A closer look to the state of affairs of the elderly in Indonesia has disclosed the fact that the Indonesian elderly facing what this paper is coined as ＂multiple vulnerabilities.＂ On the one hand, Indonesian demogr...A closer look to the state of affairs of the elderly in Indonesia has disclosed the fact that the Indonesian elderly facing what this paper is coined as ＂multiple vulnerabilities.＂ On the one hand, Indonesian demographic is showing that the Indonesian people are getting old. The fertility rate has significantly decreased since 1970 when the total fertility rate decreases from 5.0 to 2.1 in 2025. This alone gives rise to various problems of the elderly, among whom are the dependency ratio, aging index, potential support ratio, and the feminization of aging. These problems show the level of vulnerability of the Indonesian elderly. From the perspective of the dependency ratio, for example, the number of people under the age of 15 and above 65 who depend on the labor force （15-64 years） has increased since 1970, from 7.0 to 29.0 in 2050. Again, this shows the high level of vulnerability of Indonesian elderly given that the dependency ratio itself has influenced on health care, living arrangements and family support, and so on. Aside from that, the economic burden will be very visible in the workforce. On the other hand, the policies on the elderly are still far from maximum realization. Law on the Welfare of the Elderly （13/1998） has recommended that every hospital must have geriatrics and gerontology section, yet only 8 hospitals fulfill the requirement. The situation is worsened due to the lack of adequate medical staff at the health center, which can serve elderly patients in a professional and humane way. Again, this brings forth the other side of the state of the elderly in Indonesia, which indicates the high level of their vulnerability. In this paper I will analyze the state of vulnerability of the elderly people in Indonesia from the perspective of ethics of vulnerability and personalism. I consider these two approaches as representing all ethical discussion about the ethical treatment of the elderly due to their characters of valuing the elderly as persons with dignity. Thus, this paper will show that the elderly in Indonesia is in danger of not being treated humanely.展开更多
The rapid pace of development of GIS （geographical information system） has assisted in identification of conservation priority sites by delineating species distribution using models on habitat suitability. Gaur, Bos...The rapid pace of development of GIS （geographical information system） has assisted in identification of conservation priority sites by delineating species distribution using models on habitat suitability. Gaur, Bos gaurus, is categorized as ＂Vulnerable＂ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009. The study has used ENFA （ecological niche factor analysis） to understand the distribution status of Gaur in TATR （Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve）, Central India. TATR was sampled using stratified random sampling strategy. A total of 21 continuous variables were used, categorised under 4 environmental descriptors categories viz. habitat, anthropogenic, topographic and hydrological variables. All the variables were tested for the correlation and one of the variable among strongly correlated （r 〉 0.7） variables was discarded to avoid redundancy. A total of 14 variables were retained. The model resulted in marginality of 0.56 and specialization of 2.608. Presence of Gaur showed the positive association with canopy density classes （〈 30% ＆ 40-60%） and open forest. However, it was negatively associated with elevation, non-forest, riparian forest, scrub and teak forest. The study has delineated the areas where appropriate habitat conditions exist to sustain Gaur populations vital for planning strategies for conservation of this megaherbivore species in tropical forests.展开更多
There has been a significant decline in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality amidst pervasive advances in care, including percutane- ous revascularization, mechanical circulatory support, and transcatheter valvular ...There has been a significant decline in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality amidst pervasive advances in care, including percutane- ous revascularization, mechanical circulatory support, and transcatheter valvular therapies. While advancing therapies may add significant longevity, they also bring about new end-of-life decision-making challenges for patients and their families who also must weigh the advan- tages of reduced mortality to the possibility of longer lives consisting of high morbidity, frailty, pain, and poor quality of living. Advance care entails options of withholding or withdrawing therapies, and has become a familiar part of cardiovascular care for older patients in Western countries. However, as advanced cardiovascular practices extend to developing countries, the interrelated concept of advance care is rarely straight forward as it is affected by local cultural traditions and mores, and can lead to very different inferences and use. This paper discusses the concepts of advance care planning, surrogate decision-making, orders for resuscitation and futility in patients with cardiac dis- ease with comparisons of West to East, focusing particularly on the United States versus India.展开更多
Ecdysone receptor （EcR） and ultraspiracle （USP） form heterodimers to mediate ecdysteroid signaling during molting and metamorphosis. Various EcR/USP heterodimers have been reported. However, it is unclear what kin...Ecdysone receptor （EcR） and ultraspiracle （USP） form heterodimers to mediate ecdysteroid signaling during molting and metamorphosis. Various EcR/USP heterodimers have been reported. However, it is unclear what kind of EcR/USP combination is adopted by lepidopteran insects during the larval-pupal metamorphosis and whether the EcR/USP heterodimer varies among different tissues. To address these questions, two isoforms of each EcR and USP were cloned from the common cutworm, their messenger RNA expression patterns were examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in different tissues during the larval-pupal metamorphosis and in the midgut in response to hormonal induction. Furthermore, their subcellular localization and protein-protein interaction were explored by transient expression and far-western blotting, respectively. All the four genes were significantly up-regulated in prepuae and/or pupae. The expression profiles of EcRB1 and USP1 were nearly identical to each other in the epidermis, fat body and midgut, and a similar situation also applied to EcRA and USP2. The three genes responded to 20-hydroxyecdysone （20E） induction except for USP2, and USP1 could be up-regulated by both 20E and juvenile hormone. The four proteins mainly localized in the nucleus and the nuclear localization was promoted by 20E. The protein-protein interaction between each EcR and USP was found in vitro. These results suggest that two types of EcR/USP heterodimer （EeRA/USP2 and EcRB 1/USP1） may exist simultaneously in the common cutworm, and the latter should play more important roles during the larval-pupal metamorphosis. In addition, the types of EcR/USP heterodimer do not vary in the tissues which undergo histolysis and regeneration during metamorphosis.展开更多
