SOME CURIOUS FINDINGS HAIR FOLLICLES BIOELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION EXPRESSED AS LIGHT DISPLACING MATTER IN ITS PATH AND THE CONTRALATERAL EMISSION OF MAGNETIC FIELDS FOUND IN THE HAIR SHAFT

BACKGROUND In physics the term light refers to electromagnetic radiation, which includes visible light, which has also been described as exerting physical pressure on matter in its path; this could be explained by the “particle nature of light”. To date light rays emission experiments has been done mainly on non-living matter. This manuscript will show in vitro results where biological tissue (hair follicles) is shown emitting electromagnetic radiation in a light form and displacing particles in its path. Additionally the hair shaft one-sided biomagnetism is shown. METHODS A mini-review of prior experiments by this author and others are herein presented where bioelectromagnetic fields expressed as light are shown displacing matter of ferric cyanide chemical compounds. A seminal paper published in 1980, is also included where human hair follicles had been documented as emitting magnetic fields when applying pressure on the human scalp. RESULTS Findings are presented where light rays or flashes emitted by hair follicles are documented to exert pressure in matter in its path causing displacement; and in one case a flash of light seen as a primary factor in totally reversing turmoil caused by a piezoelectric or pressure induced maneuver. As an incidental finding: The hair shaft is also found to express one-sided magnetic fields similar to inanimate magnets inhibiting human blood issue fibrin formation (clot formation). CONCLUSIONS Presented is a mini-review of biological tissue previously found to emit magnetic fields, now also expressed as light. The light is displayed shown as a “flash” or a “stream”, in both instances displacing matter in its path. The light flash also appears to be a primary factor in bringing equilibrium into the piezoelectric disturbed bioelectromagnetic field. Question arise: What is/are the biological/molecular consequences of living tissue under stress emitting light energy? Why is the hair shaft bioelectromamagnetic field shown in a contralateral fashion, this when the hair follicle is not? Further research is recommended.

Perspectives of CsI:Tl Crystals in g-Spectrometers

The article describes the problems of creating a scintillation spectrometer with a CsI:Tl crystal to replace spectrometers with NaI:Tl crystals which are widely used at nuclear power plants (NPPs) to monitor the activity of air, waste water and adjacent territories. The advantages of CsI:Tl-spectrometers are in the best energy resolution; much greater resistance to mechanical and electromagnetic influences due to the use of silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) instead of vacuum photomultiplier tubes (VPMT); much greater durability due to the very low hygroscopicity of the material. The strong mismatch between the emission spectrum of the crystal and the spectral sensitivity of the VPMT photocathodes, the relatively long decay time and the complex, multicomponent form of the light flash made spectrometers with CsI:Tl crystals not competitive. The paper describes the methods of constructing a spectrometer, which made it possible to realize the useful properties inherent in a crystal and to level its disadvantages. As a result of the cycle of research and development work, the Stark-02 intellectual detector has been designed and described. Typical relative energy resolution with crystals of volume 45 cm3 at an energy of 662 keV of the 137Cs source is better than 6.5% in the ambient temperature range Q = +10 ÷ +45 °C and not worse than 7.5% in the extended range Q = –25 ÷ +55 °C.

Quantifying the Speed of Chromatophore Activity at the Single-Organ Level in Response to a Visual Startle Stimulus in Living, Intact Squid

