ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_13_54 “Graphene” will investigate and exploit the unique properties of a revolutionary carbon-based material. Graphene is an extraordinary combination of physical and chemical properties: it is the thinnest material, it conducts electricity much better than copper, it is 100-300 times stronger than steel and it has unique optical properties. The use of graphene was made possible by European scientists in 2004, and the substance is set to become the wonder material of the 21st century, as plastics were to the 20th century, including by replacing silicon in ICT products. Graphene_and_Human_Brain_Project_win_largest_research_excellence_award_in_history__as_battle_for_sustained_science_funding_continues
Further References
Lin, H. Y., Nurunnabi, M., Chen, W. H., & Huang, C. H.. (2019). Graphene in neuroscience. In Biomedical Applications of Graphene and 2D Nanomaterials
“Graphene and graphene-derived materials have been widely applied in various biomedical fields. in neuroscience, graphene and its derivatives can be applied as nanocarriers for drug delivery, as compelling biocompatible substrates for tissue engineering, as conductive electrodes for obtaining the stimulation response in studying neural networks, as low photobleaching nanocomposite tags in bioimaging, as enhancers for guiding neural growth and differentiation as regenerative medicine, and so forth. among these applications, the material composition, functionalization, and dimension of graphene are considerably important. in this chapter, we provide a brief review to address the accomplishments and further perspective of graphene and its related materials applied in neuroscience.”
Perini, G., Palmieri, V., Ciasca, G., De Spirito, M., & Papi, M.. (2020). Unravelling the potential of graphene quantum dots in biomedicine and neuroscience. International Journal of Molecular Sciences
“Quantum dots (qds) are semiconducting nanoparticles that have been gaining ground in various applications, including the biomedical field, thanks to their unique optical properties. recently, graphene quantum dots (gqds) have earned attention in biomedicine and nanomedicine, thanks to their higher biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity compared to other qds. gqds share the optical properties of qd and have proven ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (bbb). for this reason, gqds are now being employed to deepen our knowledge in neuroscience diagnostics and therapeutics. their size and surface chemistry that ease the loading of chemotherapeutic drugs, makes them ideal drug delivery systems through the bloodstream, across the bbb, up to the brain. gqds-based neuroimaging techniques and theranostic applications, such as photothermal and photodynamic therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy, have been designed. in this review, optical properties and biocompatibility of gqds will be described. then, the ability of gqds to overtake the bbb and reach the brain will be discussed. at last, applications of gqds in bioimaging, photophysical therapies and drug delivery to the central nervous system will be considered, unraveling their potential in the neuroscientific field.”
Orecchioni, M., Bordoni, V., Fuoco, C., Reina, G., Lin, H., Zoccheddu, M., … Delogu, L. G.. (2020). Toward High-Dimensional Single-Cell Analysis of Graphene Oxide Biological Impact: Tracking on Immune Cells by Single-Cell Mass Cytometry. Small
“Considering the potential exposure to graphene, the most investigated nanomaterial, the assessment of the impact on human health has become an urgent need. the deep understanding of nanomaterial safety is today possible by high-throughput single-cell technologies. single-cell mass cytometry (cytometry by time-of flight, cytof) shows an unparalleled ability to phenotypically and functionally profile complex cellular systems, in particular related to the immune system, as recently also proved for graphene impact. the next challenge is to track the graphene distribution at the single-cell level. therefore, graphene oxide (go) is functionalized with agins2 nanocrystals (go–in), allowing to trace go immune–cell interactions via the indium (115in) channel. indium is specifically chosen to avoid overlaps with the commercial panels (>30 immune markers). as a proof of concept, the go–in cytof tracking is performed at the single-cell level on blood immune subpopulations, showing the go interaction with monocytes and b cells, therefore guiding future immune studies. the proposed approach can be applied not only to the immune safety assessment of the multitude of graphene physical and chemical parameters, but also for graphene applications in neuroscience. moreover, this approach can be translated to other 2d emerging materials and will likely advance the understanding of their toxicology.”
Song, Q., Jiang, Z., Li, N., Liu, P., Liu, L., Tang, M., & Cheng, G.. (2014). Anti-inflammatory effects of three-dimensional graphene foams cultured with microglial cells. Biomaterials
Kitko, K. E., & Zhang, Q.. (2019). Graphene-based nanomaterials: From production to integration with modern tools in neuroscience. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
“Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon crystal, has emerged as a promising material for sensing and modulating neuronal activity in vitro and in vivo. in this review, we provide a primer for how manufacturing processes to produce graphene and graphene oxide result in materials properties that may be tailored for a variety of applications. we further discuss how graphene may be composited with other bio-compatible materials of interest to make novel hybrid complexes with desired characteristics for bio-interfacing. we then highlight graphene’s ever-widen utility and unique properties that may in the future be multiplexed for cross-modal modulation or interrogation of neuronal network. as the biological effects of graphene are still an area of active investigation, we discuss recent development, with special focus on how surface coatings and surface properties of graphene are relevant to its biological effects. we discuss studies conducted in both non-murine and murine systems, and emphasize the preclinical aspect of graphene’s potential without undermining its tangible clinical implementation.”
Garcia-Cortadella, R., Schwesig, G., Jeschke, C., Illa, X., Gray, A. L., Savage, S., … Garrido, J. A.. (2021). Graphene active sensor arrays for long-term and wireless mapping of wide frequency band epicortical brain activity. Nature Communications
“Graphene active sensors have demonstrated promising capabilities for the detection of electrophysiological signals in the brain. their functional properties, together with their flexibility as well as their expected stability and biocompatibility have raised them as a promising building block for large-scale sensing neural interfaces. however, in order to provide reliable tools for neuroscience and biomedical engineering applications, the maturity of this technology must be thoroughly studied. here, we evaluate the performance of 64-channel graphene sensor arrays in terms of homogeneity, sensitivity and stability using a wireless, quasi-commercial headstage and demonstrate the biocompatibility of epicortical graphene chronic implants. furthermore, to illustrate the potential of the technology to detect cortical signals from infra-slow to high-gamma frequency bands, we perform proof-of-concept long-term wireless recording in a freely behaving rodent. our work demonstrates the maturity of the graphene-based technology, which represents a promising candidate for chronic, wide frequency band neural sensing interfaces.”
Cherian, R. S., Sandeman, S., Ray, S., Savina, I. N., Ashtami, J., & Mohanan, P. V.. (2019). Green synthesis of Pluronic stabilized reduced graphene oxide: Chemical and biological characterization. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces
“The wonder material graphene has numerous potential applications in nanoelectronics, biomedicine, storage devices, etc. synthesis of graphene is highly challenging due to the toxic chemicals used and its low yield. in the present study, a facile green route for synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rgo) was carried out using ascorbic acid as reducing agent. rgo was stabilized using pluronic p123 polymer to give pluronic stabilized reduced graphene oxide (rgo-p) and gave superior yield (15 mg graphene oxide yielded ˜13 mg rgo-p). despite the potential neuroscience applications of graphene, the impending toxicological outcome upon interaction with neurons is not well understood. here, differentiated pc-12 neuron-like cells exposed to rgo-p showed a dose-dependent cytotoxicity. membrane disruption and cytoskeletal integrity remained uncompromised after 24 h exposure. oxidative stress in pc-12 was evident due to an increase in ros generation in dose and time-dependent manner. in vivo acute toxicity was assessed in mice administered with 10 mg/kg body weight of rgo-p. there were no evident changes in behaviour, motor function or other morphological changes. in conclusion, rgo-p was successfully synthesized and provided superior yield. even though in vitro toxicity testing showed dose-dependent toxicity, in vivo toxic effect was not apparent.”
Bramini, M., Alberini, G., Colombo, E., Chiacchiaretta, M., DiFrancesco, M. L., Maya-Vetencourt, J. F., … Cesca, F.. (2018). Interfacing graphene-based materials with neural cells. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
“The scientific community has witnessed an exponential increase in the applications of graphene and graphene-based materials in a wide range of fields, from engineering to electronics to biotechnologies and biomedical applications. for what concerns neuroscience, the interest raised by these materials is two-fold. on one side, nanosheets made of graphene or graphene derivatives (graphene oxide, or its reduced form) can be used as carriers for drug delivery. here, an important aspect is to evaluate their toxicity, which strongly depends on flake composition, chemical functionalization and dimensions. on the other side, graphene can be exploited as a substrate for tissue engineering. in this case, conductivity is probably the most relevant amongst the various properties of the different graphene materials, as it may allow to instruct and interrogate neural networks, as well as to drive neural growth and differentiation, which holds a great potential in regenerative medicine. in this review, we try to give a comprehensive view of the accomplishments and new challenges of the field, as well as which in our view are the most exciting directions to take in the immediate future. these include the need to engineer multifunctional nanoparticles (nps) able to cross the blood-brain-barrier to reach neural cells, and to achieve on-demand delivery of specific drugs. we describe the state-of-the-art in the use of graphene materials to engineer three-dimensional scaffolds to drive neuronal growth and regeneration in vivo, and the possibility of using graphene as a component of hybrid composites/multi-layer organic electronics devices. last but not least, we address the need of an accurate theoretical modeling of the interface between graphene and biological material, by modeling the interaction of graphene with proteins and cell membranes at the nanoscale, and describing the physical mechanism(s) of charge transfer by which the various graphene materials can influence the excitability and physiology of neural cells.”
Capasso, A., Rodrigues, J., Moschetta, M., Buonocore, F., Faggio, G., Messina, G., … Lisi, N.. (2021). Interactions between Primary Neurons and Graphene Films with Different Structure and Electrical Conductivity. Advanced Functional Materials
“Graphene-based materials represent a useful tool for the realization of novel neural interfaces. several studies have demonstrated the biocompatibility of graphene-based supports, but the biological interactions between graphene and neurons still pose open questions. in this work, the influence of graphene films with different characteristics on the growth and maturation of primary cortical neurons is investigated. graphene films are grown by chemical vapor deposition progressively lowering the temperature range from 1070 to 650 °c to change the lattice structure and corresponding electrical conductivity. two graphene-based films with different electrical properties are selected and used as substrate for growing primary cortical neurons: i) highly crystalline and conductive (grown at 1070 °c) and ii) highly disordered and 140-times less conductive (grown at 790 °c). electron and fluorescence microscopy imaging reveal an excellent neuronal viability and the development of a mature, structured, and excitable network onto both substrates, regardless of their microstructure and electrical conductivity. the results underline that high electrical conductivity by itself is not fundamental for graphene-based neuronal interfaces, while other physico–chemical characteristics, including the atomic structure, should be also considered in the design of functional, bio-friendly templates. this finding widens the spectrum of carbon-based materials suitable for neuroscience applications.”
Rauti, R., Secomandi, N., Martín, C., Bosi, S., Severino, F. P. U., Scaini, D., … Ballerini, L.. (2020). Tuning Neuronal Circuit Formation in 3D Polymeric Scaffolds by Introducing Graphene at the Bio/Material Interface. Advanced Biosystems
“2D cultures are useful platforms allowing studies of the fundamental mechanisms governing neuron and synapse functions. yet, such models are limited when exploring changes in network dynamics due to 3d-space topologies. 3d platforms fill this gap and favor investigating topologies closer to the real brain organization. graphene, an atom-thick layer of carbon, possesses remarkable properties and since its discovery is considered a highly promising material in neuroscience developments. here, elastomeric 3d platforms endowed with graphene cues are exploited to modulate neuronal circuits when interfaced to graphene in 3d topology. ex vivo neuronal networks are successfully reconstructed within 3d scaffolds, with and without graphene, characterized by comparable size and morphology. by confocal microscopy and live imaging, the 3d architecture of synaptic networks is documented to sustain a high rate of bursting in 3d scaffolds, an activity further increased by graphene interfacing. changes are reported in the excitation/inhibition ratio, potentially following 3d-graphene interfacing. a hypothesis is thus proposed, where the combination of synapse formation under 3d architecture and graphene interfaces affects the maturation of gabaergic inhibition. this will tune the balance between hyperpolarizing and depolarizing responses, potentially contributing to network synchronization in the absence of changes in gabaergic phenotype expression.”
Thunemann, M., Lu, Y., Liu, X., Klllç, K., Desjardins, M., Vandenberghe, M., … Kuzum, D.. (2018). Deep 2-photon imaging and artifact-free optogenetics through transparent graphene microelectrode arrays. Nature Communications
“Recent advances in optical technologies such as multi-photon microscopy and optogenetics have revolutionized our ability to record and manipulate neuronal activity. combining optical techniques with electrical recordings is of critical importance to connect the large body of neuroscience knowledge obtained from animal models to human studies mainly relying on electrophysiological recordings of brain-scale activity. however, integration of optical modalities with electrical recordings is challenging due to generation of light-induced artifacts. here we report a transparent graphene microelectrode technology that eliminates light-induced artifacts to enable crosstalk-free integration of 2-photon microscopy, optogenetic stimulation, and cortical recordings in the same in vivo experiment. we achieve fabrication of crack- and residue-free graphene electrode surfaces yielding high optical transmittance for 2-photon imaging down to ~ 1 mm below the cortical surface. transparent graphene microelectrode technology offers a practical pathway to investigate neuronal activity over multiple spatial scales extending from single neurons to large neuronal populations.”
Garcia-Cortadella, R., Schäfer, N., Cisneros-Fernandez, J., Ré, L., Illa, X., Schwesig, G., … Guimerà-Brunet, A.. (2020). Switchless multiplexing of graphene active sensor arrays for brain mapping. Nano Letters
“Sensor arrays used to detect electrophysiological signals from the brain are paramount in neuroscience. however, the number of sensors that can be interfaced with macroscopic data acquisition systems currently limits their bandwidth. this bottleneck originates in the fact that, typically, sensors are addressed individually, requiring a connection for each of them. herein, we present the concept of frequency-division multiplexing (fdm) of neural signals by graphene sensors. we demonstrate the high performance of graphene transistors as mixers to perform amplitude modulation (am) of neural signals in situ, which is used to transmit multiple signals through a shared metal line. this technology eliminates the need for switches, remarkably simplifying the technical complexity of state-of-the-art multiplexed neural probes. besides, the scalability of fdm graphene neural probes has been thoroughly evaluated and their sensitivity demonstrated in vivo. using this technology, we envision a new generation of high-count conformal neural probes for high bandwidth brain machine interfaces.”
Liu, X., Lu, Y., Iseri, E., Shi, Y., & Kuzum, D.. (2018). A compact closed-loop optogenetics system based on artifact-free transparent graphene electrodes. Frontiers in Neuroscience
“Electrophysiology is a decades-old technique widely used for monitoring activity of individual neurons and local field potentials. optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience studies by offering selective and fast control of targeted neurons and neuron populations. the combination of these two techniques is crucial for causal investigation of neural circuits and understanding their functional connectivity. however, electrical artifacts generated by light stimulation interfere with neural recordings and hinder the development of compact closed-loop systems for precise control of neural activity. here, we demonstrate that transparent graphene micro-electrodes fabricated on a clear polyethylene terephthalate film eliminate the light-induced artifact problem and allow development of a compact battery-powered closed-loop optogenetics system. we extensively investigate light-induced artifacts for graphene electrodes in comparison to metal control electrodes. we then design optical stimulation module using micro-led chips coupled to optical fibers to deliver light to intended depth for optogenetic stimulation. for artifact-free integration of graphene micro-electrode recordings with optogenetic stimulation, we design and develop a compact closed-loop system and validate it for different frequencies of interest for neural recordings. this compact closed-loop optogenetics system can be used for various applications involving optogenetic stimulation and electrophysiological recordings.”
Lu, Y., Lyu, H., Richardson, A. G., Lucas, T. H., & Kuzum, D.. (2016). Flexible Neural Electrode Array Based-on Porous Graphene for Cortical Microstimulation and Sensing. Scientific Reports
“Neural sensing and stimulation have been the backbone of neuroscience research, brain-machine interfaces and clinical neuromodulation therapies for decades. to-date, most of the neural stimulation systems have relied on sharp metal microelectrodes with poor electrochemical properties that induce extensive damage to the tissue and significantly degrade the long-term stability of implantable systems. here, we demonstrate a flexible cortical microelectrode array based on porous graphene, which is capable of efficient electrophysiological sensing and stimulation from the brain surface, without penetrating into the tissue. porous graphene electrodes show superior impedance and charge injection characteristics making them ideal for high efficiency cortical sensing and stimulation. they exhibit no physical delamination or degradation even after 1 million biphasic stimulation cycles, confirming high endurance. in in vivo experiments with rodents, same array is used to sense brain activity patterns with high spatio-temporal resolution and to control leg muscles with high-precision electrical stimulation from the cortical surface. flexible porous graphene array offers a minimally invasive but high efficiency neuromodulation scheme with potential applications in cortical mapping, brain-computer interfaces, treatment of neurological disorders, where high resolution and simultaneous recording and stimulation of neural activity are crucial.”
Chen, J., Yu, Q., Fu, W., Chen, X., Zhang, Q., Dong, S., … Zhang, S.. (2020). A highly sensitive amperometric glutamate oxidase microbiosensor based on a reduced graphene oxide/prussian blue nanocube/gold nanoparticle composite film-modified pt electrode. Sensors (Switzerland)
“A simple method that relies only on an electrochemical workstation has been investigated to fabricate a highly sensitive glutamate microbiosensor for potential neuroscience applications. in this study, in order to develop the highly sensitive glutamate electrode, a 100 µm platinum wire was modified by the electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles, prussian blue nanocubes, and reduced graphene oxide sheets, which increased the electroactive surface area; and the chitosan layer, which provided a suitable environment to bond the glutamate oxidase. the optimization of the fabrication procedure and analytical conditions is described. the modified electrode was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. the results exhibited its excellent sensitivity for glutamate detection (lod = 41.33 nm), adequate linearity (50 nm–40 µm), ascendant reproducibility (rsd = 4.44%), and prolonged stability (more than 30 repetitive potential sweeps, two-week lifespan). because of the important role of glutamate in neurotransmission and brain function, this small-dimension, high-sensitivity glutamate electrode is a promising tool in neuroscience research.”
Park, D. W., Ness, J. P., Brodnick, S. K., Esquibel, C., Novello, J., Atry, F., … Ma, Z.. (2018). Electrical Neural Stimulation and Simultaneous in Vivo Monitoring with Transparent Graphene Electrode Arrays Implanted in GCaMP6f Mice. ACS Nano
“Electrical stimulation using implantable electrodes is widely used to treat various neuronal disorders such as parkinson’s disease and epilepsy and is a widely used research tool in neuroscience studies. however, to date, devices that help better understand the mechanisms of electrical stimulation in neural tissues have been limited to opaque neural electrodes. imaging spatiotemporal neural responses to electrical stimulation with minimal artifact could allow for various studies that are impossible with existing opaque electrodes. here, we demonstrate electrical brain stimulation and simultaneous optical monitoring of the underlying neural tissues using carbon-based, fully transparent graphene electrodes implanted in gcamp6f mice. fluorescence imaging of neural activity for varying electrical stimulation parameters was conducted with minimal image artifact through transparent graphene electrodes. in addition, full-field imaging of electrical stimulation verified more efficient neural activation with cathode leading stimulation compared to anode leading stimulation. we have characterized the charge density limitation of capacitive four-layer graphene electrodes as 116.07-174.10 μc/cm2 based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, failure bench testing, and in vivo testing. this study demonstrates the transparent ability of graphene neural electrodes and provides a method to further increase understanding and potentially improve therapeutic electrical stimulation in the central and peripheral nervous systems.”
John, A. A., Subramanian, A. P., Vellayappan, M. V., Balaji, A., Mohandas, H., & Jaganathan, S. K.. (2015). Carbon nanotubes and graphene as emerging candidates in neuroregeneration and neurodrug delivery. International Journal of Nanomedicine
“Neuroregeneration is the regrowth or repair of nervous tissues, cells, or cell products involved in neurodegeneration and inflammatory diseases of the nervous system like alzheimer’s disease and parkinson’s disease. nowadays, application of nanotechnology is commonly used in developing nanomedicines to advance pharmacokinetics and drug delivery exclusively for central nervous system pathologies. in addition, nanomedical advances are leading to therapies that disrupt disarranged protein aggregation in the central nervous system, deliver functional neuroprotective growth factors, and change the oxidative stress and excitotoxicity of affected neural tissues to regenerate the damaged neurons. carbon nanotubes and graphene are allotropes of carbon that have been exploited by researchers because of their excellent physical properties and their ability to interface with neurons and neuronal circuits. this review describes the role of carbon nanotubes and graphene in neuroregeneration. in the future, it is hoped that the benefits of nanotechnologies will outweigh their risks, and that the next decade will present huge scope for developing and delivering technologies in the field of neuroscience.”
Rauti, R., Musto, M., Bosi, S., Prato, M., & Ballerini, L.. (2019). Properties and behavior of carbon nanomaterials when interfacing neuronal cells: How far have we come?. Carbon
“In the last two decades, an increasing amount of studies have investigated the use of components based on carbon-(nano)materials in the engineering of neural interfaces, to improve the performance of current state of the art devices. carbon is an extremely versatile element, characterized by a variety of allotropes and structures with different properties due to their sp, sp2 or sp3 hybridization. among the diverse carbon nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes and graphene are naturally excellent electrical conductors, thus representing ideal candidates for interfacing electrical-excitable tissues. in addition, their dimensional range holds the potential to enhance the material interactions with bio-systems. successful interfacing of the nervous system with devices that record or modulate neuronal electrical activity requires their stable electrical coupling with neurons. the efficiency of this coupling can be improved significantly by the use of conductive, ad hoc designed, nanomaterials. here we review different carbon-based nanomaterials currently under investigation in basic and applied neuroscience, and the recent developments in this research field, with a special focus on in vitro studies.”
Zheng, Z., Huang, L., Yan, L., Yuan, F., Wang, L., Wang, K., … Liu, Y.. (2019). Polyaniline functionalized graphene nanoelectrodes for the regeneration of PC12 cells via electrical stimulation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences
“The regeneration of neurons is an important goal of neuroscience and clinical medicine. the electrical stimulation of cells is a promising technique to meet this goal. however, its efficiency highly depends on the electrochemical properties of the stimulation electrodes used. this work reports on the preparation and use of a highly electroactive and biocompatible nanoelectrode made from a novel polyaniline functionalized graphene composite. this nanocomposite was prepared using a facile and efficient polymerization-enhanced ball-milling method. it was used to stimulate the growth of pc12 cells under various electrical fields. the enhanced growth of axons and improved wound regeneration of pc12 cells were observed after this treatment, suggesting a promising strategy for neuro traumatology.”
Guan, S., Wang, J., & Fang, Y.. (2019). Transparent graphene bioelectronics as a new tool for multimodal neural interfaces. Nano Today
“A central challenge of neuroscience is to monitor the coordinated activity of neural circuits underlying information processing and behavior. combining the advantages of electrical and optical modalities can provide unprecedented access to the spatiotemporal dynamics of neural activity. transparent graphene bioelectronics has emerged as a suitable tool for the seamless integration of electrophysiological recording with optical imaging and optogenetic stimulation, opening up a variety of new opportunities in both neuroscience research and clinical applications.”
Lu, Y., Liu, X., & Kuzum, D.. (2018). Graphene-based neurotechnologies for advanced neural interfaces. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering
“Understanding how neuron populations transform activities of individual neurons into complex behaviors is one of the biggest challenges of neuroscience research. however, current neural monitoring and controlling technologies provide insufficient spatiotemporal resolution to unravel neural circuit functions. to this end, multifunctional neurotechnologies combining electrical, optical and chemical sensing and stimulation modalities have been proposed to overcome resolution limits. research in multifunctional probes has fueled the demand for new materials to build minimally invasive chronic interfaces to the brain. graphene has recently emerged as a neural interface material offering several outstanding properties, such as optical transparency, flexibility, high conductivity, functionalization and biocompatibility. the unique combination of these properties in a single material system makes graphene an attractive choice for multi-modal probing of neural activity. in this review, we discuss recent advances in graphene-based neurotechnologies, highlight different approaches and consider emerging directions inspired by unique characteristics of graphene.”
