The results indicate that compared with public places, the home consitutes a major reservior of indoor allergens. Allergens of the storage mite, B. tropicalis, should be considered as a major allergenic component of dust in Singapore.
A series of centrifuge tests were performed on a 4 × 3 pile–raft system embedded in soft kaolin clay to investigate the pile bending moment and raft acceleration response under seismic excitation. Two types of far-field ground motions were employed, these being representative of the short- and long-duration ground motions arising from the Great Sumatran Fault and the Sunda Subduction Trench, respectively. The influences of the peak base acceleration, pile type and raft mass on raft acceleration and pile bending moment responses were studied in the centrifuge tests. Furthermore, based on the present and previous relevant centrifuge test results, correlations were derived to respectively estimate the peak raft acceleration and the maximum bending moment generated near the pile head during the shaking events. Despite some scatter in these correlations, they can be useful in engineering design practice for obtaining quick first-order estimates of the seismic response of pile–raft systems embedded in soft soils.
With the recent availability of a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-free metered dose inhaler (MDI) (Airomir), a patient survey was carried out to evaluate awareness of the role of CFCs in our environment and acceptance of this new inhaler. A questionnaire survey was conducted on parents and guardians of 201 children. Depending on respondents' preference, the interview was conducted in English (71%), Chinese (23%), Malay (5%) or Tamil (1%). A 'taste' test was also conducted on 103 of these children. Only 13% (26/201) of parents/guardians were aware that MDIs contained CFCs. Although 70% of children were in favour of the new taste of the CFC-free inhaler, the cost of the new inhaler was an important consideration for parents and guardians in their decision to switch to the new inhaler. The majority (93%) were willing to switch if its cost were equivalent to their current inhaler. This study has provided pertinent information with regard to acceptance of CFC-free inhalers which should be considered when making the inevitable switch to environmentally friendly inhalers.
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