Abstract: There is provided a hand rail comprising a balustrade defining a hollow tubular cavity; and plural mounting brackets for mounting said balustrade to a support surface of a building. At least one of said plural mounting brackets is provided with at least one light source for emitting guide light therefrom and wherein, a back up power supply for said at least one light source is provided within said hollow tubular cavity. The hand rail is suitable for use in providing emergency lighting for stairways and/or corridors of buildings.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for precisely controlling long-pulse beam intensity in a laser device having a gain medium and a Q-switch disposed in a resonant cavity, and having a pump for supplying constant pulses of energy to the gain medium. The apparatus provides a Q-switch controller for adjustably controlling a timing window during which the Q-switch is open, to define the amount of pump energy coupled into the long pulses, and consequently the intensity of the beam. The controller has an input device for entering a desired length of the timing window, and a display device for displaying an indication of the length.