Alfio V. Parisi

University of Southern Queensland · Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences

Spectroradiometry, radiometry, and dosimetry are employed for the measurement of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) irradiance and non‐ionizing exposure. Different types of UVR dosimeter have been developed for measuring personal and environmental UVR exposures since film dosimetry was pioneered in the 1970s. An important type of dosimeter is the thin fil...

Shade audits implemented for the assessment of solar ultraviolet (UV) protection within parks and playgrounds require standardisation in order to make clear and objective comparisons of the whole environment. Children utilising a park or playground may use a recreational space only at a certain time of day, they may only utilise a specific area of...

Standardised tree shade assessments yield important information on canopy density, size and solar protection within the urban environment. Designing for shade by trees that are to be planted along narrow suburban nature strips, parks and playgrounds requires a detailed understanding of both the constraints and benefits based on location. Safety and...

Tree shade, particularly shade that obscures direct sunlight near peak periods of midday solar exposure can have a pronounced effect on potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation, and in turn, strongly influence the maximum daily UV index (UVI). In this study, the seasonal influence of tree shade on the UVI is evaluated from 210 hemispherical sky vi...

Fluctuations in direct sunlight intensities (or sunflecks) are experienced in urban forest parklands. A novel application of an electronic sun journal (ESJ) was developed providing accessible, objective detection and analysis of sunflecks sampled at 50 Hz while walking through urban parkland forests in Toowoomba (27.57°S 151.95°E), Australia. A tot...

Background and objective: Exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause malignant keratinocyte cancer and eye disease. Developing a user-friendly, portable, real-time solar UV alert system especially or wearable electronic mobile devices can help reduce the exposure to UV as a key measure for personal and occupational management of the UV...

High-dose single exposures of long-wavelength ultraviolet-A (UV-A) radiation may trigger severe biological and skin tissue damage in humans and animals, as well as photosynthetic damage in plants. In humans, the highly abundant UV-A is also linked to an increased risk of skin cancer. This paper develops a new forecasting framework tailored for very...

The Playground Shade Index (PSI) is introduced as a design metric for assessing the shade and solar ultraviolet (UV) protection provided by eight different cloth weave shade structures currently utilized in public playgrounds across a regional city located in southern Queensland, Australia. The PSI, expressing the ratio of available ambient solar U...

The impact of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on public health is severe and can cause sunburn, skin aging and cancer, immunosuppression, and eye damage. Minimization of exposure to solar UV is required in order to reduce the risks of these illnesses to the public. Greater public awareness and a prediction of the ultraviolet index (UVI) is considered an...

Skin cancer, the most prevalent cancer in Caucasians residing at low latitudes, can primarily be prevented by avoiding over‐exposure to sunlight. Serial cross‐sectional observations were conducted at an outdoor motorsport event held in Townsville, Queensland each July (Southern winter) to determine whether sun‐protection habits changed over time. M...

Current shading strategies used to protect outdoor playgrounds from harmful solar radiation include the placement of artificial cloth weaves or permanent roofing over a playground site, planting trees in proximity to playground equipment, and using vegetation or surface texture variations to cool playground surfaces. How and where an artificial sha...

More timely and accurate air quality forecasting could contribute to better public health protection and air pollution prevention. Particulates are a significant indicator for measuring the degree of air pollution. This paper reports on research to model an early warning tool for coarse particulates when assessing the impact of the 12 satellite-der...

Forecast models of solar radiation incorporating cloud effects are useful tools to evaluate the impact of stochastic behaviour of cloud movement, real-time integration of photovoltaic energy in power grids, skin cancer and eye disease risk minimisation through solar ultraviolet (UV) index prediction and bio-photosynthetic processes through the mode...

Harmful exposure to erythemally-effective ultraviolet radiation (UVR) poses high health risks such as malignant keratinocyte cancers and eye-related diseases. Delivering short-term forecasts of the solar ultraviolet index (UVI) is an effective way to advise UVR exposure information to the public at risk. This research reports on a novel framework b...

During summer 2019/2020, Sydney, Australia, experienced several days of extreme air pollution and low visibility due to bushfires. This research presents a case study that investigates the erythemal UV irradiance and resulting one-hour erythemal and 8-hour actinic exposures during the worst of these days. Air quality, meteorological and UV data use...

