifestation of the typical customs and values in their home country. However, if one is given the leisure and space to spend a 7-day cruise with them on the same boat at sea, and interact in and out as a group, one can come to feel less sensitive and conscious of the gap between of one’s own existence/life and that of other people. Thinking about QoL as a member of Academic Society for Quality of Life, I came to realize that cruising may be a useful way to discover the national characters of people from other countries.
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Japan's growing aging population and a shortage of local working staff has led to necessary employment of nursing care workers from foreign countries, especially those who have grown up in Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, for elderly care.6 Caregivers are required to help care for the physically handicapped or incapable elderly in all aspects of daily life in order to maintain and improve their QoL. However, both of these—the care-giver and the care-receiver—are humans with feelings. The improvement of the QoL of not only the person who receives care, but also the person who is providing care must be considered. In short, for this human-human relationship to maintain in good balance, and for the interdependent system to be workable, an effort to acknowledge and accept each other's lifestyle and values should be exercised. A balance in Ki between the parties should be healthily circulated.
We may find that the quality of life is a degree of happiness that each person evaluates and measured individually. Happiness in life may be gained by devising a way of life derived from learning various patterns of behavior and thinking from the people surrounding us.
Furthermore, not only in the area of elderly care, if the upheaval of the society and the natural environment continues, there will be times when multilateral assistance is needed never more than now.
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