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This paper analyzes various reform options for Japan's public pension in light of large fiscal consolidation needs of the country. The most attractive option is to increase the pension eligibility age in line with high and rising life expectancy. This would have a positive effect on long-run economic growth and would be relatively fair in sharing the burden of fiscal adjustment between younger and older generations. Other attractive options include better targeting by \"clawing back\" a small portion of pension benefits from wealthy retirees, reducing preferential tax treatment of pension benefit incomes, and collecting contributions from dependent spouses of employees, who are currently eligible for pension benefits even though they make no contributions. These options, if implemented concurrently, could reduce the government annual subsidy and the government deficit by up to 1¼ percent of GDP by 2020.

China is at a critical juncture in its economic transition. A comprehensive reform of its pension and social security systems is an essential element of a strategy aimed toward achieving a harmonious society and sustainable development. Among policy makers, a widely held view is that the approach to pension provision and reform efforts piloted over the last 10-15 years is insufficient to enable China's economy and population to realize its development objectives in the years ahead. This volume suggests a national pension system that no longer distinguishes along urban and rural locational or hukou lines yet takes account of the diverse nature of employment relations and capacity of individuals to make contributions. This volume is organized as follows: the main text outlines this vision, focusing on summarizing the key features of a proposed long-term pension system. It first examines key trends motivating the need for reform then outlines the proposed three-pillar design and the rationale behind the design choices. It then moves on to examine financing options. The text continues by discussing institutional reform issues, and the final section concludes. The six appendixes provide additional analytical detail supporting the findings in the main text. The pension system design can play an important role in supporting or constraining such economic and demographic transitions: 1) fragmentation and lack of portability of rights hinder labor market efficiency and contribute to coverage gaps; 2) multiple schemes for salaried workers, civil servants, and, in some areas, migrants similarly impact labor markets; 3) legacy costs that are largely financed through current pension contributions weaken incentives for compliance and accurate wage reporting; 4) very limited risk pooling and interurban resource transfers limit the insurance function of the urban pension system and create spatial disparities in old-age income protection; 5) low retirement ages affect incentives and benefits and undermine fiscal sustainability; and 6) relatively low returns on individual accounts result in replacement rates significantly less than anticipated while at the macro level, are likely to inhibit wider efforts to stimulate higher domestic consumption.

Pension benefit adjustment is an effective measure to ensure the basic living standards of retirees, improve people’s livelihood, and maintain social harmony and stability. This study uses the entropy weight TOPSIS method to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of pension benefit adjustment policy in 31 provinces in China from three dimensions of sustainability, guarantee, and fairness. The Dagum Gini coefficient is used to analyze the pension benefit adjustment effects in China’s four major regions and the sources of differences among the three subsystems. Finally, the dynamic evolution of the effect of pension benefit adjustment was analyzed using kernel density estimation. The following conclusions were achieved: (1) Sustainability indicator scores are declining, while guarantee and fairness indicator scores are both on the rise, indicating that provinces are placing greater emphasis on fairness and ensuring the basic living standards of retirees in pension benefit adjustments; (2) The overall variation in the impact of pension benefit adjustments is decreasing, with regional disparities being the primary source of overall variance; (3) Pension benefits in the eastern region have increased significantly, while there are significant variations among provinces in the central and western regions. The adjustment effect for pension benefits in the northeastern region is poor and requires further enhancement. These findings provide valuable policy basis for achieving the sustainability, guarantee, and fairness of pension funds.

All countries in the former transition economies of Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe have undertaken public pension reforms of varying depth and orientation, often with the support of the World Bank. Although the reformed public pension schemes provide broad benefit adequacy, in most cases additional measures are needed to achieve fiscal sustainability in an aging society. 'Adequacy of Retirement Income after Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe: Eight Country Studies' assesses the benefit adequacy of the reformed pension systems for eight countries—Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia—to identify policy gaps and options. The authors identify the motivations for reform against the backdrop of the trend toward multi-pillar arrangements, document key provisions, and compare them in the context of the World Bank's five-pillar paradigm for pension reform. They then evaluate the sustainability and adequacy of reformed pension systems and provide recommendations to address gaps and take advantage of opportunities for further reforms. The case studies and summary suggest the following broad policy conclusions: • Fiscal sustainability has improved in most study countries, but few are fully prepared for the inevitability of population aging. • The linkage between contributions and benefits has been strengthened, and pension system designs are better suited to market conditions • Levels of income replacement are generally adequate for all but some categories of workers (including those with intermittent formal sector employment or low lifetime wages), and addressing their needs requires initiatives that go beyond pension policy. • Further reforms should focus on extending labor force participation by the elderly to avoid benefit cuts that could undermine adequacy and very high contribution rates that could discourage formal sector employment. • More decisive financial market reforms are needed for funded provisions to deliver on the expectations of participants and keep funded pensions safe. This book will be of interest to policy makers, researchers, and everyone interested in the topic of pensions in the region, and beyond.

