Sunlight Exposure

BackgroundSunlight is essential for the synthesis of vitamin D and supports bone growth and strength. The awareness of mothers about the benefit of exposing their infants to sunlight, as well as the practice of doing so, is important to a child’s proper growth and development. The current study looked into mothers’ knowledge, practice, and factors related to infant sunlight exposure in rural villages in the Mettu district, southwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study design was utilized with randomly selected mothers of newborns from rural areas in the Mettu district. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information. Analysis of the data was performed using the SPSS version 21 software. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsAmong the 600 mothers who participated in the present study, 397 (66.2%) had good knowledge and 346 (57.7%) practiced proper exposure of their inf...

Introduction: Hypovitaminosis D is prevalent and linked with a multitude of co-morbidities. The high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D, despite the availability of sunlight throughout the year has raised many questions. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associations with diet and sunlight in premenopausal women in Sri Lanka. Methods: Community dwelling healthy women between 20-40 years (n = 132) were selected. Consumption of vitamin D (vit-D) rich dairy and non-dairy foods were estimated. Serum vit-D and calcium were measured. Vit-D reference values introduced by Lips et al were used to categorize subjects. Results and conclusion: Eight subjects (6.1%) were Vit-D deficient while 68 (51.5%) had Vit-D insufficiency. No difference in vit-D status according to age (20-30 vs 31-40 years). Vit-D was higher in women who had sun exposure >2 hours/day compared to women with <2 hours sunlight. Vit-D positively associated with dairy (Pears...

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has become the new normalcy due to rapid transition of lifestyles among the people globally. Vitamin D is synthesized in the body due to exposure of skin to sunlight. Correction of vitamin D deficiency poses a major demand due to its action on bone and muscle health. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of sun exposure and Vitamin D supplement and Vitamin D supplements alone on serum vitamin D levels among the under-fives. Methods: This protocol is a randomized controlled study planned to be carried out among the under-five children with vitamin D deficiency. Children will be randomised into two groups (Group 1-Vitamin D supplementation only) and (Group 2-vitamin D supplementation +sun exposure). Both the group will receive intervention for 12 weeks and Serum Vitamin D levels will be tested after 12 weeks. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to present the findings of the study. Conclusion: Identification and treatment of Vitamin D deficiency is vital in children`s bone health. This protocol will provide direction and guidance to optimize utilization of treatments to improve vitamin D deficiency among under five children.

Interspecific hybrid winegrapes are economically important in areas where environmental pressures inhibit traditional Vitis vinifera production. To clarify the effect of vine microclimate on red hybrid wine color, skin extract anthocyanins were characterized via HPLC for shaded and unshaded fruit from three economically significant cool-climate hybrid cultivars (Vitis spp): Corot noir, Maréchal Foch, and Marquette. Light exposure and berry and air temperature were monitored in Corot noir to represent generalized vine microclimate. Across all cultivars, the samples that underwent the leaf-pulling treatment (exposed samples) did not have significantly different concentrations of total anthocyanins compared to the control (shaded samples). However, certain individual anthocyanins within each cultivar demonstrated different concentrations with the exposure treatment. This work is the first step in defining the evolution of anthocyanin profiles during interspecific hybrid grape ripening to allow coolclimate wine grape growers to optimize viticultural production methods for high-quality red hybrid wines.

Background: Vitamin D is unique among vitamins as it can be synthesized from the action of ultra violet radiation upon the skin. This study was done to investigate prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among health care professionals. Method: This was an institution based cross sectional prevalence study conducted over period of one year at Medical College, Kolkata, India. The study was conducted among 50 doctors, 25 nurses and 25 laboratory technicians. After getting demographic data, serum Vitamin D level was measured in each subject and statistical analysis done. Result: Mean age of study subject was 51.69±7.61 years. Result showed that 63% were male and 37% were female. In this study 73% of the subjects were deficient in Vitamin D level. 25% of subjects had insufficient Vitamin D level and only 2% subject has sufficient D level. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among health care professionals. Lack of sunlight exposure, changes in lifestyle and food habits contribute to low Vitamin D levels in this population.

