The demographic characteristics of the oldest old in the United Kingdom

Those aged 85 and over (the oldest old) are the fastest growing age group in the population of many developed countries. However it is still uncommon to find statistics and analysis of this age group in current reporting. This article draws together demographic characteristics of people aged 85 and over from various different national data sources to provide an up-to-date picture of the oldest old.     

The changing demography of mid-life, from the 1980s to the 2000s

This article examines changes between 1984 and 2007 in the demographic and socio-economic circumstances of British men and women in mid-life. Changing living arrangements in mid-life reflect historical changes in the occurrence and timing of life events such as marriage and parenthood, as well as increased longevity. In order to place mid-life in this wider demographic context, the article first reviews changes over time in kin availability across the adult life course using the British Household Panel Survey (2001) and Understanding Society (2009). The article goes on to use data from the General Household Survey (1984-2007) to document shifts over time in living arrangements for those aged 20- 79. In the final part of the article we focus specifically on those aged between 45 and 64 and examine how their characteristics in terms of marital status, educational attainment, activity status and housing tenure have changed over the past quarter century.     

Looking back to look forward: lessons from four birth cohorts for ageing in the 21st century

Government projections indicate that by 2026 the number persons aged 60 and over living in Britain will reach 17.1 million, giving rise to concerns about the social and economic costs of an ageing population. Little attention, however, has been paid to the likely socio-economic characteristics of those retiring in the twenty-first century, and how they may differ from previous cohorts of elderly persons. This research analyses data from the General Household Survey (1974-1996) to examine the social and economic experiences of four birth cohorts. Findings indicate significant differences in the living arrangements, health and access to resources amongst the cohorts, which will have implications for the retirement prospects of the post-war baby boom generations in 2020 and beyond.     

Estimating the changing population of the 'oldest old'

The population of England and Wales is becoming older. This poses an increasing demand for detailed data on the size an trends of the population at the oldes ages. Using the recently released Offic for National Statistics estimates of th population aged 90 and over in England and Wales, this article shows trends in the population of the oldest old and demographic causes of the rapid increase in centenarians during the twentieth century. It also presents further validation of the ON estimates of the oldest old with estimat from other data sources.     

Measuring unmet need for social care amongst older people

Recent spending cuts in the area of adult social care raise policy concerns about the proportion of older people whose need for social care is not being met. Such concerns are emphasised in the context of population ageing and other demographic changes. For example, the increasing proportion of the population aged 75 and over places greater pressure on formal and informal systems of care and support provision, while changes in the living arrangements of older people may affect the supply of informal care within the household. This article explores the concept of 'unmet need' for support in relation to specific Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), using data on the receipt of support (informal, formal state or formal paid) from the General Household Survey, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the British Household Panel Survey. The results show that different kinds of need tend to be supported by particular sources of care, and that there is a significant level of 'unmet need' for certain activities.     

Social inequalities in later life: the socio-economic position of older people from ethnic minority groups in Britain

There are now nearly a quarter of a million individuals aged 60 years or over belonging to ethnic minority groups living in Britain. As the ethnic minority groups in Britain continue to age, information regarding their circumstances in later life will be of increasing importance for the development of appropriate services and policy. This article uses data from the General Household Survey (1991-96) to investigate the household living arrangements, lifestyle, socio-economic status, economic resources and experience of multiple deprivation in later life amongst older people from ethnic minority groups in Britain. The findings indicate that there are significant differences both between and within ethnic minority groups in access to material and social resources, which need to be taken into account by policy makers and planners.     

