The Ability to Pay for Long-Term Care in the Netherlands: A Life-cycle Perspective

This paper uses synthetic life-cycle paths at the individual level to analyze the distribution of long-term care expenditures in the Netherlands. Using a comprehensive set of administrative data 20,000 synthetic life-cycle paths of household income and long-term care costs are constructed using the nearest neighbor resampling method. We show that the distribution of these costs is less skewed when measured over the life-cycle than on a cross-sectional basis. This may provide an argument for self-insurance by smoothing these costs over the life-cycle. Yet costs are concentrated at older ages, which limits the scope for self-insurance. Furthermore, the paper investigates the relation between long-term care expenditures, household composition, and income over the life-cycle. The expenditures on a lifetime basis from the age of 65 are higher for low income households, and (single) women

Recent developments in michael reaction - a convenient tool for annelation and annulation

Improved methodologies evolved recently in Michael reaction are described. These involve usage of enol silanes or silyl ketene acetals, enamines or imines or enolates; phase transfer catalysts; transition metals; and heterogeneous catalysts. Lewis acid catalysed Michael reaction of enol silanes with alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have been used effectively for the synthesis of intermediates for various natural products. The reaction of chiral enones show a good to excellent 'UL' diastereofacial preference in TiCl4-mediated reactions with chiral and achiral enol-silanes. The diastereoselectivity reverses with the use of trityl salts, if the cyclic enones possessing alpha-substituents are used as acceptors. It has been pointed out that nu-acyl substituted-delta-hydroxy ketones have been stereoselectively synthesized through tandem Michael-aldol condensations. The lithium enolates undergo diastereoselective Michael additions under kinetically controlled conditions and the geometry of enolates determines the syn/anti nature of Michael adducts. Combination of crown ethers/KO(t)Bu has been found to be satisfactory phase transfer conditions for preparation of Michael adducts with good optical purity. Fluoride ion has been shown to be effective catalysts for Michael additions involving nitroalkanes as donors. It is pointed that complexes of Cu and Ni are mild catalysts for conjugate additions of beta-diketones, esters, etc. Certain heterogeneous catalysts such as clays, xonolites offer yet another set of mild catalysts for improving yields of the adducts

Synthesis, double Michael-reaction and antimicrobial activity of cross-conjugated enyone

Synthesis of the enyones 6(a-c) has been carried out by catalyzing the reactions with CeCl3. Phase transfer catalyzed double Michael addition reactions of the enyone 6a have also been investigated. The bisannulation could be enforced through the agency of the Lindlar's catalyst. The syntheses of a substituted cyclohexenone 11 and a spiro trione 13 are also described. In addition, antimicrobial activity of all the enyones 6 and the bisbenzalacetone 14 have been reported