Due to urbanization and growing density in cities in the past century, metrics were introduced to assess daylight performance such as minimum sunlight hours and the daylight factor. The paper initially explores the shortcomings of early-stage daylight and sunlight evaluation methods. A novel methodology called Sunlight Autonomy (SA) is proposed for evaluating sunlight performance in buildings. The SA is based on the “Exposure to sunlight” criteria in EN 170307 “Daylight in Buildings,” where a computational method is used for the evaluation on a specified day. The SA concept expands the analysis temporally over the entire year, and spatially on building facades, leading to new metrics for a point of evaluation, and spatial metrics for buildings. The SA methodology is analyzed in a case study across four European cities. The SA metrics on facades between February 1st and March 21st, days in EN 17037, led to differences up to 63%. This revealed a significant shortcoming in EN 17037, relevant for Nordic regions. The differences of spatial metrics between March 21st and 50% of the year were within 5%, and up to 33% between February 1st and 75% of the year. The timestep affects the metrics and a window evaluation showed that the error of a 10-minute analysis was within 5% of daily insolation and 5 days for the annual SA. The potential of these metrics for urban planning and the architectural design process is examined. The interaction between SA and EN 17037, as well as other ongoing research developments, is discussed.

Background: The vitamin D concentration within the human body is influenced by a multitude of factors, among which dietary intake plays a significant role. Aims and Objectives: The objective of the present study is to analyze the sex difference in the intake of various dietary parameters and to find their correlation with the vitamin D levels among the adult males and females of Chandigarh, India. There is a paucity of data regarding this study on the adult population of Chandigarh, India. Materials and Methods: The sample included 627 participants (332 males and 295 females) of ages ranging between 30 and 70 years. Vitamin D level was estimated by employing the chemiluminescence immunoassay method, and all the participants were divided into three categories of Vitamin D level, i.e., normal range (>30-100 ng/ml), insufficiency (21-29 ng/ml), and deficiency (0-20 ng/ml) as per the Endocrine Society Guidelines (2011). A 24-hour dietary intake for three consecutive days was performed to evaluate the intake of energy, protein, fat, calcium, and iron among adult males and females. Results: The mean values of the daily intake of the males for all the dietary parameters were significantly higher than those of the females. Vitamin D level in the males lying in vitamin D insufficient category was positively and significantly associated with energy intake(r=0.188, p<0.05). Dietary intake of fat was positively and significantly associated with vitamin D level in females (r = 0.346, p<0.01) present in the vitamin D normal category. Conclusion: Energy intake was positively and significantly associated with the vitamin D level among the males present in the insufficient category of vitamin D. Dietary intake of fat was found to be positively and significantly associated with the vitamin D level among the females present in the normal category of vitamin D. Nutritional strategies that address malnutrition are necessary to make food systems healthier and more environmentally sustainable.

Background Sunlight exposure helps the body produce vitamin D, prevents rickets and is used for neonatal jaundice treatment. Good neonatal sunlight exposure is exposing the neonate to sunlight in the morning, 8:00 to 10:00, for 30 to 60 min. However, little is known about the practice of neonatal sunlight exposure among mothers in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the practices and factors associated with neonatal sunlight exposure among mothers attending public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

INDICE Parte 0. Introducción 1. Planteamiento general 15 Parte I. Estado del Arte 2. El control del movimiento solar 21 2.1. Perspectiva histórica: de la construcción de relojes de Sol al cálculo informático de soleamiento 23 2.2. La superficie terrestre: coordenadas geográficas 39 2.3. La esfera celeste: coordenadas astronómicas 40 2.3.1. Coordenadas horizontales 41 2.3.2. Coordenadas ecuatoriales 42 2.4. Mecánica astronómica del movimiento solar 45 2.4.1. Descripción astronómica del movimiento de traslación: La eclíptica 45 2.4.2. Descripción astronómica del movimiento de rotación 48 2.5. El cálculo del tiempo 48 2.6. El cálculo de la declinación 50 2.6.1. Relación entre la declinación y la ecuación del tiempo 53 2.7. La posición del Sol 55 2.8. Métodos gráficos para la obtención del vector solar 56 2.8.1. Simplificaciones en la mecánica solar adoptadas en las cartas solares 56 2.8.2. Las cartas solares: su utilización en el cálculo del vector solar 57 2.8.2.1. La carta solar de Fisher 57 2.8.2.2. El diagrama gnomónico 66 2.8.2.3. La carta solar estereográfica 71 2.8.2.4. La carta solar de Ruiz Aizpiri 76 2.8.2.5. La carta solar cilíndrica 79 2.8.3. Procedimientos informáticos para el cálculo del vector solar 83 2.8.3.1. Programas de cálculo astronómico 83 2.8.3.2. Programas de diseño asistido (CAD) 85 2.8.4. Vigencia espacial y temporal de los datos cálculo del vector solar 90 2.9. Métodos gráficos para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 92 2.9.1. Cálculo de obstrucciones solares mediante la carta estereográfica 93 2.9.2. Cálculo de obstrucciones solares mediante la carta gnomónica 96 2.9.3. Cálculo de obstrucciones solares mediante la carta cilíndrica 99 2.9.4. El Procedimiento de Ferrer Gila para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 101 2.9.5. El Procedimiento de Regot y Mesa para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 104 2.10. Validez de los métodos gráficos para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 108

