Expected Lifetime with and without Cataract among Older Adults in China

Despite its curability by a simple and low-cost surgical procedure, cataract remains the leading cause??accounting for almost one-half??of all blindness in the world. The problem is particularly severe in developing countries, and with the ageing of populations and increasing life expectancy, the burden of cataract disease is expected to increase substantially in the coming years. Using a demographic approach, this study examined the prevalence of cataract and estimated lifetime with and without cataract among older adults in China, a rapidly ageing country with the world??s largest population. Data came from the 2002 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey and life tables in the same year. Sullivan??s method was used. The results indicated that overall, 5.7% percent of Chinese aged 65 and over reported having cataract that is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist. Cataract increases with age, affects women more than men, and is higher in urban than rural areas. At age 65, men and women can expect on average 0.7 years (4.7%) and 1.2 years (7.3%) of remaining life with cataract, respectively. The corresponding figures for urban and rural older adults are 1.7 (9.8%) and 0.6 (4.1%) years. The prevalence rates and life expectancy with cataract were likely underestimated given the low levels of eye examinations to detect eye diseases among the Chinese, particularly in rural areas. We discussed preventive strategies to minimize the risk and delay the onset of cataract. Policy measures pertaining to availability and accessibility of cataract surgeries are further discussed.     

Analysis of underlying and multiple-cause mortality data: the life table methods

The stochastic compartment model concepts are employed to analyse and construct complete and abbreviated total mortality life tables, multiple-decrement life tables for a disease, under the underlying and pattern-of-failure definitions of mortality risk, cause-elimination life tables, cause-elimination effects on saved population through the gain in life expectancy as a consequence of eliminating the mortality risk, cause-delay life tables designed to translate the clinically observed increase in survival time as the population gain in life expectancy that would occur if a treatment protocol was made available to the general population and life tables for disease dependency in multiple-cause data.     

Individualised Life Tables

A life table is a table which shows, at each age, the probability that a person in a given population will die before their next birthday. It can be used to calculate life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for people of different ages. In this work, using longitudinal datasets and panel data methods, we produce life tables for different subgroups of the population, defined according to cohabitation status, employment and other factors. As a first step, we estimate the dynamics of factors which are of particular importance in people’s lives: health, labour market participation, cohabitation and mortality. The significance of these variables is twofold: they determine the well-being of individuals, but the variables also determine the resources available to the individuals in times of ill health. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we analyse the extent to which these variables are influenced by one another, and by exogenous factors such as education and ethnicity. Estimating a system of probit models using simulation techniques, we are able to distinguish the effects of the exogenous and endogenous variables from state dependence and unobserved heterogeneity. We also correct for attrition and the initial conditions problem. We estimate time trends in mortality, health and other dependent variables to investigate whether a compression of morbidity has occurred in the recent past. Finally, the parameter estimates are used to simulate life tables for various sub-groups in the population and compare measures of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for different groups.     

Development of sizing structure for fall arrest harness design

Updated harness designs are needed to accommodate diverse populations in the current workforce. This paper determined an improved fall-arrest harness sizing scheme and strap-length configurations for harness design. A 3-D elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA) procedure with 123 coefficients was developed to quantify torso-shape effect on harness fit, based on 3-D data of 108 women and 108 men. The EFA coefficients were then applied to 600 representative body scans from a national database of 2382 participants to establish an improved sizing system. Study outcomes suggested a more upward back D-ring location for women than current unisex designs to accommodate female torso form and mitigate their fit problem. Results also suggested an improved system of three sizes for women and three sizes for men. New harness sizing charts for women and men were proposed accordingly. Using the most current 3-D whole-body digital scanning technology, this study assembled data from a US workforce to establish an improved fall-arrest harness sizing system and strap configurations for men and women. The information is useful for new generation harness designs to reduce the risk of worker injury.     

EXTRACTING LAWS FROM DECISION TABLES: A ROUGH SET APPROACH

We present some methods, based on the rough set and Boolean reasoning approaches, for extracting laws from decision tables. First we discuss several procedures for decision rules synthesis from decision tables. Next we show how to apply some near-to-functional relations between data to data filtration. Two methods of searching for new classifiers (features) are described: searching for new classifiers in a given set of logical formulas, and searching for some functions approximating near-to-functional relations.     

