Natural Light Levels Research Articles

Challenges in illumination analysis and design for Martian surface-level habitation

It is needless to say that travel to and settlement on Mars are associated with extreme levels of scientific and engineering issues. This will only be amplified with the long-term duration of the mission, not only due to scarcity of resources, but also as the psychological aspects of the dynamics among the crew increase drastically. It should be emphasized that this is a scientific crew, who have undergone high levels of confinement during space travel to Mars, O (102 Earth days), are living in semi-solitude and partial confinement conditions for durations of O (103 Earth days), and even at the nominal termination of the mission, foresee a high-risk and arduous travel time of O (102 Earth days) back to the Earth. The mental weight of the described mission with its slow pace and tardy episodes, puts the crew under severe psychological issues. Minimal and conservative design of spaces, lack of constant access to the exterior, and social solitude are among major factors contributing to the psychological well-being of the crew. Furthermore, the overall lower levels of natural light, accompanied by the minimum possible area of transparent facades, protecting the crew from harmful radiations and cold exterior, burden the mental conditions of the crew even more. Given the limited availability of data from the surface of Mars, study of the effects linked to the lighting and illumination design of the habitats is challenging. The current manuscript hopes to shed light on the illumination and lighting design and simulation procedure, required data, assumptions, and final results for the surface-level habitats on Mars.•Mars / Sub orbital configuration allows for limited natural lighting, however, upon site-specific analysis, it might be considerable as a base passive source.•Current simulation tools are design based on Earth-bound design requirements. These need to be re-oriented to match available planetary data.

Bioclimatic analysis of three buildings by Gilberto Gatto Sobral. Study case Universidad Central del Ecuador

The bioclimatic quality of three buildings by architect Gilberto Gatto Sobral at Universidad Central del Ecuador was evaluated with two objectives: to find problems that might affect users’ health and productivity, and to establish if climate had a significant role in the design of these buildings The buildings included two faculties: Law and Economics, and the General Administration. Bioclimatic quality was established by comparing existing levels of temperature, relative humidity, and natural light against comfort standards and the local climate. Data were measured over two years in space samples using data loggers. It was concluded that all buildings have spaces outside of comfort being too cold and dark; and climate played a minor role because despite attempts to control natural light, the thermal behavior of materials and the sun’s apparent movement were ignored.

Enhancing human well-being and comfort: Optimizing the integration of plants in buildings

The escalating challenges posed by greenhouse effects and the imperative for sustainable solutions have garnered global attention towards mitigating environmental harm, with buildings emerging as significant contributors to carbon emissions. This case study meticulously examines the Shunde Country Garden Headquarters Building, a visually captivating exemplar of plant integration within architectural frameworks. While the initial design emphasizes aesthetics and sustainability, a deeper exploration uncovers shortcomings in considering the well-being of occupants. The integration of plants into building structures holds promise in carbon absorption and reduced energy consumption, making a positive contribution to sustainability. However, the Shunde case underscores challenges such as insufficient natural light, poor ventilation, and elevated indoor humidity levels. These issues highlight the critical necessity of aligning architectural designs with human experiences, transcending mere aesthetics and sustainability. This study also reveals a noticeable oversight in the social dimension of buildings integrated with plants within existing certifications and architectural practices. While certifications like LEED, WELL, Envision, and BREEAM primarily evaluate sustainability from a conventional standpoint, architects often prioritize aesthetics over the living experiences of occupants. The absence of comprehensive guidelines addressing human well-being and comfort impedes the widespread adoption of Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS). In response, this project aims to propose a design guideline that holistically considers environmental, economic, and social aspects. By accentuating occupants' comfort and well-being, the objective is to unlock the practical potential of VGS across various countries. The proposed design guideline encompasses environmental, economic, and social considerations. It delves into lighting, support, and landscape elements for the environment, and addresses economic aspects such as potential, construction, design, and landscape economy. Importantly, the social aspect takes precedence in the guideline, concentrating on innovation, location, and landscape. By addressing environment, economy, and society, this paper endeavors to elevate the impact of Vertical Greenery Systems on human well-being and comfort, fostering a sustainable and harmonious relationship between architecture and nature.

