Decomposing inequality in long-term care need among older adults with chronic diseases in China : a life course perspective

Abstract:Background: Chinahasthelargestnumberofagingpeopleinneedoflong-termcare,among whom 70% have chronic diseases. For policy planners, it is necessary to understand the different levels of needs of long-term care and provide long-term care insurance to ensure the long-term care needs of all people can be met. Methods: This study combines the 2013 wave of CHARLS survey and the Life Course Survey of 2014. The combination allows us to factor in both childhood and adulthood data to provide life-course analysis. We identified 7,734 older adults with chronic diseases foranalysis. Theneedforlong-termcareisdefinedbythepresenceoffunctionallimitationsbasedon the performance of basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Two dummy variables, ADLs disability and IADLs disability, and two count variables, ADLs score and IADLs score, were defined to measure incidence and severity of long-term care need, respectively. The concentration index was used to capture the inequality in long-term care need, and a decomposition method based on Probit Regression and Negative Binomial Regression was exploited to identify the contribution of each determination. Results: At least a little difficulty was reported in ADLs and IADLs in 20.44% and 19.25% of respondents, respectively. The concentration index of ADLs disability, ADLs score, IADLs disability, IADLs score were−0.085,−0.109,−0.095 and−0.120, respectively, all of which were statistically significant, indicating the pro-poor inequality in the incidence and severity of long-term care need. Decomposition analyses revealed that family income,educationattainment,aging,andchildhoodexperienceplayedasignificantroleinexplaining the inequalities. Conclusions: The long-term care need among older adults with chronic disease is high in China and low socioeconomic groups had a higher probability of needing long-term care or need more long-term care. It is urgent to implement long-term care insurance, especially for the individuals from lower socioeconomic groups

Characterization of the ompL1 gene of pathogenic Leptospira species in China and cross-immunogenicity of the OmpL1 protein

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The usefulness of available vaccine and serological tests for leptospirosis is limited by the low cross-reactivity of antigens from numerous serovars of pathogenic <it>Leptospira </it>spp. Identification of genus-specific protein antigens (GP-Ag) of <it>Leptospira </it>would be important for development of universal vaccines and serodiagnostic methods. OmpL1, a transmembrane porin of pathogenic leptospires, was identified as a possible GP-Ag, but its sequence diversity and immune cross-reactivity among different serovars of pathogenic leptospires remains largely unknown.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PCR analysis demonstrated that the <it>ompL1 </it>gene existed in all 15 official Chinese standard strains as well as 163 clinical strains of pathogenic leptospires isolated in China. In the standard strains, the <it>ompL1 </it>gene could be divided into three groups (<it>ompL1/1</it>, <it>ompL1/2 </it>and <it>ompL1/3</it>) according to their sequence identities. Immune electron microscopy demonstrated that all products of the different gene types of <it>ompL1 </it>are located on the surface of leptospires. The microscopic agglutination test revealed extensive yet distinct cross-immunoagglutination among the antisera against recombinant OmpL1 (rOmpL1) and leptospiral strains belonging to different <it>ompL1 </it>gene types. These cross-immunoreactions were further verified by ELISAs using the OmpL1 proteins as the coated antigens in serum samples from 385 leptospirosis patients. All the antisera against rOmpL1 proteins could inhibit <it>L. interrogans </it>strain Lai from adhering to J774A.1 cells. Furthermore, immunization of guinea pigs with each of the rOmpL1 proteins could cause cross-immunoprotection against lethal challenge with leptospires from different <it>ompL1 </it>gene types.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Three types of the <it>ompL1 </it>gene are present in pathogenic leptospires in China. OmpL1 is an immunoprotective GP-Ag which should be considered in the design of new universal vaccines and serodiagnostic methods against leptospirosis.</p

Study on cybersecurity attack-defense visualization method based on intelligent connected vehicle

Attack test and defense verification are important ways to effectively evaluate the cybersecurity performance of Intelligent Connected Vehicle (ICV). This paper investigates the problem of attack-defense visualization in ICV cybersecurity. For the purpose of promoting cybersecurity research capabilities, a novel Cybersecurity Attack-Defense Visualization method based on Intelligent Connected Vehicle (CADV-ICV) is proposed. In this scheme, an Attack-Defense Game model (ADG) is designed so that the logical relationship between the attack and defense can be studied through a system architecture. Then, the CADV-ICV method is implemented through three layers that are hardware layer, software layer and visualization layer. Finally, through an Intelligent Connected Vehicle, two TV monitors, a computer and a server, a real experimental environment is built to test the CADV-ICV method. The experimental results show that CADV-ICV can realize the visual display of attack-defense process, attack messages, defense state, real-time message monitoring, and attack-defense principle for 10 car’s components

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase from rat liver

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0907444999010318.Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase is the enzyme which catalyzes the last step of creatine biosynthesis. The enzyme is found ubiquitously and in abundance in the livers of all vertebrates. Recombinant rat-liver guanidinoacetate methyltransferase has been crystallized with guanidinoacetate and S-adenosylhomocysteine. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 54.8, b = 162.5, c = 56.1 Å, [beta] = 96.8 (1)° at 93 K, and typically diffract beyond 2.8 Å

Review on City-Level Carbon Accounting

Carbon accounting results for the same city can differ due to differences in protocols, methods, and data sources. A critical review of these differences and the connection among them can help to bridge our knowledge between university-based researchers and protocol practitioners in accounting and taking further mitigation actions. The purpose of this study is to provide a review of published research and protocols related to city carbon accounting, paying attention to both their science and practical actions. To begin with, the most cited articles in this field are identified and analyzed by employing a citation network analysis to illustrate the development of city-level carbon accounting from three perspectives. We also reveal the relationship between research methods and accounting protocols. Furthermore, a timeline of relevant organizations, protocols, and projects is provided to demonstrate the applications of city carbon accounting in practice. The citation networks indicate that the field is dominated by pure-geographic production-based and community infrastructure-based accounting; however, emerging models that combine economic system analysis from a consumption-based perspective are leading to new trends in the field. The emissions accounted for by various research methods consist essentially of the scope 1–3, as defined in accounting protocols. The latest accounting protocols include consumption-based accounting, but most cities still limit their accounting and reporting from pure-geographic production-based and community infrastructure-based perspectives. In conclusion, we argue that protocol practitioners require support in conducting carbon accounting, so as to explore the potential in mitigation and adaptation from a number of perspectives. This should also be a priority for future studies