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic.An estimated 1 billion people worldwide, across all ethnicities and age groups, have a vitamin D deficiency (VDD). This pandemic of hypovitaminosis D can mainly be attributed to lifestyle (for example, reduced outdoor activities) and environmental (for example, air pollution) factors that reduce exposure to sunlight. High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is a particularly important public health issue because hypovitaminosis D is an independent risk factor for total mortality in the general population.The current study sought to uncover the population-wide true prevalence of Hypovitaminosis D in Bangladesh by harnessing large amount patient data and subsequently analyze the vitamin D levels of the pre-categorized age and gender groups. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, serum samples were collected from 7951 selected cases (including children and adult) who attended both indoor and outdoor department of a Private hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Study period was from July 2017 to June 2018. Levels of 25(OH)D (in ng/ml) was done in every caseusing the chemiluminescent micro-particle immunoassay. Results: 81.36% (n=6469) of the study population was affected with Hypovitaminosis DOnly a small fraction of study subjects (n=58) representing 0.7% of the total study-population was suffering from vitamin D toxicity. Among the study subjects (n=6469) with Hypovitaminosis D, 56.60% patients (n=4501) were deficient in vitamin D while the rest of the study subjects-24.70% were insufficient (n=1967). Highest female to male ratio was found for the deficient group (3.52) followed by the insufficient group (2.70) and normative group (2.44). The lowest female to male ratio was identified for toxic group (1.63).Regarding age impact, the predominance of Vitamin D deficiency compared of the study subjects with age from 20 to 60.For males,Vitamin D deficiency fraction is almost uniformly distributed ranging from 39% to 46% across all age group with the exception of the age group ≥80 in which the fraction of the Vitamin D deficient subjects was 25%. In contrast, for females, there was a large variation of in the number of Vitamin D deficient subjects. For instance, the highest fraction of Vitamin D deficient subjects were identified in the age group 10-19 (69%) closely followed by 20-21 (68%) and 30-39 (67%). The later age groups-40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70-79 showed a decreased fraction of Vitamin D deficient subjects-59%, 53%, 46% and 45% respectively. Conclusion: As there is continuous increasing number of VDD patients, our findings strengthen the rationale for widespread vitamin D supplementation to prevent premature mortality, emphasize the need for it early in life and mitigate concerns about a possible negative effect at higher levels.

An eco-friendly and economic efficient approach has been developed for the photoinduced synthesis of more stable AuNPs using an aqueous extract of Croton bonplandianum (AEC) as a reducing and capping agent. The reaction mixture of AEC and HAuCl 4 .xH 2 O, when exposed to sunlight turned purple which primarily confirmed the biosynthesis of AuNPs. The biosynthesis was monitored using UV-vis spectroscopy which exhibited a sharp SPR band at 530 nm after 16 min of sunlight exposure. The parameters affecting the synthesis of AuNPs such as sunlight exposure, AEC inoculum dose and HAuCl 4 .xH 2 O concentration were also optimized. The HR-TEM study revealed that as the metal ion concentrations increased, the average size and anisotropic nature of the AuNPs increased. The X-ray diffraction pattern of AuNPs synthesized confirmed the formation of face-centered cubic crystal lattice of metallic gold. The involvement of polyphenolics in the synthesis of AuNPs was confirmed by comparing the FTIR analysis of pure tannic acid, AEC, pre and postannealed AuNPs. The XPS analysis corroborated the presence of two individual peaks attributing to the Au 4f 7/2 and Au 4f 5/2 binding energies which corresponded to the presence of metallic gold. The AuNPs thus obtained showed peroxidase-like mimicking activity which catalyzed the oxidation of TMB to oxTMB with the development of blue color and absorption spectra at 652 nm. However, the presence of GSH caused further reduction of oxTMB. This detection experiment showed an excellent linear relationship between 1 µM to 40 µM with the limit of detection 0.013 µM. In addition to this, the significant recovery of GSH from human blood serum advocated that the developed system was simple and sensitive for the real sample analysis.