Combining shading and lipid-enriched diets as an adaption tool to reduce coral bleaching

Mass coral bleaching driven by climate change impacts coral reefs globally. As net zero emissions and a return to pre-industrial global temperatures are unlikely to occur in the near future, there is an urgent need to engineer intervention methods that can mitigate the risk of coral bleaching at different scales. Coral dietary enrichment and shade-based irradiance reduction have each been shown to reduce coral bleaching. Here, we tested the hypothesis that combining these two intervention methods could further reduce the risk and impact of bleaching using an outdoor experiment with fragments of the coral Hydnophora exesa. The experiment was set up over three orthogonal factors: shade (2 levels – 4 h of 30% shade and no shade), temperature (2 levels – 32.6 °C and 26.4 °C) and food type (2 levels – fatty-acid enriched and non-enriched Artemia). The provision of 30% shade for 4 h did not significantly affect any of the measured bleaching response variables, likely due to the low natural irradiance for all treatments throughout the experiment. Significant bleaching of H. exesa fragments occurred in the high-temperature treatments after 18 days of thermal stress. Feeding the corals Artemia enriched with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids had a minor impact on the proportion of fatty acids in the corals and resulted in a decline in chlorophyll a content and symbiont density. Overall, these results suggest that coral PUFA enrichment may have limited potential as a mitigation tool to minimise the risk of mass coral bleaching as numerous factors such as species and lipidome composition must be considered. In addition, we recommend that irradiance values higher than the natural light levels recorded during our experiment are required to effectively test the ability of shading technologies designed to reduce mass bleaching of coral reefs.

Using building information modelling to optimise design quality of natural lighting in Iraqi school buildings

Abstract One of the most important aspects directly affecting a building’s performance is the design quality of the natural day-lighting. The present research evaluates the effectiveness of daylight in school buildings in the city of Baghdad. It aims to ascertain how the characteristics of building windows affect the quality of day-lighting, the objective of this exercise being to improve educational processes in schools by making improvements in relation to the aspect of provision of satisfactory day-lighting levels. A building simulation approach was adopted, and using Autodesk Revit 2018 (Insight plug-in), a daylight analysis was conducted under the aegis of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology. For the case study, we selected the modern design of a 24-classrooms school building, which is part of a plan for the construction of 1,000 Iraqi schools. Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED v4) simulation was conducted on the school building design to provide the results, which were measured and analysed according to LEED v4 standards. The results demonstrated that opening dimensions and direction have an essential impact on natural day-lighting. The research concluded that using BIM simulation tools enhances the design quality of the natural lighting in such a way that compliance with LEED v4 requirements is achieved. The present study will assist in identification and assessment of the problems concerned with natural lighting levels in Iraqi school buildings as well as resolving these at an early design stage.

Natural lighting of interiors and sun protection of premises with roof lighting system

The article describes the contemporary issues of natural lighting of interiors of civil and industrial buildings. The major attention is given to the roof lighting system of the buildings in question, as far as this system provides not only increased levels of natural lighting, but sometimes an undesirable heat gains, due to prolonged insolation period and hence, extra solar radiation. It is noted, that this reason leads to design and construct the means of natural lighting in such a way, that to provide interiors with sufficient natural illumination and efficient sun protection at the same time. Some principal conclusions and recommendations were made as a result of analytic studies, presented in the article. For example, it was competently proved that the best solar standing solution for roof lighting installations are sheds, or sawtooth roof structure. The worst solution, to protect interiors from solar overheating are roof skylights. These skylights require extra sun protection in form of jalousies, blinds, etc. The same additional solar shading, though to less extend, is needed to provide additional sun protection for roof monitors.