Forecast models of solar radiation incorporating cloud effects are useful tools to evaluate the impact of stochastic behaviour of cloud movement, real-time integration of photovoltaic energy in power grids, skin cancer and eye disease risk minimisation through solar ultraviolet (UV) index prediction and bio-photosynthetic processes through the mode...

Excessive exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation has damaging effects on life on Earth. High-energy short-wavelength ultraviolet B (UVB) is biologically effective, influencing a range of dermal processes, including the potentially beneficial production of vitamin D. In addition to the damaging effects of UVB, the longer wavelength and more ab...

Public health risks arising from airborne pollutants, e.g ., Total Suspended Particulate ( TSP ) matter, can significantly elevate ongoing and future healthcare costs. The chaotic behaviour of air pollutants posing major difficulties in tracking their three-dimensional movements over diverse temporal domains is a significant challenge in designi...

This research compared personal sunlight exposure times monitored electronically within suburban Australian environments against self-report paper journals for determining the timing and total duration of individual exposure to daily solar radiation. A total of 90 Electronic Sun Journal (ESJ) daily readings and self-report timing and duration estim...

Relative keratinocyte skin cancer risks attributable to lifetime occupational and casual sunlight exposures of working school teachers are assessed across the state of Queensland for 1578 schools. Relative risk modeling utilizing annual ultraviolet exposure assessments of teachers working in different geographic locations and exposed during periods...

This research presents a novel methodology for deriving the total daily broadband solar UVA (320-400 nm) received by school teachers during their working day from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite solar noon UVA irradiance measurements for a Queensland sub-tropical site (27.5o S, 152o E). Daily UVA exposures are weighted to the anatomical...

Solar blue-violet wavelengths (380−455 nm) are at the high energy end of the visible spectrum; referred to as “high energy visible” (HEV). Both chronic and acute exposure to these wavelengths has been often highlighted as a cause for concern with respect to ocular health. The sun is the source of HEV which reaches the Earth’s surface either directl...

Satellite estimates of surface ultraviolet A (UVA) (315‐400 nm) from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME)‐2 were compared to ground‐based measurements at four stations in South Africa for 2015. The comparison of daily exposure and daily maximum irradiance was completed for all‐sky and clear‐sky conditions. There is a strong linear correlat...

Precise shade distributions at the street level are an area of research of increasing importance to provide complete and high spatial and temporal resolutions of the amount and effectiveness of shade. Temporal shade distributions and profiles were evaluated for an inner Sydney tree-lined suburban street at different times of the day using an electr...

Triathletes present an extreme case of modelled behaviour in outdoor sport that favours enhanced exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. This research presents personal solar ultraviolet exposures, measured using all-weather polysulphone film dosimeters, to triathletes during the distinct swimming, cycling and running stages of competitive Sprint,...

The effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on life on Earth have continuously been the subject of research. Over-exposure to UV radiation is harmful, but small amounts of exposure are required for good health. It is, therefore, crucial for humans to optimise their own UV exposure and not exceed UV levels that are sufficient for essential biological...

This paper characterised and evaluated the ability of a smartphone camera to measure ultraviolet radiation (UVR) through various types and thicknesses of glass. Image sensor responses from a smartphone with UVA transmitting filters were measurably stronger in the red colour channel than the blue, with the green colour channel responding weakly. Str...

Kiteboarding is an aquatic sporting discipline that has not yet been considered in the literature to date in terms of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) measurement. Kiteboarders need to look upward and are placed obliquely relative to the horizon when towed behind an overhead kite over a reflective water surface. This research defines the typical b...

The presentation provides a summary of recent research into dynamic auditing techniques used to assess tree shade and shade provided by purpose built structures. Preliminary results for a recent shade audit conducted in the South Bank Parklands, Brisbane are also presented.

Sport is an integral and enduring part of many societies, such as Australia. Participation in outdoor sports, such as tennis, comes with a very real risk of dangerous solar ultraviolet exposure which can result in erythema (sunburn), serious conditions such as skin cancer, including melanoma, and eye conditions such as cataracts and pterygium. This...

The risk of keratinocyte skin cancer, malignant melanoma and ultraviolet radiation (UVR)‐induced eye disease is disproportionately higher in Australia and New Zealand compared to equivalent northern hemisphere latitudes. While many teachers are aware of the importance of reinforcing sun‐safety messages to students, many may not be aware of the cons...

This research investigated and evaluated the influence of clouds on the total daily UVA (320–400 nm) exposures calculated from the three Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) UV spectral irradiances at solar noon. These evaluated satellite total daily UVA exposure data were compared to the total daily UVA exposures of a ground-based instrument over the...