基于最小显著差异法农户关键违约特征挖掘

信用风险管理不仅是简单的对客户信用资质进行排序，而是识别出客户是否违约，如果违约将会给银行造成多大程度的损失.故信用风险管理问题可以归纳为：一是根据什么标准识别客户是否违约，这个标准也就是文中的关键指标；二是客户按照某一标准划分为多类，哪一类客户将给银行造成更大的损失，这类客户的识别也就是文中的关键特征识别.上述问题解决的是在信用风险管理中，具有哪些关键特征的贷款农户是造成银行较大违约损失的"害群之马".以中国某国有商业银行分布在28个省的农户贷款数据为实证样本，通过F检验的方法甄别出居住状况，年净收入/省人均GDP这2个指标是对中国农户贷款违约损失率有显著影响的关键指标.通过最小显著差异法确定"年净收入/省人均GDP"区间在10.02~19.24内，居住状况是"共有住房"特征的贷款农户的违约风险最大，是信用风险管理中的关键特征，具有这类特征的贷款农户的违约风险最大.     

Demographic data needs for an ageing population

A consequence of population ageing is an increased need for demographic information on the older population. This presents new challenges for data collection. This article analyses several key aspects of data collection on older people, including survey design and questions. It also critically examines the current range of UK and international sources for data on older people. Specifically, it addresses the under-representation of the following groups in some UK statistical sources: ) older people in institutions, 2) the oldest old and 3) older people from ethnic minorities.     

Characteristics of sole registered births and the mothers who register them

This article explores the characteristics of live births where no father was present on the birth certificate (sole registrations) using registration data. It then uses data from the ONS Longitudinal Study to examine some characteristics of mothers who have ever experienced a sole registered live birth. It shows that as a proportion of all births, sole registrations have remained fairly constant over the last two decades, although since 1998 there is some evidence of a fall in the proportion. For mothers born between 1955 and 1962 around nine per cent experienced a sole registration. Those who ever experienced a sole registration were around four years younger when they began their childbearing. These women also had larger families and were more likely to come from a lower social class background.     

Migration trends at older ages in England and Wales

Information on the behaviour and characteristics of our rapidly growing older population is of increasing importance to policy makers, who want to ensure a good quality of life for our elderly. This article uses data from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study (1971-2001) to illustrate trends in migration at older ages. It shows how the propensity to migrate differs by age, sex, marital status, living arrangements, economic resources and health in later life, amongst people aged 50 and over in England and Wales. Results show that moves at older ages are associated with changes in health and living arrangements, but also that these associations are inter-related with other factors such as age.     

An Impossibility Theorem for Nonbinary Social Choice

1IntroductionArrow'sproofforarrow'sgeneralpossibilitytheorem(GPT)standsontheconditionthatsocialchoiceisdefinedoverailpairsofalternativesl'l,whereas,inmosteconomicproblems,thesetoffeasiblealternativescontainsmorethantwoelements.IthasbeensuspectedthattherootoftheaggregationproblemsencounteredinthetheoryofsocialchoicedoesnotlieinthisspecialaspectofArrow'sframework.Thismotivatesthesearchfornonbinaryimpossibilitytheoremsl2].Inadelicatepaper,GretherandPlotthaveshownthatArrow'sGPTholdswhenailfini…     

The demographic characteristics and economic activity patterns of carers over 50: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Studies on informal care provision have often focused on the provision of care for persons with a long term physical or mental ill-health or disability, or problems related to old age. However, the provision of care and support more broadly, for example in the form of childcare for grandchildren, can also impact on various aspects of a carer's life, such as their employment (if under the state retirement age), lifetime earnings and, by extension, pension income in later life. This article uses data from Wave 3 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to explore the demographic characteristics, caring patterns, health status and economic activity patterns of carers aged over 50 in England. The results suggest that the nature of care provision differs across age groups, and that caring can be quite a different experience for older men and women. This article also sheds light on the characteristics of 'round-the-clock' carers, a relatively under-researched group which makes up just over one fifth of all carers aged 50 and over.     

联合体工程总承包商的收益分配机制

以合约理论和博弈思想为基础,建立数学模型,研究了联合体工程总承包商的收益分配问题.对模型进行求解,得出了优化设计所获得的项目总承包收益在设计单位与施工企业之间的最优分配比例,并推导出了设计单位和施工企业各自可采取的进行项目优化设计的最优努力程度.同时,导出了7个重要的相关推论.然后,以变化的具体数据为算例,对所得出的研究结果进行了验证.     

