@article{Wrycza_30_57,
author = {Wrycza, Tomasz and Baudisch, Annette},
title={{The pace of aging: Intrinsic time scales in demography}},
journal = {Demographic Research},
volume = {30},
number = {57},
pages = {1571--1590},
doi = {10.4054/DemRes.2014.30.57},
year = {2014},
abstract = {Background: The pace of aging is a concept that captures the time-related aspect of aging. It formalizes
the idea of a characteristic life span or intrinsic population time scale. In the rapidly developing field of comparative biodemography, measures that account for inter-species
differences in life span are needed to compare how species age. 

Objective: We aim to provide a mathematical foundation for the concept of pace. We derive desired
mathematical properties of pace measures and suggest candidates which satisfy these properties. Subsequently, we introduce the concept of pace-standardization, which reveals differences in demographic quantities that are not due to pace. Examples and consequences are discussed. 

Conclusions: Mean life span (i.e., life expectancy from birth or from maturity) is intuitively appealing,
theoretically justified, and the most appropriate measure of pace. Pace-standardization
provides a serviceable method for comparative aging studies to explore differences in
demographic patterns of aging across species, and it may considerably alter conclusions
about the strength of aging. },
URL = {https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol30/57/},
eprint = {https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol30/57/30-57.pdf}
}