Development of a Sunlight Luminaire

People spend more and more of their awaken time indoors, resulting in no or little exposure to sunlight during the day. Natural daylight is superior to artificial light concerning our biological and psychological health, and it is one of the most important external signals to the circadian system, the “wake and sleep”-clock. The objective of this thesis was to develop a luminaire which spreads sunlight, collected and transferred indoors by Parans Solar Lighting’s system, SP4. The aim of the project was to not only spread sunlight, but to also convey the feeling of sunlight. Hence, both the design of the light and the luminaire has to give the observer the instant perception of natural light and not artificial light. Information regarding the behavior of sunlight, lighting design and how to manipulate light were collected in the first phase of the project, providing a broad understanding before starting the development process. Additionally, the target group and the user needs were defined to narrow down the focus of the project. The luminaire was supposed to be designed for an office environment, and this target area was specified even more by focusing on break rooms. Common coffee breaks are important since they encourage creativity and act as a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas amongst colleagues. A questionnaire were conducted to gather insights about break culture and preferences for light settings in break rooms. The development process were divided into three parts. The first part was the development of the light design. When this design was set, the technique for manipulating the light from the optic fiber to the desired light shape had to be developed. The last step in the design process was to develop the actual luminaire. In the end, a luminaire inspired by a skylight was created. The light from the luminaire will be projected onto a wall, in a shape similar to a pillar. The luminaire itself consists of two parts; one spotlight, transforming the light, and one shade, hiding the light source. The luminaire should be installed above the second ceiling, replicating a light shaft or a skylight. The luminaire will be modular, which can either be installed together with the shade, in a dropped ceiling or independently on a beam. It should also be available in several different colors, and thereby suitable for a broad range of customers

Is elevated neutrophil count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio a cause or consequence of schizophrenia?—a scoping review

Background: Several studies have found an association between elevated neutrophil count or neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood from patients with schizophrenia. The etiology behind this effect is unknown, and it is unclear if changes in neutrophil count and NLR may be induced by antipsychotics or if these parameters relate to the diagnosis and symptoms of schizophrenia. The purpose of this scoping review was to map research that explores this association, and to identify gaps in the current knowledge base. Method: The work was conducted in accordance with established methodological standards for scoping reviews. Studies on neutrophil count and NLR in schizophrenia were identified through search in relevant databases, and a parallel screening procedure was performed to ensure validity and reproducibility of the search. Articles that included different comparison groups, with differences in medication status (drug-naïve or drug-free vs. medicated), current disease state (relapse vs. remission), or treatment response, were included, as well as studies evaluating the association between symptomatology and neutrophil count or NLR. Results: The available literature was limited with substantial differences in aims, methods, and outcomes. In total, 13 articles were included for the synthesis of this review. Some interesting trends were identified: Neutrophil count and NLR seem to be elevated in schizophrenia patients regardless of current or past use of antipsychotic therapy. Neutrophil count and NLR correlated significantly with positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Still, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to considerable methodological differences and weaknesses in the literature, particularly concerning the blood sampling procedure. Conclusion: By including longitudinal studies and by comparing patient groups based on medication status, disease state and response, our study provides a basis for dissecting the associations between increased neutrophil count or NLR and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Further research should investigate and quantify the apparent strong correlation between neutrophil count or NLR and positive symptoms in schizophrenia, to evaluate its clinical potential to guide diagnostics, treatment, or as a predictor of outcome. This review also exposes important methodological weaknesses in the literature on neutrophil count and NLR measurements. Standardization of blood sampling and processing is crucial to reduce bias, and factors that are known to influence leukocyte levels need to be accounted for.publishedVersio

Urban node

Treball desenvolupat dins el marc del programa 'International Design Project Semester'.The beginning of the project consisted of creating the framework for the urban node. First it was decided to use the beach promenade as scene for the prototype and assume full access to the local fiber network. Also it was assumed that the urban node could draw power from the local electricity network when needed and sell back excess power generated. The project brief can be boiled to the following definition of the urban node: • Generate more energy than it consumes • Intelligent lighting • Distribution of WIFI from local fiber network • Aesthetically and contextual appropriate • Modular design • Sustainable design • Use of ICT1 to gather local information The idea is to have an interior system consisting of three different elements: a power unit delivering and controlling renewable energy, an acquisition unit to obtain inputs from sensors and users and a brain unit to analyze and interpret these impulses into useful and accessible data In order to comprehend the needs that should be addressed by the urban node, relevant topics were researched, such as demographics, human factors, state of art, smart cities etc. After compiling the research it was translated into a function analysis, which is the guideline for the current design of the urban node. With the function analysis as a guideline several shapes were investigated to see how they would function as a shell for the features earlier selected. After a design was chosen, an emphasis on completing this very same design was put