Fischer, R. A., Zhang, Y., Risner, M. L., Li, D., Xu, Y., & Sappington, R. M.. (2018). Impact of Graphene on the Efficacy of Neuron Culture Substrates. Advanced Healthcare Materials
“How graphene influences the behavior of living cells or tissues remains a critical issue for its application in biomedical studies, despite the general acceptance that graphene is biocompatible. while direct contact between cells and graphene is not a requirement for all biomedical applications, it is often mandatory for biosensing. therefore, it is important to clarify whether graphene impedes the ability of cells to interact with biological elements in their environment. here, a systematic study is reported to determine whether applying graphene on top of matrix substrates masks interactions between these substrates and retinal ganglion cells (rgcs). six different platforms are tested for primary rgc cultures with three platforms comprised of matrix substrates compatible with these neurons, and another three having a layer of graphene placed on top of the matrix substrates. the results demonstrate that graphene does not impede interactions between rgcs and underlying substrate matrix, such that their positive or negative effects on neuron viability and vitality are retained. however, direct contact between rgcs and graphene reduces the number, but increases basal activity, of functional cation channels. the data indicate that, when proper baselines are established, graphene is a promising biosensing material for in vitro applications in neuroscience.”
Wang, R., Shi, M., Brewer, B., Yang, L., Zhang, Y., Webb, D. J., … Xu, Y. Q.. (2018). Ultrasensitive Graphene Optoelectronic Probes for Recording Electrical Activities of Individual Synapses. Nano Letters
“The complex neuronal circuitry connected by submicron synapses in our brain calls for technologies that can map neural networks with ultrahigh spatiotemporal resolution to decipher the underlying mechanisms for multiple aspects of neuroscience. here we show that, through combining graphene transistor arrays with scanning photocurrent microscopy, we can detect the electrical activities of individual synapses of primary hippocampal neurons. through measuring the local conductance change of graphene optoelectronic probes directly underneath neuronal processes, we are able to estimate millivolt extracellular potential variations of individual synapses during depolarization. the ultrafast nature of graphene photocurrent response allows for decoding of activity patterns of individual synapses with a sub-millisecond temporal resolution. this new neurotechnology provides promising potentials for recording of electrophysiological outcomes of individual synapses in neural networks.”
Moschetta, M., Lee, J. Y., Rodrigues, J., Podestà, A., Varvicchio, O., Son, J., … Capasso, A.. (2021). Hydrogenated Graphene Improves Neuronal Network Maturation and Excitatory Transmission. Advanced Biology
“Graphene is regarded as a viable bio-interface for neuroscience due to its biocompatibility and electrical conductivity, which would contribute to efficient neuronal network signaling. here, monolayer graphene grown via chemical vapor deposition is treated with remote hydrogen plasma to demonstrate that hydrogenated graphene (hgr) fosters improved cell-to-cell communication with respect to pristine graphene in primary cortical neurons. when transferred to polyethylene terephthalate, hgr exhibits higher wettability than graphene (water contact angle of 83.7° vs 40.7°), while preserving electrical conductivity (≈3 kω □-1). a rich and mature network is observed to develop onto hgr. the intrinsic excitability and firing properties of neurons plated onto hgr appears unaltered, while the basic passive and active membrane properties are fully preserved. the formation of excitatory synaptic connections increases in hgr with respect to pristine graphene, leading to a doubled miniature excitatory postsynaptic current frequency. this study supports the use of hydrogenation for tailoring graphene into an improved neuronal interface, indicating that wettability, more than electrical conductivity, is the key parameter to be controlled. the use of hgr can bring about a deeper understanding of neuronal behavior on artificial bio-interfaces and provide new insight for graphene-based biomedical applications.”
Bourrier, A., Shkorbatova, P., Bonizzato, M., Rey, E., Barraud, Q., Courtine, G., … Delacour, C.. (2019). Monolayer Graphene Coating of Intracortical Probes for Long-Lasting Neural Activity Monitoring. Advanced Healthcare Materials
“The invasiveness of intracortical interfaces currently used today is responsible for the formation of an intense immunoresponse and inflammatory reaction from neural cells and tissues. this leads to a high concentration of reactive glial cells around the implant site, creating a physical barrier between the neurons and the recording channels. such a rejection of foreign analog interfaces causes neural signals to fade from recordings which become flooded by background noise after a few weeks. despite their invasiveness, those devices are required to track single neuron activity and decode fine sensory or motor commands. in particular, such quantitative and long-lasting recordings of individual neurons are crucial during a long time period (several months) to restore essential functions of the cortex, disrupted after injuries, stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases. to overcome this limitation, graphene and related materials have attracted numerous interests, as they gather in the same material many suitable properties for interfacing living matter, such as an exceptionally high neural affinity, diffusion barrier, and high physical robustness. in this work, the neural affinity of a graphene monolayer with numerous materials commonly used in neuroprostheses is compared, and its impact on the performance and durability of intracortical probes is investigated. for that purpose, an innovative coating method to wrap 3d intracortical probes with a continuous monolayer graphene is developed. experimental evidence demonstrate the positive impact of graphene on the bioacceptance of conventional intracortical probes, in terms of detection efficiency and tissues responses, allowing real-time samplings of motor neuron activity during 5 weeks. since continuous graphene coatings can easily be implemented on a wide range of 3d surfaces, this study further motivates the use of graphene and related materials as it could significantly contribute to reduce the current rejection of neural probes currently used in many research areas, from fundamental neurosciences to medicine and neuroprostheses.”
Liu, X., Lu, Y., & Kuzum, D.. (2018). High-Density Porous Graphene Arrays Enable Detection and Analysis of Propagating Cortical Waves and Spirals. Scientific Reports
“Cortical propagating waves have recently attracted significant attention by the neuroscience community. these travelling waves have been suggested to coordinate different brain areas and play roles in assisting neural plasticity and learning. however, it is extremely challenging to record them with very fine spatial scales over large areas to investigate their effect on neural dynamics or network connectivity changes. in this work, we employ high-density porous graphene microelectrode arrays fabricated using laser pyrolysis on flexible substrates to study the functional network connectivity during cortical propagating waves. the low-impedance porous graphene arrays are used to record cortical potentials during theta oscillations and drug-induced seizures in vivo. spatiotemporal analysis on the neural recordings reveal that theta oscillations and epileptiform activities have distinct characteristics in terms of both synchronization and resulting propagating wave patterns. to investigate the network connectivity during the propagating waves, we perform network analysis. the results show that the propagating waves are consistent with the functional connectivity changes in the neural circuits, suggesting that the underlying network states are reflected by the cortical potential propagation patterns.”
Ye, S., Yang, P., Cheng, K., Zhou, T., Wang, Y., Hou, Z., … Ren, L.. (2016). Drp1-Dependent Mitochondrial Fission Mediates Toxicity of Positively Charged Graphene in Microglia. ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering
“The unique physicochemical properties of graphene and its derivatives enable their application in the diagnostics and therapy of central nervous system (cns) diseases. however, the potential impacts of surface properties of functionalized graphene on microglia remain poorly understood. herein, we used graphene oxides (go), polyethylene glycol (peg)- and polyethylenimine (pei)-functionalized go, which possess different surface charges, to investigate their effects on microglia by focusing on mitochondrial dynamics. the positively charged go-pei was found to promote mitochondrial fission as observed in bv-2 cells with mitochondria labeled by dsred2-mito, indicating that alterations in mitochondrial dynamics depend on the surface properties of graphene. concurrent to mitochondrial fragmentation, treatment with positively charged go-pei induced an increase in mitochondrial recruitment of dynamin-related protein (drp1). additionally, go-pei treatment also led to apoptotic and autophagic cell death. however, drp1 silencing by small interfering rna (sirna) could effectively attenuate go-pei-induced apoptotic and autophagic cell death, indicating that mitochondrial fragmentation occurs upstream of go-pei-mediated toxicity in microglia. overall, our study indicated that positively charged go-pei might cause deleterious influence on the central immune homeostasis by drp1-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation, and provide the strategies for the rational design of graphene-based materials in neuroscience.”
Balch, H. B., McGuire, A. F., Horng, J., Tsai, H. Z., Qi, K. K., Duh, Y. S., … Wang, F.. (2021). Graphene Electric Field Sensor Enables Single Shot Label-Free Imaging of Bioelectric Potentials. Nano Letters
“The measurement of electrical activity across systems of excitable cells underlies current progress in neuroscience, cardiac pharmacology, and neurotechnology. however, bioelectricity spans orders of magnitude in intensity, space, and time, posing substantial technological challenges. the development of methods permitting network-scale recordings with high spatial resolution remains key to studies of electrogenic cells, emergent networks, and bioelectric computation. here, we demonstrate single-shot and label-free imaging of extracellular potentials with high resolution across a wide field-of-view. the critically coupled waveguide-amplified graphene electric field (cage) sensor leverages the field-sensitive optical transitions in graphene to convert electric potentials into the optical regime. as a proof-of-concept, we use the cage sensor to detect native electrical activity from cardiac action potentials with tens-of-microns resolution, simultaneously map the propagation of these potentials at tissue-scale, and monitor their modification by pharmacological agents. this platform is robust, scalable, and compatible with existing microscopy techniques for multimodal correlative imaging.”
Shokoueinejad, M., Park, D. W., Jung, Y. H., Brodnick, S. K., Novello, J., Dingle, A., … Williams, J.. (2019). Progress in the field of micro-electrocorticography. Micromachines
“Since the 1940s electrocorticography (ecog) devices and, more recently, in the last decade, micro-electrocorticography (μecog) cortical electrode arrays were used for a wide set of experimental and clinical applications, such as epilepsy localization and brain-computer interface (bci) technologies. miniaturized implantable μecog devices have the advantage of providing greater-density neural signal acquisition and stimulation capabilities in a minimally invasive fashion. an increased spatial resolution of the μecog array will be useful for greater specificity diagnosis and treatment of neuronal diseases and the advancement of basic neuroscience and bci research. in this review, recent achievements of ecog and μecog are discussed. the electrode configurations and varying material choices used to design μecog arrays are discussed, including advantages and disadvantages of μecog technology compared to electroencephalography (eeg), ecog, and intracortical electrode arrays. electrode materials that are the primary focus include platinum, iridium oxide, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (pedot), indium tin oxide (ito), and graphene. we discuss the biological immune response to μecog devices compared to other electrode array types, the role of μecog in clinical pathology, and brain-computer interface technology. the information presented in this review will be helpful to understand the current status, organize available knowledge, and guide future clinical and research applications of μecog technologies.”
Monaco, A. M., & Giugliano, M.. (2014). Carbon-based smart nanomaterials in biomedicine and neuroengineering. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
“The search for advanced biomimetic materials that are capable of offering a scaffold for biological tissues during regeneration or of electrically connecting artificial devices with cellular structures to restore damaged brain functions is at the forefront of interdisciplinary research in materials science. bioactive nanoparticles for drug delivery, substrates for nerve regeneration and active guidance, as well as supramolecular architectures mimicking the extracellular environment to reduce inflammatory responses in brain implants, are within reach thanks to the advancements in nanotechnology. in particular, carbon-based nanostructured materials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (cnts) and nanodiamonds (nds), have demonstrated to be highly promising materials for designing and fabricating nanoelectrodes and substrates for cell growth, by virtue of their peerless optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. in this review we discuss the state-of-the-art in the applications of nanomaterials in biological and biomedical fields, with a particular emphasis on neuroengineering.”
“Magnetic resonance imaging (mri) compatible neural electrodes are important for combining high-resolution electrophysiological measurements with more global mri mapping of brain activity, which is critical for fundamental neuroscience studies, as well as clinical evaluation and monitoring. copper is a favorable material to use in mri because it has magnetic susceptibility close to water and tissues. however, the cytotoxicity of copper precludes its direct implantation for neural recording. here, we overcome this limitation by developing a graphene encapsulated copper (g-cu) microelectrode. the toxicity of copper is largely eliminated, as evidenced by the in vitro cell tests and in vivo histology studies. local field potentials and single-unit spikes were recorded from rodent brains with the g-cu microelectrodes. notably, the g-cu microelectrodes show no image artifacts in a 7.0 t mri scanner, indicating minimal magnetic field distortion in their vicinity. this high mri compatibility of our g-cu probes would open up new opportunities for fundamental brain activity studies and clinical applications requiring continuous mri and electrophysiological recordings.”
“As a powerful tool for monitoring and modulating neural activities, implantable neural electrodes constitute the basis for a wide range of applications, including fundamental studies of brain circuits and functions, treatment of various neurological diseases, and realization of brain-machine interfaces. however, conventional neural electrodes have the issue of mechanical mismatch with soft neural tissues, which can result in tissue inflammation and gliosis, thus causing degradation of function over chronic implantation. furthermore, implantable neural electrodes, especially depth electrodes, can only carry out limited data sampling within predefined anatomical regions, making it challenging to perform large-area brain mapping. with excellent electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties, carbonbased nanomaterials, including graphene and carbon nanotubes (cnts), have been used as materials of implantable neural electrodes in recent years. electrodes made from graphene and cnt fibers exhibit low electrochemical impedance, benefiting from the porous microstructure of the fibers. this enables a much smaller size of neural electrode. together with the low young’s modulus of the fibers, this small size results in very soft electrodes. soft neural electrodes made from graphene and cnt fibers show a much-reduced inflammatory response and enable stable chronic in vivo action potential recording for 4-5 months. combining different modalities of neural interfacing, including electrophysiological measurement, optical imaging/stimulation, and magnetic resonance imaging (mri), could leverage the spatial and temporal resolution advantages of different techniques, thus providing new insights into how neural circuits process information. transparent neural electrode arrays made from graphene or cnts enable simultaneous calcium imaging through the transparent electrodes, from which concurrent electrical recording is taken, thus providing complementary cellular information in addition to high-temporal-resolution electrical recording. transparent neural electrodes from carbon-based nanomaterials can record well-defined neuronal response signals with negligible light-induced artifacts from cortical surfaces under optogenetic stimulation. graphene and cnt-based materials were used to fabricate mri-compatible neural electrodes with negligible artifacts under high field mri. simultaneous deep brain stimulation (dbs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) with graph…”
Li, G., Yang, J., Yang, W., Wang, F., Wang, Y., Wang, W., & Liu, L.. (2018). Label-free multidimensional information acquisition from optogenetically engineered cells using a graphene transistor. Nanoscale
“The optogenetic technique, which allows the manipulation of cellular activity patterns in space and time by light, has transformed the field of neuroscience. however, acquiring multidimensional optogenetic information remains challenging despite the fact that several cellular information detection methods have been proposed. herein, we present a new method to acquire label-free multidimensional information from optogenetically engineered cells using a graphene transistor. using a graphene film to form a strong densely packed layer with cells, the cellular action potentials were characterized as light-activated transistor conductance signals, which quantified the multidimensional optogenetic information. based on this approach, some important cellular optogenetic information, including electrophysiological state, cell concentration, expression levels of opsin and response to variable light intensity, were also precisely detected. furthermore, the graphene transistor was also used to distinguish cells expressing different channelrhodopsin-2 variants. our study offers a general detection method of multidimensional optogenetic information for extending the applications of the optogenetic technique and provides a novel sensor for the development of future biological prosthetic devices.”
Liu, S., Zhao, Y., Hao, W., Zhang, X. D., & Ming, D.. (2020). Micro- and nanotechnology for neural electrode-tissue interfaces. Biosensors and Bioelectronics
“Implantable neural electrodes can record and regulate neural activities with high spatial resolution of single-neuron and high time resolution of sub-millisecond, which are the most extensive window in neuroscience research. however, the mechanical mismatch between conventional stiff electrodes and soft neural tissue can lead to inflammatory responses and degradation of signals in chronic recordings. although remarkable breakthroughs have been made in sensing and regulation of neural signals, the long-term stability and chronic inflammatory response of the neural electrode-tissue interfaces still needs further development. in this review, we focus on the latest developments for the optimization of neural electrode-tissue interfaces, including electrode materials (graphene fiber-based and cnt fiber-based), electrode structures (flexible electrodes), nano-coatings and hydrogel-based neural interfaces. the parameters of impedance, charge injection limit, signal-to-noise ratio and neuron lost zone are used to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the devices, the recording performance of biosignals and the stability of the neural interfaces, respectively. these optimization methods can effectively improve the long-term stability and the chronic inflammatory response of neural interfaces during the recording and modulation of biosignals.”
Wu, T., Li, Y., Liang, X., Liu, X., & Tang, M.. (2021). Identification of potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in response to graphene quantum dots in microglia by microarray analysis. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
“Along with the increasing application of graphene quantum dots (gqds) in the fields of biomedicine and neuroscience, it is important to assess the probably adverse effects of gqds in the central nervous system (cns) but their underlying toxic mechanisms is still unclear. in this study, we evaluate the molecular mechanisms associated with circular rnas (circrnas) of nitrogen-doped gqds (n-gqds) and amino-functionalized gqds (a-gqds) damaging the cell viability and cellular structure in microglia by an integrative analysis of rna microarray. the differentially expressed circrna (decircrnas)-mirna- differentially expressed mrna (demrnas) regulatory networks were conducted in bv2 microglial cells treated with 25 µg/ml n-gqds, 100 µg/ml n-gqds and 100 µg/ml a-gqds. based on that, the protein-coding genes in each cerna network were collected to do bio-functional analysis to evaluate signaling pathways that were indirectly mediated by circrnas. some pathways that could play indispensable roles in the neurotoxicity of n-gqds or both two kinds of gqds were found. low-dosed n-gqds exposure mainly induced inflammatory action in microglia, while high-dosed n-gqds and a-gqds exposure both affect olfactory transduction and gabaergic synapse. meanwhile, several classical signaling pathways, including mtor, erbb and mapk, could make diverse contributions to the neurotoxicity of both two kinds of gqds. these circrnas could be toxic biomarkers or protective targets in neurotoxicity of gqds. more importantly, they emphasized the necessity of comprehensive analysis of latent molecular mechanisms through epigenetics approaches in biosafety assessment of graphene-based nanomaterials.”
Liu, & Speranza. (2019). Functionalization of Carbon Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications. C — Journal of Carbon Research
“Over the past decade, carbon nanostructures (cnss) have been widely used in a variety of biomedical applications. examples are the use of cnss for drug and protein delivery or in tools to locally dispense nucleic acids to fight tumor affections. cnss were successfully utilized in diagnostics and in noninvasive and highly sensitive imaging devices thanks to their optical properties in the near infrared region. however, biomedical applications require a complete biocompatibility to avoid adverse reactions of the immune system and cnss potentials for biodegradability. water is one of the main constituents of the living matter. unfortunately, one of the disadvantages of cnss is their poor solubility. surface functionalization of cnss is commonly utilized as an efficient solution to both tune the surface wettability of cnss and impart biocompatible properties. grafting functional groups onto the cnss surface consists in bonding the desired chemical species on the carbon nanoparticles via wet or dry processes leading to the formation of a stable interaction. this latter may be of different nature as the van der waals, the electrostatic or the covalent, the π-π interaction, the hydrogen bond etc. depending on the process and on the functional molecule at play. grafting is utilized for multiple purposes including bonding mimetic agents such as polyethylene glycol, drug/protein adsorption, attaching nanostructures to increase the cnss opacity to selected wavelengths or provide magnetic properties. this makes the cnss a very versatile tool for a broad selection of applications as medicinal biochips, new high-performance platforms for magnetic resonance (mr), photothermal therapy, molecular imaging, tissue engineering, and neuroscience. the scope of this work is to highlight up-to-date using of the functionalized carbon materials such as graphene, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, fullerene and nanodiamonds in biomedical applications.”
Guo, C. X., Ng, S. R., Khoo, S. Y., Zheng, X., Chen, P., & Li, C. M.. (2012). RGD-peptide functionalized graphene biomimetic live-cell sensor for real-time detection of nitric oxide molecules. ACS Nano
Crowe, M., Lai, Y., Wang, Y., Lu, J., Zhao, M., Tian, Z., … Diao, J.. (2017). A Proteoliposome Method for Assessing Nanotoxicity on Synaptic Fusion and Membrane Integrity. Small Methods
“Nanoparticles have received significant research interest for potential biomedical applications. before nanomaterials are administered to patients, their biocompatibility should be thoroughly evaluated through in vitro experiments and other preclinical procedures. many studies have sought to assess the toxicity of nanomaterials on synaptic transmission for neuroscience applications. however, it may be hard to perform such experiments because of the difficulty associated with delivering synthesized nanomaterials across cell membranes. here, an in vitro method is demonstrated that mimics neuronal exocytosis, which features protein-reconstituted liposomes for nanotoxicity testing; the effects of graphene oxide and pristine graphene on fusogenic activity and membrane integrity are examined. these results demonstrate the potential of this system as a novel in vitro platform for assessing the biocompatibility of nanomaterials, drug molecules, and other substances.”
Bramini, M., Rocchi, A., Benfenati, F., & Cesca, F.. (2019). Neuronal Cultures and Nanomaterials. In Advances in Neurobiology
“In recent years, the scientific community has witnessed an exponential increase in the use of nanomaterials for biomedical applications. in particular, the interest of graphene and graphene-based materials has rapidly risen in the neuroscience field due to the properties of this material, such as high conductivity, transparency and flexibility. as for any new material that aims to play a role in the biomedical area, a fundamental aspect is the evaluation of its toxicity, which strongly depends on material composition, chemical functionalization and dimensions. furthermore, a wide variety of three-dimensional scaffolds have also started to be exploited as a substrate for tissue engineering. in this application, the topography is probably the most relevant amongst the various properties of the different materials, as it may allow to instruct and interrogate neural networks, as well as to drive neural growth and differentiation. this chapter discusses the in vitro approaches, ranging from microscopy analysis to physiology measurements, to investigate the interaction of graphene with the central nervous system. moreover, the in vitro use of three-dimensional scaffolds is described and commented.”
Govindhan, M., Liu, Z., & Chen, A.. (2016). Design and electrochemical study of platinum-based nanomaterials for sensitive detection of nitric oxide in biomedical applications. Nanomaterials
“The extensive physiological and regulatory roles of nitric oxide (no) have spurred the development of no sensors, which are of critical importance in neuroscience and various medical applications. the development of electrochemical no sensors is of significant importance, and has garnered a tremendous amount of attention due to their high sensitivity and selectivity, rapid response, low cost, miniaturization, and the possibility of real-time monitoring. nanostructured platinum (pt)-based materials have attracted considerable interest regarding their use in the design of electrochemical sensors for the detection of no, due to their unique properties and the potential for new and innovative applications. this review focuses primarily on advances and insights into the utilization of nanostructured pt-based electrode materials, such as nanoporous pt, pt and ptau nanoparticles, ptau nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide (rgo), and ptw nanoparticle/rgo-ionic liquid (il) nanocomposites, for the detection of no. the design, fabrication, characterization, and integration of electrochemical no sensing performance, selectivity, and durability are addressed. the attractive electrochemical properties of pt-based nanomaterials have great potential for increasing the competitiveness of these new sensors and open up new opportunities in the creation of novel no-sensing technologies for biological and medical applications.”