A standardised procedure for making fair and comparable assessments of the ultraviolet protection of an established tree canopy that takes into account canopy movement and the changing position of the sun is presented for use by government, planning, and environmental health authorities. The technique utilises video image capture and replaces the n...

Development of practical and efficient air quality regulating mechanisms is indeed a challenge. A pertinent air pollutant responsible for recurrent health-care costs with increased respiratory induced mortality in Australia is Particulate Matter (PM). In such a pressing public health problem, artificial intelligence can provide promising solution v...

Standardised assessments comparing the surveyed shade quality characteristics of twenty-one trees currently established and growing in public parks and playgrounds in Queensland, Australia are presented for informing local government, shade designers and municipal planners. Assessments focus on the ultraviolet protection of individual tree canopies...

Acquiring the reflectance, radiance, and related structural cloud properties from repositories of historical sky images is a challenging and a computationally intensive task, especially when performed manually or by means of nonautomated approaches. In this article, a quick and efficient, self-adaptive Python tool for the acquisition, and analysis...

Spectroscopy has been used to quantify volcanic gas emission rates, most commonly SO2, for a number of decades. Typically, commercial spectrometers costing 1000s USD are employed for this purpose. The PiSpec is a new, custom-designed, 3D-printed spectrometer based on smartphone sensor technology. This unit has ≈1 nm spectral resolution and a spectr...

: Hawai’i Island often receives extreme (UV Index ≥ 11) solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). While the UV Index (UVI) has been measured since 1997 at Hawai’i’s high-altitude Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO), measurements where people live and recreate are rare. We measured UVI on the face of a rotating mannequin head with UVR sensors at its eyes, ears and...

Personal solar ultraviolet radiation exposure models were developed for 144 Olympic events scheduled outdoors from across the 33 sport disciplines that will compete in Tokyo between 24 July and 9 August 2020. Ambient exposure models were developed from existing atmospheric parameters measured over Tokyo (35.7°N 139.7°E) and were used to weight eryt...

A method was proposed for calculating the ultraviolet protection factor (PF) of small to medium built shade structures. The method takes into account the amount of sky view visible from under the structure, the transmittance of the roof material, the relative amount of diffuse ultraviolet radiation (UV), the measurement position under the structure...

Advocacy for climate mitigation aims to minimize the use of fossil fuel and to support clean energy adaptation. While alternative energies (e.g., biofuels) extracted from feedstock (e.g., micro‐algae) represent a promising role, their production requires reliably modeled photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). PAR models predict energy parameter...

Melanoma skin cancer rates in Queensland exceed the national Australian incidence rate, which together with New Zealand are recognised as the world's highest. Incidence is especially high among younger members of the population. In this study, the sun‐protective behaviours of urban Queenslanders (n = 752) going about their day‐to‐day activities dur...

Ultraviolet (UV) albedo and UV reflectance are defined, compared and contrasted, to explain their roles and place in studies focusing on UV radiation and exposure measurements, in the context of localised albedo measurement and human UV exposure studies. This review recommends that the term UV albedo be used when investigating natural horizontal su...

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http://optics.org.au/resources/aosnews/2018-1.pdf page 17

Tropical Ecuador presents a unique climate in which to study the relationship between ambient levels of solar ultraviolet radiation and eye disease in the absence of a latitudinal gradient. The national distribution of surface ultraviolet, taking into account MODIS and OMI satellite observation of aerosol, ozone, surface albedo, local elevation and...

This research investigated the influence of cloud on the broadband UVA solar noon irradiances evaluated from the solar noon satellite based OMI spectral UV data that were compared to the irradiances of a ground‐based radiometer from 1 October 2004 to 31 December 2016. The correlation between ground‐based radiometer data and the evaluated OMI broadb...

Introduction: The populated regions of the high tropical Andes experience near zenith daily solar elevations year-round and are often located several thousand metres above sea level. Consequently, the tropical Andes are a global hot spot for potential solar induced diseases. The 2010 National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC, Ecuador) repor...

Introduction: Clothing provides a protective barrier that reduces the amount of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) reaching the skin. Industry standards for sun-protective clothing have been implemented in Australia/New Zealand, Europe, and the USA. However, ratings and labelling used for clothing marketed as sun-protective do not routinely communicate th...

