生物组织显微结构三维重建的灰度阴影立体图对显示技术

本文描述了一种新的显示三维重建模型的方法—灰度阴影立体图对方法(shading-stereo-pair method).该方法根据连续切片三维重建的灰度阴影法和立体图对法的显示原理,导出了生成立体图对的视差公式.在灰度阴影法三维重建过程中,根据各切片所处的深度和其本身的厚度,按视差公式计算出它们在图对上的位移量并进行水平方向的移动,经过对各切片的叠加和重组,最后生成一幅具有视差信息的灰度阴影立体图对.在体视仪下观察,即可看到重建模型的三维实体图象.最后还讨论了进一步提高图象质量和改善观察效果所必须采取的措施.     

Mean velocity of optically detected intraaxonal particles measured by a cross-correlation method.

A method which uses by the cross correlation of optical signals is described for the determination of the mean velocity of somatopetally moving particles within nerve fibers. The method was validated by simulation experiments and by comparing the results with those obtained by averaging collections of velocities of individual particles. The significant contribution of the method is that it allows objective and rapid serial evaluation of mean particle velocity within individual nerve fibers with good accuracy and precision. A series of results from normal myelinated nerve fibers from Xenopus laevis is presented. Considerable variation (up to 50%) in mean velocity was found between individual nerve fibers. The mean of all determinations indicates that the mean velocity of somatopetally moving particles in axons with diameters greater than 10mum is in the region of 1.14 mum/s at a temperature of 22-24 degrees C. The findings are compared with small collection of such determinations which have been reported in the literature.     

Simulation der winterlichen Nitratverlagerung in Böden

Summary A simple method for the simulation of transport of non-adsorbed ions during winter like nitrate is described. The physical model assumes that the soil water movement around the moving nitrate peak is always nearly (quasi-)stationary. This means that only the one-dimensional convective—dispersive linear differential equation for the ion movement has to be solved. Field capacity values of the soils and periodically averaged precipitation data are used to determine pore-water velocity. Diffusion and hydrodynamic dispersion data are taken from the literature. For the numerical solution a programmable table (micro-)computer could be used. Numerical dispersion is considered in a simple way. Simulated nitratevs depth distributions compare reasonably well with the measured nitrate profiles.     

Egomotion and relative depth map from optical flow

When an observer moves in a 3D world, optical flow fields are generated on his retina. We argue that such an observer can in principle compute the parameters of his egomotion, and following this, the relative depth map of the stationary environment solely from the instantaneous positional velocity fields (IPVF). Moreover, we argue that in the stationary world, this analysis can be done locally, and is not dependent on global properties of the optical flow under the imposed constraints (smoothness of the egomotion path, rigidity of objects, temporal continuity of perception). To investigate the method, and to analyze its performance, a computer model has been constructed which simulates an observer moving through a 3D world of stationary rectangular planes at different depths and orientations. The results suggest that the method offers a reasonable and computationally feasible means of extracting information about egomotion and surface layout from optical flows, under certain circumstances. We discuss some issues related to extending the analysis to the case of a rigid world of moving objects, and some issues related to the status of information extractable from optical flows with respect to other sources of information.     

Fish preference for hydraulic habitat in typical middle reaches of Yangtze River,China

This study presents a method of combining hydroacoustics and hydraulic data to estimate fish preference in a large and rapidly flowing river system. A typical middle reach of the Yangtze River with three islands and two wandering sections was taken as the research object to interpret schools of fish with different sizes and densities for their preference of physical habitat features such as water depth and velocity by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Fish density and size were determined based on the hydroacoustic data, and hydraulic variables were simultaneously collected using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) system. Results show that fish sizes are correlated with water depth and velocity and that fish density correlated only with water depth. Small fish prefer high water depth average velocity (WDAV), lower vertical average velocity (VAV), deep water, as well as a wide depth and velocity range; large fish prefer low WDAV, high VAV, deep water, and a narrow depth and velocity range. High fish densities appear around islands and areas with deep water. The results show that large fish may be sufficiently strong enough to select their preference for water depth and velocity. Areas of deep water can provide broad velocity diversity and more space to accommodate fish. The island littoral zone could provide a variety of habitats with a diverse pattern of depth and velocity for fish. This study provides a contributive method for the field habitat suitability assessment for fish.     