Optimization of Natural Lighting Level in Umah Pitu Ruang in Gayo Highland, Indonesia

Optimization of Natural Lighting Level in Umah Pitu Ruang in Gayo Highland, Indonesia

The role of supplemental lighting during late fall and winter on photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic pigments biosynthesis of cut rose flower (Rosa hybrida cv. ‘Dolce Vita’)

ABSTRACT Low levels of natural light within the late fall and winter periods are main restricting factors for greenhouse-cut rose flower production in northern countries. Here, the effects of supplemental lighting on photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic pigments and the morphological response of cut rose flower cv. ‘Dolce Vita’ were investigated. Four different supplemental lighting regimes, including 85, 170, 255, and 340 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD using a high-pressure sodium lamp for a six-hour day extension started at sunset were applied to rose plants during late fall and winter. With increasing light intensity to 255 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, the content of chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, carotenoid content, and the ratio of chlorophylls a/b as well as amount of anthocyanins greatly improved. The highest phenol content and total antioxidant capacity was observed in 170 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. Moreover, extending of daylength by light intensity of 255 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD had a significant affirmative effect on traits of growth, including flower stem length (P < 0.01), leaf number (P < 0.05), renewal bud formation (P < 0.05), time of harvesting (P < 0.05), and vase life of cut flowers (P < 0.01). Considering physiological and morphological improvement, extending of daylength from 10-h to 16-h by supplemental light of 255 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD would be the best choice to cultivate cut rose flower cv. ‘Dolce Vita’.

Field measurements of post-operation evaluation of daylighting and thermal comfort in hot and arid climates: A pilot study of three educational buildings on the Najran University campus in Saudi Arabia

The average energy consumption of educational buildings is constantly increasing due to their reliance on information technology equipment, expanded occupancy to accommodate new academic programs, and increased use of lighting and cooling systems. This research aims to gather data on the performance of lighting and cooling systems, as they are the two largest energy consumption systems on Najran University campus. It also explores opportunities to optimize the energy efficiency of the buildings, and it attempts to determine the satisfaction of Najran University users with the two operation systems (i.e., lighting and cooling). The research methodology depended on on-site measurements and online surveys. The on-site day lighting measurements confirmed that the maximum daylight illuminance levels were less than 100 lux in most workplaces and exceeded 100 lux only in a few workplaces, which were adjacent to windows. In addition, the field measurements of indoor temperature are 14.3–25.33 °C, which is a little cooler than the thermal comfort range during the majority of the year. Furthermore, the results of the building user questionnaire revealed that 73.1 % of respondents expressed satisfaction with the natural light levels at their workplaces. Only 57.7 % of respondents confirmed their satisfaction with the workplace temperature. However, the energy-efficient use of air-conditioning and artificial lighting systems would require the systems to be more flexible and dynamic. This research recommends optimizing control systems of air conditioning and artificial lighting systems to be converted to intelligent operation systems. That change would facilitate achieving energy-efficient buildings and give individual users adjustment options to adjust the comfort settings in their workplaces.

A framework for untangling the consequences of artificial light at night on species interactions.

Although much evidence exists showing organismal consequences from artificial light at night (ALAN), large knowledge gaps remain regarding ALAN affecting species interactions. Species interactions occur via shared spatio-temporal niches among species, which may be determined by natural light levels. We review how ALAN is altering these spatio-temporal niches through expanding twilight or full Moon conditions and constricting nocturnal conditions as well as creating patches of bright and dark. We review literature from a database to determine if ALAN is affecting species interactions via spatio-temporal dynamics. The literature indicates a growing interest in ALAN and species interactions: 58% of the studies we analysed have been published since 2020. Seventy-five of 79 studies found ALAN altered species interactions. Enhancements and reductions of species interactions were equally documented. Many studies revealed ALAN affecting species interactions spatially, but few revealed temporal alterations. There are biases regarding species interactions and ALAN-most studies investigated predator-prey interactions with vertebrates as predators and invertebrates as prey. Following this literature review, we suggest avenues, such as remote sensing and animal tracking, that can guide future research on the consequences of ALAN on species interactions across spatial and temporal axes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Light pollution in complex ecological systems'.

What must be considered in winter strawberry production under LEDs in Iceland?

