The development of local solar irradiance for outdoor computer graphics rendering

Atmospheric effects are approximated by solving the light transfer equation, LTE, of a given viewing path. The resulting accumulated spectral energy (its visible band) arriving at the observer’s eyes, defines the colour of the object currently on the line of sight. Due to the convenience of using a single rendering equation to solve the LTE for daylight sky and distant objects (aerial perspective), recent methods had opt for a similar kind of approach. Alas, the burden that the real-time calculation brings to the foil had forced these methods to make simplifications that were not in line with the actual world observation. Consequently, the results of these methods are laden with visual-errors. The two most common simplifications made were: i) assuming the atmosphere as a full-scattering medium only and ii) assuming a single density atmosphere profile. This research explored the possibility of replacing the real-time calculation involved in solving the LTE with an analytical-based approach. Hence, the two simplifications made by the previous real-time methods can be avoided. The model was implemented on top of a flight simulator prototype system since the requirements of such system match the objectives of this study. Results were verified against the actual images of the daylight skies. Comparison was also made with the previous methods’ results to showcase the proposed model strengths and advantages over its peers

Daylight Performances of Atrium Buildings for Different Roof Configuration Under Malaysia Sky Conditions

The research endeavours to fill the identified gap in the field’s knowledge on daylighting in atriums, specifically under tropical sky conditions. The atrium’s form, roof configurations, building orientation, roof transmittance, internal surfaces reflectivity, and grazing areas are the key elements in the daylighting design of atrium buildings. Daylight availability in an atrium has been researched extensively using different techniques and models. This paper presents substantial findings from a virtual simulation exploration. Four models were used to perform the daylighting performance analyses involving field experiments and computer simulations (IESRadiance). The models used different roof fenestration designs and structural truss systems (flat, pitched, pyramidal-gridded and saw-tooth roofs) simulated for substantial virtual verification and investigation. The Daylight Factor/Daylight Ratio (DF/DR) on horizontal surfaces under different types of sky conditions at different times of day and different days over a period of one year were obtained. The illuminance levels were quantified for the unique circumstances of intermediate sky conditions. They show a generally linear relationship and a good degree of correlation with the overall reduction of daylight levels in the atrium. Internal roof obstructions created a relatively constant attenuation of daylight compared with the clear unobstructed roof for the four structured roofs. The discrepancy of light distribution was increased if measured between the unobstructed atrium well with complex configurations. This work has paved the way for more design strategies using complicated atrium roof fenestration constructions to be analysed with accuracy while combining aesthetics with energy efficiency

Study of daylighting and building performance of atria buildings in Malaysia / Sabarinah Sh Ahmad, Azni Zain-Ahmed and Julitta Yunus

The development of atrium buildings in Malaysia is growing in number. This design trend are recognised as one of the most popular and environmentally stimulating spaces of today's architecture, at once shutting out the often harsh natural environment and yet benefiting from its natural light. Incorporated into many forms of buildings, an atrium can be used to stimulate the outdoors and to admit natural light and solar heat into the indoor space. The passive solar features incorporated in atrium is utilising the usage of daylight contribution that can save energy. The daylighting aspects of the atrium need a careful design to accomplish visually attractive as well as energy-efficient building criteria. However, instead of creating the potential for both increased energy savings and an improved indoor environment, if the atrium is only artificially lit or heated it may waste more energy than it saves. An atrium's characteristic is the roof: a careful design of the roof fenestration systems limits glare, mitigates passive solar heating effects and supplies adequate daylighting and minimizes sunlight. Therefore, atrium roof form and structure are important architectural design elements, where it can influence daylight availability within the space and, therefore, lighting energy consumption. A common feature of most studies were that the atrium roof was left as an open, unobstructed void, which is obviously very different from the conditions existing in real atria [8]. Therefore, this is an area not studied before. Their studies were strongly recommending further analysis on several variations of roof structures and roof glazing and their impact on the distribution of daylight

Daylight Performances of Atrium Buildings for Different Roof Configuration Under Malaysia Sky Conditions

The research endeavours to fill the identified gap in the field’s knowledge on daylighting in atriums, specifically under tropical sky conditions. The atrium’s form, roof configurations, building orientation, roof transmittance, internal surfaces reflectivity, and grazing areas are the key elements in the daylighting design of atrium buildings. Daylight availability in an atrium has been researched extensively using different techniques and models. This paper presents substantial findings from a virtual simulation exploration. Four models were used to perform the daylighting performance analyses involving field experiments and computer simulations (IESRadiance). The models used different roof fenestration designs and structural truss systems (flat, pitched, pyramidal-gridded and saw-tooth roofs) simulated for substantial virtual verification and investigation. The Daylight Factor/Daylight Ratio (DF/DR) on horizontal surfaces under different types of sky conditions at different times of day and different days over a period of one year were obtained. The illuminance levels were quantified for the unique circumstances of intermediate sky conditions. They show a generally linear relationship and a good degree of correlation with the overall reduction of daylight levels in the atrium. Internal roof obstructions created a relatively constant attenuation of daylight compared with the clear unobstructed roof for the four structured roofs. The discrepancy of light distribution was increased if measured between the unobstructed atrium well with complex configurations. This work has paved the way for more design strategies using complicated atrium roof fenestration constructions to be analysed with accuracy while combining aesthetics with energy efficiency

Systematic pharmacogenomics analysis of a Malay whole genome: proof of concept for personalized medicine.

BACKGROUND: With a higher throughput and lower cost in sequencing, second generation sequencing technology has immense potential for translation into clinical practice and in the realization of pharmacogenomics based patient care. The systematic analysis of whole genome sequences to assess patient to patient variability in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics responses towards drugs would be the next step in future medicine in line with the vision of personalizing medicine. METHODS: Genomic DNA obtained from a 55 years old, self-declared healthy, anonymous male of Malay descent was sequenced. The subject's mother died of lung cancer and the father had a history of schizophrenia and deceased at the age of 65 years old. A systematic, intuitive computational workflow/pipeline integrating custom algorithm in tandem with large datasets of variant annotations and gene functions for genetic variations with pharmacogenomics impact was developed. A comprehensive pathway map of drug transport, metabolism and action was used as a template to map non-synonymous variations with potential functional consequences. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Over 3 million known variations and 100,898 novel variations in the Malay genome were identified. Further in-depth pharmacogenetics analysis revealed a total of 607 unique variants in 563 proteins, with the eventual identification of 4 drug transport genes, 2 drug metabolizing enzyme genes and 33 target genes harboring deleterious SNVs involved in pharmacological pathways, which could have a potential role in clinical settings. CONCLUSIONS: The current study successfully unravels the potential of personal genome sequencing in understanding the functionally relevant variations with potential influence on drug transport, metabolism and differential therapeutic outcomes. These will be essential for realizing personalized medicine through the use of comprehensive computational pipeline for systematic data mining and analysis