人类视觉系统超视锐度现象的神经网络数学模型研究

超视锐度是人们熟知的奇特现象,虽然许多视觉研究领域中的专家们对此做了大量的研究,但视觉系统究竟是如何提取超视锐度信息的却仍然是个未解决的问题.本文用简单细胞广义Gabor函数为基本功能单元,以Marr提出的计算理论为框架,建立了一个感受野重叠的,具有比较运算性质的、可解释超视锐度现象的神经网络数学模型.它在空间比较,真实运动和似动三方面较好地描述了已有的一些有关超视锐度现象的心理物理实验结果.     

体视感觉“崩溃”的阀值

视差是产生体视感觉的主要因素.但视差过大时这种体视感觉也不能存在.这时随着双眼视差的增大从融合为单一像到成复像,而引起体视“崩溃”.本文对正常人和体视欠缺者用心理物理试验方法结合视觉诱发电位(VEP)分析,测量了人眼体视“崩溃”的视差上限阈值.并在改变刺激图形亮度和面积时加以比较.我们的结果表明正常人体视上限阈值,其视差高于2度,在某些情况下这个“崩溃”阈值达到3度.体视欠缺者的“崩溃”阈值约为1.5度.亮度和面积变小会使体视“崩溃”阈值下降,但在这种情况下体视欠缺者的“崩溃”阈值不会下降.可以认为1.5度是人的最低上限阈值·体视存在时VEP的N峰潜伏期约为220—300ms,P_3峰在280—340ms之间.无体视现象(视差为零和过大)这两个峰的潜伏期明显加大.     

立体视锐度的测量

视差只在一定大小范围内才能产生体视感觉。对５名体视感觉正常者和一名体视感觉欠缺者做心理物理试验并记录视觉诱发电位（ＶＥＰ）。结论如下：（１）交叉视差产生体视感觉的视差下限阈值约为２５秒;非交叉视差产生体视感觉的视差下限阈值约为３５秒。（２）改变视差大小的方法不同对这个阈值有影响。视差由大到小改变比由小到大改变,这个视差下限阈值要小,两者差别约为１０秒至２０秒。（３）体视欠缺者产生体视感觉的视差下限阈值约为６０秒。（４）使用不同形式的立体图对这个阈值不同,对于随机点立体图对,产生体视感觉下限阈值约为６０秒。（５）当视差大于１２０秒时的ＶＥＰ呈现规律变化。（６）体视欠缺者的ＶＥＰ与正常者比较呈现较大的差别。     

视知觉学习对于识别动态随机点立体图深度运动方向的作用

立体视觉不仅指对静态深度信息的感知,也包括对物体在三维空间中的运动方向的判断。本研究记录了人眼对于动态随机点图运动方向的辨别能力以及视觉训练在提高对动态信息分辨能力的作用。实验结果表明,对于没有任何相关经验的视力正常的受试者,很难分辨出动态随机点的深度运动方向,而视觉训练可以大大提高人眼对物体深度运动方向判断的敏感度。此外,这种视觉训练所达到的效果具有较长时间的持续性（至少6个月）。这种通过视觉训练提高受试者对立体运动信息的敏感度的方式为立体视觉相关的实验和研究提供了新的视角。     

超连续谱激光可见谱段致人眼眩目效应研究

本文采用超连续谱激光光源滤除其红外部分仅输出可见谱段部分,在不超过国家安全标准允许的最大辐照量条件下,以正入射方式照射人眼后,记录并分析在明、暗适应条件下中心极限视力恢复时间、中心近极限视力恢复时间和视觉后像持续时间,明确超连续谱激光可见谱段对人眼的眩目效果。明适应下激光照射0.1 s导致人眼中心极限视力恢复时间为31~119 s,中心近极限视力恢复时间为19~76 s;暗适应下激光照射0.1 s导致人眼中心极限视力恢复时间为26~223 s,中心近极限视力恢复时间为13~123 s;明、暗适应下导致人眼眩目效应的最小功率密度值分别为0.055 mW/cm^2和0.005 mW/cm^2。结果表明,超连续谱激光可见谱段对人眼有良好的眩目效果,可导致数十秒至数百秒的中心视力下降,随着照射功率密度增高,眩目效应增强,显示出较好的量效关系,且相同功率密度时暗适应下人眼的眩目效果优于明适应。该研究探究了明、暗适应条件下超连续谱激光对人眼眩目效应,明确了超连续谱激光与人眼眩目的量效关系。     