Kostarelos, K., Vincent, M., Hebert, C., & Garrido, J. A.. (2017). Graphene in the Design and Engineering of Next-Generation Neural Interfaces. Advanced Materials
“Neural interfaces are becoming a powerful toolkit for clinical interventions requiring stimulation and/or recording of the electrical activity of the nervous system. active implantable devices offer a promising approach for the treatment of various diseases affecting the central or peripheral nervous systems by electrically stimulating different neuronal structures. all currently used neural interface devices are designed to perform a single function: either record activity or electrically stimulate tissue. because of their electrical and electrochemical performance and their suitability for integration into flexible devices, graphene-based materials constitute a versatile platform that could help address many of the current challenges in neural interface design. here, how graphene and other 2d materials possess an array of properties that can enable enhanced functional capabilities for neural interfaces is illustrated. it is emphasized that the technological challenges are similar for all alternative types of materials used in the engineering of neural interface devices, each offering a unique set of advantages and limitations. graphene and 2d materials can indeed play a commanding role in the efforts toward wider clinical adoption of bioelectronics and electroceuticals.”
Castagnola, E., Garg, R., Rastogi, S. K., Cohen-Karni, T., & Cui, X. T.. (2020). 3D Fuzzy Graphene Microelectrode Array for Neurotransmitter Sensing at Sub-cellular Spatial Resolution. ChemRxiv
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“Dopamine (da) is a monoamine neurotransmitter involved in the modulation of various physiological brain functions, including learning, motivation, reward, and motor functions. the development of a high sensitivity real-time sensor for multi-site detection of da with high spatial resolution has critical implications for both neuroscience and clinical communities to improve understanding and treatments of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. here, we present high-surface area out-of-plane grown three-dimensional (3d) fuzzy graphene (3dfg) microelectrode arrays (meas) for highly selective, sensitive, and stable da electrochemical sensing. 3dfg microelectrodes present a remarkable sensitivity to da (2.87 ± 0.25 na/nm, with lod of 990±15 pm), the highest reported for nanocarbon meas using fast scan cyclic voltammetry (fscv). the high surface area of 3dfg allows for miniaturization of electrode down to 2 x 2 µm2, without compromising the electrochemical performance. moreover, 3dfg meas are electrochemically stable under 7.2 million scans of continuous fscv cycling, present exceptional selectivity over the most common interferents in vitro with minimum fouling by electrochemical byproducts, and can discriminate da and serotonin (5-ht) in response to the injection of their 50:50 mixture. these results highlight the potential of 3dfg meas as a promising platform for fscv based multi-site detection of da with high sensitivity, selectivity, and spatial resolution.”
Pampaloni, N. P., Giugliano, M., Scaini, D., Ballerini, L., & Rauti, R.. (2019). Advances in nano neuroscience: From nanomaterials to nanotools. Frontiers in Neuroscience
“During the last decades, neuroscientists have increasingly exploited a variety of artificial, de-novo synthesized materials with controlled nano-sized features. for instance, a renewed interest in the development of prostheses or neural interfaces was driven by the availability of novel nanomaterials that enabled the fabrication of implantable bioelectronics interfaces with reduced side effects and increased integration with the target biological tissue. the peculiar physical-chemical properties of nanomaterials have also contributed to the engineering of novel imaging devices toward sophisticated experimental settings, to smart fabricated scaffolds and microelectrodes, or other tools ultimately aimed at a better understanding of neural tissue functions. in this review, we focus on nanomaterials and specifically on carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (cnts) and graphene. while these materials raise potential safety concerns, they represent a tremendous technological opportunity for the restoration of neuronal functions. we then describe nanotools such as nanowires and nano-modified mea for high-performance electrophysiological recording and stimulation of neuronal electrical activity. we finally focus on the fabrication of three-dimensional synthetic nanostructures, used as substrates to interface biological cells and tissues in vitro and in vivo.”
Liu, X., Ren, C., Lu, Y., Hattori, R., Shi, Y., Zhao, R., … Kuzum, D.. (2019). Decoding ECoG High Gamma Power from Cellular Calcium Response using Transparent Graphene Microelectrodes. In International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering, NER
“The ecog has been widely used in human brain research, while 2-photon microscopy has been broadly applied to basic neuroscience studies using animal models. bridging the gap between the 2-photon microscopy and the ecog is critical for transferring the vast amount of neuroscience knowledge obtained from animal models to human brain studies. here we develop an lstm recurrent neural network model to decode the ecog high gamma power from the cellular calcium activities obtained by multimodal ecog recordings and 2-photon calcium imaging enabled by transparent graphene microelectrode arrays. in both awake and anesthetized states, our model can successfully decode the stimulus-induced ecog high gamma power increases and its spontaneous fluctuations in the absence of stimulus.”
Lee, J. H., Shin, Y. C., Jin, O. S., Han, D. W., Kang, S. H., Hong, S. W., & Kim, J. M.. (2012). Enhanced neurite outgrowth of PC-12 cells on graphene-monolayer-coated substrates as biomimetic cues. Journal of the Korean Physical Society
Gutruf, P., Good, C. H., & Rogers, J. A.. (2018). Perspective: Implantable optical systems for neuroscience research in behaving animal models—Current approaches and future directions. APL Photonics
“Perspective: biomedical sensing and imaging with optical fibers-innovation through convergence of science disciplines apl photonics 3, 100902 (2018); doi.org/10.1063/1.5040861 invited article: enhanced four-wave mixing in waveguides integrated with graphene oxide apl photonics 3, 120803 (2018); doi.org/10.1063/1.5045509 single crystal diamond micro-disk resonators by focused ion beam milling apl photonics 3, 126101 (2018); doi.”
Geracitano, L. A., Fagan, S. B., & Monserrat, J. M.. (2021). Analysis of global and Latin-American trends in nanotoxicology with a focus on carbon nanomaterials: a scientometric approach. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology
“BACKGROUND: the scientific trends and developments in the field of nanotoxicology were analyzed through a scientometric approach. this study aimed to describe and unravel the main topics on nanomaterials concerning their potential toxicity. it was generated four databases: two for global nanotoxicological papers (ds1 and ds2) and two with a latin-american focus (la1 and la2). ds2 and la2 databases were constructed with studies dealing with the toxic effects of carbon nanomaterials. scientometric analyses were performed using citespace software. the following items were evaluated: frequencies, burst, centrality for co-citations of web of science categories, keywords, references, authors, and countries. results: global analysis resulted in a total of 29 798 papers for ds1 and 3835 for ds2. latin-american papers resulted in 1397 articles for la1 and 148 for la2. scientometric analyses indicated a specialization of the topics covered over time, ranging from general categories (such as chemistry) to more specialized ones (such as genetics or neurosciences). nano-silver prevailed in the nanotoxicological studies and graphene dominated in the field of carbon nanomaterials. in the last 5 years, a prominent growth has been observed in the number of studies that focus on the potential impact of nanomaterials on the environment. conclusion: the research efforts in nanotoxicology have been mainly concentrated on assays that use nano-silver; meanwhile, in carbon nanomaterials, the focus has been concentrated on toxicological tests with graphene. overall, we stress the importance of nanotoxicology as a strategy to obtain scientific information that can aid in the environmental sustainability of nanotechnologies.”
Abbasi, R.. (2018). Interpretable Machine Learning with Applications in Neuroscience. UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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“This thesis is divided into two parts. in part i, we examine the properties of thin sheets of carbon and boron nitride. we begin with an introduction to the theory of elastic sheets, where the stretching and bending modes are considered in detail. the coupling between stretching and bending modes is thought to play a crucial role in the thermodynamic stability of atomically-thin 2d sheets such as graphene.”
Wang, L., Jiang, T., Song, Y., Shi, W., & Cai, X.. (2014). Dopamine detection using a patch-clamp system on a planar microeletrode array electrodeposited by polypyrrole/graphene nanocomposites. Science China Technological Sciences
Golparvar, A. J., & Yapici, M. K.. (2018). Graphene-coated wearable textiles for EOG-based human-computer interaction. In 2018 IEEE 15th International Conference on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks, BSN 2018
“Electrooculography (eog) is a well-known approach to analyze eye movement features. applications of eog can be found in various areas including medical diagnosis, neurosciences, control systems, sensors and interfaces for human-computer interaction (hci). however, standard gel-based electrodes limit wearability and portability which hinder the development of long-term eog monitoring applications. to overcome these limitations, we have employed graphene-coated fabric electrodes as suitable alternatives for the currently used silver/silver chloride (ag/agcl) ‘wet’ electrodes. proof of the concept is provided by side by side comparison of conventional electrodes and fabric electrodes in automatic blink detection with sequential multi-step thresholding algorithm. additionally, the eog biopotentials are converted into real-time digital signals which could be used as clock signals to facilitate the development of hci applications.”
Govindhan, M., & Chen, A.. (2016). Enhanced electrochemical sensing of nitric oxide using a nanocomposite consisting of platinum-tungsten nanoparticles, reduced graphene oxide and an ionic liquid. Microchimica Acta
“We describe a high-performance nitric oxide (no) sensor by using a nanocomposite consisting of platinum-tungsten alloy nanoparticles, sheets of reduced graphene oxide and an ionic liquid (ptw/rgo-il) that was deposited onto the surface of a glassy carbon (gc) electrode. the modified gc electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of no with a strong peak at 0.78 v vs. ag/agcl due to the synergistic effects of bimetallic ptw nanoparticles, reduced graphene oxide nanosheets and an ionic liquid. the sensor possesses a detection limit as low as 0.13 nm, high sensitivity (3.01 μa μm−1 cm2), and good selectivity over electroactive interferents that may exist in biological systems. the sensor was tested to selectively distinguish no in actual human serum and urine samples, confirming potential practical applications. in our perception, the approach described here may be extended to the fabrication of various kind of composites made from metal nanostructures, graphene and ionic liquids for medical and environmental analysis. [figure not available: see fulltext.]”
Monaco, A. M., & Giugliano, M.. (2015). Correction to Carbon-based smart nanomaterials in biomedicine and neuroengineering [Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 5, (2014) 1849-1863] doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.196. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
Vázquez-Guardado, A., Yang, Y., Bandodkar, A. J., & Rogers, J. A.. (2021). Author Correction: Recent advances in neurotechnologies with broad potential for neuroscience research (Nature Neuroscience, (2020), 23, 12, (1522-1536), 10.1038/s41593-020-00739-8). Nature Neuroscience
“In the version of this article initially published, errors occurred in the text and fig. 2 legend. in the paragraph beginning ‘advances in materials science are essential attempts…’ the platinum–silicone composites should have been described as ‘300 µm electrode diameter, 35 nm thickness, 1.4 ocm2 impedance, 57 µc/cm2 cics.’ in the paragraph beginning ‘microand nanofabrication techniques …’ the array of 360 recording sites for fast addressing should have been described as having sampling rates of ~277 hz. in the paragraph beginning ‘another area of progress …’ single- or few-layer sheets of graphene should have been described as having impedances of 1.6 ocm2 and 91 ocm2, respectively, while structures defined by colloidal sphere lithography and traditional photolithography should have been described as having impedances of 1.63 ocm2 and 0.14 oµm2, respectively. in the paragraph beginning ‘incorporating lenses and imaging …’ the phrase ‘at high sampling rates (16 hz) and fine resolution (~15 µm)’ should have cited ref. 74. in the fig. 2 legend, panel f should read ‘flexible array of 360 gold electrodes (300 × 300 µm2, spaced by 500 µm) supported by a backplane of active matrix electronics on a thin (25 µm) polyimide substrate for micro-electrocorticography (10 × 9 mm2) from the auditory cortex at a density of 400 electrodes cm–2.’ the references for panels g and h were swapped; they should read ‘g, ref. 34, springer nature; h, ref. 29, aaas.’ the errors have been corrected in the pdf and html versions of this article.”
Nasri, B., Wu, T., Alharbi, A., Gupta, M., Ranjitkumar, R., Sebastian, S., … Shahrjerdi, D.. (2017). Heterogeneous integrated CMOS-graphene sensor array for dopamine detection. In Digest of Technical Papers – IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference
“Understanding dopamine (da) signaling in the brain is essential for advancing our knowledge of pathological disorders such as drug addiction, parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia. currently, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (fscv) with carbon microfiber (cmf) electrodes is the method of choice in neuroscience labs for monitoring the concentration of phasic (transient) da release. this method offers sub-second temporal resolution and high specificity because the signal of interest occurs at a known potential. however, existing cmf electrodes are bulky, limiting the spatial resolution to single-site measurements. further, they are produced through manual processes (e.g. cutting cmfs under optical microscope), thus introducing significant device variability [1]. lastly, when long probes (3-to-5cm) are used to monitor da release in deep brain structures of large animals, environmental noise severely diminishes the detection limit [1]. to address these problems, we combine advances in nanofabrication with silicon chip manufacturing to create a heterogeneous integrated cmos-graphene sensor for accurate measurement of da with high spatiotemporal resolution (fig. 15.7.1).”
Tasnim, N.. (2018). An Integrated Study Towards Curing Neurodegenerative Disorders Using Materials Science and Stem Cell-based Tissue Engineering Approaches. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
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“Neurodegenerative diseases affect around one billion people globally that are characterized by irreversible degeneration of brain tissues. these diseases cause serious effects on patients degrading their brain functions and causing enormous physical and mental health issues. parkinson’s disease (pd) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions of people worldwide which results from loss of dopaminergic (da) neurons in the mid-brain. unfortunately, no medical treatment is effective to date for these significant brain disorders, except some symptomatic therapies only focusing on improving the quality of patient’s life. two current approaches hold great promise in targeting pd as well as other neurodegenerative diseases, by surgically implanting electrodes for deep brain stimulation (dbs) and transplanting healthy neuronal cells at the site of tissue loss, due to disease in the brain. however, cells for transplantation need to be delivered via a scaffold. nerve regeneration in a scaffold of appropriate biomaterial is of great importance while being implanted inside the animal body for further clinical applications. in this dissertation, both approaches for treating pd were incorporated by in vitro studies using surface-engineering and tissue-engineering techniques. for the first approach, graphene oxide (go) coatings on commercially available 316l stainless steel (ss) surfaces was done to reduce the neurotoxicity of ss and modified surfaces showed hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, cell proliferation, and decreased reactive oxygen species (ros) expression with shsy-5y neuroblastoma cell lines. transplantation of stem cells in vivo is another approach for reducing the progression of pd by reversing the loss of affected da neurons. so, our second approach included differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into da neurons using sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, while they were cultured within collagen coated three-dimensional (3d) graphene foams. 3d multilayer graphene scaffold could mimic the actual brain tissue environment and more closely exhibit morphologies, functions and other necessary characteristics compared to 2d culture on tissue culture plastic. the graphene-based scaffolds were not cytotoxic as cells seemed to retain viability and proliferated substantially during in vitro culture. these results suggest the utility of graphene-based mater…”
Rastogi, S. K., & Cohen-Karni, T.. (2019). Nanoelectronics for neuroscience. In Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering
“Characterizing the electrical activity between neuronal cells is crucial in understanding the complex processes in the brain, both in healthy and diseased tissue. neural interface technology that enables recording of the neuronal electrical activity as well as stimulation of the neurons has attracted great attention for both experimental and clinical applications. in this article, we discuss the fundamentals of the bioelectrical signals recording, and the advancements in the field of nano-bioelectronics, that is, the different kinds of materials and designs used to improve the cellular-device interface to enable recording and stimulation of the neuronal cells. furthermore, we discuss the development of synthetic biomaterials that enable fusion of electronics and bioactive scaffolds which are essential to regenerative engineering. we also discuss the technical and scientific challenges associated with these technologies, and the future prospects and opportunities.”
Salazar, P., Martín, M., Ford, R., O’Neill, R. D., & González-Mora, J. L.. (2018). Neurotransmitter microsensors for neuroscience. In Encyclopedia of Interfacial Chemistry: Surface Science and Electrochemistry
“Brain communication is mediated by exocytosis release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. over the last four decades researchers have explored diverse electrochemical techniques for sensing different oxidizable catecholamines such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine and their metabolites in individual cells, culture cells, and in in vivo applications. nowadays, carbon fiber microelectrodes are still the gold standard in neurochemical and neurophysiological studies although new materials, such as carbon nanotubes, polymers, graphene, and nanoparticles, have been introduced to improve their sensitivity, selectivity, and long-term stability. this article reviews the main issues involved in the design and application of such electrochemical microsensors for in vivo monitoring of key electroactive neurotransmitters.”
“This chapter provides an overview of the features and application of emerging nanomaterials and miniaturized electronic circuits for in vitro neuroscience research. innovative detection methods and sensors based on nanomaterials offer unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution to elucidate patterns of neuronal firings less invasively and with better signal-to-noise ratio. the chapter begins with a brief discussion of nanoparticles and quantum dots{,} and their application in sensor technology. incorporation of one-dimensional nanostructures in cell cultures can be used to induce superior and directed neuronal adhesion and growth. possibilities for the use of nanowires as probes{,} nanoelectrodes{,} optical enhancers and electrical detectors are explored and the use of the amazing two-dimensional nanostructure graphene in the field of neuroscience is examined{,} including some of the challenges with incorporating graphene in sensing field effect transistors for detection of neural cells activity. example applications of nanotechnologies in neuroscience{,} ranging from sensing of structural deformation of cells to stimulation of neuroregeneration{,} are described. the chapter concludes with a perspective on the challenges and developments anticipated with the application of nanotechnologies in neuroscience.”
Liu, X., Lu, Y., & Kuzum, D.. (2018). Investigation of Propagating Cortical Waves and Spirals Recorded by High Density Porous Graphene Arrays. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
“Propagating waves along the cortical surface have recently attracted significant attention by the neuroscience community. however, whether these propagating waves imply network connectivity changes for the neural circuits is not known. in this work, we employ a high density porous graphene microelectrode array and perform in vivo experiments with rodents to investigate network connectivity during cortical propagating waves. the spatial-temporal analysis of the cortical recordings reveals various types of propagating waves across the recording area. network analysis results show that these propagating waves are consistent with the functional connectivity changes in the neural circuits, suggesting that the underlying network states are reflected by the cortical potential propagation patterns.”
Du, L., Hu, L., & Wu, C.. (2016). Micro/nano neuronal network cell biosensors. In Micro/Nano Cell and Molecular Sensors
“Neuronal network cell biosensors were developed by coupling the neuronal network with multisite detection devices. in this chapter, we will mainly focus on three major issues, including the patterned growth of neuronal networks, principles of various detection devices, and the application of neuronal network-based biosensors in the field of neuroscience and biomedicine. in the culture of neuronal networks, several neuronal patterning techniques will be discussed in detail, such as photolithography, micro-contact printing, microfluidics, etc. the transfection methods were employed in the bioengineering of neuronal networks in order to modify the function of neuronal network. in the field of neuronal network-based biosensor, there are two kinds of multisite detection devices: microelectrode array (mea) and field-effect transistor (fet). the basic working principle of fet and its advantages will be presented. based on this knowledge, two other emerging fetsutilized nanomaterials (graphene fet and nanowire fet) will also be introduced. at the end, some examples of neuronal network-based biosensors will be presented by discussing their application in the neuroscience research and drug detection.”
“Tubular microactuators (tmas) fabricated by photodeformable liquid crystal polymers (lcps) pave a significant way for smart microfluidic applications with contactless, spatial, and precise manipulation of liquids. to realize liquid transportation in these tmas, lcps should have excellent photodeformation property and suitable mechanical properties. herein, linear liquid crystal polymers (llcps) with different mesogen orientations are used to prepare tmas to study their liquid transportation behaviors. the mesogen orientation in each llcp is formed spontaneously and varies with the spacer length, leading to different deformations of llcp films. it is found that only llcps with mesogens oriented out-of-plane realize self-support of the tmas, whereas the tmas with mesogens oriented in-plane are so weak that they collapse in the radial direction, indicating the importance of mesogen orientation in fabricating three-dimensional structures. upon attenuated 470?nm light irradiation, the tmas deform to an asymmetric conical structure, leading to the motion of liquid slug toward the narrow side. the liquid motion is accelerated in the tma with longer spacer, showing the control of liquid speed by the mesogen orientation. these photocontrolled tmas are expected to be applied in biological applications, such as whole blood analysis and flow cytometry, for precise liquid manipulation.”
Tian, K., Yang, S., Niu, J., & Wang, H.. (2021). Enhanced Thermal Conductivity and Mechanical Toughness of the Epoxy Resin by Incorporation of Mesogens without Nanofillers. IEEE Access
“Epoxy resin is widely used due to its electrical insulation performances, but low elongation defects at the break, low thermal conductivity, and high brittleness limit its application scenarios. in this paper, the mesogen is utilized to improve the thermal conductivity and mechanical toughness of the traditional epoxy resin. both the mechanical performances, including the impact strength, tensile strength, the bending strength, and the thermal behaviors, including the thermal conductivity, are investigated. results show that with the biphenyl liquid crystal epoxy resin(blcer) content of 10%, the impacting strength, tensile strength, and bending strength are increased by 71%, 21%, and 11%, respectively. the thermal conductivity of the composites increases to 2.26 times that of pure epoxy resin. both the enhanced mechanical and thermal performance of the epoxy resin by the mesogen incorporation are further investigated. it is indicated that the mesogen in the biphenyl liquid crystal epoxy resin significantly improve both the mechanical toughness and thermal conductivity of the epoxy resin by the formation of the micro-crack behavior and the thermal conductive networks, respectively. with the aids of the mesogen, the improved variety of properties in epoxy resin without reducing its original performance is attractive in the industry application with great demand in the balance of the comprehensive performances.”
Wang, L., Zhang, Y., Zhan, C., You, Y., Zhang, H., Ma, J., … Wei, R.. (2019). Synthesis and photoinduced anisotropy of polymers containing nunchaku-like unit with an azobenzene and a mesogen. Polymers
“A series of polymers containing nunchaku-like unit with an azo chromophore and a mesogen group was successfully prepared and photoinduced anisotropy of the obtained polymers was minutely investigated. firstly, monomers containing nunchaku-like unit with an azo chromophore and a mesogen group linked by flexible group were synthesized. the structure of the monomers was confirmed via nmr cosy spectra. subsequently, the obtained monomers were polymerized into corresponding polymers through raft polymerization. the prepared polymer samples were characterized through nmr, ftir, gel permeation chromatography (gpc), and uv-vis testing while the thermal properties of the samples were investigated through differential scanning calorimeter (dsc) and thermogravimetric analysis (tga) measurements. the photoinduced isomerization of the polymers, which was researched in situ via measuring uv-vis spectra of the polymer solutions and spin-coated films under irradiation with 450 nm light or putting in darkness, demonstrated the rapid trans-cis-trans isomerization of the polymers. when irradiated with a linearly polarized light, significant photoinduced birefringence and dichroism were observed, suggesting photoinduced isomerization of azobenzene can drive orientation of mesogen in the system. this study blazes a way to design the optical materials with light-controllable birefringence and dichroism.”
Liu, C., Ding, W., Liu, Y., Zhao, H., & Cheng, X.. (2020). Self-assembled star-shaped aza-BODIPY mesogen affords white-light emission. New Journal of Chemistry
“A novel multifunctional star-shaped aza-bodipy mesogen was synthesized by a click reaction. this star-shaped aza-bodipy mesogen undergoes self-assembly into a hexagonal columnar phase in its bulk state and spherical gels in organic solvents. based on the investigation of the absorption and emission spectra and surface morphologies, j-aggregates are observed in their liquid crystalline (lc), gel and solid states, while h-aggregates are observed in n-hexane solution. additionally, this star-shaped aza-bodipy mesogen acts as a chemosensor toward cn- ions via a nucleophilic addition reaction, and the corresponding addition product can yield white light emission (wle) upon doping with blue dye. this star-shaped aza-bodipy mesogen is represented as the first example of an aza-bodipy derivative with lc, organogel and white light emission properties.”
