Effects of built environment on healing the mental health of the people–literature review

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been reported to have a major impact on the mental health of an individual. Healing the mental stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia of an individual's immediate surroundings play a major role. Therefore, this study reviews how the built environment impacts the healing of an individual's state of mind.Design/methodology/approachVarious works of literature on healing environments were analysed to create frameworks that can facilitate psychological healing through architectural elements. Articles were selected from various journals like SAGE, PubMed, Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics (JACM), Routledge Taylor and Francis, Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs (JCUA), ScienceDirect, and Emerald databases, news articles, official web pages, and magazines that have been referred.FindingsIndicators (spatial, sensory comfort, safety, security, privacy and social comfort) are linked to sub-indicators (access, distractions and views) and design characteristics (indoor climate, interior view, outside view, privacy, communication, noise, daylighting, temperature) which help in better connection of the built environment with individual's mental health. From the above indicators, sub-indicators and design characteristics, the authors have come to a conclusion that a view to the outside with better social interaction has an in-depth effect on an individual's mental health.Research limitations/implicationsThis study predominantly talks about healing in hospitals but quarantining of COVID-19 patients happens in residences too. So, it is important to find the healing characteristics in residences and in which typology the recovery process is high.Originality/valueThis paper has been written completely by the author and the co-authors and has not been copied from any other sources.

Change not State: Perceptual coupling in multistable displays reflects transient bias induced by perceptual change

We investigated how changes in dynamic spatial context influence visual perception. Specifically, we reexamined the perceptual coupling phenomenon when two multistable displays viewed simultaneously tend to be in the same dominant state and switch in accord. Current models assume this interaction reflecting mutual bias produced by a dominant perceptual state. In contrast, we demonstrate that influence of spatial context is strongest when perception changes. First, we replicated earlier work using bistable kinetic-depth effect displays, then extended it by employing asynchronous presentation to show that perceptual coupling cannot be accounted for by the static context provided by perceptually dominant states. Next, we demonstrated that perceptual coupling reflects transient bias induced by perceptual change, both in ambiguous and disambiguated displays. We used a hierarchical Bayesian model to characterize its timing, demonstrating that the transient bias is induced 50–70 ms after the exogenous trigger event and decays within ~200–300 ms. Both endogenous and exogenous switches led to quantitatively and qualitatively similar perceptual consequences, activating similar perceptual reevaluation mechanisms within a spatial surround. We explain how they can be understood within a transient selective visual attention framework or using local lateral connections within sensory representations. We suggest that observed perceptual effects reflect general mechanisms of perceptual inference for dynamic visual scene perception.

The Influence of Socio-Ecological Networks on Willingness to Communicate in English for Japanese People

This study investigates the effect of socio-ecological networks on the willingness to communicate (WTC) in English among Japanese people. Previous studies have shown that relational mobility (socio-ecological factor), which is defined as the availability of opportunities to choose new relationship partners, positively affects the WTC in English for Japanese people. However, the network structure of the variables of relational mobility and its effects have not been revealed yet. The present study conducted network analysis with 474 Japanese university students and found the two clusters that correspond to the dimensions of relational mobility in the partial correlation network. Three variables regarding opportunities to meet new people and leave current relationships positively affected the WTC in English; one had a negative effect. Centrality indices, such as nodes strength, betweenness, and closeness, revealed the centrality of several variables in the network. Bootstrapping methods showed the trustworthiness of the estimated network structure and centrality indices as well as edges and variables whose effects differed significantly from that of others. Contrary to the regression analysis results, the network analysis findings can help us understand the in-depth effect of relational mobility on the WTC in a second language, which will prove useful for intervention studies.

Analytical representations of the Residence Time Distribution (RTD) associated with Hyporheic Exchange beneath Dune-like bedforms at different sediment bed depths

The hyporheic exchange below dune-shaped bedforms has a great impact on the stream environment. One of the most important properties of the hyporheic zone is the residence time distribution (RTD) of flow paths in the sediment domain. Here we evaluate the influence of an impervious layer, at a dimensionless sediment depth of db*=2πdbλ where λ is the dune wavelength, on the form of the hyporheic exchange RTD. Empirical RTDs were generated, over a range of db*values, from numerical particle tracking experiments in which 10000 particles sinusoidally distributed over a flatbed domain were released. These empirical RTDs are best represented by the Gamma, Log-Normal and Fréchet distributions over normalized bed depth of 0<=db*≤1.2,1.2<db*≤3.1, and db*>3.1, respectively. The depth dependence of the analytical distribution parameters is also presented, together with a set of regression formulae to predict these parameters based on db*with a high degree of accuracy (R2>99.8%). These results contribute to our understanding of the physical and mixing processes underpinning hyporheic exchange in streams and allow for a quick evaluation of its likely impact on nutrient and contaminant processing (e.g., based on the magnitude of the Damköhler number). Keywords: Dunes, bedforms, residence times distribution, sediment depth effect, Hyporheic residence times, analytical representation, two parametric distributions, Damköhler Number.