幼年大鼠视皮层神经元对闪光刺激的反应特性

哺乳动物视觉系统的发育延续到出生后,大鼠出生后 3~5 周是视觉系统发育的关键期 . 在关键期中,视皮层的兴奋性和抑制性突触连接逐渐成熟,形成有效的皮层内回路 . 为了观察发育关键期大鼠视皮层神经元的反应特性与成年大鼠的异同,使用胞外单细胞记录的方法对比研究了幼年和成年大鼠对闪光刺激的视觉反应特性 . 结果显示：与成年大鼠相比较,幼年大鼠视皮层神经元对持续闪光刺激显示出更强的适应性,对光刺激的诱发放电频率更低,而在没有光刺激时的自发放电频率更高,从而导致信噪比更低 . 这一结果表明,幼年大鼠视皮层对连续刺激的反应能力下降,对信号的分辨能力也更弱,其原因可能是兴奋性突触和抑制性突触发育的不同步所致 .     

视知觉学习对于识别动态随机点立体图深度运动方向的作用（英文）

立体视觉不仅指对静态深度信息的感知,也包括对物体在三维空间中的运动方向的判断.本研究记录了人眼对于动态随机点图运动方向的辨别能力以及视觉训练在提高对动态信息分辨能力的作用.实验结果表明,对于没有任何相关经验的视力正常的受试者,很难分辨出动态随机点的深度运动方向,而视觉训练可以大大提高人眼对物体深度运动方向判断的敏感度.此外,这种视觉训练所达到的效果具有较长时间的持续性(至少6个月).这种通过视觉训练提高受试者对立体运动信息敏感度的方式,为立体视觉相关的实验和研究提供了新的视角.     

宽周边视视网膜皮层映射的核磁共振研究

目的:人类视觉皮层的组织方式是视网膜皮层映射组织,先前研究已经证实视觉皮层在中心视采用这种组织方式,本文主要研究宽周边视的视觉皮层组织方式.方法:本文采用一种可以在核磁共振室中使用的光纤设备,设计了30度、40度、50度、60度的类圆环block刺激,使用1.5T的功能性核磁共振仪器,T1高分辨率图像分辨率为1*1*5.5mm,T2加权图像分辨率为4*4*5.5mm,TR反应时间为60,矩阵大小为64*64.核磁共振数据分析使用了SPM2和Brain voyager软件.结果:通过对试验者的数据处理分析,周边视的刺激的反应区域在枕叶上,主要分布在枕叶的前部,刺激反应区域随着偏心率的增大而沿着距状沟从距状沟的后部向前部移动.结论:周边视的视网膜皮层映射组织特性和中心视的特性非常相似.     

桔小实蝇视叶结构特征及5-羟色胺能神经元的分布

桔小实蝇是重要的果蔬害虫,它对不同颜色的光表现出不同的趋性。为了明确其视觉感受的结构基础,本研究采用免疫组织化学染色技术结合激光共聚焦成像分析了桔小实蝇成虫视叶内神经髓结构组成和体积大小,并利用5-羟色胺(5-hydroxytryptamine,5-HT)抗体标记了视叶内5-羟色胺能神经元,研究了其在视叶内的分布特征及细胞体数量。结果表明,桔小实蝇成虫的视叶由视神经节层、视髓、副视髓、视小叶和视小叶板5个神经髓结构组成,其中雌成虫的视髓相对体积极显著的大于雄虫的视髓相对体积。桔小实蝇每个视叶中包含12个5-HT能神经元细胞体,位于视髓的腹内侧,副视髓的前方。视叶5个神经髓区均含5-HT能神经纤维,但它们的神经纤维来自不同的神经元。对视叶神经髓结构及5-HT能神经元分布特征的研究将为未来构建桔小实蝇视觉神经通路和阐明5-HT对视觉感受的调控机制奠定解剖学基础。     

金黄地鼠视皮层中乙酰胆碱(Ach)阳性神经元及纤维

本文通过色疫组织化学方法-PAP法,使用乙酰胆碱(Ach)抗体对金黄地鼠视皮层中的Ach进行定位Ach阳性神经元分布于视皮层的第Ⅱ—Ⅵ层,主要集中在Ⅱ、Ⅲ层.其细胞形态除大部分为非锥体神经元外,还发现有极少数锥体型神经元.这些神经元的数量和树突形态在视皮层17区和18区存在某些区域性差异.17区细胞比较密集,18区比较稀疏.17区第IA层细胞排列整齐,顶树突特别粗大,18区这种现象不太明显.皮层白质中也有少量的Ach阳性神经元.视皮层Ach阳性神经元的相对含量约为10%.视皮层中遍布外源性和内源性Ach阳性神经纤维,它们主要分布在第Ⅳ层.在视皮层微血管周围有大量Ach阳性神经元,说明对血管有舒张作用的Ach可能来源于血管内壁.     

