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OBJECTIVES To study the relationship between a high incidence of bronchial asthma among employees working in an office building and an indoor air problem related to the degradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) floor coverings in the building. The indoor air measurements and results of renovations are also described. METHODS Employees' symptoms were surveyed by a questionnaire, and the incidenc...

The usual earthquake resistant design philosophy of ductile frame buildings allows the beams to form plastic hinges adjacent to beam-column connections. In order to carry out this design philosophy, the ultimate bond or shear strength of the beam should be greater than the flexural yielding force and should not degrade before reaching its required ductility. The behavior of RC members dominated...

Continued increases in Johne’s disease around the world suggest more information is needed to understand the mechanisms by which the causative agent, Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP), is spread among livestock on the farm site. Livestock watering troughs are frequented by all animals on a farm; they provide a moist, nutrient-rich environment for bacterial survival, and the troug...

With respect to the dissipation of energy through plastic deformation of joints of prefabricated wall units, the paper points out the principal importance of efficient reinforcement of the prefabricated system at its joints. The method, quality and amount of reinforcement are essential for reaching the necessary degree of joint ductility. The paper presents partial results of experimental resea...

Plastic represent thousands of materials with different physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. As plastic demand usage increase, it is undeniable that the amount waste will increase. has features which cannot rot; does not decompose naturally; absorb water or rust. So eventually cause problems for environment. This study aims to determine compressive strength tensile concrete mixes use ...

Plastic shrinkage cracking is a problem for the service life, aesthetics and durability of concrete members. It occurs when tensile stresses are induced in fresh concrete, through plastic that restrained. caused by negative capillary pressure build-up, but can be controlled to prevent shrinkage. In this paper, control using high-capacity sensors explored. The behaviour self-compacting mix desig...

Rock-like materials are composites that can be regarded as a mixture composed of elastic, plastic, and viscous components. They exhibit viscoelastic-plastic behavior under a high-strain-rate loading according to element model theory. This paper presents an analytical solution for stress wave propagation in viscoelastic-plastic rock-like materials under a high-strain-rate loading and verifies th...

In recent years, destructive earthquakes have shown the deficiencies of the existing buildings. One of the most effective mechanisms for dissipating the earthquake energy is inelastic deformation of the steel components. The objective of this research is to study the application of metallic dampers for dissipation of the earthquake energy and to investigate the behavior of concrete structures i...