INDICE Parte 0. Introducción 1. Planteamiento general 15 Parte I. Estado del Arte 2. El control del movimiento solar 21 2.1. Perspectiva histórica: de la construcción de relojes de Sol al cálculo informático de soleamiento 23 2.2. La superficie terrestre: coordenadas geográficas 39 2.3. La esfera celeste: coordenadas astronómicas 40 2.3.1. Coordenadas horizontales 41 2.3.2. Coordenadas ecuatoriales 42 2.4. Mecánica astronómica del movimiento solar 45 2.4.1. Descripción astronómica del movimiento de traslación: La eclíptica 45 2.4.2. Descripción astronómica del movimiento de rotación 48 2.5. El cálculo del tiempo 48 2.6. El cálculo de la declinación 50 2.6.1. Relación entre la declinación y la ecuación del tiempo 53 2.7. La posición del Sol 55 2.8. Métodos gráficos para la obtención del vector solar 56 2.8.1. Simplificaciones en la mecánica solar adoptadas en las cartas solares 56 2.8.2. Las cartas solares: su utilización en el cálculo del vector solar 57 2.8.2.1. La carta solar de Fisher 57 2.8.2.2. El diagrama gnomónico 66 2.8.2.3. La carta solar estereográfica 71 2.8.2.4. La carta solar de Ruiz Aizpiri 76 2.8.2.5. La carta solar cilíndrica 79 2.8.3. Procedimientos informáticos para el cálculo del vector solar 83 2.8.3.1. Programas de cálculo astronómico 83 2.8.3.2. Programas de diseño asistido (CAD) 85 2.8.4. Vigencia espacial y temporal de los datos cálculo del vector solar 90 2.9. Métodos gráficos para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 92 2.9.1. Cálculo de obstrucciones solares mediante la carta estereográfica 93 2.9.2. Cálculo de obstrucciones solares mediante la carta gnomónica 96 2.9.3. Cálculo de obstrucciones solares mediante la carta cilíndrica 99 2.9.4. El Procedimiento de Ferrer Gila para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 101 2.9.5. El Procedimiento de Regot y Mesa para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 104 2.10. Validez de los métodos gráficos para el cálculo de obstrucciones solares 108

T~tE value of sunlight as a therapeutic agent has always been reco,~omised, but it is only withia the last few years that attempts have been made to employ it systematically in the treatment of disease. There is no doubt that light acts as a~ irjaibitory or evea germicidal a,gent. This fact was firs~ established in 1877 by Downes and Blunt, who found that by exposing cultures to different degrees of sunlight the growth of the cultures was partially or entirely prevented. Further, these same illvestigators proved that it was the blue and violet rays which had the most marked bactericidal effect, and they explaia the action of the light as due to the gradual oxidatioa i~duced by the sun's rays. Tyndall also found that the growth of organisms in flasks exposed to air arid light in the Alps was inhibited. A number of experimenters hav~ worked at this subject since 1877, and though many of their results appear conflicting, the following conclusions may be adopted:-1. That sunlight and electric light, in a lesser degree, have a deleterious effect on ba,cteria.

Sun was thought to evolved ~4.5 billion years ago. Simultaneously the first cellular life on earth was evolved under the sparks of light in the form of phototrophic filamentous bacteria. The sun provides essential energy for life's process to work. The therapeutic features of Sunlight to kill pathogenic microbes were known to ancients since 1400 B.C. in the form of heliotherapy. Heliotherapy was practiced by Hippocrates physicians, Ephesus and Avicenna for all kinds of disease. Sun deities presided over virtually all ancient civilizations including Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Mayans. There are a couple of Hindu temples and festivals devoted to God Sun. We are avoiding communication with sunlight starlight and almost Nature, the free of cost healing medicines available to everyone. In this article we have tried to compile the information on scientific observations behind sunshine as an ancient medical aid for many therapies.

