Circadian Potency Spectrum with Extended Exposure to Polychromatic White LED Light under Workplace Conditions

Electric light has enabled humans to conquer the night, but light exposure at night can disrupt the circadian timing system and is associated with a diverse range of health disorders. To provide adequate lighting for visual tasks without disrupting the human circadian timing system, a precise definition of circadian spectral sensitivity is required. Prior attempts to define the circadian spectral sensitivity curve have used short (≤90-min) monochromatic light exposures in dark-adapted human subjects or in vitro dark-adapted isolated retina or melanopsin. Several lines of evidence suggest that these dark-adapted circadian spectral sensitivity curves, in addition to 430- to 499-nm (blue) wavelength sensitivity, may include transient 400- to 429-nm (violet) and 500- to 560-nm (green) components mediated by cone- and rod-originated extrinsic inputs to intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which decay over the first 2 h of extended light exposure. To test the hypothesis that the human circadian spectral sensitivity in light-adapted conditions may have a narrower, predominantly blue, sensitivity, we used 12-h continuous exposures of light-adapted healthy human subjects to 6 polychromatic white light-emitting diode (LED) light sources with diverse spectral power distributions at recommended workplace levels of illumination (540 lux) to determine their effect on the area under curve of the overnight (2000–0800 h) salivary melatonin. We derived a narrow steady-state human Circadian Potency spectral sensitivity curve with a peak at 477 nm and a full-width half-maximum of 438 to 493 nm. This light-adapted Circadian Potency spectral sensitivity permits the development of spectrally engineered LED light sources to minimize circadian disruption and address the health risks of light exposure at night in our 24/7 society, by alternating between daytime circadian stimulatory white light spectra and nocturnal circadian protective white light spectra.

Comparisons of Scotopic/Photopic Ratios Using 2- and 10-Degree Spectral Sensitivity Curves

Despite the fact that a 2-degree spectral sensitivity curve (SSC) is extensively used in scientific research and relevant applications, the choice between the 10-degree or the 2-degree photopic SSCs in practical applications for the calculation of scotopic/photopic ratios (S/P ratios) depends on actual needs. We examined S/P ratios for more than 300 light sources for correlated colour temperatures (CCTs) from 2000 K to 8000 K and blackbody radiant spectra from 10000 K to 45000 K using 2- and 10-degree SSCs. Results showed that the ratio of the S/P values calculated using the 10-degree and 2-degree SSCs was approximately equal to 0.916. The average mesopic luminance difference increased from 0% to 5.7% at a photopic adaptation luminance from 0.005 to 5 cd/m2. For most practical applications, the mesopic luminance values calculated using these two SSCs were different by several percentage units, yet these differences could be neglected. At extremely high CCTs over 10000 K, the mesopic luminance difference may approximate the maximum value of 16%. This work proposes the conversion coefficients for S/P ratios and the transforming mesopic luminance values calculated for 2- and 10-degree SSC systems. These results may help researchers clarify differences between the S/P ratios calculated using different SSCs.

Cone spectral sensitivity in the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and implications for color vision

The retinas of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) contain two morphologically distinct photoreceptor types: rods and cones. The spectral properties of the cones have not been previously studied. The spectral sensitivities of the cones of harbor seals were measured using a retinal gross potential technique, flicker photometric electroretinography. We found a cone spectral sensitivity curve with a peak at about 510 nm. The shape of the spectral sensitivity curve remained invariant despite large changes in chromatic adaptation, implying that harbor seals have only a single cone photopigment. This means that harbor seals must lack color vision at photopic light levels. Any color discrimination in this species would have to be based on combined input from rods and cones and thus restricted to mesopic light levels. The spectral sensitivity of the cone pigment in the harbor seal is shifted to shorter wavelengths than those of terrestrial carnivores, consistent with adaptation to the aquatic photic environment.

Phototaktische Reaktion von Asplanchna priodonta bei monochromatischem Reizlicht/Phototactic Reactions of Asplanchna priodonta to Monochromatic Light

1. The spectral sensitivity curve of the positive phototactic reaction of the rotifer Asplanchna priodon ta has a triple peak. The maxima lie at 363 nm, 453 nm and 552 nm.2. In the shortest wavelength tested and in the area of 453 to 594 nm was the precision of the phototactic orientation found to be high. In between lies a minimum at 395 nm, above 594 nm occurs a rapid decrease in phototactic orientation.3. No wavelength specific differences in the way of orientation were found when using dif­ ferent monochromatic test light stimuli. This leads the same mixture of photopigments.