Samapalkkaisuuden perusteet ja edistäminen

Naisten ja miesten välinen palkkaero kaventuu Suomessa hitaasti. Palkkatasa-arvon saavuttaminen edellyttää eriarvoistavien palkkarakenteiden korjaamista, palkkasyrjintään puuttumista sekä tasa-arvon aktiivista edistämistä. Samapalkkaisuus ja syrjimättömyys ovat ihmis- ja perusoikeuksia, jotka perustuvat kansainvälisiin sopimuksiin, EUoikeuteen sekä Suomen kansalliseen lainsäädäntöön. Julkaisu kokoaa viiden asiantuntijan ajankohtaiset puheenvuorot työelämän keskeisestä tasa-arvo-ongelmasta. Kirjoittajat lähestyvät kysymystä ensisijaisesti oikeudellisesta, mutta myös rakenteellisesta näkökulmasta sekä ottavat kantaa palkkaeron kaventamiskeinoihin. Outi Viitamaa-Tervonen luo katsauksen sukupuolten työmarkkina-asemaan ja rakenteisiin, jotka ylläpitävät palkkaeroja sekä pohtii sitä, millaisin keinoin samapalkkaisuuteen tulisi pyrkiä. Niklas Bruun käsittelee Suomen kansainvälisiä palkkatasa-arvovelvoitteita erityisesti CEDAW- ja ILO-sopimusten valossa. Anja Nummijärvi arvioi kansallista palkkakartoitussääntelyä ja sen toimivuutta. Kevät Nousiainen puolestaan käsittelee palkka-avoimuuden oikeudellisia edellytyksiä ja merkitystä samapalkkaisuusperiaatteen toteuttamisessa. Lopuksi Paula Koskinen Sandberg avaa suomalaisen samapalkkaisuuspolitiikan ja korporatistisen järjestelmän yhteyksiä

Kunnskapskartlegging-produksjon av stor laksesmolt

publishedVersio

Kunnskapskartlegging-produksjon av stor laksesmolt

Basert på forskning og erfaringer kan det gis noen anbefalinger for produksjon av storsmolt med tanke på sentrale produksjonsparametere i den landbaserte fasen av produksjonen. En temperatur på 10-12 °C anbefales for å sikre god vekst i sjøfase og redusere tidlig kjønnsmodning hos hannfisk. Det anbefales ikke å gå bort fra lysstyring for å indusere smoltifisering før det foreligger mer dokumentasjon på effekten av dette på prestasjon i sjø. En salinitet mellom 12-15 ppt er i mange studier oppgitt å gi optimal vekst, og ble av oppdrettere ansett for å gi færre problem med skinnhelse og sårdannelse, noe som også støttes av vitenskapelige funn. Men det er usikkert om 12-15 ppt er tilstrekkelig for å opprettholde sjøvannstoleranse i en storsmolt. Det anbefales at fisken akklimatiseres til temperaturen den skal settes ut på slik at endringen i temperatur blir maks 3-5 °C. Det er ikke anbefalt å sette ut storsmolt på kalde vintertemperaturer. Flere oppdrettere erfarer utfordringer med fiskevelferd hvis tettheten overstiger 65-70 kg/m3 og majoriteten mener at 65 kg/m3 er en god grenseverdi som ivaretar vannkvalitet og fiskehelse. En vannhastighet på om lag 1.0 kroppslengder per sekund, synes optimalt basert på vitenskapelige studier på postsmolt fra 60 og opp til 480 g. Vitenskapelige studier indikerer at verdier under 15 mg/L CO2 i brakkvann ikke gir en stor reduksjon i vekst, og er også anbefalt som grenseverdi av Mattilsynet