Effective mine ventilation systems must concurrently mitigate methane accumulation and alleviate heat stress, particularly as coal extraction progresses to greater depths. This study used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to compare blowing, exhaust and mixed ventilation strategies within a typical mine gallery, considering airflow patterns, temperature distribution and methane dispersion. Ventilation effectiveness was assessed using multiple metrics, including dead zone area, methane concentration and ambient temperature. Amongst the systems studied, mixed ventilation was shown to produce the most favourable balance between safety ( ≤ 5 % methane) and thermal comfort (<30°C). However, its effectiveness was compromised by supply-to-exhaust short-circuiting. Under mixed ventilation, the airflow pattern within the gallery was divided into three distinct regions governed by different mechanisms: the supply jet, secondary flow and backflow. Parametric analysis revealed that increasing duct spacing significantly mitigates short-circuiting, while setback distance could exert competing influences on methane control and cooling efficiency. A critical ventilation velocity of 12 m/s was identified, beyond which additional airflow would yield negligible environmental improvements while increasing energy demand. This study provides valuable insights into mine ventilation and its intricate effects on the underground environment, contributing to enhanced occupational safety in the mining industry.

Nighttime lighting is indicative of urban vitality, yet light pollution can lead to energy wastage and safety concerns. Big data technology can aid in the refined management of urban light environments. This study quantified physical vitality ( V p i ) using land use mix and building density and evaluated social vitality ( V s i ) using the density of Points of Interest (POI) and population density. Weights for these factors were determined using the information entropy method, with 0.46 and 0.54 assigned respectively, to calculate the total urban vitality ( U V ). The Pearson analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between nighttime lighting brightness and urban vitality indicators, with the highest correlation coefficient for social vitality at 0.649. The Global Moran's I indicated a positive spatial association between nighttime lighting and vitality parameters. The study analyzed the supply-demand relationship between nighttime lighting as the supply side and multi-source data-integrated urban vitality as the demand side. Results showed that the compatibility between nighttime lighting and social vitality is the highest, with 96.08% of areas having a matched supply-demand relationship. Investigating the relationship between nighttime lighting and urban vitality is significant for analyzing urban energy supply, promoting energy conservation and constructing a low-carbon sustainable nocturnal light environment.

The removal of formaldehyde by plants has the characteristics of low cost, low energy consumption and green environmental protection. Existing studies on eliminating formaldehyde by plants mainly focused on the macroscopic removal performance of plants; however, the metabolites and metabolic pathways of detoxicating formaldehyde by plants such as Epipremnun aureum (E. aureum) had not been revealed. In this study, the isolated roots, stems and leaves of E. aureum were treated with the time gradient and concentration gradient of H 13 CHO solution, and the metabolites of detoxicating formaldehyde in each part of E. aureum were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance technology. The metabolic pathway of formaldehyde in each part of E. aureum was analysed. The results showed that the metabolites of assimilating formaldehyde by various parts of E. aureum included formic acid (FA), asparagine, glutamic acid, glycine, glutamine, citric acid, fructosamine and gluconic acid. The glyoxylic acid cycle and TCA cycle were synergistic in the process of formaldehyde metabolism in various parts of E. aureum . The Calvin cycle existed in the process of formaldehyde metabolism in the stem and leaves, and the C1 cycle played a role in the process of formaldehyde metabolism in the root of E. aureum .

This study investigated the drivers of building-related carbon emissions in Jilin Province, Northeastern China, a region challenged by extreme cold and a coal-dominated energy mix. Under China's ‘dual carbon’ strategy, we applied an extended Kaya–Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index decomposition model to quantify operational-phase emissions across public buildings, urban residences and rural homes using energy data from 2006 to 2022. Emissions rose from 51.33 to 96.53 MtCO 2 over the period, with public buildings showing the fastest annual growth (5.07%) and urban residences contributing the largest share (40%–59%). Income growth and urbanisation jointly accounted for nearly 71% of the increase, while reductions in energy intensity and floor area expansion offset 21.6 and 33.7 MtCO 2 , respectively. Coal use declined from 40.4% to 8%, yet increased reliance on thermal and electric heating revealed persistent energy lock-in and limited substitution effectiveness. To address this, we recommend region-specific carbon quota mechanisms, greater integration of geothermal and photovoltaic distributed systems and policy incentives such as floor area ratio bonuses to support deep retrofits and ultra-low-energy buildings. These measures are crucial for enabling a resilient, low-carbon transition in cold-climate regions with established energy structures.

Bioaerosols have a crucial role in healthcare-associated infections, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). Previous knowledge regarding their role was usually derived from investigations with a limited sampling size in ICU. To explore the influencing factors of bioaerosol concentration in the ICU under various conditions, a field study was carried out in an ICU of a hospital, including a one-week measurement and a 24-h continuous measurement that was conducted in winter and summer, respectively. Effects of outdoor particulate matter (PM) concentration and the indoor occupant number on bioaerosol concentrations in the ICU were evaluated during these two seasons. Results revealed a positive correlation between bacterial and indoor PM concentrations, as well as the trend that indoor PM concentration varied with changes in outdoor PM concentration and the indoor occupant number. In conclusion, outdoor PM concentrations and the indoor occupant number, as well as particle sizes, were critical factors that affected PM concentrations in the ICU; the dominant role was determined by the outdoor PM concentration. This study contributes to a better understanding of the effects of environmental and human-related factors on air hygiene in ICUs, providing a guide for environmental control to minimize nosocomial infections in hospitals.

