The work described here investigates the advantages and limitations of using laser light for the deep in-vivo illumination and micromanipulation of the neuronal system in zebrafish. To do so, it combines and develops novel optical methods such as optogenetics, light sheet microscopy and optical micromanipulation. It also demonstrates, for the first time, that directional and focused laser beams can successfully be used to target large objects at considerable depth in a living organism to exert purely optical force - in this case on otoliths (ear stones) - and create fictive vestibular stimuli in a stationary animal. The behavioural study and simultaneous imaging of the whole brain reveal the location of the brain cells specific to each ear stone. Elucidating these fundamental neural processes holds substantial value for basic neuroscience researchers, who still have only a vague grasp of how brain circuits mediate perception. As such, it represents highly innovative research that has already led to high-impact publications and is now being intensively pursued.
This open access book explores the use of visual methods in migration studies through a combination of theoretical analyses and empirical studies. The first section looks at how various visual methods, including photography, film, and mental maps, may be used to analyse the spatial presence of migrants. The second section addresses the processual building of narratives around migration, thereby using formats such as film and visual essay, and reflecting upon the ways they become carriers and mediators of both story and theory within the subject of migration. Section three focuses on vulnerable communities and discusses how visual methods can empower these communities, thereby also focusing on the theoretical and ethical implications of migration. The fourth section addresses the issue of migrant representation in visual discourses. Based on these contributions, a concluding methodological chapter systematizes the use of visual methods in migration studies across disciplines, with regard to their empirical, theoretical, and ethical implications. Multidisciplinary in character, this book is an interesting read for students and migration scholars who engage with visual methodologies, as well as practitioners, journalists, filmmakers, photographers, curators of exhibitions who address the topic of migration visually.
