<nettime> solar flares and possible effects on humans

["text warez" <textz@gmx.net>]

http://www.n3kl.org/sun/noaa.html
http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/flare/
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/flareclasses.html
http://umtof.umd.edu/sem/
http://sec.noaa.gov/pmap/
http://sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/xray_5m.html
http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/space_weather.html

Following in the footsteps of the Dulls (1933) and Friedman et al (1963), three
Israeli scientists have also found surprisingly high correlations between solar
activity and psychiatric illnesses. 

"Numbers of first admissions per month for a single psychiatric unit, from 1977
to 1987, were examined for 1829 psychiatric inpatients to assess whether this
measure was correlated with 10 parameters of geophysical activity. Four
statistically significant values were 0.197 with level of solar radioflux at
2800 MHz in the corresponding month, -0.274 with sudden magnetic disturbances
of the ionosphere, -0.216 with the index of geomagnetic activity, and -0.262
with the number of hours of positive ionization of the ionosphere in the
corresponding month. Percentages of variance accounted for were very small."
Quite understandably, these investigators concluded: "How to interpret properly
associations of solar activity with human behaviors is yet impossible. The
relative indifference of behavioral scientists to this question may reflect
lack of an adequate theoretical framework relating to the question and the
phenomenon."

(Raps, Avi, et al; "Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXIX. Solar Activity 
and Admission of Psychiatric Inpatients," Perceptual and Motor Skills,
74:449, 1992.)

Eliyahu Stoupel, M.D., Ph.D.

(This article is reproduced from the Bio-Electro-Magnetics Institute, vol1, 
no.1, (Spring 1989) with permission).

The earth's natural magnetic field is variable. With suitably sensitive
equipment, called magnetometers, it is possible to detect very small variations
in the intensity of the earth's magnetic field. The intensity variations occur
both over time, ie. temporal fluctuations, and over space, that is spatial
gradients. The amplitude of these variations is about .35-10 trillionths of a
Tesla.

The temporal intensity variations, or pulsations, occur over a wide frequency
range from DC levels changes; to frequencies much below one cycle per second
(micropulsations); to brain wave frequencies (1-30 cycles per second); and
higher frequencies. These temporal variations in the earth's magnetic field
strength are called geomagnetic activity or GMA. As a result of energetic
changes from events on the sun (and other objects in space), the geomagnetic
activity of the earth is substantially influenced.

Recent studies indicate that changes in geomagnetic activity can affect one's 
cardiovascular health. 

The GMA is measured according to the 6 most active hours of the 24 hour period.
The level of those fluctuations can be broken down into 4 categories of
gradation of each day: quiet (I), unsettled (II), active (III), and stormy
(IV).

The following links can be found between the level of the GMA and some
physiological parameters and the natural history of diseases. I have
identified: Higher hospital cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accident
mortality on active and stormy days of GMA (III-IV); Higher number of deaths of
outpatients from acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) on days with higher
GMA; Higher diastolic blood pressure on days of higher GMA in healthy blood
donors and hypertensive patients on both active and stormy GMA days; Higher
number of blood platelets, prothrombin index, and platelet aggregation on days
with higher GMA; Greater human blood plasma viscosity on unsettled (II) and
active (III) GMA compared to quiet (I) days; Higher levels on human prolactin
and 17-ketosteroid levels on higher GMA days; Higher levels of human growth
hormone and 11(?)-ketosteroid levels in low GMA days; these changes show links
between the human central nervous system, particularly hypothalamic function,
and the level of GMA; More severe migraine headaches on days with high levels
of GMA. This relationship is strong and significantly correlated; Significantly
more frequent heart rhythm disturbances - surpraventricular and ventricular
extrasystoles as detected with the electrocardiogram (ECG) on days with lowest
(I) GMA; A higher number of sudden cardiovascular deaths, on these low (I) GMA
days compared with the 3 higher GMA levels (II, III, IV); A greater involvement
of the inferior wall of the heart than the anterior wall in acute myocardial
infarction (heart attack) on quiet (I) GMA days. The anterior/inferior wall
ratio increases with the level of the GMA; Changes in hospital mortality from
acute myocardial infarction in the last 6 years compared with the previous 7
years. In the three higher levels of GMA (II, III, IV), the hospital mortality
dropped significantly. In more than 1400 quiet (I) days, no significant change
was seen. 