Pathological narcissism,cyberbullying victimization and offending among homosexual and heterosexual participants in online dating websites

Homosexual individuals are exposed to high levels of victimization. However, no studies have examined personality risk factors for cyberbullying victimization and offending among this population. This study investigated the relationships between pathological narcissism and cyberbullying victimization and offending among homosexual and heterosexual participants in online dating websites. Participants included 347 Israeli adults who completed a series of self-reported questionnaires. Our results show that homosexual men and women reported higher levels of cyberbullying victimization relative to heterosexual women. The groups did not differ in cyberbullying offending. Furthermore, homosexual men reported higher levels of pathological narcissism grandiosity relative to homosexual women. Pathological narcissism vulnerability and grandiosity were positively related to cyberbullying victimization, but not to offending, as well as to cyberbullying dating victimization and offending. Importantly, the group (homosexual male vs. other groups) moderated the association between pathological narcissism vulnerability and cyberbullying victimization. These findings highlight the differential associations between the two facets of pathological narcissism and cyberbullying victimization and offending among homosexual men and women, and lend empirical support to the high risk for cyberbullying victimization of homosexual men with pathological narcissistic vulnerability traits who are actively participating in the online dating sphere.     

Socially Productive Activities, Reciprocity and Well-Being in Early Old Age: Gender-Specific Results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)

This study explores the associations between reciprocity in socially productive activities, such as volunteering and caring for someone and well-being (evaluative and experienced), separately for men and women in the years leading up to State Pension Age. We investigate the stability of our associations by examining cross sectional and longitudinal associations, with outcomes assessed 2 years later. The sample comes from the second and third wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA); we selected 4,052 respondents who were below State Pension Age at wave 2, i.e. aged between 52 and 64. Evaluative well-being was measured using quality of life and experienced well-being was measured using depressive symptoms. Baseline regression analyses adjusted for confounders showed that reciprocity in volunteering was associated with higher quality of life and lower odds of being depressed for both men and women. Non-reciprocity in caring was strongly associated with poorer quality of life and with higher odds of having depressive symptoms for women but not for men. From longitudinal analyses adjusted for baseline confounders we found that among men, non-reciprocity in caring and volunteering (at baseline) was associated with decreased quality of life and with higher odds of having depressive symptoms (at follow-up); among women non-reciprocity in caring (at baseline) and reciprocity in volunteering (at baseline) were not associated with decreased quality of life 2 years later. These findings suggest that in the years leading up to State Pension Age there might be important gender differences, not previously explored, in perceived reciprocity for those engaged in volunteering and in caring that have important consequences for evaluative and experienced well-being.     

Who interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users’ personality and social media use

In the increasingly user-generated Web, users’ personality traits may be crucial factors leading them to engage in this participatory media. The literature suggests factors such as extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience are related to uses of social applications on the Internet. Using a national sample of US adults, this study investigated the relationship between these three dimensions of the Big-Five model and social media use (defined as use of social networking sites and instant messages). It also examined whether gender and age played a role in that dynamic. Results revealed that while extraversion and openness to experiences were positively related to social media use, emotional stability was a negative predictor, controlling for socio-demographics and life satisfaction. These findings differed by gender and age. While extraverted men and women were both likely to be more frequent users of social media tools, only the men with greater degrees of emotional instability were more regular users. The relationship between extraversion and social media use was particularly important among the young adult cohort. Conversely, being open to new experiences emerged as an important personality predictor of social media use for the more mature segment of the sample.     

A multi-modal approach for activity classification and fall detection

The society is changing towards a new paradigm in which an increasing number of old adults live alone. In parallel, the incidence of conditions that affect mobility and independence is also rising as a consequence of a longer life expectancy. In this paper, the specific problem of falls of old adults is addressed by devising a technological solution for monitoring these users. Video cameras, accelerometers and GPS sensors are combined in a multi-modal approach to monitor humans inside and outside the domestic environment. Machine learning techniques are used to detect falls and classify activities from accelerometer data. Video feeds and GPS are used to provide location inside and outside the domestic environment. It results in a monitoring solution that does not imply the confinement of the users to a closed environment.     

