How can older adults combat diabetes to achieve a longer and healthier life?

Type 2 diabetes (hereafter, diabetes) and prediabetes are very common in older adults and constitute a great health concern for this population. The objective of this project is to investigate the impact of prediabetes and diabetes on health and survival among older adults, and to identify modifiable factors that may attenuate the risk of diabetes on disability and mortality to prolong survival with independence. Data used in this project were derived from the ongoing population-based Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K). Study I described the natural history of prediabetes and identified prognostic factors related to different outcomes of prediabetes. We found that among 918 participants with prediabetes at baseline, 204 (22%) reverted back to normoglycemia, 119 (13%) developed diabetes, and 215 (23%) died during the 12-year follow-up. Lower systolic blood pressure, and weight loss, and the absence of heart diseases were associated with the reversion of prediabetes to normoglycemia, whereas obesity was related to its progression to diabetes. Study II examined the association of prediabetes and diabetes with the risk of stroke and subsequent dementia. Among 2,655 dementia-free participants at baseline, a stroke-free cohort and a prevalent stroke cohort were identified based on prevalent stroke. In the stroke-free cohort, 236 participants developed ischemic stroke and 47 developed post-stroke dementia. Diabetes was associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke and post-stroke dementia. In the prevalent stroke cohort, diabetes was also related to dementia risk. We did not find a significant association between prediabetes and stroke or post-stroke dementia. Study III assessed the association of prediabetes and diabetes with physical function decline and disability progression and explored whether cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) mediate these associations. During a 12-year follow-up, prediabetes accelerated the deterioration in chair stand performance, walking speed, and disability progression, independent of the future development of diabetes. Diabetes led to a faster decline than prediabetes, especially among those with uncontrolled diabetes. CVDs mediated 7.1%, 7.8%, and 20.9% of the associations between prediabetes and chair stand performance, walking speed, and disability progression, respectively. Study IV examined the association of prediabetes and diabetes on a composite outcome of disability or death and further identified modifiable factors that may prolong disability-free survival. Diabetes, but not prediabetes, was associated with a higher risk of disability or death. Compared to diabetes-free participants with a favorable lifestyle profile including the presence of at least one of the healthy behaviours, active leisure activities, or moderate-to-rich social network, those with diabetes and an unfavorable profile had 2.46 times higher risk of the outcomes. However, among participants with diabetes, the risk of the outcome was attenuated (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.53) in those with a favorable profile, which prolonged disability-free survival by 3 years compared to those with an unfavorable profile. Conclusions. In addition to its associations with stroke and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes could increase the risk of dementia secondary to stroke and accelerate decline in physical function. This decline in physical function might start already during prediabetes. Yet, one out of five older adults with prediabetes could revert back to normoglycemia with lifestyle modifications such as weight management. Diabetes is related to the risk of disability or death among older adults, but a healthy and socially active lifestyle may attenuate this risk and prolong disability-free survival

THE EFFECTS OF ESTIMATION ERROR IN PORTFOLIO CREDIT RISK MODELING

In this paper, we assess the effects of estimation error due to the impact of noisy input parameters in portfolio credit risk modelling by using Monte-Carlo simulations. We employ the methodology used in L?ffler (2003) but apply different dataset to form two new portfolios: obligors with investment-grade credit rating and obligors with speculative-grade credit rating. The four sources of estimation risk are considered for each portfolio: default rate uncertainty only, recovery rate uncertainty only, correlation uncertainty only, and the three sources of uncertainty together. The resulting estimation error in the distribution of portfolio losses is considerable. The paper also shows that different credit datasets could result in different biases in value at risk (VaR) estimations in each portfolio

Understanding the Values of Blockchain Based Games from Users’ Perspectives: A Value-focused Thinking Approach

This study aims to explore the values of blockchain based games from users’ perspectives in China. To address this, we employed the Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) approach to derive the values of blockchain based games with users in China. Eleven active users of blockchain based games were interviewed in China. Based on the data collected from the interviews, we developed a means-ends objective network describing the values of blockchain based games from users’ perspectives in China. According to the results, maximize enjoyment, maximize profit, maximize blockchain beliefs, and minimize risk of holding cryptocurrency were derived as the fundamental objectives to maximize values of blockchain based games from users’ perspectives

Strengths of Chinese Rural Areas to Develop E-commerce Projects

It is important to use appropriate ways to develop e-commerce in rural areas. Despite numerous studies which have addressed barriers that rural areas in developing countries are facing, few studies can be found that were focused on strengths that rural areas could consider about when developing e-commerce. In this paper, we analyzed typical cases (as known as patterns) in Chinese rural areas where e-commerce have been developed in a quick, innovative and successful way. We analyzed these cases and proposed four strengths (i.e., Industry Strength, Resource Strength, Position Strength and Marketing Strength) that rural areas could use when developing e-commerce. Started from the strength, a framework named SASS (Strength, Aim, Subjects, and Solutions) which characterizes key elements to develop e-commerce in rural areas was identified. According to a review on ten such cases, we found that the four strengths and the SASS framework could help us understand such cases in a unified and organized way. Accordingly, reference can be obtained in a more efficient way for top-level design of e-commerce development in similar areas

A Study Of Virtuous Cycle Of Service Participation On Crowdsourcing Platforms

Competition has undoubtedly increased substantially over the last decade for several reasons. The Internet has been far and away the largest contributor to the rise in competitive markets due to establishing an online business has lower operating costs and greater flexibility. Companies must have internet business ideas to survive to stay competitive in today’s markets. Crowdsourcing is a phenomenon receiving highly attention both inside and outside of academia. With the rapid development of Web2.0 and social media, an emerging business model like a raging fire impacts on the market: a crowdsourcing platform. Crowdsourcing platforms provide a good environment to fulfill people’s needs and seize value from providing products and services. It is important to understand what drives people to deliver and capture values from a crowdsourcing platform. The purpose of this paper is to explore how service participation works on successful crowdsourcing platforms in their cycles. We focus on why do participants (both sides of supply and demand) are willing to join into the platform to provide services and request services, finding out their virtuous cycles on the platforms in different applications. This study is the first of its kind to explore how service participation works on successful crowdsourcing platforms in their cycles. We will use a qualitative multiple case study, which facilitated an exploration of the phenomenon in an area that has received little theoretical development and allowed us to study the cycle of service participation on crowdsourcing platform in a real-life context. The results may reveal us some significant driving factors on why people are willing to provide and request services on crowdsourcing platforms and what important strategies should be taken while running a crowdsourcing platform. This not only gives us a more broaden view of crowdsourcing and platform operating, but also provides companies, which use crowdsourcing platform to run their business, a more realistic decision making references