ABSTRACT Supplementary lighting is essential to maintain year-round production in Iceland due to the extremely low natural light level in winter. In this research, the effects of high-pressure vapour sodium lamps (HPS) are compared to light emitting diodes (LED), both with similar photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa cv. ‘Sonata' and cv. ‘Magnum') were grown either under HPS lights or LEDs and 16°C/8°C (day/night). However, in the second winter, the day temperature was increased to 19°C under LEDs. The results showed that under the same temperature set points, the development of the flowers and the harvest was delayed by two weeks under LEDs due to a lower leaf, substrate and air temperature. However, when temperature set points were adapted, no delay under LEDs was observed. LEDs did not lead to higher yield, but to a higher energy use efficiency, while light use efficiency behaved contrary. Economic calculations clearly demonstrate that it is not justified to switch from HPS lights to LEDs. Instead, it is rather recommended to emphasise a high-yielding variety like Sonata in winter-growing of strawberries.

Insect vision: Contrast perception under fluctuating light

Natural light levels vary tremendously, both over the day and from minute to minute, creating a formidable challenge for animals that rely on vision to survive. New work in fruit flies demonstrates the neural mechanisms that produce luminance-invariant perceptions of visual contrast.

The influence of LED road stud color on driver behavior and perception along horizontal curves at nighttime

Scotopic lighting conditions (reduced level of natural light or presence of artificial lighting) may impair driving performance and, therefore, impact on road safety. Thanks to technological developments, low-cost light emitting diode (LED) studs are now being considered as an alternative and affordable pavement marking solution to assist drivers in these conditions. By helping them to maintain their vehicle within the marked lane, the studs should prevent any deterioration in driver performance when negotiating curves at nighttime. However, the few studies that investigated the impact of LED studs on driving performance produced inconsistent results, and the question of whether they actively improve driver performance remains open. Furthermore, while international road regulations allow the use of LED studs, they do not provide consistent prescriptions for their lighting color.Here, we assessed the influence of different LED lighting colors (red, white, and unlit) on longitudinal and transversal driver behavior when negotiating road curves with different radii and sense of direction. In the study, thirty-six drivers drove a dynamic virtual scenario featuring twenty-four curves. After the driving simulation, participants completed a static perception test in which they assessed each curve in terms of the perceived levels of risk, pleasantness, and arousal they experienced while driving on it.In comparison with the unlit and red lit curves, those marked with white lighting LED studs were perceived as less risky, less arousing, and more pleasant independently of the radii and curve direction. Furthermore, when entering these curves, participants tended to shift their driving trajectories towards the center of the road. This effect was most evident on the central part of the curve. Further studies are expected to corroborate these results by focusing on different road geometries and LED stud layouts, as well as testing driving behavior in controlled road field studies.

The Potential Energy Saving in Lighting Systems on Campuses in Tropical Areas: A Combination of Natural and Artificial Light

Energy consumption continues to increase and is predicted to increase by up to 30 percent by 2040. Therefore, systematic efforts are needed to reduce energy use, including using natural lighting in lighting systems inside buildings. The object of this study is the library room in the Electrical Engineering Department building, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia, to calculate the potential for energy savings with a lighting automation strategy with dimming control. Measurement of natural light level at three work nodes has been determined for one week as reference data. The shortage of artificial light required, and the electrical energy consumed is calculated by referring to the minimum standards for room lighting intensity. On the basis of each lamp's working hours and power, the potential for energy savings in the lighting system of the object can be determined. This study found that the potential for saving energy consumption for one week at three different nodes was 32.3, 64.2, and 82.8 percent. This study concludes that the maximum value reached 893 lux on Tuesday at 13:00 at node C, and the lowest was 3 lux on Saturday at 15:00 WIB at node A. Node C had an average light intensity of 402.298 lux, and node B had an average of 206.765 lux during the week. In contrast, node A has the lowest lux average, with 87,711 lux in one measurement week. Also, with the combination of natural and artificial light sources with dimming control strategies, the voltage values given to each lamp range from 0 to 180 VAC. Potential savings in energy consumption by combining natural and artificial light with dimming control strategies in the library room with three different nodes (A, B, C) are 32.3, 64.2, and 82.8 percent.