Comparison of measured and self-reported anthropometric information among firefighters: implications and applications

This study evaluated the accuracy of self-reported body weight and height compared to measured values among firefighters and identified factors associated with reporting error. A total of 863 male and 88 female firefighters in four US regions participated in the study. The results showed that both men and women underestimated their body weight ( ? 0.4 ± 4.1, ? 1.1 ± 3.6 kg) and overestimated their height (29 ± 18 , 17 ± 16 mm). Women underestimated more than men on weight (p = 0.022) and men overestimated more than women on height (p < 0.001). Reporting errors on weight were increased with overweight status (p < 0.001) and were disproportionate among subgroups. About 27% men and 24% women had reporting errors on weight greater than ± 2.2 kg, and 59% men and 28% women had reporting errors on height greater than 25 mm.

Practitioner Summary: This study along with literature revealed that the self-reported approach is not a sustainable option for anthropometric surveys, even for gathering data from physically active professional groups, such as firefighters, who presumably are knowledgeable of their body dimensions. Self-reported anthropometric information is undependable in important population subgroups.     

Working Pensioners in Germany and the UK: Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence on Gender,Marital Status,and the Reasons for Working

Taking paid work among men and women beyond pension age as an example, the contribution examines the interrelationship between life courses, gendered welfare regimes, and later-life employment outcomes. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, the article focuses on the role of inequalities, gender and marital status for working despite receiving a pension, and on the subjective reasons for this employment. The quantitative analyses are based on the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), and the qualitative evidence on semi-structured interviews with working pensioners in Germany and the UK. Gender differences in working can be traced back in part to differences in educational qualification and in pre-retirement class. Although no general gender differences in the reasons for paid employment can be found, financial reasons are mentioned much more often by divorced women in Germany and widowed women in the UK than by men and by married women. The qualitative data underlines the special role earned income plays for divorced women and, more generally, the variety of reasons which motivate pensioners to work for pay. Furthermore, pension age is less meaningful for mothers because of their patchier careers. All in all, (poor) labour market chances and household dynamics in old age are interrelated in gendered patterns of old age employment, and accompanied by specific interpretations of this work.     

Gender and support for creativity at work

Although innovation is vital for the success of organizations, many may not be capitalizing on the creativity of all workers. Gender bias in attributions of creativity may lead to an imbalance in the extent to which organizations support the creativity of men and women. Because organizational support for creativity is positively associated with creative outcomes, this may undermine the creativity of women in the workplace. To determine if gender influences creative workplace behavior through support for creativity, conditional process models were used to analyze the survey responses and external employment data of workers (N = 14,590) across industries in the US. Our analyses demonstrate that men report greater support for creativity in the workplace than women, and greater support for workplace creativity leads to more frequent creative workplace behaviors. The proportion of women employed in an industry influences this relationship, such that differences between men and women become smaller as the proportion of women in an industry increases. However, the level of creativity required in an occupation does not influence the relationship between gender and creativity. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Regression models for grouped survival data: Estimation and sensitivity analysis

In this study, regression models are evaluated for grouped survival data when the effect of censoring time is considered in the model and the regression structure is modeled through four link functions. The methodology for grouped survival data is based on life tables, and the times are grouped in k intervals so that ties are eliminated. Thus, the data modeling is performed by considering the discrete models of lifetime regression. The model parameters are estimated by using the maximum likelihood and jackknife methods. To detect influential observations in the proposed models, diagnostic measures based on case deletion, which are denominated global influence, and influence measures based on small perturbations in the data or in the model, referred to as local influence, are used. In addition to those measures, the local influence and the total influential estimate are also employed. Various simulation studies are performed and compared to the performance of the four link functions of the regression models for grouped survival data for different parameter settings, sample sizes and numbers of intervals. Finally, a data set is analyzed by using the proposed regression models.     

Do Men Advance Faster Than Women? Debunking the Gender Performance Gap in Two Massively Multiplayer Online Games

Prior research on digital games illustrates a perceived gender gap in participation and performance, suggesting men as playing more and better than women. This article challenges the gender gap using longitudinal behavioral data of men and women in 2 MMOs in the United States and China. Results show that women advance at least as fast as men do in both games. Thus, perceived gender‐based performance disparities seem to result from factors that are confounded with gender (i.e., amount of play), not player gender itself. We conclude that the stereotype of female players as inferior is not only false, but also a potential cause for unequal participation in digital gaming.     

