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Estimation of the aerodynamic load on trees is essential for urban tree management to mitigate the risk of tree failure. To assess that in a cost-effective way, scaled down tree models and numerical simulations were utilized. Scaled down tree models reduce the cost of experimental studies and allow the studies to be conducted in a controlled environment, namely in a wind or water tunnel, but the major challenge is to construct a tree model that resembles the real tree. We constructed 3D-printed scaled down fractal tree models of major urban tree species in Singapore using procedural modelling, based on species-specific growth processes and field statistical data gathered through laser scanning of real trees. The tree crowns were modelled to match the optical porosity of real trees. We developed a methodology to model the tree crowns using porous volumes filled with randomized tetrahedral elements. The wind loads acting on the tree models were then measured in the wind tunnel and the velocity profiles from selected models were captured using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The data was then used for the validation of Large Eddy Simulations (LES), in which the trees were modelled via a discretized momentum sink with 10–20 elements in width, height, and depth, respectively. It is observed that the velocity profiles and drag of the simulations and the wind tunnel tests are in reasonable agreement. We hence established a clear relationship between the measured bulk drag on the tree models in the wind tunnel, and the local drag coefficients of the discretized elements in the simulations. Analysis on the bulk drag coefficient also shows that the effect of complex crown shape could be more dominant compared to the frontal optical porosity.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and event-related potentials (ERPs) are a noninvasive technique that widely used in neurophysiological field. Although rTMS has shown clinical utility for a number of neurological conditions, Recently,there was little understanding of the the efficacy of rTMS on Schizophrenia(SZ) and the change of ERP between before and after rTMS treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of N400, mismatch negativity (MMN), and P300 before and after treatment with rTMS in SZ. Methods: One hundred and twenty-seven SZ patients hospitalized in Shanghai Mental Health Center from March 2015 to July 2017, divided into two groups (85 patients were recruited as rTMS group and 42 were recruited as sham rTMS [ShrTMS] group) and 76 normal controls (NCs) who were the staff and refresher staff in our hospital were recruited at the same time. A Chinese-made rTMS and a Runjie WJ-1 ERPs instrument were used in the present experiment. N400 was elicited by congruent and noncongruent Chinese idioms. After rTMS treatment, N400, P300, and MMN characteristics were compared with those before treatment and NC group. Results: Compared with NC, the SZ patients exhibited delays in N400, P300, and MMN latency and decreased N400, P300, and MMN amplitudes in their frontal area (P < 0.05). After 25 rTMS treatments, N400 amplitudes in the frontal area (elicited by idioms with same phonic and different shape and meaning and with different phonic, shape, and meaning) were increased in the SZ patients (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant change in N400 before and after treatment with ShrTMS in SZ patients (P > 0.05). Amplitudes for MMN and target P300 also increased in SZ patients after rTMS treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Based on our preliminary findings, we believe that the combined usage of N400, MMN, and P300 could be a valuable index and an electrophysiological reference in evaluating the effects of rTMS treatment in SZ patients.

Background：Some esophageal cancer patients complicated with depression exhibit cognitive impairments.Frontal electroencephalogram （EEG） may be used as a reliable biomarker for prefrontal-mediated cognitive functions.This study was to investigate alterations of EEG and frontal cognitive impairment in esophageal cancer patients complicated with depression and to assess their correlation.Methods：Sixty-five esophageal cancer patients with depression （study group） and 62 healthy controls （control group） were included in this study.The study group were assigned into psychotic depressed （PD,n =32） and nonpsychotic depressed （NPD,n =33） subgroups based on complication with psychotic symptoms （Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale [BPRS] 〉35）.EEG examination,Beck self-rating depression scale,and BPRS were used to assess clinical symptoms.Chi-square test,two independent sample t-test,one-way analysis of variance,and Kruskal-Wallis test were utilized to compare the variables between two groups.EEG abnormalities and scores of frontal cognitive function test were analyzed by partial correlation analysis in the PD and NPD subgroups.Results：Compared with control group,the study group displayed greater scores either in the Stroop test （19.89 ± 2.05 vs.24.12 ± 2.19,P =0.006） or Color Trails Test （CTT;11.92 ± 1.01 vs.15.02 ± 1.63,P =0.008）,and reduced score （35.05 ± 2.01 vs.32.11 ± 2.38,P =0.007） in the verbal fluency test （VFT）.Compared to NPD subgroup,PD subgroup exhibited increased scores in Stroop test （22.89 ± 2.07 vs.25.38 ± 2.32,P =0.009） and CTT （13.16 ± 1.71 vs.15.82 ± 1.13,P =0.008）.Moreover,increased scores in Stroop test and CTT as well as scores in VFT were associated with the severity of depression.The study group had an abnormal frontal EEG,such as α forward,α asymmetry,α moderation,and increased 0 activity relative to control group.Similarly,compared with NPD subgroup,PD subgroup displayed α forward,α asymmetry,and α moderation.The correlation test revealed that α forward and α asymmetry were negatively associated with VFT score,but positively correlated with the scores of CTT and the Stroop test in PD subgroup.In addition,α asymmetry in NPD subgroup was positively related to CTT scores.Conclusion：This study indicated that frontal cognitive impairment in esophageal cancer patients complicated with depression is associated with EEG alterations.