Kawano, S. I., Kato, M., Soumiya, S., Nakaya, M., Onoe, J., & Tanaka, K.. (2018). Columnar Liquid Crystals from a Giant Macrocycle Mesogen. Angewandte Chemie – International Edition
“Columnar liquid crystals composed of a giant macrocyclic mesogen were prepared. the giant macrocyclic mesogen has a square hollow with a 2.5 nm diagonal, which was bounded by diindolo[3,2-b:2′,3′-h]carbazole (diindolocarbazole) moieties as the edges and bis(salicylidene)-o-phenylenediamine (salphen) moieties as the corners. the shape and size of the macrocycle were directly observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (stm). each side of the bright square in the stm image corresponds to a diindolocarbazole moiety, and the length of the sides was consistent with the result of the single crystal analysis of diindolocarbazole. finally, we successfully obtained a giant macrocycle with long and branched side chains, which exhibited a rectangular columnar lc phase over a wide temperature range. to the best of our knowledge, it contained the largest discrete inner space of any thermotropic columnar liquid crystal composed of macrocyclic mesogens.”
He, R., Wen, P., Ye, Y., Oh, E., Kang, S. W., Lee, S. H., & Lee, M. H.. (2020). Bulk-mediated in-situ homogeneous photoalignment induced by reactive mesogen containing diphenylacetylene moiety. Liquid Crystals
“We designed and synthesised a reactive mesogen containing diphenylacetylene moiety in the mesogenic core and two polymerisable acrylate groups at both ends. by irradiating linearly polarised uv light on the conventional host lc mixture containing a small amount of the synthesised reactive mesogen in a sandwiched cell without an alignment layer, we demonstrated an in-situ photo-induced homogeneous alignment of liquid crystals without a pre-treated alignment layer, which was achieved by an irreversible polarisation-selective [2 + 2] photodimerization of diphenylacetylene moiety with linearly polarised uv irradiation at above the isotropic temperature of lc mixture. the resulting homogeneous alignment showed a superior initial dark state, negligible pretilt angle and excellent stabilities. furthermore, the in-plane switching (ips) lc cell prepared by this method exhibited a better dark state and electro-optic performance compared to that with conventional-rubbed polyimide alignment layer. the single photoirradiation process automatically resulted in a perfect alignment matching of optical axes between the top and bottom substrates in the lc cell, giving rise to an excellent dark state overcoming an intrinsic misalignment issue and complex fabrication process. the proposed in-situ alignment method is a promising candidate for cost-effective, green-manufacturing, and high-quality alignment technique in the manufacturing of high-resolution liquid crystal displays.”
Kwok, M. H., Bohannon, C. A., Crooks, J. L., Li, R., Zhao, B., & Zhu, L.. (2020). Grafting density-induced smectic A to hexagonal columnar transition in mesogen-free isotactic liquid crystalline polyethers with n-dodecylsulfonyl side groups. Giant
“Highly dipolar mesogen-free liquid crystalline polymers are excellent candidates for achieving large spontaneous polarization under relatively low electric fields for advanced electrical and optical applications. in this report, the effect of grafting density of n-dodecylsulfonyl side chains on the mesogen-free liquid crystalline self-assembly of comb-like isotactic poly(oxypropylene) was studied. when the grafting density was 80–100%, a stable 21 helical chain conformation was induced by the strong dipole-dipole interactions among the sulfonyl groups in the side chains. consequently, a smectic a self-assembly was induced. when the grafting density decreased to 60–80%, a poor and possibly imbalanced 21 helical chain conformation was formed due to the frequent absence of the n-dodecylsulfonyl side chains along the main chain. as a result, a hexagonal columnar self-assembly was realized. this study demonstrated that a delicate interplay between the molecular defects and dipole-dipole interactions can lead to different self-assembly structures.”
Pan, H., Xiao, A., Zhang, W., Luo, L., Shen, Z., & Fan, X.. (2019). Hierarchical nanostructures of a liquid crystalline block copolymer with a hydrogen-bonded calamitic mesogen. Polymer
“With a pyridine derivative containing a calamitic mesogen 4-((6-((4’-((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)oxy)hexyl)oxy)pyridine (hebc6) used as the hydrogen-bonding acceptor and polydimethylsiloxane-b-poly(2,5-bis(4-carboxy phenyl)styrene) (pdms-b-pm3h) as the hydrogen-bonding donor, a series of supramolecular liquid crystalline block copolymers (slcbcps) were prepared through hydrogen bonding. in the supramolecular block, the calamitic mesogen was decoupled from the motion of pm3h chains by using a flexible spacer. different microphase-separated nanostructures and liquid crystalline (lc) structures were obtained by varying the degree of polymerization of the pm3h block and the molar ratio of hebc6 to pdms-b-pm3h. the slcbcps can self-assemble into hexagonally packed cylinders (hex), lamellae (lam), and inverted hex. smectic a phase and parallel packing of the calamitic mesogens were also observed on a smaller length scale, and these two ordered structures are synergistic and promotional. therefore, hierarchically ordered structures can be obtained from these slcbcps.”
Wang, M., Bao, W. W., Chang, W. Y., Chen, X. M., Lin, B. P., Yang, H., & Chen, E. Q.. (2019). Poly[(side-on mesogen)-Alt-(end-on mesogen)]: A compromised molecular arrangement. Macromolecules
Keerthiga, R., Kaliyappan, T., & Kannan, P.. (2019). Studies on twist bent core zinc (II) methacrylate supramolecular columnar hexagonal phase mesogen derived from azobenzene moiety and its photo luminescent behaviours. Inorganic Chemistry Communications
“A class of zn(ii) polymethacrylate mesogen was tailored with photoluminescent property as well as high thermal stability by wrapping the zn(ii) metal in polymethacrylate mesogenic core. the versatile thermal stability of the mesophase was accounted by long chain terminal alkoxy groups and jacketed zn(ii) metal core. the extended stable mesophase with rise in temperature was achieved by excellent coordination between the supramolecular ligand with that of metal core. the schiff base was prepared by treating (1-bromo (4-dodecyloxy azobenzene)) with octadecyl amine in ethanolic medium. the schiff base obtained was polymerised with methacrylic acid (ma) in presence of aibn as free radical initiator. the supramolecular mesogenic ligand (pma-l) was further complexed with zn(ii) acetate in 1:1 m ratio. the zn(ii) supramolecular mesogen was extensively characterized by 1h nmr, 13c nmr and ft-ir. the mesomorphic behaviour was studied by xrd diffractogram, dsc, pom. the zn(ii) supramolecular exhibits columnar phase transition due the molecular stacking in disc shape. the disc shape mesophase of the zn(ii) supramolecular mesogen was achieved by sandwich pattern of metal core between two organic ligands arrangement. the photo physical character of the zn(ii)polymeric mesogen was studied by absorption and fluorescence spectral method.”
He, R., Oh, E., Ye, Y., Wen, P., Jeong, K. U., Lee, S. H., … Lee, M. H.. (2019). Fabrication of highly efficient coatable polarizer from tolane-based smectic reactive mesogen. Polymer
“This work is aimed to fabricate ultra-thin coatable polarizers on a single substrate based on ‘host-guest’ effect between highly ordered smectic reactive mesogen (rm) and dichroic dye. we designed and synthesized a new tolane-based rm with a highly ordered smectic a phase at room temperature. polymerizable ‘host-guest’ mixture was formulated from the host rm, dichroic dye and additives, then spin-coated on a single substrate having an alignment layer. subsequent in-situ photopolymerization by uv irradiation successfully resulted in a coatable polarizer with good polarizing properties. the fabricated coatable polarizer showed a dichroic ratio (dr) of 16.4 and a degree of polarization (dop) of 99.3% with the thickness of 4 μm. the resulting coatable polarizer possessed a considerable solvent resistance, good thermal stability and robust mechanical properties. moreover, we prepared a tn-mode lc cell by using the prepared coatable polarizers inside the cell (in-cell), in which the coatable polarizers acted as a polarizer and an alignment layer, simultaneously. the resulting tn cell with in-cell polarizers exhibited a decent electro-optical behavior. we believe that the coatable polarizer proposed in this study possesses practical application potential in ultra-thin lcds or flexible oleds.”
Lyu, X. L., Pan, H. B., Shen, Z. H., & Fan, X. H.. (2018). Self-assembly and Properties of Block Copolymers Containing Mesogen-Jacketed Liquid Crystalline Polymers as Rod Blocks. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science (English Edition)
“Mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymer (mjlcp) has attracted great attention because of its rigid conformation, facile synthesis, and structural controllability. in this feature article, the self-assembly of mjlcp-based block copolymers (bcps) is briefly reviewed, especially the nanostructures of rod-coil diblock copolymers (dibcps), rod-rod dibcps, and triblock copolymers. in addition, the properties of the self-assembled bcps are also summarized, including their applications as liquid crystalline thermoplastic elastomers and solid polymer electrolytes. the article also discusses the major challenges and future directions in the study of mjlcp-based bcps.”
Lee, M., Bae, J. W., Kim, A., Yun, H. S., & Song, K.. (2015). Alignments of reactive mesogen using rubbed glass substrates. Polymer (Korea)
“Alignments of photo-reactive mesogen were induced using bare glass substrates without a polymer alignment layer. it was found by using polarized ftir spectroscopy, polarized microscopy, and birefringence measurement experiments that the reactive mesogen could be aligned along the rubbing direction although the glass substrate without an alignment layer was used. the induction mechanism of the rubbed bare glass is ascribed to that polymers from rubbing clothes are coated on the glass substrate along the rubbing direction and lead the alignment of liquid crystals through intermolecular interactions.”
Kamarudin, M. A., Khan, A. A., Williams, C., Rughoobur, G., Said, S. M., Nosheen, S., … Wilkinson, T. D.. (2016). Self-assembled liquid crystalline nanotemplates and their incorporation in dye-sensitised solar cells. Electrochimica Acta
“Liquid junction dye-sensitised solar cells (dsscs) suffer from solvent evaporation and leakage which limit their large-scale production. here, we have prepared dssc using a simple and cheap fabrication process with improved photovoltaic parameters and stability. a binary mixture of smectic a (sma) and nematic liquid crystal (nlc) was used to provide a self-assembled template for a polymerisable reactive mesogen lc. the layered structure of sma combined with a low viscosity nlc forms a polygonal structure that provides an ordered and continuous template for reactive mesogens. once the reactive mesogen is polymerised under uv light, the sma:nlc mixture is washed away, resulting in a polymer network template containing nanochannels. we demonstrate the incorporation of these templates into dsscs and find that dsscs containing these nanochannels show improved open-circuit voltage (voc) (0.705 v) and short-circuit current (jsc) (13.25 ma cm−2) compared to that of the liquid electrolyte (voc = 0.694 v and jsc = 10.46 ma cm−2). the highest obtained power conversion efficiency with sm-pe was 5.94% which is higher than that of the reference solar cell (5.51%). these can be attributed to the improved ionic conductivity and ionic diffusion of sm-pe where the presence of the nanochannels aided the ionic conduction in the polymer electrolyte. in addition, it is hypothesized that the light scattering effect of the polymerised reactive mesogen also contributed to the improved performance of the photovoltaic devices. this finding is important because it is known fact that when a polymer is added to liquid electrolyte, the ionic conductivity will decrease although the stability is improved.”
Yeom, Y. S., Cho, K. Y., Seo, H. Y., Lee, J. S., Im, D. H., Nam, C. Y., & Yoon, H. G.. (2020). Unprecedentedly high thermal conductivity of carbon/epoxy composites derived from parameter optimization studies. Composites Science and Technology
“Efficient removal of heat accumulation from electronic devices has been considered an important issue because it is prone to induce reduced lifetime, heat shock, ignition, and malfunction during their operation. to that end, optimized epoxy composites, which are fabricated by dispersing a mesogen-containing polymer compatibilizer (bpib)-applied multi-layered graphene nanoplate (mgnp) filler into a mesogen-containing epoxy (dgebp) matrix (bpib-mgnp/epoxy), are designed toward high thermal conductivity at the low filler loading content. various effects on its thermal conductivity, including size, thickness, and dispersion of fillers along with the crystalline property of epoxy, are systematically investigated by comparing with their intermediate counterpart materials. the extended micromechanics model, which was modified using a power law from its initial one, was employed to address the filler size effects on its thermal conductivity as well as an exponential increase of thermal conductivity with increasing filler loading content. thickness effects of carbon fillers are examined by comparing gnp/epoxy composites with single-layered graphene filler-based epoxy composites. the effects of dispersion properties of the fillers in the epoxy composites are also investigated using the theory prediction plot based on the extended micromechanics model. the comparison between experimental and theoretical prediction led us to study crystalline properties of the bpib-mgnp/epoxy composites because it was unexpected and beyond the theoretical traces. an ashby plot is prepared to evaluate the state of our results by comparing them with the reported state-of-the-art composite performances.”
Palani, T., Saravanan, C., & Kannan, P.. (2011). Pendant triazole ring assisted mesogen containing side chain liquid crystalline polymethacrylates: Synthesis and characterization. Journal of Chemical Sciences
Lugger, J. A. M., Mulder, D. J., Bhattacharjee, S., & Sijbesma, R. P.. (2018). Homeotropic Self-Alignment of Discotic Liquid Crystals for Nanoporous Polymer Films. ACS Nano
“Nanostructured polymer films with continuous, membrane-spanning pores from polymerizable hexagonal columnar discotic liquid crystals (lcs) were fabricated. a robust alignment method was developed to obtain homeotropic alignment of columns between glass surfaces by adding a small amount of a tri(ethylene glycol) modified analogue of the mesogen as a dopant that preferentially wets glass. the homeotropic lc alignment was fixated via a photoinitiated free radical copolymerization of a high-temperature tolerant trisallyl mesogen with a divinyl ester. removal of the hydrogen-bonded template from the aligned columns afforded a nanoporous network with pores of nearly 1 nm in diameter perpendicular to the surface, and without noticeable collapse of the nanopores. the effect of pore orientation was demonstrated by an adsorption experiment in which homeotropic film showed a threefold increase in the initial uptake rate of methylene blue compared to planarly aligned films.”
Baliyan, V. K., Lee, B., & Song, J. K.. (2020). Quantum Dot Arrays Fabricated Using in Situ Photopolymerization of a Reactive Mesogen and Dielectrophoresis. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
“Dielectrophoresis (dep) is an excellent tool for manipulating small particles within a liquid or gas medium. however, when the size of the particles is too small, such as with quantum dots (qds), it is difficult to manipulate the particles using dep because the dielectrophoretic force (fdep) depends on the volume of the particles and is therefore too weak to achieve particle migration. herein, we demonstrate a novel method for controlling nanoscale qd particles using dep by introducing photopolymerized reactive mesogen (rm) bead vehicles. the size of an rm bead is well-controlled by the rm concentration in the medium, and when the size is approximately 0.2 μm or larger, the rm beads can be arbitrarily manipulated using dep under moderate electric fields. interestingly, during photopolymerization, qd particles are easily absorbed by polymerized rm beads and most of the qds are embedded within the rm beads. hence, we can fabricate periodic qd arrays by manipulating the rm beads containing such dots. in addition, we can fabricate multicolor qd arrays by repeating the processes using different qd particles. the shape of a dep-assisted qd-rm network pattern can be precisely predicted by calculating the gradient of the square of the electric field (σe2) and the corresponding fdep. this new technology may be useful for the fabrication of optical devices, displays, photonic crystal devices, and bioapplications.”
Ndaya, D., Bosire, R., Vaidya, S., & Kasi, R. M.. (2020). Molecular engineering of stimuli-responsive, functional, side-chain liquid crystalline copolymers: Synthesis, properties and applications. Polymer Chemistry
“This review describes the recent progress made in designing stimuli-responsive, functional, side-chain, end-on mesogen attached liquid crystalline polymers (lcps). developments in synthetic methodologies including controlled and living techniques provide an easy access to well-defined liquid crystalline polymers. for example, the synthesis of linear liquid crystalline block copolymers (lcbcps), block copolymers with a linear, coil-coil, non-lc block and an end-on mesogen attached lc block, provides a route to polymers with morphology and properties akin to conventional block copolymers. however, synthesis of topologically branched lcbcps with a branched coil-coil non-liquid lc block and an end-on mesogen attached lc block is used to manipulate the phase behavior, morphology and alignment kinetics of the resultant polymer. furthermore, synthesis of branched liquid crystalline random copolymers wherein the branched coil-coil non lc unit and end-on mesogen lc unit are statistically distributed results in never-before-seen helical and curved interfaces with new and enhanced properties. finally, synthetic strategies to incorporate organic dye molecules into a variety of liquid crystalline polymer frameworks produce new optically active and adaptive soft materials. in the outlook section, the need for topologically diverse synthetic and naturally derived liquid crystalline polymer architectures along with processing tools and field directed assemblies to produce functional materials and their applications are discussed. this journal is”
Ishinabe, T., Isa, H., Shibata, Y., & Fujikake, H.. (2021). Flexible polymer network liquid crystals using imprinted spacers bonded by UV-curable reactive mesogen for smart window applications. Journal of Information Display
“We propose junction-type, vertically aligned polymer network liquid crystals using plastic substrates for flexible smart windows, in which the spacers are formed with the imprinting method and are bonded to the substrate surface by uv-curable reactive mesogen (rm). we clarified that the optical property can be improved by suppressing the aggregation of rms around the spacers through thinning of the coating of the rm and the simultaneous improvement of the wettability of the parallel alignment film. we achieved excellent haze properties of 3.0% with voltage off and 92.7% with voltage on, and high curvature performance with a small curvature radius of 9.0 mm.”
Yu, E. S., Kim, S. U., Suh, J. H., Kim, J., Na, J. H., & Lee, S. D.. (2016). The domain mixing effect on the electro-optical properties of liquid crystals using polyimide doped with reactive mesogen. Journal of Information Display
“This paper investigates the enhancement of the electro-optic (eo) properties of liquid crystal (lc) devices by the domain mixing effect of vertical-alignment polyimide (pi) doped with reactive mesogen (rm). the mixture of pi and rm on a glass substrate was exposed to ultraviolet light and was thermally annealed to produce circular microdomains of the lc polymer (lcp) in the pi background. due to the appearance of such lcp microdomains depending on the rm doping concentration, the eo properties such as the threshold voltage and the response times were significantly improved in a vertically aligned configuration of the lcs.”
Chen, X. F., Shen, Z., Wan, X. H., Fan, X. H., Chen, E. Q., Ma, Y., & Zhou, Q. F.. (2010). Mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymers. Chemical Society Reviews
“The photoinduced surface relief formation via mass transfer upon irradiation with patterned light has long been a subject of extensive investigation. in azobenzene-containing liquid crystalline materials, uv light irradiation that generates the cis isomer leads to the liquid crystal to isotropic photochemical transition. due to this phase change, efficiency of the mass transfer to generate a surface relief grating (srg) becomes markedly greater. we have previously indicated that azobenzene-colored srg-inscribed film can be bleached by removing a hydrogen-bonded azobenzene mesogen. however, this process largely reduces the height feature of the srg corrugation. herein, we propose an extended procedure where a colorless mesogen is filled successively after the removal of the azobenzene side chain. the process involves four stages: (i) srg inscription in a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular azobenzene material; (ii) crosslinking (insolubilization) of the srg film; (iii) removal of azobenzene mesogen by rinsing with a solvent, and (iv) stuffing the hollow film with a different mesogen. although the final stuffing stage was insufficient at the present stage, this work demonstrates the possibility and validity of the strategy of mesogen replacement.”
Lehmann, M., Hecht, M., Herbst, S., Cui, K., & Würthner, F.. (2020). Unfolding multi-stranded perylene bisimide LC columns-a mesogen design for efficient nanoscale multilayer self-assembly. Chemical Communications
“A mesogen tethered, twofold bay-substituted perylene bisimide (pbi) is found to generate a columnar phase, which unfolds and gradually transforms to a completely nanosegregated multilayer columnar-lamellar liquid crystal. the structure is based on the formation of bundles of h-bonded pbi strands in the central layer. this design opens the way to new complex multifunctional materials. this journal is”
Orodepo, G. O., Bhoje Gowd, E., & Ramakrishnan, S.. (2020). Periodically spaced side-chain liquid crystalline polymers. Macromolecules
“The melt-transesterification polymerization of diethyl malonate derivatives bearing a pendant mesogen, with α,ωalkanediols of varying lengths generated a series of side-chain liquid crystalline polymers, wherein the intervening backbone alkylene spacer segment was systematically varied; the effect of the backbone spacer segment on the liquid crystalline property was examined using differential scanning calorimetry (dsc), x-ray scattering, and polarizing light microscopic investigations. two different mesogen units, based on 4,4’-dialkoxydiazobenzene or 4,4’-dialkoxybiphenyl, were examined; it was seen that most polyesters derived from the diazobenzene mesogen exhibited a stable nematic mesophase, whereas most of those based on biphenyl transformed directly to an isotropic melt. x-ray scattering studies revealed that the polymers carrying biphenyl units formed a well-ordered lamellar structure in the solid state, which was interpreted as being generated via the zigzag folding of the polymer backbone, thus permitting the pendant mesogens and the folded backbone to occupy alternate layers. based on the slope of the linear variation of the interlamellar spacing as a function of backbone segment length, it was inferred that the backbone is not in an extended all-trans conformation but is disordered; from the value of the intercept, which roughly corresponded to the length of an extended pendant mesogenic segment, it was inferred that the pendant mesogens were interdigitated. the formation of a highly ordered structure in the solid state appears to drive up the melting transition and preclude the formation of the liquid crystalline (lc) phase in the biphenyl series; however, when a flexible hydrophilic tetra(oxyethylene) spacer was incorporated, the polyester revealed a stable mesophase owing to the significant lowering of the melting transition. comparison of pairs of isomeric polyesters, one having the mesogen within the pendant segment and the other within the backbone, revealed the strong tendency for the main-chain isomer to exhibit smectic mesophases, whereas the side-chain isomer exhibited a nematic mesophase.”
“In celebration of its centenary, the tavistock and portman nhs trust hosted a series of lectures. this paper has evolved from a lecture on trauma work within the trust shared with graham music. the history and theoretical developments of clinical work with adult patients in the tavistock trauma service are outlined.”
Rustin, M., & Armstrong, D.. (2019). Psychoanalysis, social science and the Tavistock tradition. Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society
“This article is about the connections between the fields of sociology and psychoanalysis, as they have been present in the traditions of the tavistock clinic and institute of human relations from their origins to the present day. it describes a ‘double dissonance’ in this relationship, in that the tavistock’s commitment was never to psychoanalysis or to sociology, narrowly conceived. its interest was in a broad conception of the social sciences, involving socio-psychological, socio-technical and ecological perspectives, and it developed a broader social engagement of psychoanalytic perspectives than that of a conventional psychoanalytic institute. nevertheless, the tavistock synthesis has been an original and valuable one. the tavistock institute’s model of research has been closely linked, through its consultancy practice, to social action, and it has investigated and initiated democratic forms of organisation. the tavistock clinic developed a model of mental health care and professional education within the national health service, which provided support to individuals, families and communities at each stage of the human life cycle. although both of these models have been placed under pressure in the individualist and market-oriented climate of recent decades, both traditions survive and retain a potential for the future.”
Reid, S., Alvarez, A., Polak, N., & Canagaratnam, M.. (2021). Tavistock Centenary: the Tavistock Autism service over four decades. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
“An event held in december 2020 explored the rich clinical work and innovative thinking around autism spectrum condition at the tavistock over the past four decades. consultant child and adolescent psychotherapists sue reid and anne alvarez describe their early groundbreaking work within the tavistock autism team and workshop. this work yielded the fascinating clinical observations that there were some children with the condition who made significant gains in therapy, leading to major developments in psychoanalytic techniques for this group. since then, there has been a continuing influence of psychoanalytical, systemic perspectives on the tavistock approach to autism. it is an approach which at the same time is firmly rooted in the research around autism’s neurodevelopmental basis. nechama polak, clinical psychologist, provides an account of how the current work of the team has increasingly focused on supporting young adults with the condition, and their parents, whilst myooran canagaratnam, consultant psychiatrist, describes the tavistock approach to diagnostic assessment.”
