Housing Equity Withdrawal in Australia: Prevalence,Patterns and Motivations in Mid-to-late Life

In an era of population ageing, the primary home is increasingly viewed as a personal resource that can perform a pension role in retirement. This article assesses the extent to which Australians aged 45 years and over withdraw housing equity through in situ mortgage equity withdrawal (MEW), downsizing and selling up. We find that the incidence of housing equity withdrawal has increased over the last decade despite a global financial crisis. MEW is the dominant form of equity release among those under pension age, while downsizing or selling up is more frequent among those above pension age. Downsizing and selling up are more likely to be prompted by adverse life events than MEW. Selling up is typically an option of last resort. Our findings offer insights into important debates around homeownership societies and the welfare role performed by owner-occupied housing in mid-to-late life.     

Effect of network mesh size and swelling to the drug delivery from pH responsive hydrogels

pH responsive hydrogels are ideal platforms for numerous therapeutic delivery applications, including oral delivery, as they are capable of overcoming the many barriers that must be considered when creating an effective drug delivery system. Understanding of the innate hydrogel network structure and its swelling behavior at environmentally relevant conditions is vital for designing hydrogel network capable of effective controlled drug release. Herein, we explored how to expand traditional techniques of swelling and pore characterization to gain better insight into the performance of anionic microparticles composed of the poly(methyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid) with varying molar percentage of 10, 20, and 30 mol% of MMA, for controlled release of low-molecular-weight drugs. By evaluating these carrier systems at environmental conditions, we can observe changes in swelling and pore size of the anionic hydrogel networks as a function of MMA, which was then correlated with the release profiles of the small-molecular-weight drug sodium nitrate. With the correlation of the swelling behavior of the networks and the release profiles, we demonstrated how the expansion of swelling parameters at relevant pH values provides further incite for evaluating for the optimal blend for controlled release. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48767.     

In this issue

Software Quality Journal -     

Job Search Networks and Strategies in Scattered-site Public Housing

How does poverty dispersal influence the job search tactics and networks of poor women? Using the results of interviews with 253 women living in dispersed and small clusters of public housing, this paper examines how job networks and search tactics may vary. The premise is that the mechanisms involved in connecting poor residents of more affluent areas with opportunity may consist of both social connections and new strategies for accessing opportunity. The paper finds that dispersed residents have job networks containing more diverse information. Second, dispersed residents more often used formal methods to find their most recent job. Third, dispersed residents seek better jobs, net of demographic controls, search method, and search outcome. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for the design of housing mobility and mixed-income housing programmes, the current policy emphasis at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.