Urban ventilation corridors introduce fresh air into urban interiors and improve urban livability, while mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. However, few studies have assessed the impact of urban ventilation corridors on UHI intensity (UHII) from the perspective of the local climates of different cities. Therefore, this study integrated multisource data to construct ventilation corridors from the perspective of local climate zone (LCZ) and analyzed its impact on UHII. The results showed the following: (1) the average UHII of constructed LCZs was higher than that of natural LCZs, among which the building type LCZ10 (heavy industry) had the highest intensity (5.77 °C); (2) in extracted ventilation corridors, the pixel number of natural LCZs was substantially larger than that of constructed LCZs, among which LCZE (bare soil/paved) was the largest; and (3) for natural LCZs, the average UHII of each LCZ was lower within the ventilated corridors than within the non-ventilated corridors (except for LCZG [water]), with the UHII of LCZB (scattered trees) exhibiting the greatest mitigation effect. Quantitative research on the composition and function of ventilation corridors can not only assess the ability of ventilation corridors to mitigate UHIs, but also provide a reference for urban ventilation corridor planning.

While the “3D” principles—density, diversity, and design—remain central to Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), their effectiveness in metro station areas is increasingly constrained by the complex interplay of natural and built environmental factors. Among these, wind conditions are critical yet often overlooked. This study proposes a zoning optimization framework based on a dual-dimensional model combining wind speed (aerodynamic force) and the Frontal Area Index (FAI, morphological resistance). Using WRF/CALMET simulations and GIS-based modeling, localized wind data were obtained for 146 metro stations in Nanjing. K-means clustering and spatial autocorrelation analyses identified four representative wind environment types. Key findings: the mean station wind speed is 3.08 m/s—pedestrian-comfortable yet slightly below the city mean—and the mean FAI is 1.01, indicating generally high aerodynamic resistance. About 50% of stations fall within FAI 0.79–1.21; higher FAIs cluster in historic cores, elevated values occur in both flat and hilly terrains via different mechanisms, and lower values appear near large open spaces. Clustering yields four wind-environment types from “low-speed–high-FAI” to “high-speed–low-FAI.” The resulting wind-zoning map provides a robust basis for differentiated zoning and climate-responsive TOD planning.

•Response time evaluates responsiveness levels continuously during slow propofol induction.•Time-resolved spectral slope correlates better with RT at the beta-gamma band.•Frontal spectral slopes perform best for predicting response time.•Spectral slope decreases during anesthesia induction and increases during recovery. The level of consciousness undergoes continuous alterations during anesthesia. Prior to the onset of propofol-induced complete unconsciousness, degraded levels of behavioral responsiveness can be observed. However, a reliable index to monitor altered consciousness levels during anesthesia has not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, we obtained 60-channel EEG data from 24 healthy participants during an ultra-slow propofol infusion protocol starting with an initial concentration of 1 μg/ml and a stepwise increase of 0.2 μg/ml in concentration. Consecutive auditory stimuli were delivered every 5 to 6 s, and the response time to the stimuli was used to assess the responsiveness levels. We calculated the spectral slope in a time-resolved manner by extracting 5-second EEG segments at each auditory stimulus and estimated their correlation with the corresponding response time. Our results demonstrated that during slow propofol infusion, the response time to external stimuli increased, while the EEG spectral slope, fitted at 15–45 Hz, became steeper, and a significant negative correlation was observed between them. Moreover, the spectral slope further steepened at deeper anesthetic levels and became flatter during anesthesia recovery. We verified these findings using an external dataset. Additionally, we found that the spectral slope of frontal electrodes over the prefrontal lobe had the best performance in predicting the response time. Overall, this study used a time-resolved analysis to suggest that the EEG spectral slope could reliably track continuously altered consciousness levels during propofol anesthesia. Furthermore, the frontal spectral slope may be a promising index for clinical monitoring of anesthesia depth.