The speed of adaptive body patterning in coleoid cephalopods is unmatched in the natural world. While the literature frequently reports their remarkable ability to change coloration significantly faster than other species, there is limited research on the temporal dynamics of rapid chromatophore coordination underlying body patterning in living, intact animals. In this exploratory pilot study, we aimed to measure chromatophore activity in response to a light flash stimulus in seven squid, Doryteuthis pealeii. We video-recorded the head/arms, mantle, and fin when squid were presented with a light flash startle stimulus. Individual chromatophores were detected and tracked over time using image analysis. We assessed baseline and response chromatophore surface area parameters before and after flash stimulation, respectively. Using change-point analysis, we identified 4,065 chromatophores from 185 trials with significant surface area changes elicited by the flash stimulus. We defined the temporal dynamics of chromatophore activity to flash stimulation as the latency, duration, and magnitude of surface area changes (expansion or retraction) following the flash presentation. Post stimulation, the response’s mean latency was at 50 ms (± 16.67 ms), for expansion and retraction, across all body regions. The response duration ranged from 217 ms (fin, retraction) to 384 ms (heads/arms, expansion). While chromatophore expansions had a mean surface area increase of 155.06%, the retractions only caused a mean reduction of 40.46%. Collectively, the methods and results described contribute to our understanding of how cephalopods can employ thousands of chromatophore organs in milliseconds to achieve rapid, dynamic body patterning.

Long- and short-range bimodal signals mediate mate location and recognition in yellow fever mosquitoes

As recently reported, light flashes of incident sunlight reflecting off the wings of in-flight dipterans serve as mate recognition signals. Mate location and mate selection behavior in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, take place in mating swarms but the mechanisms underlying swarm formation and long-range detection of females by males remain largely unexplored. Here we show that swarm formation and mate recognition are mediated, in part, by light flash signals and wingbeat sound signals that operate at long and short range, respectively. To test for range-dependent effects of these signals, we presented ‘mating swarms’ in form of two paired 8-LED assemblies that were fitted with micro-speakers and placed either well separated in a large space or side-by-side in a small space. In the large but not the small space, the LED assembly flashing light at the wingbeat frequency of females (665 Hz), and emitting their wingbeat sound (665 Hz), attracted and prompted 5.8-times more alightings by males than the LED assembly emitting constant light and wingbeat sound. In the small space, the LED assembly flashing light and emitting wingbeat sound induced 5.0-times more alightings by males than the LED assembly flashing light without wingbeat sound. Females responded to light flash signals of males, but males failed to respond to the synthetic female pheromone component ketoisophorone added to the bimodal complex of light and sound signals. The attractiveness of light flash signals to males increased with increasing numbers of signals but did not vary according to their wavelengths (UV or blue). As predicted by the sensory drive theory, light flashes had no signal function for crepuscular house mosquitoes, Culex pipiens.

In your eyes: vision of the body alters touch perception in women with eating disorder symptoms

We investigated the effects of non-informative vision of the body on exteroceptive multisensory integration and touch perception in participants presenting with different levels of eating disorder (ED) symptoms. The study employed a sample of women reporting low (low ED; n = 31) vs high (high ED; n = 34) levels of subclinical ED symptoms who undertook the Somatic Signal Detection task (SSDT). During the SSDT, participants are required to detect near-threshold tactile stimulation at their fingertip with and without a simultaneous light flash next to the stimulated fingertip. Previous research has found that participants have a tendency to erroneously report touch sensations in the absence of the stimulation, and especially when the light flash is presented. In this study, participants completed the SSDT under two conditions: while their hand was visible (non-informative vision), and while their hand was hidden from sight (no vision). Non-informative vision of the hand was found to have a different effect on SSDT performances according to participants’ levels of ED symptoms. High ED participants were better able to correctly detect the touch during the SSDT when their hand was visible. Conversely, for low ED participants, vision of the body was linked to a greater effect of the light in inducing false reports of touch. We suggest that in those with high ED symptoms, vision of the body may exacerbate a predisposition to focusing on external rather than internal bodily information.

Flashing spots on the dorsal trunk of hardyhead silverside fish

A large number of living creatures are able to use ambient light effectively in biological signalling. Atherinomorus lacunosus , a teleost fish has alignments of circular spots on its dorsal trunk. The spot consists of iridophores, whose diameters are approximately 7–10 µm. The iridophore contains guanine crystals with diameters of 1–3 µm. Here, it is found that more than one spot with a diameter of approximately 0.1 mm causes a rhythmic flashing of light when viewed under white light. The typical light flash has a pulse width of approximately one second. When a pulsed train of flashes appears, the flash repeats at a typical frequency of 0.5–1 Hz. The observed phenomenon is one example of the evidence for the existence of rapid colour changing teleost fish.