A theoretical approach to the analysis of axonal transport.

A theoretical model of intra-axonal transport is proposed that presupposes a carrier system moving down the axon in a distal direction. Protein and particle transport is achieved by their reversible association with the distally moving carriers. Mathematical equations representing the concentrations of moving carriers and proteins and/or particles within the axon at any position and time are proposed. Analysis of the equations demonstrates that a traveling wave solution for the particle concentration (an experimental fact) is possible provided the chemical interaction between particles and carriers exhibits positive cooperativity. The phase velocity of the wave solution is interpreted as the observed velocity of the intra-axonal transport, known to be independent of position of observation. In addition, the theory predicts a spectrum of transport velocities for different proteins, in agreement with observations. The velocity of a given protein is dependent on its affinity to the carrier.     

华虻小叶神经元运动敏感性的研究

用电生理细胞内记录的方法记录了１０个以上小叶神经元对闪光、运动光斑及运动光栅刺激的电生理反应特点,结果表明：（１）小叶神经元对闪光刺激具有特征性反应,细胞对给光和撤光刺激都会表现出不同程度的去极化和超极化,反应的波形不随闪光时间的改变而改变,两次去极化之间的时间间隔与闪光刺激的时间长度成线性关系;（２）小叶神经元对运动光斑的运动速度非常敏感,而对光斑的运动方向的改变却不敏感,尽管有的细胞存在一个能使反应的变化更快的优势方向,但并没有明显的运动方向选择性;（３）小叶神经元对运动光栅的响应频率受光栅的空间频率和运动速度的双重调制,与光栅的运动方向无关。     

Migration of fallout-radionuclides in the soil: effect of non-uniformity of the sorption properties on the activity–depth profiles

Experimentally observed activity–depth profiles of fallout radionuclides in the soil frequently exhibit a comparatively fast moving tail in soil layers below the peak concentration (tailing). Monte Carlo calculations on the basis of the convection-dispersion model show that this phenomenon can be explained by assuming that either the hydraulic properties of the soil (characterised by the diffusion/dispersion coefficient and pore water velocity) or the sorption properties of the soil (characterised by the distribution coefficient K _d ), or both, exhibit a horizontal variability according to a log-normal distribution. Modifications of the activity–depth profile due to a K _d value which decreases linearly with depth were examined by using a random walk approach, based also on the convection-dispersion model. In this case, however, a pronounced tailing effect of the activity–depth profile did not result. Interpretation and realistic modelling of an experimentally observed activity–depth profile which exhibits a tailing effect is thus not unambiguously possible without any additional information on the spatial variability of the hydraulic parameters and, independently, also for the sorption properties. Received: 5 January 2001 / Accepted: 1 May 2001     

运图象刺动激的视动振颤(OKN)眼动反应的速度跟踪特性

本文用传统的转筒式运动条纹刺激及电视运动条纹图形刺激两种方法进行了OKN实验,对所引起的OKN反应进行了定量比较,结果证明两者的刺激效果是相似的;用电视运动图象刺激方法,分别在中心视场和周边视场进行刺激实验,阐明了OKN主要是由作用于视网膜中央区域的运动图象刺激所引起的;并对OKN的动态反应进行了实验分析,在正弦速度刺激下,OKN增益主要取决于刺激运动的加速度,而不是单纯取决于刺激运动的速度或频率,并在脉冲速度刺激的OKN实验中,用动态反应时间阐明了这一结论.     