Introduction: To date, no cumulative evidence has been collected on the solar ultraviolet exposure received by triathlon competitors assessing the cumulative and discrete exposure risks measured during the swim, bicycle and running legs of competitive Australian Ironman events. This sport has previously been highlighted as having potential for very...

Smartphone applications that predict UV radiation exposure are evolving in ways to assist the user in determining how much protection from exposure to UV radiation should or might occur. The usefulness of these apps are apparent, yet many do not harness the entire range of capabilities of a smartphone. Research performed at the University of Southe...

The signal to noise ratio (SNR) is an important consideration for any scientific image sensor application, particularly the relatively low light involved with observations of the solar disc at a discrete ultraviolet-B (UVB) wavelength using an unmodified smartphone image sensor. In particular, the SNR of each of the primary image sensor colour chan...

UVA radiation (320–400 nm) exposure is linked to detrimental health effects, including DNA damage, eye damage and impacts on immune suppression. Occupational exposure to UVA radiation could increase the risk of developing such health effects, through increased exposure from reflective surfaces. A range of surfaces have been investigated for broadba...

A new method for quantifying the total ozone column (TOC) using a smartphone image sensor has been developed and validated. The TOC has been evaluated for relatively cloud free days at high air masses for solar zenith angles between 49.7° and 76.7° at a sub-tropical site. The method is based on the evaluation of the direct solar irradiances at 305...

Smartphones are playing an increasing role in the sciences, owing to the ubiquitous proliferation of these devices, their relatively low cost, increasing processing power and their suitability for integrated data acquisition and processing in a ‘lab in a phone’ capacity. There is furthermore the potential to deploy these units as nodes within Inter...

An evaluation of the use of median filters in the reduction of dark noise in smartphone high resolution image sensors is presented. The Sony Xperia Z1 employed has a maximum image sensor resolution of 20.7 Mpixels, with each pixel having a side length of just over 1 μm. Due to the large number of photosites, this provides an image sensor with very...

Exposure to natural sunlight, specifically solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation contributes to lifetime risks of skin cancer, eye disease, and diseases associated with vitamin D insufficiency. Improved knowledge of personal sun exposure patterns can inform public health policy; and help target high-risk population groups. Subsequently, an extensive num...

Research on the influence of ultraviolet radiation (UV) on terrestrial plants and on its link with other influencing environmental factors requires information on UV exposures, both for a horizontal plane and specific portions of a plant, above and under the canopy. In this research, one set of UV dosimeters based on unstabilized polyvinyl chloride...

This research reports the first time the sensitivity, properties and response of a smartphone image sensor that has been used to characterise the photobiologically important direct UVB solar irradiances at 305nm in clear sky conditions at high air masses. Solar images taken from Autumn to Spring were analysed using a custom Python script, written t...

This research reconstructed and validated the broadband UVA irradiances derived from discrete spectral irradiance data retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite from 1 January to 31 December 2009. OMI data at solar noon was compared to ground based spectral irradiances at Toowoomba (27°36' S 151°55' E), Australia at 310, 324 an...

Personal exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is acknowledged as having both positive and negative effects on human health. This study aimed to measure concurrently the personal erythemal UV, UVA and vitamin D effective exposures of participants in each season of a year. Participants were all indoor office workers located at two different...

Smartphones used as tools provide opportunities for the teaching of the concepts of accuracy and precision and the mathematical concept of arctan. The accuracy and precision of a trigonometric experiment using entirely mechanical tools is compared to one using electronic tools, such as a smartphone clinometer application and a laser pointer. This r...

The ultraviolet A (UVA) (315-400 nm) daily exposures and maximum daily irradiances from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME)-2 satellite have been compared over three years to the corresponding data from a groundbased spectroradiometer for a subtropical Southern Hemisphere site. This is one of the first such comparisons for the GOME-2 UVA...

Smartphones have the potential to monitor ultraviolet radiation across the entire region. Additionally, the ability to accurately estimate personal exposure using smartphone may allow widespread control of ultraviolet exposure. Previous studies have demonstrated that the detection of ultraviolet A from 320 to 400 nm with a smartphone. However, the...

Exposure to erythemally-effective solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that contributes to malignant keratinocyte cancers and associated health-risk is best mitigated through innovative decision-support systems, with global solar UV index (UVI) forecast necessary to inform real-time sun-protection behaviour recommendations. It follows that the UVI for...