Die Wasser- und Ionen-Permeabilität der Zellmembran von Protozoen unter Einwirkung von ultraviolettem Licht / The Permeability of the Protozoan Cell Membrane to Water and Ions under the Action of Ultraviolet Light

The action of ultraviolet light on certain membrane properties of protozoa was investigated in Paramecium, Euplotes, and Opalina using the following methods: observation of morphological changes of the animals, recording of the osmoregulatory organelle (Paramecium), and measurement of membrane potential and resistance by means of intracellularly inserted microelectrodes.This paper presents only slow effects which occur within some minutes after uv irradiation and does not directly concern excitability of protozoa.Due to large uv doses swelling was observed both in Paramecium and Opalina; in Euplotes a liquid-filled vacuole was formed.Small uv doses cause an increase in the frequency of the contractile vacuole of Paramecium; larger doses diminish the frequency reversibly (Fig. 4), and even larger doses lead to an irreversible inactivation of this organelle.Membrane potential and membrane resistance in Opalina are shown to change in different ways under continuous irradiation (Fig. 13): After a transient decrease the membrane potential increases to about the initial value and after this it decreases to zero, whereas the membrane resistance decreases from the beginning of irradiation.The spectral sensitivity curve (Fig. 9) obtained from a standard decrease of the membrane potential shows a maximum at about 280 nm and a rise from 250 nm towards shorter wavelengths.The results indicate an influx of water following the osmotic gradient and an increase of the membrane permeability to cations. With respect to the different behavior of membrane potential and conductivity the mechanism of uv action is discussed. The most probable assumption is that the permeability increases unspecifically but gradually in succession for water, chloride, potassium, and sodium. The possibility of disruption of disulfide links is discussed with respect to the spectral sensitivity curve. It is suggested that the altered permeability is based on photochemically induced changes of the structure of proteins which are either part of the membrane or have an important function in the regulation of the membrane permeability.

Ultraviolet-Induced Sensitivity to Visible Light in Ultraviolet Receptors of Limulus

In the UV-sensitive photoreceptors of the median ocellus (UV cells), prolonged depolarizing afterpotentials are seen following a bright UV stimulus. These afterpotentials are abolished by long-wavelength light. During a bright UV stimulus, long-wavelength light elicits a sustained negative-going response. These responses to long-wavelength light are called repolarizing responses. The spectral sensitivity curve for the repolarizing responses peaks at 480 nm; it is the only spectral sensitivity curve for a median ocellus electrical response known to peak at 480 nm. The reversal potentials of the repolarizing response and the depolarizing receptor potential are the same, and change in the same way when the external sodium ion concentration is reduced. We propose that the generation of repolarizing responses involves a thermally stable intermediate of the UV-sensitive photopigment of UV cells.

The Spectral Sensitivities of Single Cells in the Median Ocellus of Limulus

The spectral sensitivities of single Limulus median ocellus photoreceptors have been determined from records of receptor potentials obtained using intracellular microelectrodes. One class of receptors, called UV cells (ultraviolet cells), depolarizes to near-UV light and is maximally sensitive at 360 nm; a Dartnall template fits the spectral sensitivity curve. A second class of receptors, called visible cells, depolarizes to visible light; the spectral sensitivity curve is fit by a Dartnall template with λmax at 530 nm. Dark-adapted UV cells are about 2 log units more sensitive than dark-adapted visible cells. UV cells respond with a small hyperpolarization to visible light and the spectral sensitivity curve for this hyperpolarization peaks at 525–550 nm. Visible cells respond with a small hyperpolarization to UV light, and the spectral sensitivity curve for this response peaks at 350–375 nm. Rarely, a double-peaked (360 and 530 nm) spectral sensitivity curve is obtained; two photopigments are involved, as revealed by chromatic adaptation experiments. Thus there may be a small third class of receptor cells containing two photopigments.

The Sensitivity of Housefly Photoreceptors in the Mid-Ultraviolet and the Limits of the Visible Spectrum

1. The spectral sensitivity of the photoreceptors of a white-eye mutant of the housefly Musca domestica has been measured to 250 nm. in the mid-ultraviolet. Maximum sensitivity is at 340-350 nm., as in the wild-type eye, and decreases at shorter wavelengths with a distinct shoulder at 280 nm. 2. Microspectrophotometric measurements of individual corneal facets show little absorption at wavelengths longer than 300 nm. but a sharp band (peak density about 0.4) at 277 nm. Adjustment of the spectral sensitivity curve for the filtering effect of the cornea makes the 280 nm. shoulder more prominent, suggesting the presence of energy transfer from the protein component of the visual pigment to the chromophore. 3. The short-wavelength limit of the housefly's visible spectrum is determined by the availability of ultraviolet light and is about 300 nm. in nature. The long-wavelength limit is set by the falling absorption of the visual pigment in the red.