The role of stimulus structure in spatial hyperacuity

In spatial hyperacuity the subjects discriminate a stimulus feature relative to a reference, with an accuracy significantly better than the grain of the retinal mosaic. We show that the normalized thresholds have a dichotomous behavior; they are either insensitive to the spatial parameter in the experiment or increase very steeply with it. This behavior is explained by the involvement in the processing of pixel (receptor) accuracy information about the structure of the stimulus. A computational model employing optimal filtering reproduces the experimental data and suggests that processing of spatial hyperacuity tasks in the human visual system is optimal.     

Diameter of downed woody debris does matter for saproxylic beetle assemblages in temperate oak and pine forests

Deadwood is widely recognized to be an important issue for biodiversity conservation in forest ecosystems. Establishing guidelines for its management requires a better understanding of relationships between woody debris characteristics and associated species assemblages. Although deadwood diameter has been identified as an important factor predicting occurrence of many saproxylic species, the boundary between small and large diameter has not yet been precisely defined. In commercial forests, it is also of critical importance to know which diameter is large enough to host the beetle species associated with large logs in order to ensure cost-effectiveness of biodiversity conservation measures. We investigated the differences in saproxylic beetle assemblages among four different diameter classes of downed woody oak and maritime pine debris, in France. Beetles were sampled using in situ emergence traps. The diameter of deadwood pieces ranged from 1 to 40 cm. No patterns of nestedness associated with the gradient of diameter size were identified for either tree species. More indicator saproxylic species were observed in large logs and branches than in small logs. A clear distinction appeared in assemblage composition around the 5-cm diameter threshold whereas no similar pattern occurred around the 10 cm value, i.e. the classical threshold used in forestry to distinguish fine woody debris from coarse woody debris. For both tree species, the mean body length of beetles increased with the diameter of deadwood suggesting that the quantity of available resources per piece may constitute a limiting factor for large beetle species. This study confirms that not only large deadwood pieces are relevant for saproxylic biodiversity conservation but also the smallest pieces. Therefore, forest managers would be well advised to maintain a high diversity of deadwoods to maintain saproxylic biodiversity.     

A simple model of human foveal ganglion cell responses to hyperacuity stimuli

We developed a physiologically plausible model of the first steps of spatial visual information processing in the fovea of the human retina. With the predictions of this model we could support the hypothesis that, for moderate contrasts ( 40%), hyperacuity is mediated by the magnocellular (MC-) pathway. Despite the lower sampling density in the MC pathway, as compared to the parvocellular (PC-) pathway, the information that is transferred by the MC ganglion cells is sufficient to achieve thresholds comparable to those of human subjects in psychophysical tasks. This is a result of the much higher signal-to-noise ratio of the MC pathway cell signals. The PC pathway cells do not transfer enough information for hyperacuity thresholds.     

Animal tool-use

The sight of an animal making and using a tool captivates scientists and laymen alike, perhaps because it forces us to question some of our ideas about human uniqueness. Does the animal know how the tool works? Did it anticipate the need for the tool and make it in advance? To some, this fascination with tools seems arbitrary and anthropocentric; after all, animals engage in many other complex activities, like nest building, and we know that complex behaviour need not be cognitively demanding. But tool-using behaviour can also provide a powerful window into the minds of living animals, and help us to learn what capacities we share with them - and what might have changed to allow for the incontrovertibly unique levels of technology shown by modern humans.     