The Cover Depth Effect on Corrosion-Induced Deterioration of Reinforced Concrete Focusing on Water Penetration: Field Survey and Laboratory Study

Reinforced concrete bridges were visually surveyed in Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam to study the deterioration caused by internal steel corrosion under different climates, focusing on the concrete cover depth. Spalling or cracking arising from corrosion is likely where water is supplied. According to prior studies and our surveys, a concrete cover depth of more than 40 mm was found to prevent spalling, regardless of environmental conditions and structure age. Because water supply at steel is a key corrosion factor, it was hypothesised that under natural conditions, the water penetration in concrete would remain at a depth of approximately 40 mm. Our laboratory study examined water penetration under drying and wetting conditions. The results also suggested that under periodic rainfall conditions, the threshold of water penetration was not exceeded. The numerical study indicated maximum moisture evaporation to facilitate oxygen diffusion occurred at a depth of approximately 30–40 mm unless the concrete was exposed to continuous drying for more than one month. It was experimentally and numerically concluded that an adequate cover depth of greater than 40 mm could inhibit moisture and oxygen penetration at the steel, which supported the survey findings of cover depth effect on a high resistance to corrosion-induced deterioration despite an increase in service life.

Effect of tillage and weed management practices on micronutrient availability in post-harvest soil under maize-wheat cropping system

Tillage practices play a major role in nutrient dynamics under different cropping systems. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of different tillage practices and weed management on micronutrient availability in soil. The treatments included three tillage in main plot and four weed management practices in sub plot were arranged in a spilt plot design with three replications.Measurements made at the end of 4 years, showed that in the 0-15 cm soil depth, effect of different tillage and weed management practices on soil properties was significant. The values of soil pH and EC declined under ZT. The mean value of SOC (8.9 g kg-1) was reported higher under ZT. Higher value of Zn and Fe was reported under ZT (3.63 mg kg-1, 15.49 mg kg-1) followed by CT (2.87 mg kg-1, 13.65 mg kg-1) and FIRBS (2.47 mg kg-1,13.47 mg kg-1) respectively. In case of Cu, the higher value (1.32 mg kg-1) was reported under ZT followed by FIRBS (1.30 mg kg-1) and CT (1.22 mg kg-1). Trend was reverse in case of Mn and content was significantly higher (9.4 mg kg-1) under CT followed by ZT (9.02 mg kg-1) and FIRBS (8.70 mg kg-1). The results suggested that ZT can play a vital role in sustaining micronutrient availability due to decreased soil pH and the greater amount of organic matter compared to other tillage methods.

Analysis of pressure relief and outburst prevention effect and mining depth effect of floor roadway in single serious outburst coal seam

In order to solve the serious problem of single serious outburst coal seam gas disaster, based on the gas geological conditions of Jiangxi Fengcheng Qujiang company, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, field test and other comprehensive research methods were used to analyze the partition fracture law of roadway surrounding rock under different mining depth conditions. The results show that: under the conditions of high ground stress, high temperature and other environmental conditions, the radius of pressure relief loose circle of surrounding rock of roadway is significantly increased, and it is significantly larger than that of shallow part. In the deep area of - 800m elevation, the distance between floor roadway and coal seam is optimized to be 12 ~ 15m. The field test results show that the original permeability coefficient of overlying coal seam of floor roadway increases by 55.74 times, and the pressure relief effect is good.

Role of insert texts in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings”

This paper examines one of the literary techniques in J. R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings that creates “the depth effect”: texts’ insertion. The article’s author analyzes an insert text from the second part of the prologue (“The Herblore of the Shire”) and its integration in the main plot of the novel, and also looks into interchanges between the main text and insert ones, and Meriadoc’s role as one of the secondary narrators. The Lord of the Rings is full of insert texts of various genres and “The Herblore of the Shire” is merely one of them, but it shows that such texts are not isolated and not limited to single occasions. Throughout the novel they serve as quotations that link different plot episodes and organize them around the image of the secondary narrator. According to Tolkien’s creative position that he repeatedly stated in his letters, we can say that he carefully contemplated the ways of involving his reader in his fantastic world; that is why it is important to describe narrative and compositional techniques of the novel that served the author’s purpose.