Marine birds: Vision-based wind turbine collision mitigation

Throughout their evolution seabirds have not had to contend with the collision risk posed by discrete objects that extend into their flight space above the water surface. However, the recent introduction of offshore wind turbines has significantly increased the potential for collisions. Bird collision risk with Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) turbines is now a major consenting consideration for OWF projects due to potential local population impacts on birds, especially those associated with protected sites. Therefore, the possibility of reducing those risks through a simple mitigation is highly desirable. Key elements for the design of vision-based mitigation measures aimed at reducing the collision of marine birds with wind turbines should be based upon knowledge of the vision of birds, not the vision of humans. May et al. (2020) tested a vision-based wind turbine mitigation measure and reported a modelled 70% reduction in annual turbine-blade collision mortality rate at a terrestrial location in a suite of 19 bird species. The aim of the present proposals is to extend this vision-based mitigation approach and increase its applicability to a broad suite of bird species considered vulnerable to collisions with wind turbines at sea. Key aspects of the vision, behaviour and ecology of marine birds which contribute to their collision risk under a range of natural viewing conditions are reviewed. The same information is then employed to give insights into the requirements of vision-based mitigation measures. We argue that the internal visual contrast of wind turbines should be increased using achromatic patterns applied to blades and pylons. These patterns should reduce the collision vulnerability of marine birds in general and should be effective under a range of visibility conditions determined by natural light levels and weather conditions. The measures should allow birds with different flight speeds and visual acuities to detect turbines sufficiently early to allow alteration of flight direction and avoid collision. The proposed mitigation requires changes to the appearance of wind turbines that can be implemented at the time of manufacture. They do not interfere with statutory requirements already required for the marking of turbines for the benefit of shipping and aircraft.

Connecting Contemporary Trauma Care to Florence Nightingale's Visionary Work.

The impact of Florence Nightingale's visionary work continues to influence the delivery of nursing care in the contemporary emergency department (ED). Her foundational work in the Crimean War resulted in data-based recommendations for using the environment to promote healing and wellness among sick and wounded British soldiers. She advocated for attention to environmental details, including ventilation, air, warmth, drainage, cleanliness, natural light, and low noise levels. These important environmental concepts play a significant role in the nursing management of trauma patients in today's ED. This article features an application of Nightingale's environmental concepts to a trauma patient case exemplar and demonstrates the enduring impact of her work for trauma patients who receive care in the ED.

Fused Thermal and RGB Imagery for Robust Detection and Classification of Dynamic Objects in Mixed Datasets via Pre-Trained High-Level CNN

Smart vehicles with embedded Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technologies are currently equipped with different types of mounted sensors, aiming to ensure safe movement for both passengers and other road users. The sensors’ ability to capture and gather data to be synchronically interpreted by neural networks for a clear understanding of the surroundings is influenced by lighting conditions, such as natural lighting levels, artificial lighting effects, time of day, and various weather conditions, such as rain, fog, haze, and extreme temperatures. Such changing environmental conditions are also known as complex environments. In addition, the appearance of other road users is varied and relative to the vehicle’s perspective; thus, the identification of features in a complex background is still a challenge. This paper presents a pre-processing method using multi-sensorial RGB and thermal camera data. The aim is to handle issues arising from the combined inputs of multiple sensors, such as data registration and value unification. Foreground refinement, followed by a novel statistical anomaly-based feature extraction prior to image fusion, is presented. The results met the AV challenges in CNN’s classification. The reduction of the collected data and its variation level was achieved. The unified physical value contributed to the robustness of input data, providing a better perception of the surroundings under varied environmental conditions in mixed datasets for day and night images. The method presented uses fused images, robustly enriched with texture and feature depth and reduced dependency on lighting or environmental conditions, as an input for a CNN. The CNN was capable of extracting and classifying dynamic objects as vehicles and pedestrians from the complex background in both daylight and nightlight images.