The projected frontal area (PFA) is a useful indicator of swimming drag. However, it is inherently limited because it only considers observable frontal areas from a frontal view. To address this limitation, we determined a new indicator, the projected and occluded frontal area (POFA), which includes occluded frontal areas relative to the swimming direction. This study aimed to examine the difference between the PFA and POFA, focusing on the tibial and femoral segments during front crawl. Twelve competitive male swimmers performed a 15-meter front crawl at 1.20 m·s−1. The three-dimensional positions of the reflective markers attached to the swimmers’ bodies were collected using an underwater motion-capture system. The body shape of each swimmer was obtained using a body scanner. Two types of digital human models were created: a whole-body model with vertex colors divided into eight body segments and a segment-specific model extracted from the whole-body model. To reconstruct identical motions in both models, the joint angle data obtained through inverse kinematics computations using motion-capture data and the whole-body model were applied to the segment-specific models. The PFA and POFA were determined through image processing of a series of parallel frontal images from whole-body and segment-specific models, respectively. The PFA of the tibial and femoral segments was substantially smaller than the corresponding POFA (p < 0.001), with underestimation ratios of 86.1 % and 42.3 %, respectively. These results suggest that PFA is not a fully reliable indicator for evaluating swimming drag, at least in the tibial and femoral segments.

Urban ventilation corridors serve as channels of fresh air flow between the city and suburbs, helping to improve the wind and thermal environments and thermal comfort. However, owing to the limited number of weather stations, it is impossible to quantitatively reveal the effective effect range of urban ventilation corridors on urban thermal comfort at the scale of 100 × 100 m, which is optimal for urban ventilation corridors. In this study, we integrated building data, the European Centre for Medium-Range weather forecast data (ECMWF), MOD13Q1, and other multisource data to analyse the effect of urban ventilation corridors on urban thermal comfort at a unified scale of 100 × 100 m. The results showed that ECMWF and Landsat8 data could be used as substitute factors to improve the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) urban spatial resolution. The effective range of urban ventilation corridor effects on the urban surface temperature and urban comfort was ≤1000 m, with building density and vegetation coverage as the main factors limiting this range. Therefore, attention should be paid to the effective range of urban ventilation corridors, the surrounding building density, vegetation coverage, and the rational use of urban ventilation corridors to reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning in summer.

Congenital triangular alopecia (CTA) is a form of circumscribed, noncicatricial, and noninflammatory hair loss. It manifests as a triangular or oval-shaped alopecic patch on the frontotemporal region of the scalp and rarely involves the temporoparietal or occipital area. That is why it is also called temporal triangular alopecia. However, there has been just one case reported in the middle frontal area. Here, we report a successfully treated case of CTA in a 17-year-old boy who was born with a 2.5 cm × 3.5 cm alopecic patch in the middle frontal area.

Chorabari Glacier (6.6 sq. km) in the Mandakini River basin, a tributary of the River Alaknanda, Central Himalaya, Garhwal (India) has been monitored in terms of its length and frontal area (snout) changes for the period between 1962 and 2012. Global Positioning System, Survey of India toposheet (1 : 50,000) and ground-based measurements were used to obtain the changes in morphology and size of the glacier. The result shows that the frontal area of the glacier has shrunk by 1% and 344 ± 24 m length loss, with an average rate of 6.8 ± 0.5 m a−1 from 1962 to 2012. The observed terminus records of Chorabari Glacier indicate that the positive mass balance can cause terminus advance in about a 17-year timescale. The lag time of glacier signal transferred from accumulation area to the snout by glacier flow is about 562 years. These observations as well as other studies carried out in the region show a significant reduction in glacier area. The increased retreat rate of the glacier snout is probably a direct consequence of global warming.