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Aarts, M. P. J., Hartmeyer, S. L., Morsink, K., Kort, H. S. M., & de Kort, Y. A. W. (2020). Can Special Light Glasses Reduce Sleepiness and Improve Sleep of Nightshift Workers? A Placebo-Controlled Explorative Field Study. Clocks & Sleep, 2(2), 225–245.
Abstract: Nightshift workers go against the natural sleep–wake rhythm. Light can shift the circadian clock but can also induce acute alertness. This placebo-controlled exploratory field study examined the effectiveness of light glasses to improve alertness while reducing the sleep complaints of hospital nurses working nightshifts. In a crossover within-subjects design, 23 nurses participated, using treatment glasses and placebo glasses. Sleepiness and sleep parameters were measured. A linear mixed model analysis on sleepiness revealed no significant main effect of the light intervention. An interaction effect was found indicating that under the placebo condition, sleepiness was significantly higher on the first nightshift than on the last night, while under the treatment condition, sleepiness remained stable across nightshift sessions. Sleepiness during the commute home also showed a significant interaction effect, demonstrating that after the first nightshift, driver sleepiness was higher for placebo than for treatment. Subjective sleep quality showed a negative main effect of treatment vs. placebo, particularly after the first nightshift. In retrospect, both types of light glasses were self-rated as effective. The use of light glasses during the nightshift may help to reduce driver sleepiness during the commute home, which is relevant, as all participants drove home by car or (motor) bike.
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Abay, K. A., & Amare, M. (2018). Night light intensity and women's body weight: Evidence from Nigeria. Econ Hum Biol, 31, 238–248.
Abstract: The prevalence of overweight and obesity are increasing in many African countries and hence becoming regional public health challenges. We employ satellite-based night light intensity data as a proxy for urbanization to investigate the relationship between urbanization and women's body weight. We use two rounds of the Demographic and Health Survey data from Nigeria. We employ both nonparametric and parametric estimation approaches that exploit both the cross-sectional and longitudinal variations in night light intensities. Our empirical analysis reveals nonlinear relationships between night light intensity and women's body weight measures. Doubling the sample's average level of night light intensity is associated with up to a ten percentage point increase in the probability of overweight. However, despite the generally positive relationship between night light intensity and women's body weight, the strength of the relationship varies across the assorted stages of night light intensity. Early stages of night light intensity are not significantly associated with women's body weight, while higher stages of nightlight intensities are associated with higher rates of overweight and obesity. Given that night lights are strong predictors of urbanization and related economic activities, our results hint at nonlinear relationships between various stages of urbanization and women's body weight.
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Abbott, S. M., Malkani, R. G., & Zee, P. C. (2018). Circadian disruption and human health: A bidirectional relationship. Eur J Neurosci, in press.
Abstract: Circadian rhythm disorders have been classically associated with disorders of abnormal timing of the sleep-wake cycle, however circadian dysfunction can play a role in a wide range of pathology, ranging from the increased risk for cardiometabolic disease and malignancy in shift workers, prompting the need for a new field focused on the larger concept of circadian medicine. The relationship between circadian disruption and human health is bidirectional, with changes in circadian amplitude often preceding the classical symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders. As our understanding of the importance of circadian dysfunction in disease grows, we need to develop better clinical techniques for identifying circadian rhythms and also develop circadian based strategies for disease management. Overall this review highlights the need to bring the concept of time to all aspects of medicine, emphasizing circadian medicine as a prime example of both personalized and precision medicine.
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Abd Mutalib, A. H., Fadzly, N., Ahmad, A., & Nasir, N. (2014). Understanding nesting ecology and behaviour of green marine turtles at Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia. Mar Ecol, 36(4), 1003–1012.
Abstract: In this paper, we emphasize the importance of understanding the nesting ecology and nesting behaviour of green marine turtles (Chelonia mydas). Data were collected from 2007 until 2012 from nesting beaches at Setiu Terengganu, Malaysia. We focused on one of the beaches, Telaga Papan, based on data collected in 2012. We recorded the distribution of nesting areas, the emergence hour and the correlation between successful nesting attempts and false crawls. Telaga Papan had a significantly higher distribution of green marine turtle nesting compared with the other five beaches (ANOVA, F5,42 = 8.874, P < 0.01, mean = 36.750 ± 3.727). The highest number of successful nesting attempts was recorded in 2012 (mean = 28.714). A majority of the species landed between 22:00 and 23:59 h (25%). There was a strong correlation between successful nesting attempts and false crawls (rs = 0.883, P = 0.02). Based on these findings on the nesting ecology and nesting behaviour of green marine turtles, we suggest that scientific research, strict monitoring, awareness programs and policy implementation should be carried out proactively. Such activities are necessary to reduce the anthropogenic pressures at the nesting beaches as well as to ensure more successful nesting attempts of green marine turtles in Setiu.
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Aboushelib, M. F., Abozaid, A. A., Nawar, S., Hendy, Y. H. M., & Morcos, A. B. (2019). Preliminary site selection for an observatory in the Egyptian Eastern Desert. Astrophys Space Sci, 364(10), 163.
Abstract: This work aims for choosing preliminary sites that can be candidates for a new astronomical observatory that will replace the Kottamia observatory. The candidate sites have been selected to be investigated after proposing a few criteria. Concerning light pollution and elevation of the sites as the main factors, we chose the candidate sites depending on the zenith sky brightness and the elevation. The night sky brightness has been measured using a Sky Quality Meter at different altitude degrees and the values of the zenith sky brightness were compared to those of different observatory sites. Our night sky brightness observations were found to be in agreement with the satellite’s data and comparable to those of dark sites, with average values of 22.07, 22.03, 21.57 and 21.58 magSQM/arcsec2. We also have obtained the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and extinction coefficient due to the aerosol for the candidate sites using satellite data (Terra/MODIS).
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