Turner, D.. (2023). Complex trauma: the Tavistock model. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
“The new diagnosis of complex post traumatic stress disorder presents diagnostic and treatment challenges that need to be grappled with, since, in a troubled world, it is increasingly important to understand the impact and aftermath of traumatic experiences and, crucially, how to work with those affected by them. in complex trauma, joanne stubley and linda young have assembled a fascinating range of approaches in order to explore the questions of understanding and intervention. they detail the relevance of an applied psychoanalytic approach, both in the tavistock trauma service and, more broadly, in illuminating understanding of traumatized individuals. the book includes chapters related to the impact of trauma on the body, as well as on the mind, incorporating neurobiological and attachment theory to develop ideas on the impact and aftermath of complex trauma. a number of specialist areas of trauma work are covered within this volume, including work with adolescents, with refugees and asylum seekers, with military veterans, and with survivors of child sexual abuse. the editors bring together chapters that will be of interest to those working with traumatized individuals in a variety of settings and using different modalities. the central importance of relationships, as understood within the psychoanalytic model, is depicted throughout as being at the heart of understanding and working with traumatic experience.”
Weatherburn, M.. (2020). Human Relations’ invented traditions: Sociotechnical research and worker motivation at the interwar Rowntree Cocoa Works. Human Relations
“What makes workers work better: social or financial incentives? this important management research question has a long and contested history, with most studies emphasizing the former. almost all research into this question draws on the hawthorne studies conducted by elton mayo and colleagues in the interwar united states, with the hawthorne studies even playing a part in the foundation of the tavistock institute and its journal human relations in 1947. as this article reveals, the allegedly-unique nature of the hawthorne studies is an invented tradition deeply embedded in the human relations field to this day. to explode this invented tradition, this article uses previously unstudied historical sources to recover and examine the long-forgotten incentives and contentment (1938) studies, conducted from 1929 onwards by sociologist clarence northcott at the rowntree cocoa works in york, uk. in contrast to the hawthorne studies, the rowntree management research found that financial incentives were more important than social incentives. this article then charts how fashions in work incentives, the importance of personalities and networks, the relatively weak position of sociology in postwar britain, and the prestige of american expertise, combined in 1947 to ensure the tavistock’s founders believed the hawthorne studies were unique.”
Rizzolo, G. S.. (2012). Rethinking Tavistock: Enactment, the analytic third, and the implications for group relations. Psychoanalytic Psychology
“The new diagnosis of complex post traumatic stress disorder presents diagnostic and treatment challenges that need to be grappled with, since, in a troubled world, it is increasingly important to understand the impact and aftermath of traumatic experiences and, crucially, how to work with those affected by them. in complex trauma, joanne stubley and linda young have assembled a fascinating range of approaches in order to explore the questions of understanding and intervention. they detail the relevance of an applied psychoanalytic approach, both in the tavistock trauma service and, more broadly, in illuminating understanding of traumatized individuals. the book includes chapters related to the impact of trauma on the body, as well as on the mind, incorporating neurobiological and attachment theory to develop ideas on the impact and aftermath of complex trauma. a number of specialist areas of trauma work are covered within this volume, including work with adolescents, with refugees and asylum seekers, with military veterans, and with survivors of child sexual abuse. the editors bring together chapters that will be of interest to those working with traumatized individuals in a variety of settings and using different modalities. the central importance of relationships, as understood within the psychoanalytic model, is depicted throughout as being at the heart of understanding and working with traumatic experience.”
Neumann, J. E.. (2005). Kurt lewin at the tavistock institute. Educational Action Research
Henderson, S.. (2018). Inside and outside logic: Realigning the tavistock paradigm. Organisational and Social Dynamics
Show/hide publication abstract
“The aim of this paper is intentionally broad rather than deep. it proposes a re-shaping of the main building blocks of the tavistock paradigm based on ideas drawn from complexity theories, neuroscience, peircean logic and other sources. it questions the apparent rigidity of the tavistock paradigm over the last 70 years and asks whether this represents the systems-psychodynamic community attempting to seal itself off from a hyper-turbulent or vortical environment. it argues that, if the tavistock paradigm is to remain vital, it must realign its ‘inside’ logic with the ‘outside’ logic of that environment. as a possible means of updating the tavistock paradigm to reflect developments in other fields, it tentatively proposes a realignment of the concepts of primary task, social defences, basic assumption, the sophisticated group, sentience, containment and the boundary. it also proposes that systemspsychodynamic theory should accord greater prominence to pairings and to our oscillation as social individuals between pairings and groups. in proposing a means of integrating the tavistock paradigm with related fields, this paper seeks to open up a boundary zone in which ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ logics can meet so that it becomes permissible to experiment and play with new ideas.”
Sensorische Augmentation
Die sensorische Augmentation zielt darauf ab, den sensorischen Bereich oder die Schärfe zu erweitern, indem entweder Geräte oder Wearables verwendet werden, die externe Informationen für die menschlichen Sinne “übersetzen”, oder indem die angeborenen Sinne modifiziert werden. Informationen können durch eine Kombination von Sensoren gesammelt werden, die am Körper angebracht oder implantiert sind. Die Sinne können erweitert werden, indem Frequenzen außerhalb des normalen menschlichen Bereichs in Frequenzen übersetzt werden, die gesehen, gehört oder anderweitig erkannt werden können. Dies könnte es dem Benutzer ermöglichen, durch Wände hindurch zu sehen”, Vibrationen zu spüren und in der Luft befindliche Chemikalien sowie Veränderungen in Magnetfeldern zu erkennen. Es wurden auch invasivere Optionen zur Verbesserung der vorhandenen Sinne demonstriert, z. B. die Beschichtung von Netzhautzellen mit Nanopartikeln, um das Sehen im Infrarotspektrum zu ermöglichen.
p.12
Zukünftige Möglichkeiten. Die möglichen Anwendungen von Gehirnschnittstellen sind atemberaubend. Zu den therapeutischen Vorteilen könnten gehören: Heilung von Lähmungen, Wiederherstellung des Seh- und Hörvermögens, Management der geistigen Gesundheit und Behandlung der Alzheimer-Krankheit. Gehirnschnittstellen könnten auch als leistungsstarke Diagnosewerkzeuge eingesetzt werden und die Entwicklung anderer Technologien und Methoden zur Augmentation des Menschen beeinflussen. In Bezug auf die Augmentation könnten Gehirnschnittstellen: die Konzentration und Gedächtnisfunktion verbessern, zu neuen Formen der kollaborativen Intelligenz führen oder sogar ermöglichen, dass neue Fähigkeiten und Wissen einfach “heruntergeladen” werden. Auch die Manipulation der physischen Welt allein mit Gedanken wäre möglich; vom Türgriff bis zum Flugzeug könnte theoretisch und neuerdings auch praktisch alles von jedem Ort der Welt aus gesteuert werden.
Das Projekt ist eine bilaterale Kooperation zwischen dem Amt für Wehrplanung der Bundeswehr in Deutschland und dem Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre in Großbritannien. Die Ergebnisse des Projekts zu den strategischen Implikationen werden für ein breites Publikum im gesamten Verteidigungs- und Sicherheitssektor relevant sein. Obwohl es sich nicht um eine wissenschaftliche Publikation handelt, stützt sie sich in hohem Maße auf Forschungsergebnisse, um einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Chancen und Gefahren zu geben. Viele Technologien, die das Potenzial haben, bis zum Jahr 2050 einen strategischen Vorteil zu bieten, existieren bereits, und weitere Fortschritte werden zweifelsohne eintreten.
Wichtige Schlussfolgerungen und Erkenntnisse (S.23)
-Menschen haben seit Anbeginn der Menschheit versucht, sich selbst zu verbessern – aber in den nächsten 30 Jahren wird sich unsere Fähigkeit, den menschlichen Körper zu manipulieren, radikal verbessern.
-Human Augmentation umfasst Wissenschaft und Technologien, die die menschliche Leistung optimieren oder verbessern.
-Es gibt viele verschiedene Definitionen von menschlicher Augmentation. Es ist wichtig, einen Konsens und einen einheitlichen Ansatz für die menschliche Augmentation zu finden, damit die verschiedenen Disziplinen effektiv zusammenarbeiten und ihre Vorteile nutzen können.
-Wir müssen einen menschenzentrierten Ansatz wählen, um die Möglichkeiten der Human Augmentation zu nutzen. Die Betrachtung des Menschen als Plattform – mit physischen, psychologischen und sozialen Aspekten – wird dabei zentral sein.
-Zunehmende Datenmenge, Komplexität und Geschwindigkeit stellen die Rolle des Menschen im Krieg in Frage, werden ihn aber nicht ersetzen: Krieg ist ein menschliches Unterfangen; Menschen haben Fähigkeiten, die von Maschinen noch nicht übertroffen werden; und kulturelle und gesellschaftliche Normen werden Zeit brauchen, um die Rolle von Maschinen zu akzeptieren.
-Die Augmentation des Menschen ist unvermeidlich, denn: Wir haben bereits Technologien entwickelt und es gibt kein Zurück mehr; es gibt Bedrohungen und Chancen, die wir angehen sollten; und es gibt eine wachsende Nachfrage seitens der Gesellschaft.
Ministry of Defence
p.35
Sensory augmentation
Sensory augmentation aims to extend the sensory range or acuity either by using gadgets or wearables to ‘translate’ external information for the human senses or by modification of innate senses. Information can be collected through a combination of sensors mounted or implanted on the body. The senses can be extended by translating frequencies beyond the normal human range into frequencies that can been seen, heard or otherwise detected. This could allow the user to ‘see’ through walls, sense vibrations and detect airborne chemicals and changes to magnetic fields. More invasive options to enhance existing senses have also been demonstrated, for example, coating retinal cells with nanoparticles to enable vision in the infrared spectrum.
p.12
Future opportunities. The potential applications of brain interfaces are staggering. Therapeutic benefits could include: cure of paralysis; restoration of sight and hearing; mental health management; and treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Brain interfaces could also be used as powerful diagnostic tools and inform the development of other human augmentation technologies and methods. In terms of augmentation, brain interfaces could: enhance concentration and memory function; lead to new forms of collaborative intelligence; or even allow new skills and knowledge to be simply ‘downloaded’. Manipulating the physical world with thoughts alone would also be possible; anything from a door handle to an aircraft could, in theory and more recently in practice, be controlled from anywhere in the world.
The project is a bilateral cooperation between Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning in Germany and the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre in the UK. The output from the strategic implications project will be relevant to a wide audience across the defence and security sector. Whilst this is not a scientific publication, it draws extensively on research to provide an overview of where the key opportunities and threats are. Many technologies that have the potential to deliver strategic advantage out to 2050 already exist and further advances will undoubtedly occur.
Key deductions and insights (p.23)
•People have sought to augment themselves since the dawn of humanity – but over the next 30 years our ability to manipulate the human body will radically improve.
•Human augmentation encompasses science and technologies that optimise or enhance human performance.
•There are many different definitions of human augmentation. Finding consensus and an agreed approach to human augmentation will be essential in allowing different disciplines to collaborate effectively and realise its benefits.
•We need to adopt a human-centric approach to realise the opportunities of human augmentation. Thinking of the human as a platform – with physical, psychological and social aspects – will be central to this.
•Increasing data, complexity and speed is challenging the role of people in war but will not replace them: war is a human endeavour; people have skills that are still unrivalled by machines; and cultural and societal norms will take time to accommodate the role of machines.
•Human augmentation is inevitable because: we have already developed technologies and there is no going back; there are threats and opportunities that we should address; and there is a growing demand from society.
Developments in biotechnology and neuroscience have the potential to unleash an engineering of human beings previously inconceivable. Proper ethical governance and a new understanding of humanism, are necessary to steer these technological developments in the direction of supporting sustainable, just and peaceful futures. Such futures will depend on open data, open science and an expanded understanding of the right to education to include the right to data, to information and to the protection of privacy.
UNESO, International Commission on the Futures of Education, p.8 et seq.
“It is, however, essential that eugenics should be brought entirely within the borders of science, for, as already indicated, in the not very remote future the problem of improving the average quality of human beings is likely to become urgent; and this can only be accomplished by applying the findings of a truly scientific eugenics.”
Sir Julian Sorell Huxley
From UNESCO Its Purpose and Its Philosophy
MKNAOMI was the code name for a joint Department of Defense/CIA research program lasting from the 1950s through the 1970s. Unclassified information about the MKNAOMI program and the related Special Operations Division is scarce. It is generally reported to be a successor to the MKULTRA project focusing on biological projects including biological warfare agents—specifically, to store materials that could either incapacitate or kill a test subject and to develop devices for the diffusion of such materials.[1][2][3][4][5]
During its first twenty years, the CIA engaged in projects designed to increase U.S. biological and chemical warfare capabilities. Project MKNAOMI was initiated to provide the CIA with a covert support base to meet its top-secret operational requirements. The goal was to have a robust arsenal of lethal and incapacitating materials within the CIA’s Technical Services Division (TSD) . This would enable the TSD to serve as a center for supplying biological and chemical materials.[citation needed]
Surveillance, testing, upgrading and the evaluation of special materials and items were provided by MKNAOMI to ensure that no defects or unwanted contingencies emerged during operational conditions. The U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command (SOC) was assigned to assist the CIA with development, testing and maintenance procedures for the biological agents and delivery systems (1952). Both the CIA and SOC modified guns to fire special darts coated with biological agents and poisonous pills. The darts could incapacitate guard dogs, allowing agents to infiltrate the area that the dogs were guarding, and would then be used to awaken the dogs upon exiting the facility. In addition, the SOC was designated to research the potential to use biological agents against other animals and crops.[citation needed]
A 1967 CIA memo which was uncovered by the Church Committee contained evidence of at least three covert techniques for attacking and poisoning crops that had been tested under field conditions. On November 25, 1969, President Richard Nixon banned any military use of biological weapons and Project MKNAOMI was dissolved. On February 14, 1970, a presidential order outlawed all stockpiles of bacteriological weapons and nonliving toxins. However, despite the presidential order, a CIA scientist was able to acquire an estimated 11 grams of deadly shellfish toxin from SOC personnel at Fort Detrick. The toxin was stored in a CIA laboratory where it remained undetected for over five years.[6]
Emerging viruses: AIDS and Ebola–nature, accident or genocide? (1996). Choice Reviews Online, 34(02), 34-0911-34–0911. doi.org/10.5860/CHOICE.34-0911
Part I. Introduction and scientific background. Chap. 1. The World Health Organization theory of AIDS — Chap. 2. WHO plays in the big leagues — Chap. 3. Cold war, biological weapons, and world health — Chap. 4. The road to Fort Detrick runs through Bethesda — Chap. 5. The emperor’s new virus — Chap. 6. Gallo’s research anthology : the AIDS buck and virus stops here — Chap. 7. An interview with Dr. Robert Strecker — Chap. 8. HIV-1, 2 and the big bang — Part II. The political terrain. Chap. 9. Early targeting of minority America — Chap. 10. African foreign policy and population control — Chap. 11. Henry Kissinger’s new world order — Chap. 12. Silent coup in American intelligence — Chap. 13. USAID and New York blood — Chap. 14. Central West African vaccine trials — Part III. Covert operations. Chap. 15. The CIA/Detrick operation — Chap. 16. Project MKNAOMI — Chap. 17. The CIA’s human experiments — Chap. 18. Nazi roots of American Central Intelligence : the biological warfare industry — Chap. 19. The CIA in Africa — Chap. 20. ORTRAG : links to Nazis, NATO, NASA, the NCI and AIDS — Chap. 21. Marburg, Ebola and chilling propaganda in The Hot Zone — Chap. 22. The special virus cancer program — Chap. 23. The man-made origin of Marburg and Ebola — Chap. 24. Icing on the cake and conclusions — References
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Elana Freeland – Chemtrails, Haarp, and the Full Spectrum Dominance of Planet Earth (2014, Feral House), p.191 et seq.
Like MKUltra, the ultra-secret Cold War MKNAOMI biological warfare project run by the CIA and Special Operations Division (SOD) of the U.S. Army at Fort Detrick, Maryland was supposedly terminated in 1970 but not outed until 1977 at the MKUltra hearings before the Senate Intelligence Committee and Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research of the Committee on Human Resources. In their 2010 article “National Security Secrecy: Morgellons Victims Across the US and Europe,” investigative reporters Hank P. Albarelli, Jr. and Zoe Martell seem almost to suggest that Fort Detrick’s deep involvement with cancer may have entailed an open field experiment not unlike the chemtrails experiment now.14
In the early 1960s, MKNAOMI underwent a critical shift bearing directly upon our present crisis. According to microbiologist Dr. Hanley Watson, MKNAOMI would no longer concentrate on developing paralyzing agents but instead would create a “designer disease that could render targeted groups or populations incapacitated, as opposed to immobilizing people”:
On July 1, 1969, a high-ranking Pentagon biological warfare official, Dr. Donald MacArthur, appeared before the Defense Department Appropriations Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. MacArthur told the assembled elected officials that . . .within the next 5 to 10 years it would probably be possible to make a new infectivemicroorganism, which could differ, in certain important aspects, from any known disease-causing organisms. Most important of these is that it might be refractory to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon which we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious disease . . .[H]e informed the subcommittee that a research program to explore the feasibility of developing such a disease, “a synthetic biological agent, an agent that does notnaturally exist and for which no natural immunity could be acquired,” would take only about 5 years to complete, and would cost $10 million. [Emphases added.]15
Albarelli and Martell stress that “the Army’s most secret experiments with laboratory-manipulated diseases were conducted in those same states where Morgellons is reported to be most prevalent: Texas, Florida, and California.”16
The molecular biology arrangement between the CIA and the U.S. Army necessitated covert, nonconsensual dissemination of incapacitating and lethal materials. It also “required surveillance, testing, upgrading, and evaluation of materials and items in order to assure absence of defects and complete predictability of results to be expected under operational conditions,” not to mention assisting “in developing, testing, and maintaining biological agents and delivery systems.”17In other words, the operation was top-down and highly organized—not simply a faction gone rogue.
MKNAOMI continues to this day, perhaps even under Project Cloverleaf (or whatever the aerosols operations have been renamed). Victims are warned to keep quiet or marginalized;
physicians, hospitals, and laboratories are informed that “national security” is at stake and they are to “cooperate” or else; media and Internet shills are directed to discredit or ignore Morgellons sufferers. Open-air testing of “huge clouds of bacteria and chemical particles” is still going on under deafening media silence and a heartless dearth of precautions “to protect the health and welfare of the millions of people exposed.”
One thing has changed since the Hibakusha and MKNAOMI: the arrival of nanotechnology.
CARNICOM’S QUEST
With the help of the microscope these cinder-coloured animals may be made out, having two horns, round eyes, a tail which is long, forked, with the extremities, which are bent up, covered with hair. These worms are terrible to look at.
— Journal de Médecine, 1791
Clifford E. Carnicom is a conservative scientist willing to follow the evidence through innumerable experiments in order to confirm the direction the truth demands. His vitae (see Chapter 2) include having worked for the very Department of Defense whose covert technology he has toiled for two decades to decode. His first paper on Morgellons appeared in August 2006, though his experiments establishing the link to airborne samples had already been confirmed over and over again since the late 1990s.
Carnicom has been consistently stonewalled, denied, slandered, and discounted by U.S. government agencies, despite the 126+ military-industrial complex visitors to his website who confirm that the cold shoulder has not been because his work is inconsequential.18 Representative Tom Udall, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, former President William Jefferson Clinton, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, former Attorney General Janet Reno, former Secretary of the EPA Carol M. Browner, and former Secretary of the FAA Jane Garvey have all ignored his requests for confirmation of lab work.
Carnicom’s methods of approach to airborne and body fibers included chemical testing, column chromatography, electrolysis, ninhydrin analysis, visible light and infrared spectroscopy analysis of peak absorbance wavelengths, and production of culture extracts.19For a decade and a half, due to a lack of funds, he could not afford to purchase the scanning electron microscope he needed to confirm that the fibers dropping from the sky and popping out of people’s bodies were actually nano-biotechnology.20Denial of funding, refusal to replicate experiments, control over labs—many tricks of the trade are employed to lock freelance scientists out of inner science circles privy to “national security” projects. In HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy, Jerry Smith explains how the game is played, here citing how scientific proof of a link between electromagnetic exposure and cancers can be marginalized:
With good reason, scientists trust a result only after it has been independently replicated. Studies that had not been repeated were ignored by the NAS-NRC [National Academy of Sciences – National Research Council] EMF panel. So without funding for replication, [Dr. Eugene] Sobel’s and [Dr. Anthony] Miller’s work can be ignored.21
Other “professional” players are in on the game, as well, such as the medical professionals who burden Morgellons sufferers with diagnoses such as delusional parasitosis, despite the obvious visible physical effects and ease with which samples could be obtained for analysis. Support groups and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) may have a “gatekeeper” agenda; Carnicom recommends monitoring information disseminated at conferences as well as contacts made there, such as he did after attending the 1st Annual Morgellons Disease Medical Research Conference in Austin, Texas on March 29, 2008.22
Carnicom has reported death threats, hacking, impersonation, fraud, libel, and threats against his livelihood to the FBI, and has had to terminate Internet message boards. In 2001, he became aware of a phone tap, then of frequent visits to his website by Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet, NIPR.mil). The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has a number of NIPRNet gateways protected and controlled by firewalls and other technologies (“NIPR Activity Increases,” February 28, 2001). On March 31, 2001, NIPR.mil visited Carnicom’s site for 10.5 hours to inspect 53 web pages (“NIPR.mil 10½ Hour Visit,” April 1, 2001).23
Seven Operations
Before diving into the research—the reader is welcome to go to the Carnicom Institute website and follow along (www.carnicominstitute.org)—let’s contextualize the biological operation of Morgellons in the seven operations that, over time, Carnicom has concluded geoengineering is up to. In the 2005 documentary Aerosol Crimes, he listed five operations:
(1)Weather/environmental modification. The physical atmosphere has been changed.
(2)Electromagnetic operations. Ionization of the upper atmosphere is drawing charged particles into our lower atmosphere; barium particulates are being spread for more conductivity.
(3)Military operations. Weapons.
(4)Biological operations. Biotechnical delivery of biowarfare components via nanotech.
(5)Planetary/geophysical operations. Altered plasma means dramatic Earth changes via the troposphere and magnetosphere.
In the 2011 documentary Cloud Cover, Carnicom added a sixth operation: intelligence, namely sophisticated surveillance of everything and everyone on Earth for the sake of C4
[command, control, communications, computers].24A little later, he added a seventh operation: detection of exotic propulsion systems, namely detection of what are commonly discredited as UFOs. These operations extend to and beyond:
Fiber optics-based C4, plus optical switching systems
Space-based scalar SDI system that replaces the old ground-based missile defense •Weather control in a plasma atmosphere
Virtual warfare
Biological/chemical warfare
Chemical/electrical control of human behavior
Electrical power transfer
Plasma processing to break down nuclear waste (the components of which are being disposed of in the upper atmosphere)
The term Morgellons originally referenced an anomalous skin condition, but Carnicom has extended it to include blood-borne vectors.
