Few data are available from Eastern Mediterranean countries about levels of domestic allergens and endotoxins. Dust samples were collected from mattresses and floors of 457 homes in the Syrian city of Aleppo and analysed for antigens and endotoxins. The most important predictors for detectable levels of house-dust mite allergen Der p 1 were Arabic-style houses (OR 3.21) and newer houses (OR 1.5...

Previous investigations into the factors associated with house loss in wildfires have focused on the house construction and its immediate environment (e.g. gardens). Here, we examine how nearby native forest and other houses can influence house loss. Specifically, we used a sample of 3500 houses affected by the Victorian bushfires of February 7th 2009 to explore how the amount of forest, propor...

The purpose of this study was to identify the origin of Triatoma infestans reinfestation and study its dynamics following spraying with deltamethrin inside and around 94 houses in three rural communities in northwestern Argentina. The effectiveness of the spraying was evaluated immediately after the houses were sprayed and two months later. In addition, five residual peridomiciliary foci were f...

BACKGROUND Various methods of killing the house dust mite to reduce exposure to allergen are being promoted even though complete data on their effects on allergen concentrations are not available. A study was designed to measure the concentrations of the main house dust mite allergen Der pI in homes treated with either solidified benzyl benzoate (Acarosan) or liquid nitrogen. METHODS Der pI c...

We evaluated the effectiveness of installing the Olyset® Net on the ceiling in preventing the invasion of malaria vectors. This study was conducted in houses in western Kenya. The number of resting mosquitoes inside the houses reduced when the ceiling and eaves of the houses were covered with the net. The mosquito densities remained low for 9 months, until the nets were removed.

This paper attempts distillation of the essential design themes of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie houses in pattern form. The result is a pattern language fragment that documents the key features of Wright’s architectural style and an interpretation of Wright’s design justifications and motivations. The exercise serves to illustrate the use of patterns and pattern languages in post hoc design doc...

The aim of this study was to assess the volume of airborne fungi in the indoor and outdoor environment of poultry and cattle houses in the Mazandaran Province in Iran. Indoor and outdoor air of twenty cattle houses and twenty-five poultry houses were sampled using a single-stage impactor, which draws air at 20 L min-1 and impacts sampled material onto Petri plates containing malt extract agar. ...