Heavy-metal uptake by crops from polluted river sediments covered by non-polluted topsoil

Cadmium uptake by maize from polluted river sediments covered with a clean top layer of variable thickness is discussed in relation to root distribution. Two pathways for uptake are distinguished: roots penetrating the contaminated layer or contaminants moving into the root zone. Relative Cd uptake proved to be roughly proportional to the fraction of total root length found in the contaminated layer. A deeper water table induced a deeper root development and more Cd uptake for a given thickness of clean topsoil. A model based on exponential decrease of root length density with depth is acceptable as first approximation only. Little or no evidence was found for contaminants moving into the root zone during the ten years of the experiment.     

A neural network model for visual motion detection that can explain psychophysical and neurophysiological phenomena

This paper proposes a new neural network model for visual motion detection. The model can well explain both psychophysical findings (the changes of displacement thresholds with stimulus velocity and the perception of apparent motion) and neurophysiological findings (the selectivity for the direction and the velocity of a moving stimulus). To confirm the behavior of the model, numerical examinations were conducted. The results were consistent with both psychophysical and neurophysiological findings.     

A method to estimate the population size of benthic macroinvertebrates in streams

Summary A method is described by which samples of stream macroinvertebrates can be linked to the roughness of the substratum, the water depth, the velocity, and to a combination of these factors, i.e., Froude number and thickness of the laminar sublayer, at the exact point of sampling. The abundance of Odagmia ornata (Diptera: Simuliidae), the species considered in this study, was not related to roughness, but depended with increasing significance on depth, velocity, Froude number, and laminar sublayer. Therefore, it is suggested that the population size of stream macroinvertebrates can be estimated using the relationships between abundance and the most suitable hydrodynamic factor. For this purpose it is necessary only to measure the physical factors and then to calculate the abundance, using both these measurements and the abundance-hydrodynamic factor relationships formerly established.A longer section of a stream with a relatively wide range of habitats was sampled for 1 week, during which the new method yielded results that reached the level of accuracy per sampling effort obtained to date only when a narrower range of habitats was sampled, usually only one stream riffle. Under the latter conditions, the new method is suggested to yield results of increased accuracy, particularly if samples are taken within a short period.     

Motion Control in Saccade and Smooth Pursuit for Bionic Eye Based on Three-dimensional Coordinates

Saccade and smooth pursuit are two important functions of human eye.In order to enable bionic eye to imitate the two functions,a control method that implements saccade and smooth pursuit based on the three-dimensional coordinates of target is proposed.An optimal observation position is defined for bionic eye based on three-dimensional coordinates.A kind of motion planning method with high accuracy is developed.The motion parameters of stepper motor consisting of angle acceleration and turning time are computed according to the position deviation,the target's angular velocity and the stepper motor's current angular velocity in motion planning.The motors are controlled with the motion parameters moving to given position with desired angular velocity in schedule time.The experimental results show that the bionic eye can move to optimal observation positions in 0.6 s from initial location and the accuracy of 3D coordinates is improved.In addition,the bionic eye can track a target within the error of less than 20 pixels based on three-dimensional coordinates.It is verified that saccade and smooth pursuit of bionic eye based on three-dimensional coordinates are feasible.     

Model for kinetics of wild-type and mutant kinesins

A hand-over-hand model is presented for the processive movement of two-headed kinesin based on previous structural and biochemical studies. In the model, the ATPase activities of the two heads are regulated by forces, both from internal elasticity and external load, exerted on their neck linkers. The results from the model show that the two heads may be partially coordinated in their ATPase cycles: in the case of backward load or low forward load, the ATPase cycles of its two heads are well coordinated, whereas in the case of high forward load, they are no longer well coordinated. The model gives results that show good quantitative agreement with both previous biochemical and mechanical experimental results such as the limping of homodimers and the dependences of mean velocity on [ATP] and on loads (both positive and negative). Furthermore, using the model we study the kinetics of a number of mutant kinesin homodimers and heterodimers, showing that the two heads' ATPase activities of some of these molecules are not well coordinated and they move processively with low mechanochemical coupling efficiencies even under no load. The theoretical results of ATPase rate per head, moving velocity, and stall force of the motors show good quantitative agreement with the experimental ones. The puzzling dynamic behaviours of mutant homodimeric and heterodimeric kinesins become understandable.     