Erythrocyte (red blood cell) degradation and variation appears to occur in proportion to the severity of the condition. Furthermore, various erythrocyte modifications detected indicate that stem cell research should be incorporated within the investigation of the condition.25
From 1996 to 1999, Carnicom conducted a microscopic air particle count study in New Mexico and determined that the count in 1999 was significantly higher than counts in the preceding three years, due to increased spray activity overhead. Along with fibers, he collected and analyzed cloud progression photographs, telephotos of aircraft with what appeared to be spray apparati on the wings, and meteorological studies in arid environments that defy natural cloud formation, intuiting all the while that the fibers below were somehow connected with the aerosols being smeared over the New Mexico skies above. The 1998–99 influenza season—the first days of the military’s full-on aerosol push—was categorized as epidemic:
Pneumonia and influenza mortality exceeded the threshold for 12 consecutive weeks beginning January 24 through April 17, 1999, and peaked at 8.8% during the week ending March 13, 1999.26
In his November 2–4, 1999 report, “Ground Samples: Microscopic Fibers Revealed,” Carnicom documents the grey chemtrails in the winter of 1998, the white chemtrails in November 1999 over eastern Oregon and Sacramento, California, and individual fibers measuring less than one micron,27with synthetic polymer fibers seemingly acting as carrier mechanisms. But for what?
The fibers exhibited extreme adhesiveness and elasticity with a tendency to form “kinked” wave-like forms that dissipated over time. After handling the fibers, people became ill; Carnicom advised caution.28The fibers dropping over Sedona, Arizona on July 10, 1999 had a petrochemical odor; in Oklahoma, they were chiffon-like; in Sacramento in February 2000, a white powder and granular clumps 200 microns wide fell.
By May 7, 2000, Carnicom had identified the first biological component: freeze-dried or desiccated red blood cells readily visible after being subjected to immersion oil. The discovery of red blood cells moved his studies in the direction of the U.S. military’s sordid history of conducting biological and chemical warfare on its own citizens. As a precaution, he declared:
The source material for the images presented herein has been duplicated and distributed to numerous locations across the United States, and it is secured by various methods. The ramifications of this recent discovery establish sufficient cause for widespread involvement of the American people in this issue, and for subsequent criminal investigations and Congressional hearings.29
Having established a relationship between biologicals and the aerosols dropping them, Carnicom turned his inquiry toward nailing down the relationship between the airborne sub-micron fibers and the fibrous Morgellons structures emerging from bodies. Albarelli and Martell describe the symptoms of Morgellons sufferers as “the discomforting sensation of insects crawling on and biting or stinging their skin”:
This sensation results in skin lesions that can appear much like mild to severe cases of acne. The lesions can appear anywhere in a patient’s body and quite often contain fiber-like strands or fibrous material. The fibers are the mostperplexing visible feature of Morgellons. Often when an attempt is made to remove or extract the fibers the material will resist and act to withdraw or move away from whatever instrument is being employed.30[Emphasis added.]
Innumerable sufferers’ observation that the fibers “resist and act to withdraw or move away”— like parasites—would prove crucial.
The Morgellons condition is neither neurotic excoriation nor delusional parasitosis nor a “matchbox sign.”31It is real, entails real pain and suffering, and is connected to the chemtrails-HAARP pump-and-dump. In fact, Morgellons is bioengineered and is being delivered bygeoengineering. Carnicom’s characterization of Morgellons, born of years of research, is worth quoting at length:
The term “Morgellons” refers to a condition that was originally perceived to manifest primarily as an anomalous skin condition. The visible symptoms commonly include skin lesions that resist healing and the presence of unusual filaments that emanate from sores and the skin in general. . .
More recent research strongly indicates the underlying symptoms are much deeper and more broadly distributed than has been realized, and that blood-borne vectors may be a common denominator amongst affected individuals . . .Erythrocyte (red blood cell) degradation and variation appears to occur in proportion to the severity of the condition .
. .
The presence of skin anomalies as the primary criterion for determining the existence of the condition appears to be especially deficient, and it is recommended that blood-borne conditions amongst the general population be investigated in addition to any skin manifestation in the minority of the population. The existence of the condition is now acknowledged by the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and the Mayo Clinic.32
THE FIVE “DIMENSIONS” OF GENETICALLY ALTERED MORGELLONS PATHOGENS
By late 2007, the form, size, and structure of unusual airborne filaments had been confirmed as being linked to Morgellons skin and dental fibers as well as to anomalies in human blood samples, one being from an individual manifesting advanced Morgellons symptoms.33 Manifestations in the blood and skin of victims exhibiting Morgellons symptoms are identical, and these are identical to the condition of blood cells in samples of those who don’t manifest
Morgellons, causing Carnicom to comment:
The question of Morgellons manifestation may be one of degree . . .It has been stated that the Morgellons condition may have a much broader basis and distribution than we might like to admit or know.34
In other words, in Morgellons victims the filaments are in extremis, but the truth is that all populations subject to the chemtrails delivery system will probably experience at least a slow degradation of health as the immune system is undermined. Carnicom’s consistent challenge has been to find living subjects with normal hemoglobin—meaning that the “organism” may be in everyone’s blood. Pathogens in the blood and blood cells is abnormal, the blood being a sterile environment; nevertheless, it appears that the blood of his samples is undergoing a transformation: the cellular structure is changing to a more fibrous form, and spherical structures like those inside the fibers are appearing in disturbed blood cells.
As to the fiber’s nature, function, and purpose, Carnicom first tested for bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, prions, Rickettsiae, and Chlamydiae. His analysis had to meet the following criteria: (1) Sub-micron (0.5–0.7 microns); (2) intra-cellular; (3) associated with respiration, given that chronic respiratory ailments point the way; (4) spherical to oblate but pleomorphic (as in mycoplasmas) as well; (5) Gram stain produces gram-negative results; (6) present in diverse physical samples; and (7) Chlamydiae genus illnesses should correlate with Morgellons-like symptoms.35Size and structure immediately eliminated the virus, and size alone the parasite (eukaryotic forms are 10–100 microns).
In 2010, the Carnicom Institute acquired both visible light and infrared spectrophotometers, opening up a broader range of spectral analyses—the fingerprints or unique signatures within a particular range of frequencies of chemical substances or species. The spectral analysis of the airborne environmental filament that Carnicom had sent the EPA a decade before (only to have it returned unidentified) revealed a distinctive signature perfectly matching the absorbance spectral analysis of a one-year-old culture developed from an oral filament sample of a Morgellons victim. One culture after another, human and airborne, the matches were exact, including DNA: “The same degree of similarity has been achieved with a culture developed from a human DNA extraction.”36
All evidence has pointed to four major forms and one minor form of the genetically altered Morgellons pathogen being delivered by aerosols, genetically modified foods, water systems, and even piggybacked on vaccinations and other inoculations. After years of examining and re-examining samples of pathogens from skin, hair, scalp, teeth and gums, saliva, urine, ears, and blood, Carnicom admits that humanity is facing an imminent health holocaust:
The vitality and viability of human existence and life on this planet, as it has been known to exist, is under threat.37
Now, three years later, he has gone so far as to say:
This work demonstrates that the “Morgellons” situation has been completely understated and underestimated in its
significance and distribution. It is no longer to be considered as unique to any life form or species. The term itself, as commonly interpreted to represent a condition or disease, is inadequate to encompass the scope of impact to the biology of the planet.38
The characteristics or dimensions are listed here in the order of observation, not necessarily importance:
(1)The bounding filament delivery system, 12–20 microns diameter; exhibits as luminescent when airborne, in skin lesions and dental samples, but perhaps not in the blood. It houses the fibrous submicron network (2); however, in one gum sample, Carnicom discovered that it held the Chlamydia-like organisms he now calls cross-domain bacteria (3), indicating the possibility that the various forms morph.
With chemicals and a spectroscope, Carnicom ascertained that the external casing of environmental filament samples is composed of keratin, an especially impervious protein structure rather like a hair. With sodium hydroxide and gentle heat, he was finally able to penetrate a sample fiber from Serbia: the original fiber material was pure white, whereas the
two internal colored effects were yellowish and reddish.39Appearance to the contrary, the encasing filament is not a fungus.
(2)Submicron interior fibrous network inside the bounding filament (much like fiber-optics cable), 0.7 microns in diameter; fungus-like, morphologically similar to hyphae (fungal filaments), leading to fungal overgrowths like Candida. Resists all chemical and heat extremes.
(3)Cross-domain bacteria,40originally categorized as spherical or oblate structures, 0.5–0.7 microns. Though mycoplasma-like and Chlamydia-like, especially Chlamydia pneumoniae, it is neither. Intracellular form primarily in blood samples; the degree of blood cell damage corresponds to the number of cross-domain bacteria in contact with or adjacent to other blood cells. These forms are the precursors of all the other forms. Resists all chemical and heat extremes.
(4)Hybrid form, pleomorphic, ribbon- or sausage-like.41Mycoplasma-like, it is seemingly a tertiary stage of development that resists all chemical and heat extremes.
(5)“Budding” structures on the edge of the fiber at irregular intervals indicative of a growth or reproductive process and may be related to the spread of the disease.42
CULTURES
Carnicom has successfully and repeatedly cultured the Morgellons pathogen. The significance of being able to culture a pathogen means it might be possible to control, inhibit, reduce, or eliminate similar pathogenic forms in the body.43
. .the culture forms represent a viable means of study of metabolism and biochemical structure that holds numerous advantages over attempting to study these same processes within the human body.44
From examination of cultures holding four of the structures, Carnicom determined that:
1.The culture flourishes in an acidic environment that the pH of a red wine medium does not affect;
2.Conductivity increases with the growth of the culture, indicating that ion concentration increases with growth;
3.Filament growth passes through three phases: first white, then green, then black;
4.Full growth cycle is two to three months;
5.Chloride ion concentration increases, perhaps because the cross-domain bacteria “eats” ferrous ion, which in turn bears upon the degradation of the red blood cell integrity noted in blood samples.
By constantly adjusting culture mediums—agar, red and white wines, simulated wine, broths —Carnicom has been able to study pH, conductivity, ion analyses, nutrients, inhibitors, etc. For example, with a time-lapse video under the microscope (450X), Carnicom watched a cultured growth of 50 microns an hour on top of a dental sample placed in a bouillon agar medium, with the growth in length accompanied by increased density and complexity.45Adding iron sulfate enhances growth, and adding hydrogen peroxide to white wine and iron sulfate dramatically increases growth in hours instead of days with wine alone.
The hydrogen peroxide points to Fenton’s reaction46and the formation of the hydroxyl (free) radical, one of the most reactive oxidants known—oxidation being the process by which atoms, molecules, or ions lose electrons. Why this might be important to the Morgellons challenge is indicated here:
In cells and tissues, such particles can attack a host of surrounding biomolecules to produce new free radicals, which, in turn, attack yet other compounds. Thus, the formation of a single free radical can initiate a large number of chemical reactions that are ultimately able to disrupt the normal operations of cells.47
Given that the hydroxyl radical is an expected product of our metabolism, conditions for expanded growth of the cross-domain bacteria in its various stages is likely, which means serious health issues. Therefore, the identification of specific chemical and biological conditions underlying Morgellons symptoms is of the highest priority.
Growth flourishes in acidity and with oxidizers like sodium hypochlorite or bleach, sodium chlorite or MMS, calcium hypochlorite or MMSII. Alkalinity, on the other hand, inhibits growth. Changing the pH of the growth environment might not kill the cross-domain bacteria, but it will make it go dormant. Its presence alone seems to increase acidity, and given that iron corrodes quickly in an acidic environment, the blood cells have a harder and harder time absorbing oxygen—all in addition to the structural damage of the blood. (The pH of physical death is always acidic.)
When Carnicom subjected oral filament cultures in the usual wine medium to blue light, the growth rate was explosive, going from a filmy layer to dense filaments of greater diameter in just24 hours. Thus the application of frequencies of signature harmonics (the speed of an electromagnetic wave) plays a significant role in the cross-domain bacteria’s growth and health of the host. More on frequencies later in this chapter.
Proteins and Amino Acids
By means of column chromatography, Carnicom ascertained the existence of a protein in
culture growths (beyond the bounding filament keratin sheath), which pointed to DNA. Proteins, the building blocks of nature, are now patentable by Big Pharma.48Discerning two related complexes—the iron-protein complex and the iron-dipeptide complex—he considered three alternatives:
(1)the similarity to a dimorphic fungal-like organism;
(2)a joint existence of bacterial-like and fungal-like organisms in symbiotic relationship; or
(3)the specter of a genetically created or designed organism.49
Dipeptides are the combination of two amino acids and constitute a primitive form of protein development. In late 2012, Carnicom confirmed the presence of the amino acids cysteine and histidine and posited that deficiencies and disturbances in just these two amino acids might be behind the high oxidation levels and joint pains that Morgellons sufferers complain of.50With the reducing agents ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and glutathione, Carnicom was able to interfere with the molecular bonding of the iron-dipeptide complex and reduce oxidation:
It will be found that there are important interactions and relationships in the body between cysteine compounds, NAC and glutathione. The combination of influences and interactions between iron, cysteine, histidine, ascorbic acid, N-acetyl cysteine and glutathione represents an important pathway of research for the Morgellons condition.51
The Tree of Life
In 2009, something defying “all conventional understanding of blood cell development” occurred. When Carnicom broke down the external casing of a dental/gum filament with chemistry and heat (strong alkalis of sodium hydroxide and bleaches, plus hydrochloric acid and boiling), inside he found artificial or deliberately modified blood cells. He recognized that erythrocytes were artificial because they were just too perfectly formed, and their hostility to reconstructive chemicals and heat seemed fiercely programmed. Advanced technologies in stem cells and genetic transfers were at work. But inside the artificial erythrocytes were the telltale sub-micron structures associated with Morgellons.52
Growing erythrocytes in a test tube was once “considered to be the holy grail of biological achievement with huge implications for bioengineering, human health and the human species.”53 Researchers have been able to sustain and perpetuate existing blood cells in a growth medium, but not create new cells. This is surely the cutting edge of stem cell research.
Carnicom employed three erythrocytic detection methods for “developing modified erythrocytes (red blood cells) within cultured [Morgellons] dental samples”: (1) direct microscope observation (8000–10000X); (2) the Kastle-Meyer presumptive test commonly used for forensic blood identification; and (3) the HEMASTIX (TMP) presumptive forensic test.54It was this discovery that made Carnicom realize that blood should be the focal point of Morgellonsstudy, not skin, given that erythrocyte degradation is buried at the core of this biological assault on humanity.
In 1977, based upon their genetic relationships (the RNA world hypothesis), microbiologist and physicist Carl R. Woese whittled down the time-tested six biological kingdoms (Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia) to three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, all of which vary according to cell type, cell wall, membrane, protein synthesis, transfer of RNA, and sensitivity to antibiotics.
It is from Woese’s domains that Carnicom derived the name “cross-domain bacteria” to describe Morgellons structures as being somewhere between plant and animal: Morgellonsstructures like the cross-domain bacteria do in fact cross the lines of all three domains.55Like Archaea (found in volcanic vents, under ice shelves, etc.), chemical, heat, and cold (-50° to -60°C) stresses impact neither the vitality, growth, nor reproduction of interior structures, all of which share cell metabolism, size, pathogenic impact, and symptomatology with Bacteria; and the fungus-like bounding filament is of the Eukarya domain. The erythrocytic “new blood” forms, however, challenge all of the above boundaries.
On February 5, 2010—two days after Carnicom posted this classification paper on his website, DARPA publicly disclosed that its BioDesign project ($6 million)—plus $20 million to the synthetic biology program, and $7.5 million to sequencing, analyzing, and functionally editing cellular genomes—was seeking “to re-write the laws of evolution”:
. .living, breathing creatures that are genetically engineered to “produce the intended biological effect” . . .fortified with molecules that bolster cell resistance to death, so that the lab-monsters can “ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely.”56
Genetically programmed locks on “tamper-proof” cells, a kill switch—and not a peep in mainstream media about DARPA’s insistence upon taking a God-like direction. As one DARPA employee told Wired Danger Room: “I would love to comment, but unfortunately DARPA has installed a kill switch in me.” Not a joke, I fear, given all the microbiologists who have had bizarre “accidents.”57
The Cross-Domain Bacteria Eats Iron
Sub-micron Archaea-like cross-domain bacteria—smallest of all the growth forms—feed on iron. (In hostile environments, many Archaea feed on iron and sulfur.) They enter the serum of the blood and breach the outer wall of erythrocytes (red blood cells). Metabolic imbalance follows.58
Much of Big Oil’s R&D goes into perfecting iron-eating bacteria.59
In 2011, Carnicom did extensive work on the Morgellons pathogen’s affinity for the iron in human blood. The following lengthy quote from his October 15, 2011 Abstract thoroughly apprises the reader of the frightening possibility that the Morgellons pathogen may have been created and programmed to devour iron in order to compromise the iron-oxygen basis of biological life:
A substantial body of research has accumulated to make the case that the underlying organism (i.e. pathogen) of
the so-called “Morgellons” condition, as identified by this researcher, is using the iron from human blood for its own growth and existence. It will also be shown that the bio-chemical state of the blood is being altered in the process. The implications of this thesis are severe as this alteration affects, amongst other things, the ability and capacity of the blood to bind to oxygen. Respiration is the source of energy for the body.
This change is also anticipated to increase the number of free radicals and to increase acidity in the body. This process also requires and consumes energy from the body to take place; this energy supports the growth and proliferation of the organism. The changes in the blood are anticipated to increase its combination with respiratory inhibitors and toxins. The changes under evaluation may occur without any obvious outward symptoms. It is also anticipated that there are consequences upon metabolism and health that extend beyond the functions of the blood. This change represents essentially a systemic attack upon the body, and the difficulties of extinction of the organism are apparent. Physiological conditions that are in probable conjunction with the condition are identified. Strategies that may be beneficial in mitigating the severity of the condition are enumerated.
In summary, I now see five major challenges before us with the “Morgellons” issue, based upon the research that I have conducted to date:
1.The iron within the blood, to a partial degree, is being changed in a way that it no longer binds with oxygen at the normal levels that are expected. The organism uses iron to sustain its existence and growth. Diminished oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is therefore expected in coincidence with the severity of the condition.
2.The presence of free radicals is likely to increase in number and extent as a result of the oxidation process. Free radicals are known to wreak havoc in the living system.
3.The altered iron (Fe3+ versus Fe2+) now binds to other molecules than oxygen, many of them toxic or harmful to health. Several of these alternative ligands are known respiratory inhibitors, and therefore further exacerbate the failures in respiration.
4.In addition to the consumption of iron already identified, the bacteria-like form, which appears to be at the origin of the pathogen, binds to oxygen to support its own existence. This combination further increases the severity of consequence to human health.
5.The presence of the organism, as encountered, appears to be extensive throughout the body, at a minimum occurring in the circulatory, digestive, and urinary systems.60
The late 2012 acquisition of a Perkin Elmer 1320 infrared spectrophotometer gave him a window into the molecular structure of organic compounds and confirmed yet again that:
cultures from oral samples are identical to oral filament samples61;
penetration of the Serbian environmental filament revealed internal structures of a pure white original filament, one yellowish, and one strong red, pointing to an erythrocytic red;
the external casing is composed of keratin, an especially impervious protein structure.62
Chemtrails carry polymers as well as conductive metals and crystalline substances. We are breathing and ingesting polymers and polyethylene-silicon-carbon nanofibers and nanowires that can house and/or piggyback combinations of pathogens, blood cells, sedatives, and nanoparticulates programmed to be microprocessors and sensors—all of which pass into our blood and bypass the blood-brain barrier.63These Morgellons self-assembling, self-replicating proteins replete with sensors, antennae, wires, and arrays are in our food, water, and bodies where they copy the DNA of pathogens, cancer cells, etc., and increase them. They are able to create pseudo-hair, pseudo-skin, and chimeric forms that look like insects and parasites.
TO YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!
If, however, millions of people are already on prescription pharmaceuticals to “calm them down” [long-term, what is this doing to their ability to think clearly?] and, in addition, are breathing poisoned air rife with mind-distorting chemicals, then how clearly (if at all) is anyone able to think? How can anyone feel well and safe if the air we breathe is deliberately poisoned and is affecting our ability to think cogently? It is like Diogenes, the ancient Greek, searching for a truthful individual. No one seems to have the desire, or courage, or authority to stop this massive poisoning, because it is the secret plan of the elite insiders to deliberately destroy everything we once knew.
— Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri, “Chemtrails: The Consequence of Toxic Metals and Chemical
Aerosols on Human Health,” Global Research, May 12, 2010
That the chemicalized, processed food of the convenient American lifestyle spells death and medical/Big Pharma industry profits is no news flash by now. Only the poorest and most downtrodden, ad-addicted adults continue to vote with their shrinking dollar to eat death.
But the situation described in this book demands a serious review of what we in the West have been conditioned to think of as “lifestyle.” Many lifestyle decisions are actually cultural assumptions and habits, all of which must now be reexamined in the light of the global challenge facing the embattled immune system. Chemtrails, the ionized atmosphere synergizing new pollutants, and the increasing ubiquity of GMO foods laced with biotech sensors inside and outside our bodies may, in fact, be the straw that breaks our lifestyle. Barring a worldwide insurrection, the choices left us veer between self-victimization replete with constant complaining and enriching the medical/Big Pharma industry, and learning how to wield the biological laws that govern an acid/alkaline balance to strengthen our assaulted immune systems.
Growing healthy, whole food will be the number one radical act of the 21st century. Under our ionized aluminum skies, whole forests are dying and soil becoming so alkaline that plants are prematurely turning yellow. Insiders like Monsanto may have gotten the jump on us with aluminum-resistant seed and patents, but savvy farmers and gardeners are awakening and exploring covered area options to protect plants.
Besides greenhouses, another option is rising up. Abandoned urban warehouses are being turned into greenhouses. Farmed Here LLC, the largest vertical farm in the United States, is growing stacked “boutique greens” (herbs, lettuce, microgreens, and edible plants like beets and sunflowers for their sprouts) under a warehouse roof and over an “aquaponic” farm (water circulating or misting under the plants) of tilapia and other fish whose excrement fertilizes the plants. Whereas normal greenhouses can still depend upon diffuse sunlight, vertical farms are exploring energy options like LEDs, solar, wind, and methane to run the artificial lighting, heat, and water that such urban farming needs.64
In Asia, Indian rice and potato farmers are harvesting world-record yields with the SRI (system of rice intensification) technique: 22.4 tons of rice on 2.5 acres of land without GMO seed or chemicals. Economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stieglitz visited the fields and declared that the farmers were “better than scientists”:
For many Westerners . . .it’s difficult to separate the concept of “progress” from its inevitable modifier,
“technological.” SRI may not be technology-based, but it’s science-based and sophisticated. It’s also continually field-tested and improved through farmers’ own feedback. It’s exactly the kind of flexible, responsive system you’d demand from any truly sustainable agriculture—as opposed to the regimented, top-down application of chemical- and biotech-based approaches.65
Carnicom’s six strategies for countering the Morgellons organism assaulting our red blood cells and devouring the iron in our blood are:
1.Alkalinize the blood
2.Anti-oxidation
3.Increase the utilization and absorption of existing iron
4.Inhibit the growth of iron-consuming bacterial-archeal-like forms
5.Improve the flow of bile to further alkalinize the blood and aid the digestive process.
None of these strategies subscribe to the take-a-pill school of health. Every strategy points to the necessity of daily preparation of nutritious whole foods to build healthy iron-rich blood and strengthen the organs that help the blood to rebuild. Certainly, a vitamin C supplement (or fruit) will help to increase iron absorption and produce hemoglobin, plus provide an antioxidant, but a daily dose of vitamin C needs the backup of a healthy eating regimen.
In the late 1960s, I began studying the macrobiotic way of life with Michio Kushi and Herman Aihara. For almost half a century, I have followed the yin/yang (acid/alkaline) approach to eating to encourage my intestinal tract and organs to maintain a strong immune system in an increasingly polluted environment. The beauty of the acid/alkaline yin/yang law is that it can free us from the medical/Big Pharma establishment by teaching us to alter our blood chemistry withhow and what we eat. My last visit to a physician was when I was 13; I am now 66 and still committed to health as a lifestyle choice, discipline, and deep pleasure.
