Dynamic properties of neurons in cortical area MT in alert and anaesthetized macaque monkeys.

In order to see the world with high spatial acuity, an animal must sample the visual image with many detectors that restrict their analyses to extremely small regions of space. The visual cortex must then integrate the information from these localized receptive fields to obtain a more global picture of the surrounding environment. We studied this process in single neurons within the middle temporal visual area (MT) of macaques using stimuli that produced conflicting local and global information about stimulus motion. Neuronal responses in alert animals initially reflected predominantly the ambiguous local motion features, but gradually converged to an unambiguous global representation. When the same animals were anaesthetized, the integration of local motion signals was markedly impaired even though neuronal responses remained vigorous and directional tuning characteristics were intact. Our results suggest that anaesthesia preferentially affects the visual processing responsible for integrating local signals into a global visual representation.     

A neural representation of depth from motion parallax in macaque visual cortex

Perception of depth is a fundamental challenge for the visual system, particularly for observers moving through their environment. The brain makes use of multiple visual cues to reconstruct the three-dimensional structure of a scene. One potent cue, motion parallax, frequently arises during translation of the observer because the images of objects at different distances move across the retina with different velocities. Human psychophysical studies have demonstrated that motion parallax can be a powerful depth cue, and motion parallax seems to be heavily exploited by animal species that lack highly developed binocular vision. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms that underlie this capacity. Here we show, by using a virtual-reality system to translate macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta) while they viewed motion parallax displays that simulated objects at different depths, that many neurons in the middle temporal area (area MT) signal the sign of depth (near versus far) from motion parallax in the absence of other depth cues. To achieve this, neurons must combine visual motion with extra-retinal (non-visual) signals related to the animal's movement. Our findings suggest a new neural substrate for depth perception and demonstrate a robust interaction of visual and non-visual cues in area MT. Combined with previous studies that implicate area MT in depth perception based on binocular disparities, our results suggest that area MT contains a more general representation of three-dimensional space that makes use of multiple cues.     

Segregation of efferent connections and receptive field properties in visual area V2 of the macaque

V2 is a visual area of the macaque monkey which is at the second level in a recently proposed hierarchy of cortical visual areas. Histochemical staining for cytochrome oxidase (CO) in V2 reveals a pattern of alternate thick and thin CO-rich stripes separated by CO-sparse interstripes. These subregions receive distinct inputs from neurones in CO-rich and CO-sparse zones arrayed within the superficial layers of V1 (refs 4, 5). Are output projections from V2 to higher visual areas also segregated? Using an anatomical double-label paradigm, we have now demonstrated that V2 cells projecting to two of its major target areas, MT and V4 (refs 6, 7), are arranged in stripe-like clusters which are largely segregated from one another and which are closely related to the pattern of CO stripes. Concomitant electrophysiological recordings from V2 indicate that groups of cells having similar receptive field properties are clustered within the subregions defined by these anatomical techniques.     

一道CUSPEA试题解的诠释

对多本物理教材和参考书引用的一道CUSPEA试题其解的物理解释提出了不同的看法.     

Segregation of pathways leading from area V2 to areas V4 and V5 of macaque monkey visual cortex

V5 and V4 are areas of macaque monkey prestriate visual cortex that are specialized for involvement in different aspects of visual perception, namely motion for V5 (refs 1-4) and colour vision, with other possible functions, for V4 (refs 2, 5-9). Thus, it is unlikely that they should be fed the same information for further processing, yet both receive a strong input from patches of the upper layers of V2 (refs 10, 11), the area immediately adjoining the primary visual cortex, V1. V2, however, seems to comprise functionally distinct subregions, which can be revealed by staining the tissue for the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome oxidase. Here we report that V4 and V5 are connected with separate cytochrome oxidase-defined subregions of V2, suggesting that cortical pathways dealing with motion and colour perception are segregated in their passage through V2, and reinforcing evidence for functional specialization in the visual cortex.     

有关海盗问题的法律解决途径

在海盗袭击事件数量急剧上升的今天,中国及国际社会付出各种努力来制止海盗袭击事件,包括使用武力这一办法.本文通过对打击海盗行为的法律挑战、可能的法律解决方案等方面的阐述,分析当前国际形势下解决海盗问题的有效办法.     

Temporal response properties to second-order visual stimuli in the LGN of cats

Visual stimuli occurring naturally are rich in instances of objects delineated from the backgrounds only by differences in luminance,which is called first-order stimuli,as well as those defined by differences of contrast or texture,referred to as second-order stimuli. The neuronal mechanism for processing second-order stimuli is still unclear. In this study,we compared the responses of cat LGN (lateral geniculate nucleus) cells to second-order stimuli at five temporal frequencies to their responses to first-order stimuli. Our results showed that most LGN cells can be evoked by second-order stimuli,and their firing rates to second-order stimuli decreased relative to first-order stimuli as temporal frequency increased from 0.5 to 8 Hz; moreover the ratio of a nonlinear to linear factor had a higher value in the responses to second-order stimuli than to first-order stimuli. We also found that the responses of Y-cells to second-order stimuli were significantly higher than the responses of X-cells,suggesting the Y-cells have a more important role in the processing of second-order stimuli. All these results reveal that first-order and second-order signals might be processed in separate 'streams' of the visual sys-tem.     

