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Currently, most studies on the optimization of wind farm layouts on flat terrain employ a discrete grid-based arrangement method and result in irregular layouts that may damage the visual appeal of wind farms. To meet the practical requirements of wind farms, a two-step optimization method called "grid–coordinate" based on a genetic algorithm is proposed in this paper. The core idea is to initially determine the number of wind turbines and their initial positions using a grid-based approach, followed by a fine-tuning of the wind farm layout by moving the turbines in a row/column manner. This two-step process not only achieves an aesthetically pleasing arrangement but also maximizes power generation. This algorithm is conducted to optimize a 2 km × 2 km wind farm under three classic wind conditions, one improved wind condition, and a real wind condition employing both the Jensen and Gaussian wake models. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the optimization of configurations based on different wake models was conducted, yielding results including the efficiency, total power output, number of wind turbines, and unit cost of electricity generation. These results were compared and analyzed against the classical literature. The findings indicate that the unit cost of electricity generation using the two-step optimization approach with the Gaussian wake model is higher than that of the initial grid optimization method. Additionally, varying the number of wind turbines can lead to instances of high power generation coupled with low efficiency. This phenomenon should be carefully considered in the wind farm layout optimization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control policies on the frequency of emergency department (ED) visits in a large tertiary hospital in central China, from January 2018 to September 2023. Methods: We conducted a multi-stage interrupted time series analysis to investigate the impact of various epidemic control policies on weekly ED visits at a tertiary hospital in Hunan Province, China. The study period ranged from January 1, 2018, to September 30, 2023, and was divided into four distinct periods: pre-epidemic, pandemic, normalized control, and end of control. Using a quasi-Poisson regression model, we examined the specific effects of these policies on emergency visits, with a particular focus on stratifying patients based on respiratory versus non-respiratory diseases. Results: Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the number of ED visits in a tertiary hospital decreased by 38.5% (95% CI: 25.1% to 49.8%) during the COVID-19 pandemic, of which the number of ED visits for respiratory diseases increased by 79.4% (95% CI: 13.2% to 177.2%) and the number of ED visits for non-respiratory diseases decreased by 45.9% (95% CI: − 55.7% to − 34.2%). After the end of the epidemic control, the total number of ED visits increased by 31.5% (95% CI: 19.1% to 45.0%), with the number of ED visits for respiratory diseases rising by 379.2% (95% CI: 275.9% to 511.8%), but with no significant change in the number of ED visits for non-respiratory emergencies. Conclusion: Control policies were associated with people avoiding emergency care for non-respiratory related reasons during the pandemic, while the end of control policies was associated with a sharp rise in emergency care for respiratory diseases. This study provides a scientific basis for the different changes in ED visits under the implementation of varying epidemic prevention and control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolation technology, especially for base isolation, is increasingly being applied in earthquake-prone areas. To satisfy some special demands (such as prevention from seawater erosion of an isolation layer, story-adding retrofit of existing buildings, avoidance of collision between base-isolated tall buildings, and so on), the isolation layer sometimes has to be set in the middle of a building to constitute inter-story isolated buildings. This special structural form inevitably encounters strong wind loads during service life, and its wind-resistant performance deserves to be investigated. This study conducts the wind-induced vibration analysis of inter-story isolated tall buildings with friction pendulum bearing (FPB). The nonlinear time domain analysis model and statistical linearization method to compute the wind-induced response of FPB inter-story isolated tall buildings are addressed based on an enhanced simplified model. Considering the independence of the upper and lower structures, two structural design schemes for inter-story isolated tall buildings are provided. Their dynamic characteristics are analyzed, and wind-induced responses are compared. Finally, the accuracy of the statistical linearization method is verified. This study provides an important theoretical basis for the structural design and wind resistance of inter-story isolated tall buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the previous study, different structures of hoppers were proposed. And the dust suppression performance of hoppers were evaluated. In this paper, different materials of hoppers were selected.And influence of different material on particle behaviors were studied based on the discrete element method (DEM). Results shows that the wall material with low collision recovery coefficient for the hopper has positive effect on suppressing dust diffusion.and the wall material with high static friction coefficient showed little effect on the particle flow state through the hopper.