This brief summary of studies is only the beginning. More research in this area
is urgently needed, if we are to understand the unique relationship between
solar activity, GMA, and human health - relationships which persist from
intrauterine life until death.  (Editors' note: other articles of interest:
Kuritzky, A., Y. Zoldan, R. Hering, E. Stoupel (1987). "Geomagnetic Activity
and the Severity of the Migraine Attack", Headache February 1987, pp 87-89.
Stoupel, E., et al. (1989). "Is Localization of acute myocardial infarction
time-related?", Clin. Cardiol., 11, pp 45-49.  Stoupel, E., M. Shimshoni (1991)
"Hospital cardiovascular deaths and total distribution of deaths in 180... with
different cosmic physical activity.. a correlative study (1974-1988)", Int. J.
Biometeor., 35:6-9.  Rapset, ?, et al. (1992). "Geophysical variables and
behaviour... Solar activity and admission of psychiatric inpatients",
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 74: 449-450. 

(Dr. E.G. Stoupel, cardiologist and Ph.D. scientist, is on the faculty at the
Toor Heart Institute at the Bellinson Medical Center in Petah-Tiqva, Israel.
In addition to his work in "pure" cardiology, he has published many papers
related to time and geomagnetic and solar activity links with some human
physiological and pathological changes. He is an international member of the
Advisory Board of the Bio-Electro-Magnetics Institute).

http://journals.imc.akh-wien.ac.at/kup/pdf/26.pdf


Percept Mot Skills 1992 Apr;74(2):449-50

Geophysical variables and behavior: LXIX. Solar activity and admission of
psychiatric patients.

Raps A, Stoupel E, Shimshoni M.

Numbers of first admissions per month for a single psychiatric unit, from
1977 to 1987, were examined for 1829 psychiatric inpatients to assess
whether this measure was correlated with 10 parameters of geophysical
activity. Four statistically significant values were 0.197 with level of
solar radioflux at 2800 MHZ in the corresponding month, -0.274 with sudden
magnetic disturbances of the ionosphere, -0.216 with the index of
geomagnetic activity, and -0.262 with the number of hours of positive
ionization of the ionosphere in the corresponding month. Percentages of
variance accounted for were very small.

PMID: 1594404 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

suicide rates and solar activity
Parker & Walter 1982, Souetre et al. 1987, Maes et al. 1994

"The synchronization of biological circadian and circannual rhythms is broadly
viewed as a result of photic solar effects. Evidence for non-photic solar
effects on biota is also slowly being recognized. The ultrastructure of
cardiomyocytes from rabbits, the time structure of blood pressure and heart
rate of neonates, and the heart rate variability of human adults on earth and
in space were examined during magnetically disturbed and quiet days, as were
morbidity statistics. Alterations in both the about-daily (circadian) and
about-weekly (circaseptan) components are observed during disturbed vs.  quite
days. The about-weekly period of neonatal blood pressure correlates with that
of the local geomagnetic disturbance index K." The Biological Effects of Solar
Activity.  Breus TK, Pimenov KY, Cornelissen G, Halberg E, Syutkina EV, Baevsky
RM, Petrov VM, Orth-Gomer K, Akerstedt T, Otsuka K, Watanabe Y, Chibisov SM.
Biomed Pharmacother 2002;56 Suppl 2:273s-283s.  BiblioCrono - No. 13 -
30/03/2003, Novidades em Cronobiologia e Neurociências, Laboratorio de
Cronobiologia - LabCrono, Departamento de Fisiologia - UFRN Natal, RN Brasil,
Prof. John Fontenele Ar..

