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Investigating the Effects of Microclimate on Physiological Stress and Brain Function with Data Science and Wearables

Author

Listed:
  • Kenneth Y. T. Lim

    (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore)

  • Minh Anh Nguyen Duc

    (Independent Researcher, Singapore 357689, Singapore)

  • Minh Tuan Nguyen Thien

    (Independent Researcher, Singapore 357689, Singapore)

  • Rajamanickam Yuvaraj

    (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore)

  • Jack S. Fogarty

    (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore)

Abstract

This paper reports a study conducted by students as an independent research project under the mentorship of a research scientist at the National Institute of Education, Singapore. The aim of the study was to explore the relationships between local environmental stressors and physiological responses from the perspective of citizen science. Starting from July 2021, data from EEG headsets were complemented by those obtained from smartwatches (namely heart rate and its variability and body temperature and stress score). Identical units of a wearable device containing environmental sensors (such as ambient temperature, air pressure, infrared radiation, and relative humidity) were designed and worn, respectively, by five adolescents for the same period. More than 100,000 data points of different types—neurological, physiological, and environmental—were eventually collected and were processed through a random forest regression model and deep learning models. The results showed that the most influential microclimatic factors on the biometric indicators were noise and the concentrations of carbon dioxide and dust. Subsequently, more complex inferences were made from the Shapley value interpretation of the regression models. Such findings suggest implications for the design of living conditions with respect to the interaction of the microclimate and human health and comfort.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth Y. T. Lim & Minh Anh Nguyen Duc & Minh Tuan Nguyen Thien & Rajamanickam Yuvaraj & Jack S. Fogarty, 2022. "Investigating the Effects of Microclimate on Physiological Stress and Brain Function with Data Science and Wearables," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-35, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10769-:d:900985
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mullins, Jamie T. & White, Corey, 2019. "Temperature and mental health: Evidence from the spectrum of mental health outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Binyi Liu & Zefeng Lian & Robert D. Brown, 2019. "Effect of Landscape Microclimates on Thermal Comfort and Physiological Wellbeing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-13, September.
    3. Syed Zaki Hassan Kazmi & Henggui Zhang & Wajid Aziz & Oliver Monfredi & Syed Ali Abbas & Saeed Arif Shah & Syeda Sobia Hassan Kazmi & Wasi Haider Butt, 2016. "Inverse Correlation between Heart Rate Variability and Heart Rate Demonstrated by Linear and Nonlinear Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
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