Circadian Responses to Light-Flash Exposure: Conceptualization and New Data Guiding Future Directions

A growing number of studies document circadian phase-shifting after exposure to millisecond light flashes. When strung together by intervening periods of darkness, these stimuli evoke pacemaker responses rivaling or outmatching those created by steady luminance, suggesting that the circadian system's relationship to light can be contextualized outside the principle of simple dose-dependence. In the current review, we present a brief chronology of this work. We then develop a conceptual model around it that attempts to relate the circadian effects of flashes to a natural integrative process the pacemaker uses to intermittently sample the photic information available at dawn and dusk. Presumably, these snapshots are employed as building blocks in the construction of a coherent representation of twilight the pacemaker consults to orient the next day's physiology (in that way, flash-resetting of pacemaker rhythms might be less an example of a circadian visual illusion and more an example of the kinds of gestalt inferences that the image-forming system routinely makes when identifying objects within the visual field; i.e., closure). We conclude our review with a discussion on the role of cones in the pacemaker's twilight predictions, providing new electrophysiological data suggesting that classical photoreceptors—but not melanopsin—are necessary for millisecond, intermediate-intensity flash responses in ipRGCs (intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells). Future investigations are necessary to confirm this “Cone Sentinel Model” of circadian flash-integration and twilight-prediction, and to further define the contribution of cones vs. rods in transducing pacemaker flash signals.

Warning Light Flash Frequency as a Method for Visual Communication to Drivers

Service vehicles use flashing warning lights to indicate their presence to approaching drivers. Present standards offer ranges of flash frequencies to enhance conspicuity and avoid potential risks of photosensitive epilepsy or other issues. But, in practice, the flash frequency is not varied in specific situations. Previous studies have indicated that people interpret faster flash frequencies as more “urgent” than slower flash frequencies. Building on these findings, a laboratory study was conducted to identify whether drivers might be able to use cues from the frequency of flashing warning lights to anticipate how a service vehicle might behave in a work zone or other incident scene. The results suggest that even if they are not taught about the interpretation of different flash frequencies, drivers can differentiate between 1 Hz and 4 Hz flashing lights and learn to make accurate predictions about their meaning. The results also indicate that there are no reliable differences between 1 Hz and 4 Hz flashing in relation to a driver’s ability to detect when a service vehicle has begun to move. Based on the results, a preliminary suggestion is made to use lights flashing at 1 Hz when a service vehicle is moving forward, and 4 Hz when it is traveling in reverse.

The Ventriloquist Effect is not Consistently Affected by Stimulus Realism

Despite more than 60 years of research, it has remained uncertain if and how realism affects the ventriloquist effect. Here, a sound localization experiment was run using spatially disparate audio-visual stimuli. The visual stimuli were presented using virtual reality, allowing for easy manipulation of the degree of realism of the stimuli. Starting from stimuli commonly used in ventriloquist experiments, i.e., a light flash and noise burst, a new factor was added or changed in each condition to investigate the effect of movement and realism without confounding the effects of an increased temporal correlation of the audio-visual stimuli. First, a distractor task was introduced to ensure that participants fixated their eye gaze during the experiment. Next, movement was added to the visual stimuli while maintaining a similar temporal correlation between the stimuli. Finally, by changing the stimuli from the flash and noise stimuli to the visuals of a bouncing ball that made a matching impact sound, the effect of realism was assessed. No evidence for an effect of realism and movement of the stimuli was found, suggesting that, in simple scenarios, the ventriloquist effect might not be affected by stimulus realism.