Rough逻辑及其在数据约简中的应用

讨论了被定义在邻域值决策表上的Rough逻辑及其公式的真值,它在数据约简中的应用比Pawlak定义的决策表上的决策逻辑更加广泛.目前常用的数据约简方法有Pawlak的数据分析和Skowron的分明矩阵法.前者是非形式的,不易机械化;而后者虽说直观、易理解,但还要求生成一个分明矩阵的中间环节,从而造成时空上的不必要的开销.采取一边从邻域值决策表关于属性值邻域是分明的属性并构成邻域分明合取范式,一边做这种逻辑公式的等价变换直接得到邻域值决策表的诸多约简.由于不用生成分明矩阵的中间环节,这样便节省了空间和时间,     

Determination of the Spatial Reach Area of the Arms for Workplace Design Purposes

This work concerns the determination of the spatial reach area of arms. Methodology of studies was devised and experimental apparatus constructed. The measurements covered a representative sample, consisting of 226 men and 204 women, aged from 18 to 65 yr, working in Warsaw factories. The results, expressed as percentile values and presented in tables and diagrams, contain data which determine the spatial reach area of arms for the Polish population and constitute a basis for designing spatial structures of machines, installations and workplaces.     

How Long Do We Expect to Live? A Review of the Evidence

How long people expect to live sets an important context for longevity risk in retirement planning and may contribute to the acceptability of policies to raise pension age. However, there have been few studies representative of a national population on subjective longevity. This paper reviews the available evidence. It finds that despite some studies reporting that subjective longevity is close to average measures in population life tables the prevailing tendency is to underestimate lifespans. Men generally reflect that they have lower actual longevity than women on average, but men are more optimistic, so that women are more likely to underestimate their likely longevity. People may take account of some mortality risk factors in estimating their own longevity, but appear not to understand the true extent of risk. There is little data on how people think about longevity or why they choose a particular estimate of their own likely lifespan. Thus, international evidence suggests potential for longevity risk in individual retirement planning and raises significant questions about the policy implications which can only become more acute in ageing populations.     

How did national life expectation related to school years in developing countries—An approach using panel data mining

Background

The purpose of the study was to probe into the changes in life expectancy associated with schooling years found by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Methods

The study was based on the OECD database from the period 2000 to 2006. The data of thirty countries were constructed to allow comparisons over time and across these countries. Panel data analysis was used to estimate the relationship of national education, as defined as school years, with life expectancy. The control factors considered were numbers of practicing physicians, practicing nurses, hospital beds, and GDP.

Results

We used fixed effects of both country and time through linear regression, the coefficient of school years in relation to life expectancy was statistically significant but negative. This finding is not in accord with the hypothesis that investing in human capital through education stimulates better health outcomes.

Conclusion

Within developing countries, educational attainment is no longer keeping the same pace with life expectancy as before. Therefore, we suggest that an effective education policy should cover diverse topics, for example, balancing economic growth and mental hygiene, to improve national life expectancy.     

化学结构式的拓扑描述

化学结构式的拓扑描述,是化学信息计算机化的手段之一。这里系统地建立了一整套的连接表(三类:紧缩连接表、冗余连接表、和连接方阵),用来进行结构式中原子之间连接关系的拓扑描述,对分子结构进行数值化。同时,阐述了连接表唯一化的方法,并介绍了不同类型连接表之间的转换关系和还原为平面结构式图形的绘图程序。     

Semiparametric Accelerated Failure Time Partial Linear Model and Its Application to Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer-related death in US women. It is well known that the breast cancer survival rate varies with age at diagnosis. For most cancers, the relative survival rate decreases with age, but breast cancer may show an unusual age pattern. In order to reveal the stage risk and age effects pattern, we propose a semiparametric accelerated failure time partial linear model and develop its estimation method based on the penalized spline (P-spline) and the rank estimation approach. The simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed method is comparable to the parametric approach when data is not contaminated, and more stable than parametric methods when data is contaminated. By applying the proposed model and method to the breast cancer data set of Atlantic County, New Jersey, from the SEER program, we successfully reveal the significant effects of stage, and show that women diagnosed at age around 38 years have consistently higher survival rates than either younger or older women.