OKN眼动跟踪在运动文字识别中的作用

用运动文字的阅读眼动实验来研究运动图像识别与眼动控制的关系,并与一般OKN眼动及一般正常阅读进行对比,探讨了速度及位置信息处理与内容信息处理的关系.实验结果表明;(1)一般正常文字阅读的眼动是Saccades眼动与注视停顿;运动文字识别阅读的眼动中没有注视停顿,而是快、慢交替的OKN眼动,在其慢相期间即运动文字与视网膜相对静止期间采集内容信息进行处理,慢相期间既处理文字内容信息又处理运动速度信息,说明对运动速度与内容信息的处理是并行的.(2)在运动文字运动速度高达80°/s以上时,已不能阅读甚至不能识别单字意义,但仍可产生OKN眼动;这一方面证实阅读速度的受限不在于眼球运动的跟踪能力,而在于高级识别中枢的解码速度,另一方面也说明OKN眼动不是在识别后才产生,而是进行运动图象识别的必要条件.(3)运动文字识别阅读的速度不低于一般正常文字阅读的速度.本文的结果还证实OKN眼动的快相眼动有别于Foveating Saccades.     

An application of the plaster dissolution method for quantifying water velocity in the shallow hyporheic zone of an Appalachian stream system

1. A method for quantifying interstitial water velocity based on the dissolution rate of plaster of Paris standards was developed as part of a study of vertical, longitudinal (1–4 order sites) and seasonal variation in the biotic and physical characteristics of the shallow hyporheic zone (0–30 cm) of a headwater stream system in West Virginia, U.S.A.
2. A calibration model was developed using a water velocity simulation tank to relate mass loss of plaster standards to water velocity and temperature. The model was then used to calculate water velocity through artificial substrata embedded in the shallow hyporheic zone of four stream reaches based on in situ mass loss of plaster standards.
3. Water velocity in the hyporheic zone increased with stream order, was highest in early spring and winter during high stream base flows, and decreased with depth into the substratum. There was a strong interaction between depth and season: during periods of high stream discharge, water velocity through the upper level of the shallow hyporheic zone (0–10 cm into the substrate) increased disproportionately more than velocity at greater depths. Mean interstitial velocity in March ranged from 0 cm s^–1 in the lowest level (20–30 cm) to 3.5 cm s^–1 at the upper level (0–10 cm) at the first‐order site, and from 2.5 cm s^–1 (20–30 cm) to 9.5 cm s^–1 (0–10 cm s^–1) at the fourth‐order site. Gradients in stream discharge and sediment permeability accounted for treatment effects.
4. Use of calibrated data improved the ability to resolve among‐season differences in interstitial water movement over the use of uncalibrated mass loss data. For some applications of the plaster standard method, empirical calibration may not be necessary.     

A method for measurement of joint kinematics in vivo by registration of 3-D geometric models with cine phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging data

A new method is presented for measuring joint kinematics by optimally matching modeled trajectories of geometric surface models of bones with cine phase contrast (cine-PC) magnetic resonance imaging data. The incorporation of the geometric bone models (GBMs) allows computation of kinematics based on coordinate systems placed relative to full 3-D anatomy, as well as quantification of changes in articular contact locations and relative velocities during dynamic motion. These capabilities are additional to those of cine-PC based techniques that have been used previously to measure joint kinematics during activity. Cine-PC magnitude and velocity data are collected on a fixed image plane prescribed through a repetitively moved skeletal joint. The intersection of each GBM with a simulated image plane is calculated as the model moves along a computed trajectory, and cine-PC velocity data are sampled from the regions of the velocity images within the area of this intersection. From the sampled velocity data, the instantaneous linear and angular velocities of a coordinate system fixed to the GBM are estimated, and integration of the linear and angular velocities is used to predict updated trajectories. A moving validation phantom that produces motions and velocity data similar to those observed in an experiment on human knee kinematics was designed. This phantom was used to assess cine-PC rigid body tracking performance by comparing the kinematics of the phantom measured by this method to similar measurements made using a magnetic tracking system. Average differences between the two methods were measured as 2.82 mm rms for anterior/posterior tibial position, and 2.63 deg rms for axial rotation. An intertrial repeatability study of human knee kinematics using the new method produced rms differences in anterior/posterior tibial position and axial rotation of 1.44 mm and 2.35 deg. The performance of the method is concluded to be sufficient for the effective study of kinematic changes caused to knees by soft tissue injuries.     

