Journal of Physics: Conference Series Paper • The following article is Open access Exploring the relationship between light and subjective alertness using personal lighting conditions J. van Duijnhoven1, M.P.J. Aarts1, E.R. van den Heuvel2 and H.S.M. Kort3,4 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 2042, CISBAT 2021 Carbon-neutral cities - energy efficiency and renewables in the digital era 8-10 September 2021, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland Citation J. van Duijnhoven et al 2021 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 2042 012119 Download Article PDF References Download PDF 29 Total downloads Turn on MathJax Share this article Share this content via email Share on Facebook (opens new window) Share on Twitter (opens new window) Share on Mendeley (opens new window) Hide article information Author e-mails j.v.duijnhoven1@tue.nl Author affiliations 1 Building Lighting Group, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands 2 Stochastics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands 3 Research Centre Healthy and Sustainable Living, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands 4 Building Healthy Environments for Future Users Group, Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands DOI https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2042/1/012119 Buy this article in print Journal RSS Sign up for new issue notifications Create citation alert Abstract The discovery of the ipRGCs was thought to fully explain the mechanism behind the relationship between light and effects beyond vision such as alertness. However, this relationship turned out to be more complicated. The current paper describes, by using personal lighting conditions in a field study, further exploration of the relationship between light and subjective alertness during daytime. Findings show that this relationship is highly dependent on the individual. Although nearly all dose-response curves between personal lighting conditions and subjective alertness determined in this study turned out to be not significant, the results may be of high importance in the exploration of the exact relationship.
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Light therapy for older persons with dementia is often administered with light boxes, even though indoor ambient light may more comfortably support the diverse lighting needs of this population. Our objective is to investigate the influence of indoor daylight and lighting on the health of older adults with dementia living in long-term care facilities. A systematic literature search was performed within PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus databases. The included articles (n=37) were published from 1991 to 2020. These articles researched the influence of existing and changed indoor light conditions on health and resulted in seven categories of health outcomes. Although no conclusive evidence was found to support the ability of indoor light to decrease challenging behaviors or improve circadian rhythms, findings of two studies indicate that exposure to (very) cool light of moderate intensity diminished agitation. Promising effects of indoor light were to reduce depressive symptoms and facilitate spatial orientation. Furthermore, there were indications that indoor light improved one’s quality of life. Despite interventions with dynamic lighting having yielded little evidence of its efficacy, its potential has been insufficiently researched among this study population. This review provides a clear and comprehensive description of the impact of diverse indoor light conditions on the health of older adults with dementia living in long-term care facilities. Variation was seen in terms of research methods, (the description of) light conditions, and participants’ characteristics (types and severity of dementia), thus confounding the reliability of the findings. The authors recommend further research to corroborate the beneficial effects of indoor light on depression and to clarify its role in supporting everyday activities of this population. An implication for practice in long-term care facilities is raising the awareness of the increased lighting needs of aged residents. Original article at: https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S297865
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Light profoundly impacts many aspects of human physiology and behaviour, including the synchronization of the circadian clock, the production of melatonin, and cognition. These effects of light, termed the non-visual effects of light, have been primarily investigated in laboratory settings, where light intensity, spectrum and timing can be carefully controlled to draw associations with physiological outcomes of interest. Recently, the increasing availability of wearable light loggers has opened the possibility of studying personal light exposure in free-living conditions where people engage in activities of daily living, yielding findings associating aspects of light exposure and health outcomes, supporting the importance of adequate light exposure at appropriate times for human health. However, comprehensive protocols capturing environmental (e.g., geographical location, season, climate, photoperiod) and individual factors (e.g., culture, personal habits, behaviour, commute type, profession) contributing to the measured light exposure are currently lacking. Here, we present a protocol that combines smartphone-based experience sampling (experience sampling implementing Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, KSS ratings) and high-quality light exposure data collection at three body sites (near-corneal plane between the two eyes mounted on spectacle, neck-worn pendant/badge, and wrist-worn watch-like design) to capture daily factors related to individuals’ light exposure. We will implement the protocol in an international multi-centre study to investigate the environmental and socio-cultural factors influencing light exposure patterns in Germany, Ghana, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey (minimum n = 15, target n = 30 per site, minimum n = 90, target n = 180 across all sites). With the resulting dataset, lifestyle and context-specific factors that contribute to healthy light exposure will be identified. This information is essential in designing effective public health interventions.