The idea that freedom might mean living in accord with ancient biological laws is foreign to youthful Western medicine, which clings to drugs and surgery. Many Western women define freedom as being free of traditional roles like cooking, and many men look down on food preparation as no more transformative than filling up at a gas station. With the quest for money and career taking precedence over quality food preparation, Westerners graze and forage at restaurants and fast-food outlets whose bottom line is profit, not health. Even “health nuts” spurn biological laws, insisting that their body tells them what it needs. Meanwhile, excess (fat) and internal disorders soar in tandem with medical/Big Pharma profits.
A liver-gall bladder cleanse67will do the immediate job of flushing the liver and purging gallstones to increase the flow of bile to help alkalinize the blood and aid digestion, but at the same time it will wipe out colonies of helpful gut (intestinal) flora68, which even with careful eating will take weeks to rebuild. As Aesop’s fable “The Hare and the Tortoise” teaches, slowand steady wins the race: Better to slowly build and maintain a healthy gut system than just depend upon flushing it out now and then.
Speaking of detox, 3–10 grams (dry) of daily unrefined seaweeds—especially kelps like kombu, wakame, macrocystis, nereocystis, focus, and ascophyllum—armor the immune system
against thermal and nonthermal radiation. If you are concerned about the impact that Fukushima radioactive isotope releases might have on Pacific-grown seaweed, contact the Seaweed Stewardship alliance (hand harvesters in California, Oregon, and Washington) for updates. Kombu has 1,000–8,000ppm of measurable iodine.69
Daily brown rice well chewed massages the intestinal tract and keeps it clean while alkalinizing the blood and providing nutrients. Organic vegetables, cooked or raw, also provide stimulating roughage (cellulose) and nutrients. If your digestive tract is weak, lightly sautéed, steamed, or baked veggies will be easier to digest than raw and well worth the loss of a few vitamins. For protein, organic beans are excellent. However, they must be pre-soaked, cooked thoroughly before adding salt, then chewed well, given that they are a protein-carbohydrate combination.
As for eating animals and their dairy products—nonorganic and organic—ask yourself, What does it mean for my immune system that fish, birds, and animals are embattled, as well? If you do choose to eat animals and animal products, eat little and low on the food chain (chicken or fish). Humans are the only creatures that eat dairy after being weaned. While many insist on dairy as a quick grazing-foraging source of protein, calcium, etc., dairy is hard on lungs already hard-pressed to breathe heavy metals and polymers loaded with nanosensors.
An over-acid condition and weakened immune system go hand in hand. The health benefits of alkalinizing are well supported in health literature regarding the benefits of antioxidants (ascorbate, glycerin, ester salts or sodium citrate, and garlic compounds like ally/cysteine, alliin, allicin, and allyl disulfide).70Sugar, vinegar, and wine produce acidity, as do all refined flour products and “junk food.” Avoid acid-producing foods or be prepared to immediately counterbalance them. This may even include naturopathic medications or boosters like the following:
Chlorella, a single-celled algae, expels cadmium and prevents it from poisoning the liver
Astragalus root (huang qi) opens the lungs; the dry cough that follows forces the cilia to expel particulates
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) clears the lungs
Nigella sativa (blackseed) strengthens the immune system
Artemisium (Artemisinin or qinghaosu71), the active compound in wormwood, works to kill the malaria parasite, cancer cells, and the Morgellons organism, all of which sequester iron in the blood
Glutathione, an amino acid that assists in detoxifying; available as a nebulizer, intravenous (by prescription), and sublingual powder
Zeolite powder and food-grade diatomaceous clay for clearing heavy metals
Milk thistle (silibinin72) kills skin cells mutated by UVA radiation and protects against damage by UVB radiation; recommended for diabetes, Hepatitis C, and Morgellons
Baking soda baths alkalinize the skin
Negative ion generator
Copious information and tips can be found at chemtrails and Morgellons sites (see Resources) as well as at LymeBuster Chat.73Share what works, keeping in mind that each body and diet is
different. As you browse and experiment, continue fine-tuning your baseline regimen and chew well, given that chewing alkalinizes what slides down into the alchemical, miracle-working intestinal tract.
Even the wireless environment we are all so attached to acidifies the blood. Wireless Internet emits radiation, whether on or off, including cell and cordless phones or any other wireless transceiving devices and their towers or bases. Nonionizing microwave radiation may not produce much heat but it is ten million times as strong as the average natural background and is known to eventually produce cancer and a raft of maladies pointing to a compromised immune system. An Italian study found that herpes viruses like the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome in latently infected human lymphoid cells are reactivated via daily exposures to ambient electromagnetic radiation, including house wiring (50Hz in Europe, 60Hz in the U.S.). Headache, muscle twitching, and skipped heartbeats can arise from a pulsing 60Hz electric field, and DNA can be modulated by a foreign magnetic field, meaning any frequency not our natural Schumann resonance.74As Dr. Robert O. Becker explained:
In most parts of the US the local utility company delivers plenty of health-damaging high frequencies that ride into your home on your 60-cycle household current. RF currents also enter your home via water and gas pipes, phone lines, etc. Once inside, they jump from surface to surface, even to things like wooden furniture, as they like to spread out over surfaces. Unless you check with an electric field meter, you will not be aware of their presence and they may cause the above symptoms. I have no doubt that at the present time the greatest polluting element in the earth’s environment is the proliferation of electromagnetic fields.75
Therefore, include environment in the tally of your immune system lifestyle. For example, home WiFi diminishes with distance, but routers designed to handle multiple computers at neighborhood schools do not. Children spend 180 days per year near routers radiating 5.8GHz so that each router can communicate with multiple computers, plus 2.4GHz for the 10–18 WiFi routers. Given that spinal cords and DNA act as antennae,76children with their soft bones and brainpans are especially vulnerable.
Another hidden factor is the synergy between ELFs and some pharmaceuticals:
Synergisms between pharmacological agents and endogenous neurotransmitters are familiar and frequent. The present review describes the experimental evidence for interactions between neuropharmacological compounds and the classes of weak magnetic fields that might be encountered in our daily environments. Whereas drugs mediate their effects through specific spatial (molecular) structures, magnetic fields mediate their effects through specific temporal patterns. Very weak (microT range) physiologically patterned magnetic fields synergistically interact with drugs to strongly potentiate effects that have classically involved opiate, cholinergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and nitric oxide pathways. The combinations of the appropriately patterned magnetic fields and specific drugs can evoke changes that are several times larger than those evoked by the drugs alone. These novel synergisms provide a challenge for a future within an electromagnetic, technological world. They may also reveal fundamental, common physical mechanisms by which magnetic fields and chemical reactions affect the organism from the level of fundamental particles to the entire living system.77
Finally, radio wave sickness—electrohypersensitivity (EHS) or electrosensitivity (ES)—is often the very biological stress that produces the acidic environment in which the Morgellons pathogen thrives. EHS, “a bona fide environmentally inducible neurological syndrome,”78was
publicly acknowledged to be a physical impairment in Sweden in 2000, then the UK followed suit in 2005:
Special cables are installed in sufferers’ homes while electric cookers are replaced with gas stoves. Walls, roofs, floors and windows can be covered with a thin aluminum foil to keep out the electromagnetic field—the area of energy that occurs round any electrically conductive item.79
Many American EHS refugees are fleeing the 322 million cell phone subscribers and millions of wireless laptops, tablets, and modems and heading for havens like Green Bank, West Virginia, where wireless is outlawed, thanks to the Radio Quiet Zone needed by the Green Bank Telescope.80
Protective products are slowly trickling into the market. EMF protective diodes and bio-field protectors are now available. (See Resources.) French fashion’s Smuggler label, in collaboration with the XLIM Institute in Limoges, France, has developed a suit that blocks EM waves by interweaving nonallergic nickel, stainless steel, aluminum, and faux gold into jacket pockets,81 and EMSEC Technologies (www.emsectechnologies.com) is producing a roll-on or spray-on Wireless Security Coating to block radio signals.82
In conclusion, we have begun to see that Morgellons is not a few thousand people with skin lesions but bioengineered fibers being scattered far and wide whose inhalation and ingestion threaten a major breakdown of the entire body system:
On a macro scale, we can see that some of the more obvious issues to be addressed concern iron disruption, amino acid presence and protein rebuilding, acidity, oxidative stress, availability of oxygen, thyroid and metabolism issues, halogen toxicity and substitution concerns, joint and skeletal integrity and elasticity, blood and cellular integrity, and potential neural disruption. Unfortunately, the list is not exhaustive but it is representative of some of the health concerns that have been brought to the forefront and reported on.83
Until more scientists and health professionals are on board and doing all that needs to be done regarding Morgellons not just under the skin but in the blood, keep Hering’s Law of Cure in mind:
Symptoms of a chronic disease disappear in a definite order, going in reverse and taking about one month for every year the symptoms have been present.
Symptoms move from the more vital organs to the less vital organs; from the interior of the body toward the skin. (Every organ has a frequency.)
Symptoms move from the top of the body downward.
Poor comfort, indeed, but this drama has just begun to unfold. Hear Carnicom’s clarion call and get your immune system sea legs under you.
1 Mike Adams, “Strange fibers found embedded inside Chicken McNuggets.” Natural News, August 16, 2013.
2 Megan Ogilvie, “Transgenic Animals: Genetically engineered meal close to your table.” GlobalResearch, 22 October 2008.
3 C.E. Kellett, M.D., M.R.C.P., “Sir Thomas Browne and the Disease Called the Morgellons.” Annals of Medical History, n.s., VII (1935), 467–479.
4 Kathryn N. Suh, MD, and Jay S. Keystone, MD. “Delusional Parasitosis: Epidemiology, clinical presentation, assessment and diagnosis.” UpToDate.com: “. . .clinicians around the world have relied on UpToDate as their primary resource for medical knowledge at the point of care.”
5 Referenced in Chapter 3: “CIA Operated Aerial Spraying Plane Carrying ‘Mutated’ Virus Shot Down in China.” Pakalert, November 30, 2009.
12 Wikipedia: “Project MK-ULTRA is the code name of a U.S. government human research operation experimenting in the behavioral engineering of humans through the CIA’s Scientific Intelligence Division.” See John D. Marks, The Search for the“Manchurian Candidate”: The CIA and Mind Control: The Secret History of the Behavioral Sciences. W.W. Norton & Company, 1991.
13 “The Atomic Victims as Human Guinea Pigs,” valtinsblog.blogspot.com, December 2, 2012. Recommended readings on the Hibakusha: Susan Lindee, Suffering Made Real: American Science and the Survivors of Hiroshima (1994); Sheldon H. Harris, Factories of Death: Japanese Biological Warfare, 1932–45, and the American Cover-Up (1995).
Memorandum from Chief, TSD [Technical Services Division]/Biological Branch to Chief, TSD “MKNAOMI” Funding. “Objectives and Accomplishments,” 10/18/67; in “What was the CIA’s MKNAOMI?” Invictus, November 14, 2010.
Carnicom, “Visitors to carnicom.com.” Also, see “Official Responses to Aerosol Operation Inquiries” (no date), “O’Connell Opposes Spraying” (September 22, 2000), “EPA Perpetually ‘Unaware’” (January 9, 2001), “USAF To Taylor: All Is ‘Ordinary’” (February 1, 2001), “United States EPA Region 4 Also ‘Unaware” (February 1, 2001).
Carnicom, “Morgellons: The Breaking of Bonds and the Reduction of Iron,” November 3, 2012.
Carnicom, “Environmental Filament Project: An Introduction,” July 9, 2013.
Jerry Smith, HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy. Adventures Unlimited Press, 1998.
Carnicom, “’Morgellons’ — 2nd Session,” April 11, 2008.
Renewed DISA interest in Carnicom’s ELF experiments, late 2002-early 2003.
This sixth operation would include synthetic telepathy technologies, what is commonly known as remote mind control, a topic so large as to merit another book.
Clifford E. Carnicom, “Morgellons Statement,” May 9, 2009.
Lynnette Bremmer, et al. “Surveillance for Influenza — United States, 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–00 Seasons,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 25, 2002.
See Maryna van Wyk, “Strange, sticky, wiry threads similar to spider’s web falls in the Karoo.” Rapport, South Africa, Cape Edition, 25 June 2000.
Carnicom, “Biological Components Identified,” May 11, 2000.
Albarelli and Martell, “National Security Secrecy: Morgellons Victims Across the US and Europe,” 2010.
A dismissive psychiatric term that refers to the meticulous collections of fibers that sufferers pluck from their skin.
Carnicom, “Morgellons Statement,” May 9, 2009.
See high-magnification images at Carnicom, “Morgellons: Airborne, Skin & Blood — A Match,” December 10, 2007; and “The Biggest Crime of All Time,” March 1, 2011.
Carnicom, “Morgellons: Airborne, Skin & Blood — A Match,” December 10, 2007.
Carnicom, “And Now Our Children,” January 11, 2008.
Carnicom, “Morgellons: pH, Conductivity, Ions & Live Analysis,” January 10, 2010.
Carnicom, “The Breath of A Decade,” December 18, 2010, edited January 10, 2011.
Carnicom, “The New Biology,” January 18, 2014.
Carnicom, “Environmental Filament: Keratin Encasement,” January 7, 2013; “Environmental Filament Penetration,” January 6, 2013.
Carnicom, “Cross-Domain Bacteria Isolation,” January 18, 2014.
Carnicom, “Morgellons: A Status Report,” October 8, 2009.
Photographs at 700–8600X of all four types and the “budding” structures are available at “Morgellons: Pathogens & The General Population,” April 9, 2008.
43 Carnicom, “Culture Breakthrough,” July 12, 2008; “Culture Work Is Confirmed,” August 18, 2008.
45 Carnicom, “Morgellons: Growth Captured,” August 21, 2008. Detailed photographs of the culture process can be found in
“Morgellons: A Status Report,” October 8, 2009.
46 In 1894, H.J.H. Fenton discovered that certain metals have a strong catalytic power to generate highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (.OH). The iron-catalyzed hydrogen peroxide is thus Fenton’s reaction.
47 Theodore L. Brown, Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2006.
48 For extensive proteins analysis, see Carnicom, “Morgellons Research: Proteinaceous Complex Identified,” March 14, 2012.
49 Carnicom, “Morgellons and Recent Findings,” January 2012.
50 Carnicom, “Amino Acids Verified,” November 3, 2012.
51 Carnicom, “Morgellons: The Breaking of Bonds and the Reduction of Iron,” November 3, 2012.
52 Carnicom, “Artificial Blood (?),” August 27, 2009.
Carnicom, “Blood Issues Intensify,” April 22, 2009.
Carnicom, “Morgellons: A New Classification,” February 3, 2010.
Katie Drummond, “Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included.” Wired, February 5, 2010.
See “Dead Scientists And Microbiologists — Master List,” compiled by Mark J. Harper. com, February 5, 2005.
Carnicom, “Morgellons: In the Laboratory,” May 22, 2011. This paper provides an excellent review of Carnicom’s research up to that point.
Ben Li, “Iron eating bacteria deciphered” (The Gauntlet, June 3, 2004); Pippa Wysong, “Metal-Eating Bacteria Corrode Pipes in Oil Industry” (Access Excellence, September 25, 2004).
Carnicom, “Morgellons: A Thesis,” October 15, 2011; edited December 1, 2011, and May 10, 2013.
Carnicom, “Morgellons: Infrared Spectroscopy — Culture Confirmation,” January 1, 2013.
Carnicom, “Environmental Filament Penetration,” January 6, 2013.
Jim Giles, “Nanoparticles in the Brain.” com, January 5, 2004.
Martha Irvine, “In a Chicago suburb, an indoor farm goes ‘mega.’” Seattle P-I, March 28, 2013. Also, microbiologist
Dickson Despommier’s The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21stCentury.
65 Tom Laskawy, “Miracle grow: Indian farmers smash crop yield records without GMOs,” grist.org, 22 February 2013.
66 Carnicom, “Morgellons: In the Laboratory,” May 22, 2011.
68 Wikipedia: “The human body carries about 100 trillion microorganisms in its intestines, a number ten times greater than the total number of human cells in the body. The metabolic activities performed by these bacteria resemble those of an organ, leading some to liken gut bacteria to a ‘forgotten’ organ.”
69 Ryan Drum, Island Herbs, “Radiation Protection Using Seaweeds.” Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine, April 13–14, 2013.
70 Carnicom, “Morgellons: A Discovery and A Proposal,” February 22, 2010, edited June 12, 2011; “Morgellons: Growth Inhibition Confirmed,” March 15, 2010.
71 Naomi Ishisaka, “UW Scientist Henry Lai Makes Waves in the Cell Phone Industry.” Seattle Magazine, January 2011; Lai and Singh, “Magnetic-field-induced DNA strand breaks in brain cells of the rat.” Environmental Health Perspectives, May 2004; 112(6): 687–694.
72 “Silibinin, Found in Milk Thistle, Protects Against UV-Induced Skin Cancer.” ScienceDaily, January 30, 2013.
73 Lyme is named after Lyme, Connecticut, where the illness was identified in 1975. A bacterium transmitted through infected deer ticks, Lyme shares symptoms with Morgellons, and Ginger Savely, DNP, of Austin, Texas (www.gingersavely.com) believes that Lyme sufferers have weaker immune systems and may therefore be more vulnerable to Morgellons.
74 Grimaldi, S. et al. “Exposure to a 50 Hz electromagnetic field induces activation of the Epstein-Barr virus genome in latently infected human lymphoid cells.” Journal of Environmental Pathological Toxicological Oncology. 1997; 16(2-3):205–7.
75 Robert O. Becker, Cross Currents: The Perils of Electropollution, The Promise of Electromedicine, 1990.
76 “Investigation of the spinal cord as a natural receptor antenna for incident electromagnetic waves and possible impact on the central nervous system,” Electromagnetic Biological Medicine, Vol. 31, No. 2, 101–111, June 2012; “DNA is a fractal antenna in electromagnetic fields,” International Journal of Radiation Biology, Vol. 87, No. 4, 409–415, April 2011.
77 P.D. Whissell and M.A. Persinger, “Emerging Synergisms Between Drugs and Physiologically Patterned Weak Magnetic Fields: Implications for Neuropharmacology and the Human Population in the Twenty-First Century.” CurrentNeuropharmacology December 2007; 5(4): 278–288. Persinger has spent years experimenting with weak EM fields on brains. Wikipedia: “During the 1980s [Persinger] stimulated people’s temporal lobes artificially with a weak magnetic field to see if he could induce a religious state (see God helmet).”
79 Sarah-Kate Templeton, “Electrical Fields Can Make You Sick.” The Times OnLine, 11 September 2005.
80 “Wireless Refugees: ‘Cell Phones, WiFi Making Us Sick.’” Wusa9.com, February 27, 2013.
81 “French fashion firm develops suit that blocks electromagnetic waves.” Agence France-Presse, March 21, 2013.
82 But not for scalar ground wave signals. For those, one needs separated layers of metal sheeting similar to Reichian technology. Doors and windows may require the same.
83 Carnicom, “Morgellons: A Working Hypothesis: Neural, Thyroid, Liver, Oxygen, Protein and Iron Disruption,” August 12, 2013.
We are as gods and might as well get good at it.— Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Catalog, 1969
Rough weather is rolling into Houston from the south today, proving that those allegedgovernment-controlled weather machines aren’t affected by the [2013 government] shutdown.Already pictures of menacing-looking clouds are making the rounds on social media.— Craig Hlavaty,
“Strange cloud formation grabs Houston’s attention as storms roll in,” Houston Chronicle, October 1,2013
I can’t imagine stratospheric aerosols ever being deployed . . . You can’t test it unless youbasically do full-scale deployments . . . I just can’t see the world standing for that. You wouldhave to notify everybody that might be affected—informed consent over the entire planet—andyou’d have to do an Environmental Impact Statement and I can’t imagine everybody in the worldagreeing to those changes . . .— Alan Robock, Distinguished Professor of Climatology, Rutgers University, 2012
Book Excerpt – Elana Freeland (Elana Freeland – Chemtrails, Haarp, and the Full Spectrum Dominance of Planet Earth (2014, Feral House)):
The truth is that we are entering a technological Space Age very different from the oneenvisioned by President John F. Kennedy. If the military mindset has its way, all of Planet Earthwill be militarized under the policy of full spectrum dominance. One-eyed mainstream media areon board to task the public with pollution and “global warming.” Like a sonar echo, the militarybemoans “battlefield attrition” and blames what it calls the “CNN syndrome” (the public’s desireto be informed) for “forcing” the U.S. Army “to look/act like SOCOM [Special OperationsCommand],” meaning steeped in secrecy, deceit, and plausible deniability. The “CNNsyndrome” public simply cannot handle the necessity of weaponizing everything under the Sun,from “ubiquitous multiphysics, hyperspectral sensors, precision strikes, volumetric weaponry,swarms and hardened munitions” to “non-explosive warfare” like psywar, biowar, IT/net war,“anti-operability war,” beam weaponry, RF, spoofing/camo, robotic warfare “in the large”/betterthan human AI/“Cyber life,” and “alternative power projection approaches (e.g., the deep waterdepth/death sphere).”3Ever so quietly, the science of waging war has been transformed by the Revolution in MilitaryAffairs (RMA). The “battlespace” is everywhere, foreign and domestic, and the IT/Bio/’Botweapons of choice require an ionized (electrified) atmosphere. Wars over natural resources arebeing replaced by wars over “societal disruptions” as the line between civilian and soldier iserased. Directed energy weapons (DEWs) promise “warfare on the cheap” (steerable avoidanceof collateral damage), survivability (“Can see everything, anything you can see you can kill”),and effectiveness (“Lethality of precision and volumetric weaponry”).4HAARP technology with its ionized chemtrails constitutes a global-scale DEW system.While mainstream newscasters wring their hands over “global warming” and “climatechange,” ionospheric heaters torque the chemtrails and unnaturally heat the planet in endlessmilitary “experiments.” The President promises “new climate proposals” as TransCanada Corp’s$5.3 billion Keystone XL pipeline is pushed through Congress to deliver tar-sands oil thatpromises yet more greenhouse gas emissions.5 Meanwhile, stealthy aflatoxins, Ebola and Lassa,binary agents, and genomic-targeting pathogens ride nanoparticulates into our lungs andbloodstreams in a “long-term fingerprintless campaign.”6The “Worldwide IT Revolution” is synonymous with a C4 (command, control,communications, computers) weapons system. Thanks to “superb worldwide sensor suites andprecision strike capabilities,” it’s “tele-everything.”
ommunications, computing, and sensors
are silicon, molecular, quantum, bio, and optical, soon to move humans into AIs and“Automatics / Robotics ‘in the large’,” immersive multisensory VR (virtual reality “holodecks”),and multiphysics hyperspectral sensors in land, sea, air, and space. By circa 2025, robotics willbe the norm, with binary bios in the agriculture and food distribution systems, with nanosensors,munitions, and swarm/horde weapons keeping a brave new virtual world peace tacked to awireless Smart Grid “Cloud.”Such is our transitional condition in this 67th year of the American National Security State.