文摘A closer look to the state of affairs of the elderly in Indonesia has disclosed the fact that the Indonesian elderly facing what this paper is coined as ＂multiple vulnerabilities.＂ On the one hand, Indonesian demographic is showing that the Indonesian people are getting old. The fertility rate has significantly decreased since 1970 when the total fertility rate decreases from 5.0 to 2.1 in 2025. This alone gives rise to various problems of the elderly, among whom are the dependency ratio, aging index, potential support ratio, and the feminization of aging. These problems show the level of vulnerability of the Indonesian elderly. From the perspective of the dependency ratio, for example, the number of people under the age of 15 and above 65 who depend on the labor force （15-64 years） has increased since 1970, from 7.0 to 29.0 in 2050. Again, this shows the high level of vulnerability of Indonesian elderly given that the dependency ratio itself has influenced on health care, living arrangements and family support, and so on. Aside from that, the economic burden will be very visible in the workforce. On the other hand, the policies on the elderly are still far from maximum realization. Law on the Welfare of the Elderly （13/1998） has recommended that every hospital must have geriatrics and gerontology section, yet only 8 hospitals fulfill the requirement. The situation is worsened due to the lack of adequate medical staff at the health center, which can serve elderly patients in a professional and humane way. Again, this brings forth the other side of the state of the elderly in Indonesia, which indicates the high level of their vulnerability. In this paper I will analyze the state of vulnerability of the elderly people in Indonesia from the perspective of ethics of vulnerability and personalism. I consider these two approaches as representing all ethical discussion about the ethical treatment of the elderly due to their characters of valuing the elderly as persons with dignity. Thus, this paper will show that the elderly in Indonesia is in danger of not being treated humanely.
文摘The rapid pace of development of GIS （geographical information system） has assisted in identification of conservation priority sites by delineating species distribution using models on habitat suitability. Gaur, Bos gaurus, is categorized as ＂Vulnerable＂ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009. The study has used ENFA （ecological niche factor analysis） to understand the distribution status of Gaur in TATR （Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve）, Central India. TATR was sampled using stratified random sampling strategy. A total of 21 continuous variables were used, categorised under 4 environmental descriptors categories viz. habitat, anthropogenic, topographic and hydrological variables. All the variables were tested for the correlation and one of the variable among strongly correlated （r 〉 0.7） variables was discarded to avoid redundancy. A total of 14 variables were retained. The model resulted in marginality of 0.56 and specialization of 2.608. Presence of Gaur showed the positive association with canopy density classes （〈 30% ＆ 40-60%） and open forest. However, it was negatively associated with elevation, non-forest, riparian forest, scrub and teak forest. The study has delineated the areas where appropriate habitat conditions exist to sustain Gaur populations vital for planning strategies for conservation of this megaherbivore species in tropical forests.
文摘There has been a significant decline in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality amidst pervasive advances in care, including percutane- ous revascularization, mechanical circulatory support, and transcatheter valvular therapies. While advancing therapies may add significant longevity, they also bring about new end-of-life decision-making challenges for patients and their families who also must weigh the advan- tages of reduced mortality to the possibility of longer lives consisting of high morbidity, frailty, pain, and poor quality of living. Advance care entails options of withholding or withdrawing therapies, and has become a familiar part of cardiovascular care for older patients in Western countries. However, as advanced cardiovascular practices extend to developing countries, the interrelated concept of advance care is rarely straight forward as it is affected by local cultural traditions and mores, and can lead to very different inferences and use. This paper discusses the concepts of advance care planning, surrogate decision-making, orders for resuscitation and futility in patients with cardiac dis- ease with comparisons of West to East, focusing particularly on the United States versus India.
基金Acknowledgments The research was supported by the grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 31172154） and the National Basic Research Program of China （973 Program, No. 2012CB114101）.
文摘Ecdysone receptor （EcR） and ultraspiracle （USP） form heterodimers to mediate ecdysteroid signaling during molting and metamorphosis. Various EcR/USP heterodimers have been reported. However, it is unclear what kind of EcR/USP combination is adopted by lepidopteran insects during the larval-pupal metamorphosis and whether the EcR/USP heterodimer varies among different tissues. To address these questions, two isoforms of each EcR and USP were cloned from the common cutworm, their messenger RNA expression patterns were examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in different tissues during the larval-pupal metamorphosis and in the midgut in response to hormonal induction. Furthermore, their subcellular localization and protein-protein interaction were explored by transient expression and far-western blotting, respectively. All the four genes were significantly up-regulated in prepuae and/or pupae. The expression profiles of EcRB1 and USP1 were nearly identical to each other in the epidermis, fat body and midgut, and a similar situation also applied to EcRA and USP2. The three genes responded to 20-hydroxyecdysone （20E） induction except for USP2, and USP1 could be up-regulated by both 20E and juvenile hormone. The four proteins mainly localized in the nucleus and the nuclear localization was promoted by 20E. The protein-protein interaction between each EcR and USP was found in vitro. These results suggest that two types of EcR/USP heterodimer （EeRA/USP2 and EcRB 1/USP1） may exist simultaneously in the common cutworm, and the latter should play more important roles during the larval-pupal metamorphosis. In addition, the types of EcR/USP heterodimer do not vary in the tissues which undergo histolysis and regeneration during metamorphosis.