Intensive care units (ICUs) are high-risk areas for hospital-acquired infections. Although impinging jet ventilation (IJV) shows great potential in cooling conditions, its ventilation efficiency in heating conditions remains questionable. This study numerically investigates the performance of IJV in a four-bed ICU, examining key factors such as air inlet position, outdoor temperature and air change rate. The interaction between the warm supply air current and cold air currents from exterior walls and windows determines airflow characteristics and respiratory droplet dispersion. Positioning the air inlet near the window promotes early mixing of warm and cold air currents, resulting in a more uniform temperature distribution (vertical gradients: < 0.2°C/m vs. 0.83°C/m). Lower outdoor thermal loads (e.g. 20°C vs. −10°C) enhance air mixing and droplet removal efficiency. Increasing the air change rate (ACH) from 4 to 12 ACH reduces the intake fraction of fine droplets (<5 μm) by adjacent susceptible patients from 0.48% to <0.05%. Temperature differences between patient-level air and outlet air remain within 1.0°C if ACH ≥8, ensuring thermal comfort. This study has validated IJV's potential for ICU applications and has provided theoretical guidance for its design.

To investigate cognitive changes under different workloads in thermoneutral environments, experiments were carried out on 15 participants. A 30-minute n -back task was utilized to produce three workloads. Three mental scales were completed to acquire the emotion, fatigue and mental workload of subjects. Meanwhile, the skin temperature, critical flicker frequency (CFF) was acquired, and the cognitive performance index (CPI) of n -back task was calculated. Results showed that the CPI was reduced significantly as the workloads were elevated from low to high level. Besides, under the high workload, the positive emotion was surprisingly increased ( p < 0.05), and participants reported lower fatigue ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, both local and mean skin temperature were negatively correlated with workloads, although under the high workload, the skin temperature was reduced significantly. Finally, the CFF was reduced significantly after low and moderate workload, but surprisingly it rose after high workload and was greater than when under lower workloads ( p < 0.05). Results of this study revealed that the cognitive performance was not reduced under high workload in a fixed time frame, which was in accordance with changes in emotion, fatigue, perceived workload, the skin temperature and CFF, implying that the high workload might have produced a compensatory effect on cognitive attenuation in this experimental frame.

The aims of this study were to measure changes in the health of social housing tenants and to estimate indicative health effects associated with changes in exposure to indoor air pollutants (IAPs) following a deep energy retrofit (DER). To this end, a pre–post retrofit design was employed to explore the direct and indirect effects of DER over time, including a health questionnaire completed by residents and indoor air quality measurements in homes. Burden of disease estimates (rate per 100,000) for DER homes were estimated by extrapolating IAP measurements collected pre- and post-retrofit in 14 homes. No changes in health outcomes (i.e. respiratory health and health-related quality of life) or healthcare costs as measured by the questionnaire were observed six months post-retrofit. An increase in median IAP concentrations post-retrofit resulted in an overall net negative effect on health outcomes. Our results demonstrate the importance of occupant behaviours such as tobacco smoking and/or under ventilation (due to blocked wall vents) on exposure to PM 2.5 and the resulting health outcomes. The mixed method approach employed to evaluate the impact of DER facilitates a more nuanced understanding of DER's effects.

Studies depict that patients often dread visits to the hospital because of an increased chance of spread of infections. Hence, this study investigated the design parameters that should be incorporated in the indoor public spaces in tertiary hospitals, as patients spend the most time here pre-diagnosis. The research focuses on reception, waiting areas, circulation areas and toilets as public areas in a tertiary hospital. The research utilized the salutogenic approach as it has been less adopted in past studies. Firstly, systematic reviews of the literature and design guidelines were conducted. Secondly, post-occupancy evaluation of tertiary hospitals in Delhi and Rotterdam were carried out. Finally, a focus group discussion was conducted with experienced healthcare architects to validate the framework of the design strategies. The main factors highlighted in the post-occupancy evaluations were parameters including ventilation, disinfection and layout. However, during the focus group discussion, digitalization, disinfection, daylight and ventilation were identified as key parameters. This study depicted that well-being should be incorporated into hospital design as a priority. Nevertheless, further research is required on the incorporation of digitalization in healthcare. This research will benefit architects in the design process while designing the public spaces of hospitals to improve the well-being.

Information about buildings and the built environment is produced, stored and utilized across both private and public sectors. However, data usability is often limited by its dispersion across multiple locations, managed by different stakeholders and lack of compatibility. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is influenced throughout the building's lifecycle, requiring effective management of diverse information sources to maintain sustainable and healthy indoor environments. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework for handling complex building information related to IAQ and building occupants. The framework integrates static data on building design and construction with real-time monitoring of changing indoor conditions, as well as information collected from the occupants. Using a daycare centre in Northern Finland as a case study, the framework is illustrated through critical components, including information sources, database systems, common file formats, open-source interfaces, software, sensors and data protection measures. While not developed in full within commercial building information modelling (BIM) software, the framework establishes a scalable proof-of-concept that supports future dynamic BIM integration for healthier and more sustainable indoor environments.