Housing liquidation and financial adequacy of retirees in New Zealand

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of housing on financial adequacy of New Zealand retirees using the Survey of Family, Income, and Employment (SoFIE) data for the period 2002–2009. We examine the differential effect of housing liquidation options, rent imputation and asset liquidity on financial adequacy. We report evidence of financial adequacy variation across five housing liquidation options and this is influenced by rent imputation. The results show that non-homeowners are less financially adequate than homeowners. We find that Māori, renters and individuals living in multi-dwelling occupancies have much lower levels of financial adequacy. Individuals of Pākehā or Asian ethnicity, homeowners and those living alone benefit more from imputed rent derived through home ownership. Our study highlights the need for the New Zealand government to address the lack of suitable public housing, rising housing and rental prices and mandate compulsory contributory retirement savings plans.     

Architecture and Dispersal

To close the issue, guest-editors Rafi Segal and Els Verbakel curated a discussion with Stan Allen, Margaret Crawford, Marcel Smets and Sarah Whiting, and put some provocative questions to them: What constitutes public space in the contemporary city? Can the public sphere still exist in the urban context? Should public space be fought for by architects and urban designers? Or, as Allen proposes, is it the landscape architects alone who have been quick to realise the potential of the empty spaces in our cities as a ripe terrain for change? Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Investigation into the Nature of the Oxide Layer Formed on Kovar (Fe–29Ni–17Co) Wires Following Oxidation in Air at 700 and 800 °C

This work provides new insight and evidence that challenges and extends the accepted view of the oxidation behaviour of Kovar (ASTM-15). Specimens of 2 mm diameter Kovar wire were oxidised in air at 700 or 800 °C for 10 min. The resulting oxide layers were analysed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Oxide layers of approximately 2 and 4 µm thickness were formed at 700 and 800 °C, respectively. These were found to contain iron, cobalt and traces of nickel. The combination of analysis techniques revealed that the oxide contains Fe₂O₃ in addition to (Fe, Co, Ni)₃O₄, a spinel oxide, in contrast to the combinations of Fe₃O₄, Fe₂O₃ and FeO that are typically reported. The oxide layer was found to be complex, consisting of multiple layers with different compositions, which is overlooked in the existing literature.     

Modeling the physiological state of the inoculum and CO2 atmosphere on the lag phase and growth rate of Listeria monocytogenes

In previous studies, the growth of L. monocytogenes has been modeled under different CO2 headspace concentrations; however, the inoculum cells were always in the stationary phase. In this study, the growth of L. monocytogenes under different CO2 concentrations as affected by the physiological state of the cells was investigated. Exponential-growth-phase, stationary-phase, dried, and starved cells were prepared and inoculated at 5 degrees C into brain heart infusion broths that had been preequilibrated under atmospheres of 0, 20, 40, 60, or 80% CO2 (the balance was N2). Lag-phase duration times (LDTs) and exponential growth rates were determined by enumerating cells at appropriate time intervals and by fitting the data to a three-phase linear function that has a lag period before the initiation of exponential growth. Longer LDTs were observed as the CO2 concentration increased, with no growth observed at 80% CO2. For example, the LDTs for exponential-phase, stationary-phase, starved, and dried cells were 2.21, 8.27, 9.17, and 9.67 days, respectively, under the 40% CO2 atmosphere. In general, exponential-growth-phase cells had the shortest LDT followed by starved cells and stationary-phase cells. Dried cells had the longest LDT. Exponential growth rates decreased as the CO2 concentrations increased. Once exponential growth was attained, no retained differences among the various initial physiological states of the cells for any of the atmospheres were observed in the exponential growth rates. The exponential growth rates under 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80% CO2 averaged 0.39, 0.37, 0.23, 0.23, and 0.0 log CFU/day, respectively. Dimensionless factors were calculated that describe the inhibitory action of CO2 on the LDTs and exponential growth rates for the various physiological states.     

Comments on “Retrospective motion correction in digitalsubtraction angiography: a review”

Although Close and Whiting found the paper by Meijering el al. (ibid., vol. 18, p. 2-21, 1999) to be both thorough and informative, Close and Whiting feel compelled to correct what they feel to be an inaccurate characterization of their work. Meijering et al. refer to Close and Whitings' 1995 paper (“Motion compensated signal and background estimation from coronary angiograms,” in Medical Imaging 1995: image processing, M. H. Loew, Ed., Proc. SPIE, vol. 2434, p. 185-94, 1995) as being “for the purpose of motion analysis” and, more specifically, “for the analysis of cardiac or vascular motion (vessel tracking).” Although Close and Whiting do perform vessel tracking, the purpose of their work is to obtain an accurate densitometric representation of the projected vessel lumen. Indeed, the title of their 1995 paper, “Motion-compensated signal and background estimation from coronary angiograms” clearly refers to densitometric estimation rather than analysis of motion. The basis of Close and Whitings' approach is the observation that although the anatomical motion is inherently three-dimensional (3-D) and nonuniform, the motion of a short vessel segment can be approximated well by a single rigid motion. Therefore, Close and Whiting expect that by decomposing an angiographic image sequence into moving layers, one can separate the densitometric profile of the vessel from background structures which have different motion     

Optimal recovery of cytomegalovirus from urine as a function of specimen preparation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early liver transplantation is crucial in children with liver disease and pulmonary artery hypertension. Some severe pulmonary vascular anomalies associated with portal hypertension disappear after isolated liver transplantation. Evolution of pulmonary artery hypertension due to plexogenic arteriopathy is controversial, as this association is still considered a contraindication to isolated liver transplantation. Outcome of pulmonary hypertension after isolated liver transplantation is reported in three patients with portal hypertension. METHODS: After echocardiographic diagnosis, the patients had a complete hemodynamic exploration, and two had a lung biopsy. After liver transplantation, the survivors had echocardiographic follow up and a second hemodynamic exploration. RESULTS: In two children, pulmonary pressures and resistances returned to near-normal values 1 and 6 years after successful isolated liver transplantation. The third patient, with the most severe arteriopathy, had to wait 1 year for a donor, and the attempted transplantation was complicated by ventricular tachycardia; death occurred 2 days after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Liver transplantation can reverse pulmonary artery hypertension due to high pulmonary resistances complicating liver disease with portal hypertension, provided it is carried out at an early stage. Early detection of pulmonary hypertension by systematic echocardiography may thus be crucial in these children with portal hypertension.     

A history of data-flow languages

Data-flow refers both to a language-level paradigm of computation and to a family of processor architectures based on this paradigm. This article elaborates data-flow language issues and the evolution of data-flow languages. In considering limits to the expressive power of these languages, underlying architectural issues are discussed. Although the article attempts to present a complete history of data-flow languages, it concentrates on those languages that specifically belong to this class and have been implemented for a data-flow machine. In many cases, the distinctions between issues of language semantics and machine architecture are unclear. Usually we have found that this reflects the evolution of data-flow, and the close association between language and architecture development. In some sections of the article, it may appear that there is an imbalance in the amount of detail presented when compared with other sections. This imbalance is proportional to the publications and the amount of information readily available for the topics     

The evaluation of non-Newtonian viscosity using a modified parallel-plate plastometer

A modified parallel-plate plastometer has been developed to measure the viscosity of rapid setting dental composite pastes. The theoretical treatment presented enabled the shear rates occurring in the specimen to be determined and, therefore, different materials to be compared. Five pastes were shown to be pseudoplastic power-law fluids each with uniqueK andn values.