Orofacial somatomotor responses in the macaque monkey homologue of Broca's area

In the ventrolateral frontal lobe of the human brain there is a distinct entity, cytoarchitectonic area 44 (Broca's area), which is crucial in speech production. There has been controversy over whether monkeys possess an area comparable to human area 44. We have addressed this question in the macaque monkey by combining quantitative architectonic analysis of the cortical areas within the ventrolateral frontal region with electrophysiological recording of neuron activity and electrical intracortical microstimulation. Here we show that, immediately in front of the ventral part of the agranular premotor cortical area 6, there is a distinct cortical area that is architectonically comparable to human area 44 and that this monkey area 44 is involved with the orofacial musculature. We suggest that area 44 might have evolved originally as an area exercising high-level control over orofacial actions, including those related to communicative acts, and that, in the human brain, area 44 eventually also came to control certain aspects of the speech act.     

A palaeontological solution to the arthropod head problem

The composition of the arthropod head has been one of the most controversial topics in zoology, with a large number of theories being proposed to account for it over the last century. Although fossils have been recognized as being of potential importance in resolving the issue, a lack of consensus over their systematics has obscured their contribution. Here, I show that a group of previously problematic Cambrian arthropods from the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang faunas form a clade close to crown-group euarthropods, the group containing myriapods, chelicerates, insects and crustaceans. They are characterized by modified or even absent endopods, and two pre-oral appendages. Comparison with reconstructions of the crown-group euarthropod ground plan and recent investigations into onychophorans demonstrates that these two appendages are the first antenna (of extant crustaceans) and a more anterior appendage associated with an ocular segment. The latter appendage has been reduced in all crown-group euarthropods. Its most likely relic is as a component of the labrum. These fossils thus tie together results from disparate living groups (onychophorans and euarthropods).     

大鼠脑内第三脑室前腹侧区降压功能的中枢机制

目的:为了验证ANP能神经是否从第三脑室前腹侧区(AV3V)投射到血管紧张素Ⅱ(AⅡ)升压系统.方法:用脑内微量注射药物,观察动脉血压和心率变化的方法.结果:①心房钠尿肽(APeⅢ)分别注入SFO,LH/PF,NPV和RVL后,引起血压下降.②在SFO,双侧的LH/PF,NPV和RVL预注射A71915(一种心房钠尿肽Ⅲ的抑制剂),产生谷氨酸兴奋AV3V的相反效应.结论:刺激AV3V的心房钠尿肽能神经,可分别在LH/PFSFO-NPV-RVL的血管紧张素Ⅱ(AⅡ)升压系统引起降压效应.A71915注入以上核团可反转AV3V的降压效应.     

论航天器动力学中的一个理论问题

目前解决多柔体动力学问题主要是依赖于数值的、定量的分析方法, 几乎没有人进行解析的分析讨论, 这对于深刻把握系统的非线性力学实质、预测系统的全局动力学现象是十分不利的, 因此, 极有必要开展多柔体系统的理论分析. 作为多柔体动力学理论分析的组成部分, 该文研究航天器动力学中的一个理论问题,探讨了“为了进行具体分析, 经常把矢量(矢量是一阶张量)方程投影到合适的动坐标系上”的法则的合理性.该文的理论分析的结果, 不仅表明进行多柔体系统理论分析的必要性, 而且为多柔体系统的合理建模提供了参考.     

一个微积分问题的代数和几何解决

二元函数的极值问题是微积分的典型问题，本文用代数和几何两种方法证明了函数存在极值的充分条件，从而揭示了微积分、代数、几何这三门学科在这一问题上的内在联系。     

VoIP通信中时延问题的分析及处理方法

近年来 ,VoIP已经发展成为倍受人们瞩目的技术 ,但VoIP的不断普及并不意味着它是很容易实现的。如果在大范围推广这项技术之前不做好充分的准备工作 ,VoIP的实现将会非常困难 .VoIP对时延是非常敏感的 ,这就要求使用者要检查自己的网络基础结构 ,尽量降低通话时延 ,以确保VoIP在自己的网上能够正常地工作     

一种有效的数字内容保护系统证书吊销问题解决方案

现有数字内容保护系统在处理设备吊销同题时,都要求在设备中维护一个完整的证书吊销信息列表,对设备存储量的要求很高并且具有可预见的不完备性.本文通过对设备生命周期内所能连接的其他设备的总数加以限制,在设备中只需维护本地的合法设备和不合法设备列表.设备维护的本地列表对存储量的要求是一个小的常数,系统在不增加计算开销的同时可以对吊销信息进行完备处理.所提出的方法可以在家庭网络中统一部署,用来实现对系统吊销问题的统一处理.     

误差积分方法求一类活动边界问题的解析解

考虑一类具有任意边界条件的活动边界问题 ,用误差积分方法求出此问题的准确的解析解。借助于变量为x/t^0.5的函数和多项式及变量t,将解表示为无穷级数的形式。此方法的主要理论是基于误差函数、它的累次积分及一些递推公式。     

奇异三阶两点边值问题的相伴正解

研究了三阶边值问题u''(t)+f(t,u(t))=0, 0相似文献   

一类非线性粘弹性Petrovsky方程柯西问题解的爆破

对于非线性粘弹性Petrovsky方程,已有的研究成果大都是在有界区域内进行的.文章将其解由有界区域转移到无界区域,考虑一类具有粘弹性和非线性源项的非线性Petrovsky方程的柯西问题.当初始能量为非正值、非负不增的松弛函数g在适当的条件下,证得了其柯西问题的解在有限时间内会爆破的结论.