Damage risk assessment of building materials with moisture hysteresis

Heat and Moisture Transfer (HMT) simulations are used to evaluate moisture related damage risks in building envelopes. HMT simulations are commonly performed accepting the hypothesis of not considering the moisture hysteresis of materials. The results of HMT simulation of a timber wall with hysteresis are presented, and compared to the results of three simplified models, showing the effects of hysteresis on the simulation results and on the assessment of the risk of decay. Moisture content is the most influenced variable, while temperature and relative humidity are slightly affected. The wood decay risk analysis is performed using the simplified 20% moisture content rule. Similar temperature values and relative humidity values are calculated as simplified models, while the moisture content annual average values have differences up to 2.3%. The wood decay risk obtained with the simplified models could be overestimated if the simulation is performed using the desorption curve, while it could be underestimated with the adsorption curve. The best approximation is obtained with the mean sorption curve, while the desorption curve and the adsorption curve could be used to calculate the upper and lower boundary of the moisture contents respectively.

Social assessment of children dental health and its determining factors

Relevance. The high prevalence of tooth decay requires investigation of its risk factors. The aim was to study tooth decay risk factors among six-year-old children according to the level of dental health (based on parents’ assessment).Materials and methods. The research evaluated the dental health of six-year-olds and factors defining their oral health; The study surveyed 515 parents of six-year-old children from 7 kindergartens in Arkhangelsk. Pearson chi-square test assessed the differences in the frequency of tooth decay factors among six-year-old children according to the level of dental health. The accepted significance level was 0.05.Results. The Arkhangelsk parents evaluated the dental health of their six-year-olds as relatively favourable: good (41.2%) and satisfactory (46.6%). Only 9.5% of children had poor health. Children generally had good oral hygiene skills: 86.8% liked brushing their teeth; 60.2% squeezed the optimal amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush; 56.7% brushed their teeth twice a day. The dental literacy of parents was satisfactory: 67.0% purchased toothpaste for children; 90.8% considered necessary to treat primary teeth; 69.2% replaced toothbrush every three months; 59.7% visited a pediatric dentist twice a year. The children with poor dental health had insufficient oral hygiene skills: 46.9% did not like teeth cleaning; 51.1% brushed their teeth once a day. Their diet was not healthy: 100.0% did not eat hard food; 65.3% frequently consumed sweets. The parents of children with poor dental health had low medical literacy and poor oral hygiene: 46.9% did not know that treatment of primary teeth was necessary; 42.9% considered the treatment of primary teeth as unnecessary; 32.6% purchased whatever toothpaste. The general negative trend is to use toothpaste without fluoride (68.1%).Conclusions. The results of the study demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of cariogenic factors in children with poor dental health.

Experimental evaluation of the effect of different design conditions on the risk of decay in solid wood exposed to outdoor climate

Wood decay have the greatest impact on in-service wood structural elements. In most cases, decay is associated with excessive accumulation of moisture in the wood. The structural design conditions have an effect on the wood moisture content and this affects the service life of the material. In this study, which involved an experimental trial specifically designed to embrace different structural design conditions, the moisture content evolution in different places affected by different design conditions was evaluated over a period of three years in Madrid (Spain). The effect of protection by eaves, separation from the ground and the vertical or horizontal arrangement of the wood elements on the monthly evolution of the moisture content and decay risk are assessed.

Nursing Students’ Assessment and Parent Reports of Their Children’s Oral Health Behaviors as Predictors of Tooth Decay Risk—A Cross-Sectional, Correlational Study

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between children’s tooth decay risk score and a dental examination and parent reports of oral health practices. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study utilizing data from an oral health assessment was performed by undergraduate nursing students and parents completed the permission forms. Results: Four hundred and fifty-six children received an oral health assessment. None of the percentages were found to be at high risk for tooth de cay and 21% were referred for further evaluation and dental treatment. Twenty-seven % of parents reported that their child was not being seen by a dentist and 49% reported that they had not established recommended tooth brushing practices in early childhood. In this analysis, the physical examination measures accounted for a significant amount of risk: R2 = 0.55, F(5,317) = 7.62, P < .00. The parent report measures offered little predictive power beyond the examination: R2 = 0.029, F(7,310) = 3.01, P = .00. Conclusions: These findings identify a need for a broader perspective to inform oral risk assessment and interventions to address oral health disparities. A social determinant of health framework would improve nursing students’ competency to identify children in need of early intervention. Oral health promotion at the family and community level would improve the preventive oral health practices.

Evaluation of the risk of decay of wooden beams embedded in internally insulated walls by long-term measurements

Internal insulation of existing walls is crucial to increase the energy efficiency of the building stock. However, this technique influences the drying potential of the wall and could consequently increase the decay risk of wooden beams embedded in the existing wall. We performed a long-term field study on different test walls with wooden beams. This paper discusses 2.5 years of measurements by analysing the moisture contents at the beam ends for the different test walls. The use of vapour open insulation materials has only a slightly favourable impact. On the other hand, measures to lower the moisture content of the wall have a significant effect, either by locally interrupting the insulation at the beam junction or by applying a water repellent treatment. Controlling the rain load on the wall seems to be a key point towards a moisture-safe application of internal insulation with embedded wooden beams.