Background To identify preoperative, perioperative and postoperative risk factors that influence the success of pterygium surgery. Methods This is a prospective study of thirty-six patients with primary or recurrent pterygia. A detailed anamnesis and an ophthalmological examination were performed looking for the following factors: age, race, latitude and altitude of the main place of residence, hours of exposure to the sun, use of protective measures against UV-radiation, classification of pterygium, width of the pterygium at limbus, surgical technique (conjunctival autograft plus suturing versus tissue glue), graft alterations (misapposition, granuloma, haemorrhage, oedema, retraction or necrosis), and postoperative symptoms (foreign-body sensation, pain). The examinations were performed 2 and 7 days and 2, 6 and 12 months after surgery. In addition, recurrence was defined as any growth of conjunctiva into the cornea. Results A logistic regression and a survival analysis have been ...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a common nutritional disorder that has assumed epidemic proportion. One of the major reasons for the worldwide spread of this disorder has been deficient awareness about the importance of vitamin D, its benefits on health, and prevention of deficiency state across different populations. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is widely prevalent in this part of the country (Kashmir valley, India), the prevalence being higher in females. This study was conducted to assess the awareness of female medical students regarding the importance of vitamin D and the prevention of its deficiency among them.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 113 female medical students. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of two parts was used to collect data. The first part was for identifying socio-demographic characters and the second half was a 12-question, multiple-choice survey focussing on vitamin D. Data was entered and analysed using computer softw...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a global health concern affecting individuals across all the age groups in both the genders. Aims and Objectives: The present study intends to assess the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and associated risk factors in adult males and females of Chandigarh. Materials and Methods: The sample included 332 males and 295 females of the age ranging between 30 and 70 years. Vitamin D level of all the participants was estimated by employing chemiluminescence immunoassay method. All the subjects were divided into three categories of Vitamin D level, i.e., normal range (&gt;30–100 ng/ml), insufficiency (21–29 ng/ml), and deficiency (0–20 ng/ml) as per the Endocrine Society Guidelines (2011). Results: The overall prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency was found to be 28.5% in males and 63.4% in females of Chandigarh. The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency exhibited an age-associated increment in both the males and females. Conclusion: Lesser physical activity ...

Background: Hypovitaminosis D is a very common prevalence in India as well as Middle East. Studies indicate the frequency to be anywhere between 44-96% among adults in Middle east, while in India it is estimated to range in between 50 – 94%. Our report is an attempt to study vitamin D status from two tropical countries; India and Bahrain and present status of vitamin D deficiency as well as insufficiency in a comparison summary.Methods: This retrospective study in our reference lab included data from a total of 2591 samples from Bahrain and 2596 samples from India. Serum vitamin D estimation was done by chemiluminescence immunoassay or CLIA and reported as per the classification given by the US Endocrine Society. Our reference laboratory provides diagnostic services to Bahrain and thus data from both the countries were available for analysis.Results: Our analysis detected vitamin D deficiency to be 66.2% among samples from India in comparison to 41.4% from Bahrain, and this differen...

This essay connects the British sculptor Henry Moore’s commitment to carving sculpture out-of-doors and exhibiting it in urban parks and rural landscape to his wider interest in outdoor leisure pursuits, such as rambling and sunbathing. It associates Moore’s aesthetic and recreational preferences with his childhood in industrially polluted Yorkshire, and to the ideological significance of the ‘open air’ in mid-century Britain, especially to debates around public health and access to the countryside. It argues that even the open forms and reclining figure theme characteristic of Moore’s sculpture may be related to the contemporary cult of the open air. The essay is an extended and revised version of a paper delivered to the ‘Place-Body-Script: Contemporary Views of Henry Moore’ conference at the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, in 1998. The book was published in the UK and USA, and represents a significant critical intervention in Moore scholarship.

In the Towers of Quart (s. XV) in the city of Valencia (Spain), an exhaustive chromatic measurement has been done of the remains of colour pigment found on the three distinct materials used in the external
facade walls. The sun lighting exposure on the building surfaces has also been studied.
The paper describes and justifies the process for making an accurate study of the state of the colour and its illumination by the sun, which enables guidelines to be established for renovation works on the
monument.

An enhanced ferromagnetic property, visible light active TiO 2 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by supporting strontium ferrite (SrFe 12O 19) onto TiO 2 doped with nitrogen (N) and compared with N-doped TiO 2. The synthesized catalysts were further characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), BET surface area analysis, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) and visible light spectroscopy analysis for their respective properties. The XRD and EDS revealed the structural and inorganic composition of N-TiO 2 supported on SrFe 12O 19. The supported N-TiO 2 exhibited a strong ferromagnetic property with tremendous stability against magnetic property losses. It also resulted in reduced band gap (2.8eV) and better visible light absorption between 400 and 800nm compared to N-doped TiO 2. The photocatalytic activity was investigated with a recalcitrant phenolic compound namely 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) as a model pollutant under direct bright and diffuse sunlight exposure. A complete degradation of 2,4-DCP was achieved with an initial concentration of 50mg/L for both photocatalysts in 180min and 270min respectively under bright sunlight. Similarly the diffuse sunlight study resulted in complete degradation for supported N-TiO 2 and &gt;85% degradation N-TiO 2, respectively. Finally the supported photocatalyst was separated under permanent magnetic field with a mass recovery ∼98% for further reuse. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22100220 
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389411013094