A set of online activities for children and the community that are based on an integrated real-time solar UV and cloud measurement system are described. These activities use the functionality of the internet to provide an educative tool for school children and the public on the influence of cloud and the angle of the sun above the horizon on the gl...

Thin film dosimeters have been used for the measurement of solar radiation since the 1970s. Their application includes personal exposure measurement and environmental exposure monitoring. Polyphenylene oxide (PPO) films have recently been developed for use in various underwater environments. These dosimeters are capable of measuring solar ultraviol...

The large dust event of 23 September 2009 is recognized as the most significant on record in Australia since the 1940s. At its peak, reported hourly average particulate concentrations exceeded 15 000 µ gm−3, significantly exceeding the Australian National Air Quality Standard of 50 µ gm−3 and daily September averages of 20 – 25 µ gm−3. Measurements...

Smartphone technology provides bountiful opportunities for greater participation in scientific and technological research. Digital camera image sensors have been used for the detection, measurement, and monitoring of corrosion; this work extends that capability to the smartphone. It has been observed that as the corrosion increased in clean iron, r...

Classroom teachers located in Queensland, Australia are exposed to high levels of ambient solar ultraviolet as part of the occupational requirement to provide supervision of children during lunch and break times. We investigated the relationship between periods of outdoor occupational radiant exposure and available ambient solar radiation across di...

A miniaturized ultraviolet radiation (UV) dosimeter based on polyphenylene oxide (PPO) has been dual calibrated for both erythemal and vitamin D effective exposures (UVB 280 – 320 nm) over extended periods up to five days. Optimal human health requires a balanced amount of UVB exposure as both too much and too little have different but serious pote...

A smartphone sky camera and associated image analysis algorithm has been developed and validated to determine total cloud cover and the percentage of thick and thin clouds using supervised image classification for a range of cloud types, cloud cover from 4% to 98%, and solar zenith angles between 6° and 49°. Additionally, this system provides the p...

A short series of practical classroom mathematics activities employing the use of a large and publicly accessible scientific data set are presented for use by students in years 9 and 10. The activities introduce and build understanding of integral calculus and trigonometric functions through the presentation of practical problem solving that focuse...

Introduction: Personal exposure to solar Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a significant risk factor for the development of both cutaneous melanoma (CM) and non-­‐melanocytic skin cancers (NMSC). UVR dosimeter studies have been invaluable in establishing occupational exposure guidelines for relevant industries, and of considerable interest to relevant...

Solar current is an increasingly important aspect of modern life and will be even more so crucial in the students' future. Encouraging students to be the 'toolmakers' allows students to take ownership of scientific investigations, as well as forcing them to refine their research questions and hypothesis, including the design and refinement of their...

Background/Aims: Occupational exposure guidelines have been developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) which weight a UV source corresponding to its potential to cause harm to the skin or eye. When weighted across the incident UV spectrum this limit is expressed as 30 Jm-2 per 8 hour working day. Local c...

The division of the UVA waveband at 340 nm into UVA I and UVA II represents an important photobiological boundary for DNA damage from exposure to the sun (Diffey, 2002). This wavelength is highly scattered in the Earth’s atmosphere, particularly, at high solar zenith angles. However, at low zenith angles, particularly at solar noon during summer in...

A miniaturized UVA dosimeter based on 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) has been developed and characterized for the evaluation of UVA (320-400nm) exposures over extended periods longer than one day. Current research indicates that UVA is a contributing factor in non-melanoma skin cancers and the associated financial cost of damage caused by UVA is signifi...

The purpose of this study is to assess personal exposures of skiers at the Alpine site of Plateau Rosà (45.9°N, 7.7°E, 3500 m a.s.l.), in the Valle d'Aosta region, Italy. The campaign was carried out on July 12th, 2011 during the summer ski season. A peak UVI value of 12.3, among the highest in Europe, was recorded on that day. Personal exposures (...

Smartphone image sensor response is compared for broadband and narrowband (340 nm and 380 nm) UVA wavelengths (320-400 nm) based on previous studies that have demonstrated quantitative response to solar radiation at 380 nm and 340 nm to reconstruct broadband irradiance. This paper compares broadband and narrowband sensing using a common readily acc...

UVA wavelengths (320–400 nm) have been implicated in recent studies to contribute to melanoma induction and skin photoaging in humans and damage to plants. The use of smartphones in UVA observations is a way to supplement measurements made by traditional radiometric and spectroradiometric technology. Although the smartphone image sensor is not capa...

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