Research Report on a Study of Non-Modular Masonry Construction

In 1947, the Small Homes Council made a detailed study and comparison of construction methods used in residential building. Included in this study was an analysis of three houses in wich modular brick were used in the exterior cavity-type masonry wall. No comparison has been available between the data so obtained and the time required to construct the same wall using non-modular materials. To obtain such data, the Small Homes Council, under the sponsorship of the Structural Clay Products Institute, this summer built an exact duplicate of one of the houses constructed in the 1947 study, but used a non-modular brick instead of modular. An analysis of the time-study data taken during the construction period indicat es that the masons' time can be reduced approximately 10 per cent through the use of modular materials. Furthermore, an examination of the brick-work indicates that an improvement in workmanship is possible through the use of modular materials. This improvement in workship is obtained through the regularity achieved by the use of modular materials.Structural Clay Products Institut

Pre-Assembeld Non-Load Bearing Interior Partition Panels

Gives an illustrated description of a design for pre-assembled interior partitioning walls created by the Small Homes Council aimed at realize the cost savings of using pre-fabricated materials in home construction.Lumber Dealers Research Counci

Basements

Discusses recommendataions for basement design, construction, and maintenance

Selecting Windows

Covers double-hung, horizontal sliding, casement, awning, jalousie, top-hinged, and fixed windows. Includes patio doors and skylights

Chimneys and Fireplaces

Discusses chimney and fireplace design with an emphasis on safety and reducing hazards

Construction Procedures in Two Demonstration Houses

To demonstrate that quick and easy savings can be made in small home construction, a research contracted was executed between the University of Illinois and the Housing and Home Finance Agency. Under this contract, the Small Homes Council developed evidence showing that dwellings which meet this country's high standard for family living can be produced under today's conditions of home financing and construction. This evidence is in the form of material and labor cost-data for two demonstration houses built in Champaing, Illinois, in thes ummer of 1952.Housing and Home Finance Agenc

Space Design Criteria Project Project Report, 1955 and 1956

Housing and Home Finance Agenc

Fuels and Burners for Domestic Heating

Discusses fuels and burners for domestic heating, including hand-fired coal or coke, automatic coal stoker, gas-fired heaters, oil burners. INlcudes table of comparative fuel costs

Distribution of Major Health Risks: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study

BACKGROUND: Most analyses of risks to health focus on the total burden of their aggregate effects. The distribution of risk-factor-attributable disease burden, for example by age or exposure level, can inform the selection and targeting of specific interventions and programs, and increase cost-effectiveness. METHODS AND FINDINGS: For 26 selected risk factors, expert working groups conducted comprehensive reviews of data on risk-factor exposure and hazard for 14 epidemiological subregions of the world, by age and sex. Age-sex-subregion-population attributable fractions were estimated and applied to the mortality and burden of disease estimates from the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease database. Where possible, exposure levels were assessed as continuous measures, or as multiple categories. The proportion of risk-factor-attributable burden in different population subgroups, defined by age, sex, and exposure level, was estimated. For major cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco use, fruit and vegetable intake, body mass index, and physical inactivity) 43%–61% of attributable disease burden occurred between the ages of 15 and 59 y, and 87% of alcohol-attributable burden occurred in this age group. Most of the disease burden for continuous risks occurred in those with only moderately raised levels, not among those with levels above commonly used cut-points, such as those with hypertension or obesity. Of all disease burden attributable to being underweight during childhood, 55% occurred among children 1–3 standard deviations below the reference population median, and the remainder occurred among severely malnourished children, who were three or more standard deviations below median. CONCLUSIONS: Many major global risks are widely spread in a population, rather than restricted to a minority. Population-based strategies that seek to shift the whole distribution of risk factors often have the potential to produce substantial reductions in disease burden

Complexities of Assessing the Disease Burden Attributable to Leishmaniasis

Among parasitic diseases, morbidity and mortality caused by leishmaniasis are surpassed only by malaria and lymphatic filariasis. However, estimation of the leishmaniasis disease burden is challenging, due to clinical and epidemiological diversity, marked geographic clustering, and lack of reliable data on incidence, duration, and impact of the various disease syndromes. Non-health effects such as impoverishment, disfigurement, and stigma add to the burden, and introduce further complexities. Leishmaniasis occurs globally, but has disproportionate impact in the Horn of Africa, South Asia and Brazil (for visceral leishmaniasis), and Latin America, Central Asia, and southwestern Asia (for cutaneous leishmaniasis). Disease characteristics and challenges for control are reviewed for each of these foci. We recommend review of reliable secondary data sources and collection of baseline active survey data to improve current disease burden estimates, plus the improvement or establishment of effective surveillance systems to monitor the impact of control efforts