Aging and Disability: Implications for the Housing Industry and Housing Policy in the United States

Problem: The elderly population of the United States is large and growing rapidly. Since disability rates increase with age, population aging will bring substantial increases in the number of disabled persons and have a significant impact on the nation's housing needs.

Purpose: We demonstrate the impact of population growth and aging on the projected number of households with at least one disabled resident and estimate the probability that a newly built single-family detached unit will have at least one disabled resident during its expected lifetime.

Methods: We calculate disability rates using two alternative measures of disability and construct projections of the number of households with at least one disabled resident. We develop and apply a technique for estimating the probability that a newly built single-family detached unit will house at least one disabled resident using data on the average lifespan of those units, the average length of residence for households occupying those units, and the projected proportion of households with at least one disabled resident.

Results and conclusions: Under our medium assumptions, we project that 21% of households will have at least one disabled resident in 2050 using our first disability measure (physical limitation) and 7% using our second (self-care limitation). We estimate that there is a 60% probability that a newly built single-family detached unit will house at least one disabled resident during its expected lifetime using our first measure, and a 25% probability using our second measure. When disabled visitors are accounted for, the probabilities rise to 91% and 53%, respectively. Given the desire of most people to live independently for as long as possible, these numbers reflect a large and growing need for housing units with features that make them accessible to disabled persons.

Takeaway for practice: The lack of accessible housing provides an opportunity for homebuilders to develop and market products that meet the needs of an aging population. In light of concerns about the civil rights of people with disabilities and the high public cost of nursing home care, housing accessibility is a critical issue for planners and policymakers as well. We believe planners should broaden their vision of the built environment to include the accessibility of the housing stock.

Research support: None.     

Improving the colour fastness of dyed nylon‐6 fabric by graft copolymerisation and curing of acrylic acid

The influence of grafting and grafting–curing of acrylic acid on the colour fastness of nylon‐6 fabric dyed with an acid dye of low wash fastness was investigated. The variables involved in grafting were initially optimised for pristine nylon‐6 fabric prior to grafting the same monomer onto the dyed fabrics. The highest graft yield achieved for the pristine and dyed nylon‐6 fabrics was 44 and 14% respectively. Grey scale testing and colorimetric analysis revealed that the highest colour fastness and the smallest drop in colour strength belonged to the dyed–grafted–cured nylon‐6 fabric. The colour components were measured, and the total colour difference of each sample after five washing cycles was computed. The specific colour difference showed that the implementation of either grafting or grafting–curing processes will alter the reference colour of the dyed fabric. The tensile strength of the grafted and grafted–cured fabrics was respectively 2.7 and 6.3% lower than that of dyed nylon‐6.     

Wetting characteristics of a water droplet on solid surfaces with various pillar surface fractions under different conditions

A numerical study was carried out using a molecular dynamics program to examine the wetting characteristics of nano-sized water droplets on surfaces with various pillar surface fractions under different conditions. Square-shaped pillars had surface fractions that increased from 11.1 % to 69.4 %. The pillars had 4 different heights and 3 different surface energies. When the pillar surface fraction changed, the contact angle of a water droplet also changed due to the attraction between the droplet and the pillar surface or the inner attraction of the water molecules. The pillar height also has different effects on the water droplet depending on the magnitude of surface energy.     

Endogenous Polyamines and Ethylene Biosynthesis in Relation to Germination of Osmoprimed Brassica napus Seeds under Salt Stress

Currently, seed priming is reported as an efficient and low-cost approach to increase crop yield, which could not only promote seed germination and improve plant growth state but also increase abiotic stress tolerance. Salinity represents one of the most significant abiotic stresses that alters multiple processes in plants. The accumulation of polyamines (PAs) in response to salt stress is one of the most remarkable plant metabolic responses. This paper examined the effect of osmopriming on endogenous polyamine metabolism at the germination and early seedling development of Brassica napus in relation to salinity tolerance. Free, conjugated and bound polyamines were analyzed, and changes in their accumulation were discussed with literature data. The most remarkable differences between the corresponding osmoprimed and unprimed seeds were visible in the free (spermine) and conjugated (putrescine, spermidine) fractions. The arginine decarboxylase pathway seems to be responsible for the accumulation of PAs in primed seeds. The obvious impact of seed priming on tyramine accumulation was also demonstrated. Moreover, the level of ethylene increased considerably in seedlings issued from primed seeds exposed to salt stress. It can be concluded that the polyamines are involved in creating the beneficial effect of osmopriming on germination and early growth of Brassica napus seedlings under saline conditions through moderate changes in their biosynthesis and accumulation.     

Physiologic Insulin Resensitization as a Treatment Modality for Insulin Resistance Pathophysiology

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased from 2.5% of the US population in 1990 to 10.5% in 2018. This creates a major public health problem, due to increases in long-term complications of diabetes, including neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, skin ulcers, amputations, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In this review, we evaluated the scientific basis that supports the use of physiologic insulin resensitization. Insulin resistance is the primary cause of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance leads to increasing insulin secretion, leading to beta-cell exhaustion or burnout. This triggers a cascade leading to islet cell destruction and the long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. Concurrent with insulin resistance, the regular bursts of insulin from the pancreas become irregular. This has been treated by the precise administration of insulin more physiologically. There is consistent evidence that this treatment modality can reverse the diabetes-associated complications of neuropathy, diabetic ulcers, nephropathy, and retinopathy, and that it lowers HbA1c. In conclusion, physiologic insulin resensitization has a persuasive scientific basis, significant treatment potential, and likely cost benefits.     

Effect of Tungsten and Molybdenum Doping on the Semiconductor–Metallic Transition in Vanadium Dioxide Produced by Evaporative Decomposition of Solutions and Hydrogen Reduction

V_{1– x} W _x O₂ and V_{1– x} Mo _x O₂, 0 < x < 0.03, powders have been produced by the evaporative decomposition of solutions of vanadyl sulfate hydrate with tungsten dioxide dichloride or molybdenum dioxide dichloride in a hydrogen/nitrogen atmosphere. The powders consist primarily of hollow, porous, spherical shells. Differential scanning calorimetric analysis of the powders indicates that the 67°C mono-clinic-tetragonal phase transition in VO₂ shifts to lower temperatures by 23°C/(at.% tungsten) and 6.3°C/(at.% molybdenum).     

Characteristics of GdGaO grown by MBE

Ga₂O₃/GdGaO dielectric stacks have been grown on GaAs for MOSFETs. This paper highlights variations in the characteristics of GdGaO as the Gd flux, Ga₂O flux and substrate temperature are changed. The growth rate, composition, crystallinity are discussed and the sheet resistance of final MOSFET structures are presented. The Gd compositional variation with depth is examined using Rutherford back scattering (RBS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS).     

Wear Performance of Laser Processed Tantalum Coatings

This first generation investigation evaluates the in vitro tribological performance of laser-processed Ta coatings on Ti for load-bearing implant applications. Linear reciprocating wear tests in simulated body fluid showed one order of magnitude less wear rate, of the order of 10(-4)mm(3)(N.m)(-1), for Ta coatings compared to Ti. Our results demonstrate that Ta coatings can potentially minimize the early-stage bone-implant interface micro-motion induced wear debris generation due to their excellent bioactivity comparable to that of hydroxyapatite (HA), high wear resistance and toughness compared to popular HA coatings.