The dynamics of living arrangements in later life: evidence from the British Household Panel Survey

Living arrangements are a key dimension of quality of life and well-being in old age. Availability of family care, as well as social and economic support, is in part a function of whom you live with. In order to be able to forecast future changes in household composition, particularly in relation to planning and targeting particular community care services, information is needed on the probability of a person experiencing a change in their living arrangements, and the life course events that may act as triggers for such changes. This article uses data from the British Household Panel Survey (1991-99) to analyse the dynamics of living arrangements in later life.     

Living arrangements among older people: an overview of trends in Europe and the USA

This article compares the trends in living arrangements of older people in several European countries and in the United States. Trends and cross-country variability in several factors that could account for these cross-national differences, including marital status, fertility, labour force participation and attitudes, are also examined. In most countries the proportion of older people living alone increased substantially between 1970 and 1990. However the increase in living alone stabilised or even declined between 1990 and 2000 in most of the countries analysed indicating a possible reversal in the trend. Increases in proportions of older women who are married and reductions in the proportions childless may partially explain this. Considerable variability in both trends and levels of older people's living arrangements was seen especially between north-western and southern European countries. These variations mirrored contrasts in attitudes towards residential care and parent-child coresidence between the countries.     

敏捷制造企业的生命系统理论研究

将生命系统理论引入到敏捷制造企业的研究之中 ,提出了敏捷制造系统的生命系统框架 ,和敏捷制造企业的生命系统语义模型 ,并对敏捷制造企业的生命系统特点进行了分析.     

一种基于划分聚类和模糊神经网络的机器学习方法

将基于划分的模糊聚类算法和一般模糊极小极大神经网络分类算法相结合，提出了一种新的机器学习方法，实现了基于类比的案例推理学习模型。具体实现思想是，首先利用基于确定性退火技术的划分聚类算法对已知案例进行聚类标识，由所得结果建立一般模糊极小极大神经网络分类模型，然后用该模型实现新目标问题的案例相似性检索，最后针对目标问题结果案例完成案例学习。通过实例表明，该算法具有较好性能，并在基于案例推理的固体火箭发动机总体设计中成功应用，得到了论域覆盖面大的设计结果集。     

Internet 的一种新的动态演化模型

提出了Internet网络的一个新的演化模型,新模型允许新增节点引向已有节点的连接数随时间变化.仿真结果及理论分析表明,新模型所演化出的网络具备上述所有特点,较好地符合Internet网络的形成特征.     

Exploring Sustainable Development of Cultural Living Circles Through Action Research: The Case of Sanyi Township, Miaoli, Taiwan

A cultural living circle comprises a “living cultural space” with local characteristics established via interactions between resident daily behaviors and the surrounding environment. In studying the long-term promotion of a cultural living circle in Sanyi Woodcarving Village, Miaoli, Taiwan to explore the sustainable development of cultural living circle, the authors engaged in local community building to identify its dynamic composition through Action Research, and conducted a field study examining cultural living circles and main interaction networks through literature review and in-depth interviews. This study obtains three findings. First, cultural living circles are created through interactions among four main systems, educational, community, professional and administrative. Second, in the interaction network, a core “leading system” guides other “subservient systems” to establish a “core-satellite” model. Third, the role changing that occurs during cultural living circle development constructs a solid and flexible link that can realize sustainable development of cultural living circles.     

ARTIFICIAL LIVING SYSTEM AND ITS COMPLEXITY

1 IntroductionSince 1987, the first symposium on Artificial Life held in the Saga Fe institute in U.S., theresearch on complexity has combined with the research of artificial life[1--3]. Essotially, atffectal life concerns those atiflcial systems in competers that possess a pat of the characteristicsof life in the natural world; for example, they have reproduction, metabolism, and evolutionwithout protein. Some papers cajl them Digital Life; here we call this class of systems ArttheialLivi…