Lit environments that promote health and well-being

The beneficial effects of light on human non-image forming processes are subject to much research interest and are outlined in this article. Known mechanisms of impact include those on the circadian timing system, the arousal system and the affective system. An indication is made that it is important to consider the characteristics of the light field not just the light source when making recommendations concerning light of certain spectral quality. What types of light field are people exposed to on a regular basis and can these lit environments be considered beneficial? How much do these lit scenes differ in terms of spectral composition, as well as in light distribution patterns and illuminance levels, from those conditions that are currently suggested for optimising occupant health and wellbeing? A representative set of natural and built lit environments were identified ranging from seascapes/landscapes to an urban square and various interior architectural environments. A photometric and colorimetric snapshot was measured during the midday hours, to replicate the visual field as viewed from the perspective of the observer. The measured spectral irradiance of light received at the cornea was converted into derived lighting metrics that are the subject of current recommendation: relative sensitivity curve (V λ), vertical/horizontal illuminance ratio (Ev/Eh), cylindrical illuminance (Ec) and circadian stimulus. The data were analysed to demonstrate that the indications are that more natural lit environments are expected to be beneficial. Discussion follows about the relative importance of spectral composition, intensity and light distribution within the visual field and how these might combine to optimise our health and wellbeing. / Practical application: Architectural and engineering designers are being encouraged to devise environments that promote human health and wellbeing. New lighting metrics are being suggested and this article seeks to indicate how effective these metrics are in their ability to characterise these lit environments

Optimizing outcomes for patients with severe haemophilia A

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73864/1/j.1365-2516.2007.01552.x.pd

Politische Dimensionen von Militärübungen und Manövern – ein Projektbericht

Die virtuellen Kriege und Operationen, die in Militärübungen gespielt und geprobt werden, können entweder der Abschreckung dienen oder aber Angriffe vorbereiten bzw. zur Maskierung tatsächlicher Angriffe dienen. Für Beobachter ist es vielfach nicht offensichtlich, um welche Art von Militärübung es sich handelt. Die Ergebnisse eines vierjährigen internationalen Projektes zu politischen Dimensionen von Militärübungen richten das Schlaglicht insbesondere auf Missverständnisse und deren ungewollte politische Auswirkungen, die im Extremfall unbeabsichtigt zum Krieg führen können

The role of war in deep transitions: exploring mechanisms, imprints and rules in sociotechnical systems

This paper explores in what ways the two world wars influenced the development of sociotechnical systems underpinning the culmination of the first deep transition. The role of war is an underexplored aspect in both the Techno-Economic Paradigms (TEP) approach and the Multi-level perspective (MLP) which form the two key conceptual building blocks of the Deep Transitions (DT) framework. Thus, we develop a conceptual approach tailored to this particular topic which integrates accounts of total war and mechanisms of war from historical studies and imprinting from organisational studies with the DT framework’s attention towards rules and meta-rules. We explore in what ways the three sociotechnical systems of energy, food, and transport were affected by the emergence of new demand pressures and logistical challenges during conditions of total war; how war impacted the directionality of sociotechnical systems; the extent to which new national and international policy capacities emerged during wartime in the energy, food, and transport systems; and the extent to which these systems were influenced by cooperation and shared sacrifice under wartime conditions. We then explore what lasting changes were influenced by the two wars in the energy, food, and transport systems across the transatlantic zone. This paper seeks to open up a hitherto neglected area in analysis on sociotechnical transitions and we discuss the importance of further research that is attentive towards entanglements of warfare and the military particularly in the field of sustainability transitions