"The influence of solar activity (SA) and geomagnetic activity (GMA) on human
homeostasis has long been investigated. The aim of the present study was to
analyse the relationship between monthly proton flux (>90 MeV) and other SA and
GMA parameters and between proton flux and temporal (monthly) distribution of
total and cardiovascular-related deaths. The data from 180 months (1974-1989)
of distribution in the Beilinson Campus of the Rabin Medical Centre, Israel,
and of 108 months (1983-1991) from the Kaunas Medical Academy, were analysed
and compared with SA, GMA and space proton flux (>90 MeV). It was concluded:
(1) monthly levels of SA, GMA and radiowave propagation (Fof2) are
significantly and adversely correlated with monthly space proton flux (>90
MeV); (2) medical-biological phenomena that increase during periods of low
solar and/or geomagnetic activity may be stimulated by physical processes
provoked by the concomitant increase in proton flux; (3) the monthly number of
deaths related (positively or negatively) to SA are significantly and adversely
related to the space proton flux (>90 MeV)." Space proton flux and the temporal
distribution of cardiovascular deaths, International Journal of Biometeorology,
Abstract Volume 40 Issue 2 (1997) pp 113-116, E. Stoupel (1), J. Abramson (1),
S. Domarkiene (2), M. Shimshoni (3), J.  Sulkes (1) (1) Toor Heart Institute,
Cardiology Division, Epidemiology Unit, Rabin Medical Centre, Beilinson Campus,
Petah Tiqva, 49100 Israel (2) Institute of Cardiology, Kaunas Medical Academy,
Lithuania (3) The Weizman Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.


Originally titled Macchie Solari (Sunspots), and retitled Autopsy by its
American distributors, Armando Crispino's giallo has long been available on
video, but little seen by the American audience. Anchor Bay's recent
restoration and re-release on DVD and video has again brought this film to back
into the spotlight, revealing a taught, beautiful, and grisly giallo.  A wave
of solar activity (hence the Italian title) is causing an outbreak of violence
and suicide in Rome. This unfortunate occurrence is a boon to a young medical
student, played by the lovely Mimsy Farmer. She is writing her thesis on the
differences between real suicides and disguised murders. At the beginning of
the film, we find her strung out, and near collapse after working tirelessly in
the city morgue. Sent home after a creepy, walking-cadaver hallucination, she
is confronted by an American tourist with a dark secret.  When the woman turns
up the next day on a slab at the morgue, Ms. Farmer is pulled into a tangled
and lethal mystery. 

>From here, we meet a number of characters/suspects, including her boyfriend 
(English actor Ray Lovelock, the hippie hero of Let Sleeping Corpses Lie), her
father (Carlo Cattaneo), and a violent, fast-driving priest (Barry Primus, in a
terrifically whacked-out performance) who is brother (and Father) to the dead
woman. 

Like most gialli, the plot is convoluted and contrived, and the mystery
unsolvable. Much is made of Mimsy Farmer's obsession with death, sexual
frigidity, and ambiguous relationship with her father, but director Crispino is
little interested in subtext and motivation. Of course, one doesn't watch a
film like this for the story and theme, but rather the cinematography, graphic
violence, and over-the-top acting. Autopsy doesn't disappoint in any of these
areas. 

Shot in Rome on a decent budget, Autopsy is a great film to look at. The colors
are rich and vibrant. The camera work and editing, while not on par with Dario
Argento, effectively conveys the lead character's paranoia and disorientation.
There is little onscreen carnage after the opening suicide montage. To make up
for it, director Crispino gives us good, long looks at Mimsy's research
subject: cold, black-and-white photos of crime scenes, autopsies, and medical
anomalies. While arguably a cheap ploy, these are real, grotesque, and
sometimes strangely beautiful, and give the film an understated feeling of
unease that a dozen fake splatter scenes couldn't equal. 

The good folks at Anchor Bay have done it again, rescuing this terrific little
film from obscurity. It has a great 70's Euro atmosphere: the ancient
architecture of Rome, car chases, and decadent sexuality. While it echoes some
of Italian maestro Dario Argento's early film, Autopsy strikes out its own
territory, a with distinct atmosphere of paranoia and creepy thrills.  A Note
on other Autopsies: a number of films were released in the early seventies
under the title Autopsy: this film, Macchie Solari; the Spanish gore film by
director Juan Logar; as well as a short documentary titled "Seeing with ones
Own Eyes" (the literal translation of the Greek 'autopsy'). They are often
confused. Scenes from one of these films turned up in the infamous Faces of
Death 2. While it has been often attributed to Macchie Solari, the footage is,
in fact, taken from the Spanish film.


http://www.estec.esa.nl/wmwww/wma/spweather/workshops/SPW_W3/PROCEEDINGS_W3/babayev.pdf

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