The paper discusses the limits to market-based risk transfer in the financial system and the implications for the management of systemic long-term financial risks. Financial instruments or markets to transfer and better manage these risks across institutions and sectors are, as yet, either nascent or nonexistent. As such, the paper investigates why these markets remain \"incomplete.\" It also explores a range of options by which policymakers may encourage the development of these markets as part of governments' role as a risk manager.

Background: Lamotrigine (LMT) is a phenyltriazine derivative that was originally described as an antiepileptic drug. Objective: This literature review aims to evaluate the clinical epidemiological profile, pathological mechanisms, and management of lamotrigine-associated movement disorders. Methods: Relevant reports in six databases were identified and assessed by two reviewers without language restriction. Reports that the individuals only developed tremor or ataxia after LMT use were not included. Results: In total 48 reports of 108 cases from 19 countries were assessed. The movement disorders associated with LMT found were 29 tics, 21 dyskinesias, 14 myoclonus, 13 parkinsonism, 10 dystonia, and 1 stuttering. The not clearly defined cases included 10 akathisia, 4 myoclonus, 4 cerebellar syndromes, 1 hypertonia, 1 dyskinesia, and an unknown number of dystonia cases. The mean reported age was 33.34 years (range: 1.574 years). The male was the predominant sex and the most common LMT indication was epilepsy. The mean LMT-dose at the movement disorder onset was 228 mg. The time from LMT start to the onset of movement disorder was within 6 months in 81%. The time from LMT withdrawal to complete recovery was within 1 month in 83%. The most common management was LMT withdrawal. Conclusions: In the literature, the majority of the cases did not give a clear picture of the individual, and the times of movement disorder onset and recovery are not described. We believe that before withdrawal LMT, a dose adjustment based on the benefits and adverse events with careful evaluation case-by-case can be done.

The high summer indoor temperature in agricultural greenhouse is not conducive to crop growth, so it is necessary to cool the greenhouse. In this study, taking the agricultural multi-span greenhouse with strong temperature adjustment ability for example, we make an experimental analysis on the temperature changes inside and outside the greenhouse under nine different equipment combinations (fan, skylight, sunshade, sunshade+fan, cooling pad+fan, skylight+fan, sunshade+skylight, sunshade+fan+cooling pad, sunshade+skylight+fan), respectively, and conduct the overall assessment on the measures to cool the summer agricultural greenhouse, in order to provide a reference for selecting a cost-effective cooling method for greenhouse. Tests show that the three treatment modes of fan, sunshade and sunshade+fan almost have no cooling capacity; skylight, sunshade+skylight have cooling capacity, but the effect is slow; cooling pad+fan, sunshade+skylight+fan can reduce the indoor temperature, but the effect is not very good; skylight and fan have good cooling effect; sunshade+fan+cooling pad has obvious cooling effect, which can well meet the cooling needs in the summer greenhouse.

Purpose To investigate the prevalence of adjustment disorder (AD) among cancer patients and the acceptance of psychological treatment, in relation to sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors. Methods Breast, prostate, and head and neck cancer patients of all stages and treatment modalities ( N  = 200) participated in this observational study. Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Checklist Individual Strength, Distress Thermometer and problem list. Patients with increased risk on AD based on these questionnaires were scheduled for a diagnostic interview. Patients diagnosed with AD were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial on the cost-effectiveness of psychological treatment. Participation in this trial was used as a proxy of acceptance of psychological treatment. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associated factors. Results The overall prevalence of AD was estimated at 13.1%. Sensitivity analyses showed prevalence rates of AD of 11.5%, 15.0%, and 23.5%. Acceptance of psychological treatment was estimated at 65%. AD was associated both with being employed (OR = 3.3, CI = 1.3–8.4) and having a shorter time since diagnosis (OR = 0.3, CI = 0.1–0.8). Conclusion Taking sensitivity analysis into account, the prevalence of AD among cancer patients is estimated at 13 to 15%, and is related to being employed and having a shorter time since diagnosis. The majority of cancer patients with AD accept psychological treatment.