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-Chatbots are being used at an increasing rate, for instance, for simple Q&A conversations, flight reservations, online shopping and news aggregation. However, users expect to be served as effective and reliable as they were with human-based systems and are unforgiving once the system fails to understand them, engage them or show them human empathy. This problem is more prominent when the technology is used in domains such as health care, where empathy and the ability to give emotional support are most essential during interaction with the person. Empathy, however, is a unique human skill, and conversational agents such as chatbots cannot yet express empathy in nuanced ways to account for its complex nature and quality. This project focuses on designing emotionally supportive conversational agents within the mental health domain. We take a user-centered co-creation approach to focus on the mental health problems of sexual assault victims. This group is chosen specifically, because of the high rate of the sexual assault incidents and its lifetime destructive effects on the victim and the fact that although early intervention and treatment is necessary to prevent future mental health problems, these incidents largely go unreported due to the stigma attached to sexual assault. On the other hand, research shows that people feel more comfortable talking to chatbots about intimate topics since they feel no fear of judgment. We think an emotionally supportive and empathic chatbot specifically designed to encourage self-disclosure among sexual assault victims could help those who remain silent in fear of negative evaluation and empower them to process their experience better and take the necessary steps towards treatment early on.
TU Delft, in collaboration with Gravity Energy BV, has conducted a feasibility study on harvesting electric energy from wind and vibrations using a wobbling triboelectric nanogenerator (WTENG). Unlike conventional wind turbines, the WTENG converts wind/vibration energy into contact-separation events through a wobbling structure and unbalanced mass. Initial experimental findings demonstrated a peak power density of 1.6 W/m² under optimal conditions. Additionally, the harvester successfully charged a 3.7V lithium-ion battery with over 4.5 μA, illustrated in a self-powered light mast as a practical demonstration in collaboration with TimberLAB. This project aims to advance this research by developing a functioning prototype for public spaces, particularly lanterns, in partnership with TimberLAB and Gravity Energy. The study will explore the potential of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) and piezoelectric materials to optimize energy harvesting efficiency and power output. Specifically, the project will focus on improving the WTENG's output power for practical applications by optimizing parameters such as electrode dimensions and contact-separation quality. It will also explore cost-effective, commercially available materials and best fabrication/assembly strategies to simplify scalability for different length scales and power outputs. The research will proceed with the following steps: Design and Prototype Development: Create a prototype WTENG to evaluate energy harvesting efficiency and the quantity of energy harvested. A hybrid of TENG and piezoelectric materials will be designed and assessed. Optimization: Refine the system's design by considering the scaling effect and combinations of TENG-piezoelectric materials, focusing on maximizing energy efficiency (power output). This includes exploring size effects and optimal dimensions. Real-World Application Demonstration: Assess the optimized system's potential to power lanterns in close collaboration with TimberLAB, DVC Groep BV and Gravity Energy. Identify key parameters affecting the efficiency of WTENG technology and propose a roadmap for its exploitation in other applications such as public space lighting and charging.
The reclaiming of street spaces for pedestrians during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as on Witte de Withstraat in Rotterdam, appears to have multiple benefits: It allows people to escape the potentially infected indoor air, limits accessibility for cars and reduces emissions. Before ordering their coffee or food, people may want to check one of the many wind and weather apps, such as windy.com: These apps display the air quality at any given time, including, for example, the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas responsible for an increasing number of health issues, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Ships and heavy industry in the nearby Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport, exacerbate air pollution in the region. Not surprisingly, in 2020 Rotterdam was ranked as one of the unhealthiest cities in the Netherlands, according to research on the health of cities conducted by Arcadis. Reducing air pollution is a key target for the Port Authority and the City of Rotterdam. Missing, however, is widespread awareness among citizens about how air pollution links to socio-spatial development, and thus to the future of the port city cluster of Rotterdam. To encourage awareness and counter the problem of "out of sight - out of mind," filmmaker Entrop&DeZwartFIlms together with ONSTV/NostalgieNet, and Rotterdam Veldakademie, are collaborating with historians of the built environment and computer science and public health from TU Delft and Erasmus University working on a spatial data platform to visualize air pollution dynamics and socio-economic datasets in the Rotterdam region. Following discussion of findings with key stakeholders, we will make a pilot TV-documentary. The documentary, discussed first with Rotterdam citizens, will set the stage for more documentaries on European and international cities, focusing on the health effects—positive and negative—of living and working near ports in the past, present, and future.