At the outset of this study of chemtrails and their relationship to ionospheric technologies likethe High-frequency Active Auroral Research Project (HAARP), it is crucial that we understandSection 1520a Chapter 32 of U.S. Code Title 50, “Restrictions on use of human subjects fortesting of chemical or biological agents.” Title 50 defines the role of war and national defense,and Chapter 32 sets limits on chemical and biological warfare programs. (See Appendix A.1)While the Secretary of Defense may not conduct any chemical or biological experiments oncivilian populations, the loophole lies in allowing for medical, therapeutic, pharmaceutical,agricultural, and industrial research and tests, including research for protection against weaponsand for law enforcement purposes like riot control.HAARP is classified as a research project, which means “informed consent” is suspended.The history of HAARP’s conception has been a work in progress over the past two decades in
books, essays, and Internet research. (See Bibliography and Resources.) The at-a-glancetimeline2 from the 1995 Angels Don’t Play This HAARP: Advances in Tesla Technology byJeane Manning and Nick Begich will help to develop a frame of reference for just how long theStrategic Defense Initiative (SDI)—of which chemtrails and HAARP are a crucial, culminatingpart—has been under development. A narrative of key points from Dr. Rosalie Bertell’sexcellent “Background of the HAARP Project”3 follows the Manning-Begich timeline. Dr.Bertell, a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart for over half a century, was an epidemiologist bestknown for her ionizing radiation expertise.
—
This information is devoted to a short summary of the history, technology, and health effects of Project Cloverleaf, particularly in how it interfaces with multiplying the effects of HAARP technology.
Project Cloverleaf is a joint US-Canadian Military Operation involving distributing chemicals into the atmosphere above Canada and the United States.
Both US military refueling tankers and thousands of planes in private corporate aviation are used.
Military & civilian aspects of Project Cloverleaf are covert operations
The purpose is to seed into the atmosphere multiple weather/climate modification chemicals for purposes of proactive environmental warfare, originally motivated by a climate change concern and to introduce highly humanly toxic metallic salts and aerosol fibers that facilitate atmospheric operations of HAARP technology (which is involved in climate manipulation).
Piggybacking on this, the covert distribution framework of the toxic metals & chemicals has been used in other covert military/civilian operations like massive biological experiments on whole cities and countryside of people/ecologies – tests which are unauthorized & without consent or even public knowledge.
The purpose is nothing less than the actual physical transformation of the earth’s atmosphere in order to provide a platform for the latest chemical & electromagnetic technologies of warfare, communication, weather control, low-yield biological warfare, and control of populations through “non-lethal” chemical/electromagnetic means.
Project Cloverleaf is a global phenomenon
This is its short, documented history:
PROJECT CLOVERLEAF TIMELINE
CORPORATE & MILITARY GLOBAL WARMING CONCERNS
TURNS INTO PROACTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL & BIOLOGICAL WARFARE
US environmental regulations limit all airborne particle concentrations less than 10 microns in diameter.
1994:
10 micron aluminum oxide called for in a patent issued to Hughes Aircraft Company.
‘Welsbach Seeding for Reduction of Global Warming’ refers to spreading highly reflective materials in the atmosphere to reflect enough incoming sunlight (1-2%) to slow rapidly-accelerating global warming.
The sky shield blueprint calls for dispensing microscopic particles of humanly toxic aluminum oxide and other reflective materials into the upper atmosphere. Computer simulations by Ken Caldeira at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory calculated that this would be enough to stop warming over 85 per cent of the planet, despite an anticipated doubling of carbon in the atmosphere within the next 50 years.
Lawrence Livermore priced the aerial spray program at US $1 billion dollars a year – a cheap fix to maintain massive private corporation petroleum profits in the face of Kyoto’s internationally agreed carbon cutbacks.
IPCC warned against unpredictable upsets of the atmosphere & angry populaces reacting to,
“the associated whitening of the visual appearance of the sky”.
Caldeira was so concerned he went public, warning deflecting sunlight would further cool stratosphere, concentrating icy clouds of ozone-gobbling CFCs that could destroy Earth’s solar radiation shield.
However, they ignored the global atmospheric risks & the ecological and human health concerns for the sake of maintaining a quick-fix on private oil profits. Aluminum in ‘Welsbach patent’ was intended to be put into the fuel of jet airliners. If it is added to the plane’s auxiliary fuel tanks, chemtrails will appear only at cruising altitudes after the flight crew switches to aux tanks.
Switching to main tanks for take-off and landing will leave no chemtrail clues close to the ground. According to a former engineer for Alcoa, aluminum oxide in the size ranges called for would polish jet turbine blades without harming them, & would form brilliant white plumes in skies.
The engineer warned that metallic particles intended to remain aloft for a year could settle quickly to the ground and become toxic.
“According to Gen Gordon Sullivan, former Army chief of staff, ‘As we leap technology into the 21st century, we will be able to see the enemy day or night, in any weather- and go after him relentlessly.’ A global, precise, real-time, robust, systematic weather-modification capability would provide war-fighting CINCs w/ a powerful force multiplier to achieve military objectives.
Since weather will be common to all possible futures, weather-modification capability would be universally applicable and have utility across the entire spectrum of conflict. Capability of influencing the weather even on small scale could change it from force degrader to force multiplier.”
Recipe for creating “cirrus shields” was outlined, & it explained how “weather force specialists” were dispersing chemicals behind high-flying tanker aircraft in a process the air force calls “aerial obscuration”.
Early 1998:
“Months of ‘spraying’” by photo-identified US Air Force tanker planes over Espanola, Ontario, Canada. Former Ontario Provincial Police Officer and Supreme Court expert witness Ted Simola reported lingering Xs and numerous white trails, some of which “just ended” as if they had been shut off but remained in the sky.
Spring 1998:
Extremely high levels of aluminum powder in rainwater falling through thick sky plumes over Espanola, Ontario. Espanola lab tests conducted after residents began complaining to environment ministry of severe headaches, chronic joint pain, dizziness, sudden extreme fatigue, acute asthma attacks and feverless “flu-like” symptoms in a 50-square-mile area coinciding with “months of ‘spraying’” by photo-identified USAF tanker planes.
Disease-causing agents in chemtrails tested from rainwater samples by independent lab through Ontario Ministry of Environment: finds aluminum at 7x government safe levels. High enough, said lab, ‘to kill fish’.
Summer 1999:
Fine aluminum particles found in laboratory tests of chemtrail-contaminated rain taken in Espanola, Ontario.
The aluminum found in chemtrails over Ontario matches the 10 micron aluminum oxide called for in the 1994 patent. On the other side of the world, in Naples, Italy, the US Navy’s Kitty Chastain sat on her hotel balcony and watched aerial grids being laid all day just offshore over the Bay of Naples.
“People were coughing all over Naples,” she wrote.
On the bus ride in from the base, Chastain explained chemtrails to many sailors with hacking coughs.
Oct. 12, 1999:
Paris correspondent reported,
“…heavy activity from all directions, X upon X. The pilots here seem to like to play chicken; they fly right at each other and then one will swerve, their trails forming pitchforks and Xs.”
No contrails were being left by “normal planes” in the same skies. But the next day, planes flying over Paris ‘from all directions’ obscured sky.
Nov. 1999:
NDP Defense critic Gordon Earle presented a petition signed by 550 Espanola residents to Parliament in November, 1999 demanding the end of aerial spraying by commercial or military aircraft, foreign or domestic. They are ignored.
2000 to present:
Beginnings of reports of unusual white plumes in Canada & U.S. noticed by Air Canada pilots, police officers, ex-military personnel.
April 27, 2000:
American tourist in Spain, John Hendricks, dashed off quick email from El Café de Internet: “Were we surprised to see that the chemtrails are as bad here as they are anywhere, both in Mallorca and in Barcelona.”
May 2000:
‘Project Cloverleaf’ name revealed as the covert commercial airline aspect of the chemtrail spraying. An anonymous United States commercial aviation mechanic and airline corporate executive separately admit that commercial planes were rigged with special equipment to distribute unknown chemicals into the air, using thousands of commercial planes in the United States.
The chemicals are discharged through disguised, hollowed-out static wicks on the planes’ wings. Chemical solution tanks are covertly hidden on the planes. Covert operation is administered by the tiny number of outsourced private personnel who empty whole airports’ multiple airline lavatory tanks – while they fill up the chem-tanks at the same time – the cover for Project Cloverleaf.
Airline executives are told by unidentified government agents that if they tell public that they are spraying the atmosphere with illegal unmonitored compounds, they could be imprisoned. Project Cloverleaf documents are kept in locked safes at the companies involved.
All commercial airliners in the United States have accepted payment from federal government to conduct aerial spraying as early as 1998. Mechanic was threatened with firing, he was framed, & his internet usage was monitored after he analyzed several rigged chem-planes.
June 2000:
By mid 2000, unprecedented aerial spray campaign over 13 allied nations, causing serious illness/fatalities; changing clouds & weather.
December 2000:
Canadian aviation authority Terry Stewart investigated a Victoria caller’s complaint of intensive chemtrails over British Columbia capitol.
In taped phone message (later played to 15 million radio listeners), the environmental manager for the Victoria Int’l Airport checked with control tower, reporting:
“It’s a military exercise, U.S. and Canadian air force exercise, that’s going on. They wouldn’t give me any specifics on it.”
Aircraft making lingering X’s & grids over Vancouver Island, Canada, photo-identified as US Air Force KC-135 & KC-10 aerial refueling tankers.
US Air Force counts 650 four-engine KC-135 Stratotankers & 50 KC-10 Extenders in its active inventory. Canada without armadas of tankers. Acute upper respiratory & gastrointestinal illness, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, dizziness
March 12, 2001:
Multi-plane chem-missions verified in March, 2001 by FAA Air Traffic Control (ATC) manager for northeastern seaboard of United States. Confirms an ongoing East Coast ‘Military Operation.’
Similar military activities ongoing in other regions, he added. On his ‘scopes he could track the tankers flying north into Canadian airspace. In interview with freelance radio reporter S. T. Brendt, ATC Control manager said he’s told on as many as 4 occasions in March, 2001 to re-route commercial air traffic around military craft in classified aerial operation in the northeastern seaboard… repeatedly conducted at altitudes between 37,000-40,000 ft.
While air traffic controllers normally ignore air traffic above 10,000 feet, he said he was ordered to divert incoming European air traffic away from the military planes.
When asked why, he said,
“I was told there was a military exercise in the area. Of course, they wouldn’t give me any of the particulars.”
Were the tankers involved in weather modification?
“That approximates what I was told.”
3rd interview, question rephrased:
“Were tankers observed on ATC radars involved in climate modification?”
He confirmed this is what he was told was the object of the missions. USAF tankers spray a substance that showed up on ATC radars as a ‘haze’.
More interviews led to statements that ATC Controllers at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, all 3 major airports in New York, Los Angeles LAX, San Francisco, Atlanta, Cleveland, San Diego, Washington DC’s Dulles and Jacksonville, Florida were being ordered to route airliners beneath formations of Air Force tanker planes spraying something that regularly clouds all their screens.
Every controller, without exception, is being told to divert traffic due to military exercises.
“One of them said, ‘Aluminum or barium’ that’s not something you want to be breathing.”
After photographing massive plumes over Gibsons, Ontario, Canada, Suzanne Smart checked with aviation authorities and found that no airline flight plans had been filed for that airspace at that time.
Official weather data showed that when her photos of multiple white plumes were taken, the 30 per cent humidity at 30,000 & 35,000 feet was less than half that needed for contrails to form. According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, the only way to form artificial clouds in warm dry air is to introduce enough particulates into the atmosphere to attract and accrete all available moisture into visible vapor.
If repeated often enough, the resulting rainless haze can lead to drought.
Summer 2001:
Chemtrail pictures sent to newspapers by Associated Press.
Oct. 2001:
United States House of Representatives bill HR2977 introduced by Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. It called for the peaceful uses of space, and a ban on ‘exotic weapons’.
Kucinich recently told the Columbus Alive newspaper (Jan. 24, 2002) that despite official denials, as head of the Armed Services oversight committee he is well acquainted with chemtrail projects.
“The truth is there’s an entire program in the Dept. of Defense – ‘Vision for 2020’ – that’s developing these weapons,” Kucinich told reporter Bob Fitrakis.
The U.S. Space Command’s 2020 vision calls for ‘dominance of space, land, sea and air’. Though “section vii” naming chemtrails, HAARP & other planet-threatening weapons were removed in a substitute bill, the removal was under pressure, according to Kucinich…
December 6, 2001:
A scientist working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base recently told reporter Bob Fitrakis that two different projects are being conducted.
One involves cloud creation experiments to lessen the effect of global warming. Other chemtrails connected with the military’s extremely high-power Radio Frequency beam weapon in Alaska called HAARP.
The scientist claims that the two most common substances being sprayed into chemtrails are:
aluminum oxide
barium stearate
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originated, is deafening. It is high time we make a deep study of just how this one-two punch ofHAARP-chemtrails works.1www.carnicominstitute.org/articles/thenandnow.htm2 See Arthur W. Clayden. Cloud Studies. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1927; atplus.google.com/photos/107393796095434664991/albums/5236028370090070321?banner=pwa3 Prachi Patel-Predd. “A Spaceport for Tree Huggers.” Discover, December 2007.4 Will Thomas, “Nano Chemicals,” willthomasonline.net/Nano_Chemtrails.html5 Clifford E. Carnicom, “Ions and Humidity,” May 26, 2005. Carnicom recommends utilizing the two variables of humidityand negative ion count when analyzing aerosol operations in geographic areas.6 Clifford E. Carnicom, “Contrail Distance Formation Model,” March 22, 2001. At “Contrail Formation Model” (April 12,2001), Carnicom offers a mathematical formula of hard scientific data for contrail formation under various meteorologicalconditions at various flight altitudes.7 Eric Schmitt and Tom Shanker, “In Long Pursuit of Bin Laden, the ’07 Raid, and Frustration.” New York Times, May 5,2011.8 Jason Keyser, “FAA to close 149 air traffic towers under cuts.” AP, March 22, 2013.9 The military claims it is converting drones from reconnaissance to hurricane trackers for HS3 (Hurricane and Severe StormSentinel), but it is more likely that more than a few are being reconfigured for chemtrail missions. See “NASA sends drones totrack hurricanes’ secrets,” The News, September 15, 2013, www.thenews.com.pk10 “Forest Service Buys Flying Drones to Find Marijuana Growers in Calif.” AP, April 4, 2008.11 Minnis, J. Kirk Ayers and Steven P. Weaver coined the term cirrus contrailus in their report, “Surface-Based Observationsof Contrail Occurrence Frequency Over the U.S., April 1993–April 1994,” NASA RP-1404, December 1997.12 “Briefly Empty Skies Offer Climate Clues.” New York Times, October 30, 2001.13 Brandon Turbeville, “Belgian Environmental Study Corroborates Existence and Effects of Weather Modification.” AP,January 3, 2013.14 “Case Orange: Contrail Science, Its Impact on Climate and Weather Manipulation Programs Conducted By the UnitedStates and Its Allies.” Belfort Group, 10 May 2010. www.belfort-group.eu/sites/default/files/page/2010/05/COpart1.pdf15 Jim Salter, “Secret Cold War tests on St. Louis raise concerns.” AP, October 4, 2012.16 Jon Mitchell, “Were US Marines Used as Guinea Pigs on Okinawa?” CounterPunch, December 19, 2012.17 Raffi Khatchadourian, “Operation Delirium.” The New Yorker, December 17, 2012.18 Jenny O’Connor, “Colombia’s Agent Orange?” CounterPunch, October 31, 2012.19 Rami Nagel, “Governor Schwarzenegger Backed Immoral Sex Pheromone Spraying Continues. . .” NaturalNews.com,February 8, 2008.20 Paulina Borsook, “Bush Administration to Blue-State California: Drop Dead!” March 20, 2008.21 “Project Cloverleaf: Timeline, 1994 to the Present.” media.portland.indymedia.org/media/2004/03/283390.pdf22 Edward Teller, “The Planet Needs A Sunscreen.” Wall Street Journal, October 17, 1997.23 For those unfamiliar with what a black budget is and does, see www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/black-budget24 “Unilateral Geoengineering: Non-technical Briefing Notes for a Workshop At the Council on Foreign Relations,”Washington, D.C., May 5, 2008.25science.energy.gov/ber/research/cesd/atmospheric-system-research-program/26aerosoltechnologylab.tamu.edu/27 “SNRL Devices for Collecting Airborne Material Receive Patents.” December 1, 2005 press release.srnl.doe.gov/newsroom/2005news/120105.htm28 SRNL is managed and operated by Westinghouse Savannah River Company (now the Washington Savannah RiverCompany), a subsidiary of the URS Corporation, one of those “everything” megacorporations that antitrust legislation used toprotect the public from.29 The “party line” on cloud seeding (weather modification) can be found under “Aerosols and Precipitation” atwww.rap.ucar.edu/hap/themes/seed.php, the National Center for Atmospheric Research sponsored by the National ScienceFoundation.30www.deepwaterchemicals.com/pdf/107.04.pdf31 Julian Siddle, “US makes ‘weather control powder’.” BBC News, 2 August 2001.32 Jenny Hsu, “Lasers Could Create Clouds, and Perhaps Rain, on Demand.” Popular Science, May 3, 2010. For photos oflasers in operation, see Becky Ferreira, “Of Course the Future of Weather Control Involves Lasers.” Motherboard, no date.33 Colin Baras, “Laser creates clouds over Germany.” New Scientist, 2 May 2010. LIDAR detects aerosols the same way sonaruses sound pulses or radar uses radio waves.34 The removal of salt from sea water to make fresh water for human and animal consumption or irrigation.35 Karen Leigh, “Abu Dhabi-backed scientists create fake rainstorms in $11 m project.” ArabianBusiness.com
“Using Frequency to Perform Weather Modification Over Texas — Spring 2012 operations — Aquiess and Sci-Blue,”Dutchsinse, March 9, 2013.37 See Col. Kutchinski’s “Using the Rivers of the Troposphere” at blog.chron.com/climateabyss/2011/07/diary-entry-the-last-word/38 Also see tatoott1009.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/smoking-gun-on-an-active-program-using-frequency-to-control-the-weather-in-the-continental-united-states/39 In February 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the drought ravaging 57 percent of the United States hasculled Texas cattle to what they were in 1952. Elizabeth Campbell, “Odds Against U.S. Drought Ending Soon, TexasClimatologist Says.” Bloomberg, February 6, 2013.40 Richard Gray, “Britain shivers in coldest April day for 20 years.” The Telegraph, 4 April 2013.41 In 2011, the watchdog Environmental Working Group examined water quality tests for over two hundred municipal watersystems affecting 100 million people in 43 states. See Andrea Germanos, “Study: Over 100 Million Americans Drinking ‘ToxicTrash’ Water.” Common Dreams, February 27, 2013.42www.holmestead.ca/chemtrails/shieldproject.html43 March 2008 lecture “Perturbed Clouds in the Climate System” at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FAS) inFrankfurt, Germany.44 Trimac has tanks, ships, tank farms, rail car tanks, highway tankers and terminals serving BASF, DuPont, Bayer, and otherBig Chem. Trimac is owned by UK’s Rentokil Initial.45 Richard Read, “Evergreen International Airlines flies its last flight and parks aircraft, union says.” The Oregonian,December 3, 2013.46 Ibid.47 See T.W.R. East, “A self-steering array for the SHARP microwave-powered aircraft,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas andPropagations, vol. 30, no. 12, p. 1565, December 1992.48 “Chemtrails are likely to track armies, move viruses around,” beforeitsnews.com/chemtrails/2011/10/pilot-speaks-out-about-chemtrails-and-haarp-1256807/html, October 19, 2011.49 The figure of $5 billion a year was borrowed from the journal Environmental Research Letters (3/16/2007). “Shading Earth:Delivering Solar Geoengineering Materials to Combat Global Warming May Be Feasible and Affordable.” Science Daily, August29, 2012.50 Carnicom, “An airline manager’s statement,” May 22, 2000. www.carnicominstitute.org/articles/mgr1.htm51 Peter Holmes, “Jet pilots fear ‘chemtrail’ attacks.” News Limited Network, November 2, 2012.52 Ibid.53 Operation Mockingbird: a secret Central Intelligence Agency campaign to influence media beginning in the 1950s. Firstcalled Mockingbird in Deborah Davis’ 1979 book, Katharine the Great: Katharine Graham and her Washington Post Empire.See the 2007 memoir American Spy: My Secret History in the CIA, Watergate, and Beyond by convicted Watergate “plumber” E.Howard Hunt; and The Mighty Wurlitzer: How the CIA Played America by Hugh Wilford (2008).54 Carnegie Institute, “Geoengineering for Global Warming: Increasing Aerosols in Atmosphere Would Make Sky Whiter.”ScienceDaily, May 31, 2012.55 Lauren Morello and ClimateWire, “Geoengineering Could Turn Skies White.” Scientific American, June 1, 2012.56 Alister Doyle and David Fogarty, “’Sunshade’ to fight climate change cost at $5 bln a year.” Reuters India, August 31,2012.57 “Intruder US-hired plane to be let off after Govt clearance.” Expressindia.com, June 20, 2009.58The Weekender (South African newspaper), May 17, 2008; quoted at freebornjohn.blogspot.com/2008/05/Chinese-arms-reach-zimbabwe.html59 “Three dead, four injured in Cargo plane crash in Shanghai Pudong Airport.” xinhuanet.com, November 28, 2009.60 “Three Americans dead as Zimbabwe plane crashes in China.” BBC News, 28 November 2009.61 Paul Watson, “Scientists warn against closing Navy lab.” Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2008.62Saturday Night Live, December 6, 2009. I was unable to find a clip.63 From www.attac.org/en/overview: “ATTAC is an international organization involved in the alter-globalization movement.We oppose neo-liberal globalization and develop social, ecological, and democratic alternatives so as to guarantee fundamentalrights for all. Specifically, we fight for the regulation of financial markets, the closure of tax havens, the introduction of globaltaxes to finance global public goods, the cancellation of the debt of developing countries, fair trade, and the implementation oflimits to free trade and capital flows.”64 See his dialogue with Californian Rosalind Peterson, Agricultural Technologist for the Mendocino County Department ofAgriculture (1989–1993) and certified USDA Farm Service Agency Crop Loss Adjustor, also an anti-chemtrails activist:“Dialogue on Persistent Jet Contrails & Experimental Weather Modification,” 25 November 2006,www.holmestead.ca/chemtrails/wayne+ros.pdf65 Michel Chossudovsky, “It’s not only greenhouse gas emissions: Washington’s new world order weapons have the ability totrigger climate change.” fromthewilderness.com, September 27, 2010.66 I have my own copy that I edited, minus photographs, etc.67 “Parliamentary Questions,” 10 May 2007, www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=WQ&reference=E-2007-2455&language=BG68 See “Chemtrail Proof — German Military Exposed,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaPqCMIuEk469 By “chaff,” he means particulates. www.nogeoingegneria.com/news-eng/general-fabio-mini-chem
vinced-and-so-am-i/70 See YouTube “Enouranois II: Persistent aircraft emissions — geoengineering — HAARP: Political dimensions,” uploadedby the CSE Initiative on October 15, 2012.71 “U.S. military behind Haiti quake, says Innsbruck scientist.” Austrian Independent, 9 March 2010.72 Rady Ananda, “Atmospheric Geoengineering: Weather Manipulation, Contrails and Chemtrails.” Global Research, July 30,2010.73 Giannis Ioannou, “Aerial Spraying: Mobilization Around the Cyprus Bases.” Simerini, June 25, 2010.74 “Geoengineering Moratorium at UN Ministerial in Japan: Risky Climate Techno-fixes Blocked.” News release,www.etcgroup.org, 29 October 2010.75 Video footage at www.geoengineeringwatch.org/suffolk-county-public-hearing-to-ban-geoengineering/76 R. Teichmann, “Chemtrails, ‘The Spraying of Poison over Sweden’: Politician Ignites Controversial Debate.” GlobalResearch, October 20, 2012.77 Theorin served in the Parliament of Sweden 1971–1995 and the European Parliament 1995–2004. Theorin’s reportinstigated the February 1998 European Parliament public hearings on HAARP.78 Email from Wayne Hall, April 11, 2013
