Influence of landscape interventions on thermal comfort under time-varying building shadow; new Gwanghwamun square case, Seoul, South Korea.

This study investigated the cooling effects of landscape interventions and their relative magnitude under hybrid urban context including time-varying building shadow cast. The study focused on the practical design alternatives, rather than experimental scenarios. We conducted outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) simulation using ENVI-met, and spatial-temporal comparison analysis for three green space expansion interventions for new Gwanghwamun square, Seoul, South Korea.

Potential Roles and Key Mechanisms of Hawthorn Extract against Various Liver Diseases.

The genus (hawthorn), a flowering shrub or tree, is a member of the Rosaceae family and consists of approximately 280 species that have been primarily cultivated in East Asia, North America, and Europe. Consumption of hawthorn preparations has been chiefly associated with pharmacological benefits for cardiovascular diseases, including congestive heart failure and angina pectoris. Treatment with hawthorn extracts can be related to improvements in the complex pathogenesis of various hepatic and cardiovascular disorders.

A Nanostructured Microfluidic Artificial Olfaction for Organic Vapors Recognition.

Selective and sensitive detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is of great importance in applications involving monitoring of hazardous chemicals or non-invasive diagnosis. Here, polymethyl methacrylate nanoparticles with acetone recognition sites are synthesized and integrated into a 3D-printed microfluidic platform to enhance the selectivity of the device. The proposed microfluidic-based olfaction system includes two parylene C-coated microchannels, with or without polymer nanoparticles.

Relationship among pollution concerns, attitudes toward social problems, and environmental perceptions in abandoned sites using Bayesian inferential analysis.

How do local community perceive pollution risk and social problems in abandoned areas? Which factors affect these risk perceptions? Among several factors affecting environmental perceptions, familiarity to places has long been known to positively affect landscape perception, but is this also true for abandoned area with scruffy vegetation and industrial remnants? Will long-term residents eventually adapt to and accept these neglected landscapes? In the past, efforts have largely been devoted to the cleanup of large, highly polluted areas. This left many smaller, less polluted sites, often in urban or suburban areas, relatively neglected. These areas, which typically consist of small abandoned industrial and commercial sites and vacant lots in neighborhoods, are problematic since people living nearby continue to suffer from urban blight.

Clinical cystoid macular edema after cataract surgery in glaucoma patients.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for developing clinical cystoid macular edema (CME) after cataract surgery in patients with glaucoma.

Patients And Methods: Medical records of patients who had cataract surgery between April 1998 and July 2006 without prior history of CME, a known risk factor to develop CME, or previous nonglaucoma ocular laser procedures or intraocular surgeries were reviewed. Clinical CME was diagnosed by fundus examination within 3 months postoperatively and confirmed with fluorescein angiography or optical coherence tomography.

Impact of gonadotrophin stimulation for assisted reproductive technology on ovarian ageing and menopause.

This study investigated whether menopausal age is inversely related to the number of assisted reproduction cycles and/or ampoules of FSH used, as an indication of the possibility that gonadotrophin treatment accelerates follicular depletion. A questionnaire addressing reproductive health, history and treatment was mailed to women who had been treated for infertility at Bourn Hall Clinic, Cambridge, between 1981 and 1994. Additional data were extracted from clinical records.