黄土高原多沙粗沙区侵蚀产沙的多维临界

黄土高原多沙粗沙区侵蚀产沙受到自然要素和人文要素的综合作用。从该地区侵蚀产沙的自然和人文影响要素识别入手,比较系统地揭示了各主要影响因子侵蚀产沙过程的单维临界响应及其发生的内在机理,在此基础上建立了侵蚀产沙要素交互作用的多维临界综合集成模型,并依据该模型定量计算出目前该地区自然和人文要素及各主要影响因素分别对侵蚀产沙的贡献,最后提出了该地区水土流失治理的调控目标和现有治理措施的调整思路。研究结果表明:(1)由于该地区自然和人文要素的交互作用,使得各影响因素侵蚀产沙的单维临界响应发生位移和变化,达到复合临界极值的多维临界点趋于降低或基本保持不变。(2)该地区的侵蚀强度在自然和人文要素的交互作用下仍在加剧。其中,可分离的自然因素作用占80%左右,人为因素作用占20%左右。就自然因素而言,降水对产沙强度的贡献最大约为61%;(3)该地区水土流失的治理速度抵不上人为破坏速度;(4)在多沙粗沙区人为因素产沙贡献中,农业结构的贡献最大。这意味着该地区生态环境治理与建设首先要把农业结构调整和优化置于第一位。     

Multiple groups of orientation-selective visual mechanisms underlying rapid orientated-line detection.

Visual search for an edge or line element differing in orientation from a background of other edge or line elements can be performed rapidly and effortlessly. In this study, based on psychophysical measurements with ten human observers, threshold values of the angle between a target and background line elements were obtained as functions of background-element orientation, in brief masked displays. A repeated-loess analysis of the threshold functions suggested the existence of several groups of orientation-selective mechanisms contributing to rapid orientated-line detection; specifically, coarse, intermediate and fine mechanisms with preferred orientations spaced at angles of approximately 90 degrees, 35 degrees, and 10 degrees-25 degrees, respectively. The preferred orientations of coarse and some intermediate mechanisms coincided with the vertical or horizontal of the frontoparallel plane, but the preferred orientations of fine mechanisms varied randomly from observer to observer, possibly reflecting individual variations in neuronal sampling characteristics.     

Predicting evolutionary responses to interspecific interference in the wild

Many interspecifically territorial species interfere with each other reproductively, and in some cases, aggression towards heterospecifics may be an adaptive response to interspecific mate competition. This hypothesis was recently formalised in an agonistic character displacement (ACD) model which predicts that species should evolve to defend territories against heterospecific rivals above a threshold level of reproductive interference. To test this prediction, we parameterised the model with field estimates of reproductive interference for 32 sympatric damselfly populations and ran evolutionary simulations. Asymmetries in reproductive interference made the outcome inherently unpredictable in some cases, but 80% of the model’s stable outcomes matched levels of heterospecific aggression in the field, significantly exceeding chance expectations. In addition to bolstering the evidence for ACD, this paper introduces a new, predictive approach to testing character displacement theory that, if applied to other systems, could help in resolving long‐standing questions about the importance of character displacement processes in nature.     

Differential spatial displacement discrimination with interfering stimuli

Differential spatial displacement discrimination thresholds were determined for a configuration of three blobs with Gaussian spatial and temporal contrast envelopes. This task is similar to the well known three-dot alignment hyperacuity task. Thresholds determined in the presence of interfering stimuli were identical to thresholds determined without these flanking stimuli. The thresholds scale linearly with stimulus size over at least two decades. We conclude that (i) the mechanisms that compute differential spatial displacement for the three-blob alignment task are not disturbed by the presence of neighbouring stimuli, even when these enter the region over which the computations are performed and (ii) at all levels of resolution similar mechanisms are used to compute differential spatial displacement.     

Common knowledge promotes cooperation in the threshold public goods game by reducing uncertainty

Recent work suggests that an important cognitive mechanism promoting coordination is common knowledge—a heuristic for representing recursive mental states. Yet, we know little about how common knowledge promotes coordination. We propose that common knowledge increases coordination by reducing uncertainty about others' cooperative behavior. We examine how common knowledge increases cooperation in the context of a threshold public goods game, a public good game in which a minimum level of contribution—a threshold—is required. Across three preregistered studies (N = 5580), we explored how varying (1) the information participants had regarding what their group members knew about the threshold and (2) the threshold level affected contributions. We found that participants were more likely to contribute to the public good when there was common knowledge of the threshold than private knowledge. Participants' predictions about the number of group members contributing to the public good and their certainty ratings of those predictions mediated the effect of information condition on contributions. Our results suggest that common knowledge of the threshold increases public good contributions by reducing uncertainty around other people's cooperative behavior. These findings point to the influential role of common knowledge in helping to solve large-scale cooperation problems.