Evaluation Model of Location Light Pollution Level based on Analytic Hierarchy Process and Entropy Weight Method

With the development of society, the impact of light pollution has gradually intensified. It not only endangers human health and animal and plant activities but also indirectly damages the climate and environment. In the past, the research on the evaluation of urban light pollution often focused on the comparison between the light pollution level measured by the relevant photometry equipment and the natural light level. This means that many sites need to be selected for measurement in the evaluation city. To save resources and ensure the evaluation results have a certain validity, we built a Location Light Pollution Risk Index (LLPRI) model. First, we selected 16 indicators from 6 aspects and built a three-level indicator evaluation system. After that, based on combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy Weight Method (EWM) to calculate the index weight, we also use the Weight Combination Method to obtain the final weight of the index. Finally, we will bring the collected site sample data into the model and then use K-means Algorithm to cluster the model results and obtain the model metric We compare the results of the assessment of location light pollution risk level by the model with the data from the Military Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (VIIRS). The experimental results show that the LLRPI model has good effectiveness.

Energy audit of 1900s buildings for sustainable renovation

This project focuses on the dynamic modelling of two buildings: a school and a public building, both located in the Basilicata and Puglia regions. In order to define the passive energy requirement of the building and propose some energy efficiency solutions, an energy diagnosis was conducted in dynamic settings on these structures. The EnergyPlus™ calculation code is the method utilized for energy diagnosis in the dynamic regime. The dynamic technique enables simulation of real-world building circumstances and plant design based on real-world requirements and building management.Both buildings have significant historical significance, therefore improving their energy efficiency must take this into account.In the design of energy efficiency solutions, the enclosure’s properties are critical. It is the primary source of heat loss and sunlight gain, and it has an impact on indoor comfort.It is vital to consider often contradicting features of the building’s casing, such as heating, cooling, and natural and artificial lighting, when designing the building’s casing. For example, large levels of natural light must be allowed without excessive solar gains during the summer while still ensuring an acceptable quantity of solar earnings during the winter to reduce heating loads. As a result, the efficient configuration can’t just look at one element at a time; it has to look at all of them at the same time, taking into account all of the interactions between the many sources of energy usage. Thermo-hygrometric comfort is another factor to consider when it comes to protecting the human condition.The goal of integrated design for a long-term major redevelopment is to establish the best balance between energy efficiency and environmental burdens, not just during the operational period, but throughout the life cycle. During the redesign process, resources such as life cycle analysis (LCA - Life Cycle Assessment) can be used to objectively quantify the possible environmental implications of new materials, systems, and energy flows (from their supply up to future disposal scenarios at the end of life). Furthermore, by comparing several project options, it is possible to identify which, with the same energy efficiency, causes the least environmental damage. Economic and social sustainability analyses can also be combined.Modern building relief techniques (geometric, material, and thermal) were applied in this study for energy diagnosis and LCA analysis to determine the optimal design options for environmental impacts. The thermal power plants that the solution proposes are completely integrated within the buildings in which they will be put and manage to ensure a perfect mix of energy savings, economic savings, and environmental sustainability.

Daylighting system based on single-axis polar heliostat

The fight against climate change makes it necessary, among other measures, to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. One way of doing this is to improve the levels of natural lighting inside buildings. In this sense, this paper analyses the possible use of heliostats as natural illuminators in an educational space. For this purpose, a classroom in the Leonardo da Vinci building of the Rabanales Campus of the University of Cordoba (Spain) and an illuminator system based on a single-axis polar heliostat have been reproduced at a scale of 1:15. These devices have been exposed to the same solar irradiance conditions and the illuminance levels registered inside both devices have been compared. It was found that there is an increase in daylighting levels in the recreated classroom ranging from 70.40% to 242.58% compared to the situation without heliostat illuminators. Therefore, it can be concluded that heliostats can play a fundamental role to improve the efficiency of buildings and, therefore, in the fight against climate change.