Single-particle tracking: models of directed transport.

Single-particle tracking techniques make it possible to measure motion of individual particles on the cell surface. In these experiments, individual trajectories are observed, so the data analysis must take into account the randomness of individual random walks. Methods of data analysis are discussed for models combining diffusion and directed motion. In the uniform flow model, a tracer simultaneously diffuses and undergoes directed motion. In the conveyor belt model, a tracer binds and unbinds to a uniform conveyor belt moving with constant velocity. If a tracer is bound, it moves at the velocity of the conveyor belt; if it is unbound, it diffuses freely. Trajectories are analyzed using parameters that measure the extent and asymmetry of the trajectory. A method of assessing the usefulness of such parameters is presented, and pitfalls in data analysis are discussed. Joint probability distributions of pairs of extent and asymmetry parameters are obtained for a pure random walk. These distributions can be used to show that a trajectory is not likely to have resulted from a pure random walk.     

Introducing a method for extracting horizontal migration patterns from data storage tags

While data storage tags typically provide information about depth and temperature, the horizontal position of fish is difficult to obtain. The objective of this study is therefore to introduce a method for reconstructing horizontal migration patterns of fish tagged with DSTs. The method works by: establishing a database on bathymetry and environmental information about the target area, moving a large number of virtual fish between the release and recapture positions using a biased random walk procedure, and then terminate trajectories where the information at position is in disagreement with the tag information. For example a trajectory is terminated if the tag depth is greater than the bottom depth. The method is exemplified with two tag recordings from Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua L.) in the Barents Sea. The results show that termination of impossible trajectories limits the number of potential trajectories between release and recapture positions, and in particular the usage of multiple termination criteria (depth and temperature) proved to be effective in reducing the number of possible trajectories. The method is general, simple to use, and can also be used in combination with geolocation methods.     

Kinesin velocity increases with the number of motors pulling against viscoelastic drag

Although the properties of single kinesin molecular motors are well understood, it is not clear whether multiple motors pulling a single vesicle in a cell cooperate or interfere with one another. To learn how small numbers of motors interact, microtubule gliding assays were carried out with full-length Drosophila kinesin in a novel motility medium containing xanthan, a stiff, water-soluble polysaccharide. At 2 mg/ml xanthan, the zero-shear viscosity of this medium is 1,000 times the viscosity of water, similar to cellular viscosity. To mimic the rheological drag force on the motors when attached to a vesicle in a cell, we attached a 2 μm bead to one end of the microtubule (MT). During gliding assays in our novel medium, the moving bead exerted a drag force of 4–15 pN on the kinesins pulling the MT. The velocity of MTs with an attached bead increased with MT length and with kinesin concentration. The increase with MT length arose because the number of motors is directly proportional to MT length. Our results show that small numbers of kinesins cooperate constructively when pulling against a viscoelastic drag. In the absence of a bead but still in the viscous medium, MT velocity was independent of MT length and kinesin concentration because the thin MT, like a snake moving through grass, was able to move between xanthan molecules with little resistance. A minimal shared-load model in which the number of motors is proportional to MT length fits the observed dependence of gliding velocity on MT length and kinesin concentration.