Perceptual categories for auditory motion as reflected in mismatch negativity

Auditory evoked response and mismatch negativity potential have been studied using the reversed oddball paradigm of standard and deviant stimulus presentation. In the experiments, three types of spatial sound stimuli (stationary and moving gradually or abruptly from the head midline) were presented in three configurations. In each configuration, one stimulus type served as the standard one, and the other two, as deviants. The reversal of the configuration of the presentation of the standard and deviant stimuli was shown to significantly influence the evoked response and mismatch negativity. The results are discussed as possible evidence of the categorical perception of auditory motion at early stages of sound processing in the hearing system.     

Perceptual scales of spatial heterogeneity of periphyton for freshwater snails

The hypothesis that individuals recognize their environment as homogeneous when the scales of spatial heterogeneity of resources are smaller than a certain scale, but can distinguish them as patches when they are larger than that scale was tested using freshwater snails ( Physa acuta ) in various distributions in periphyton environments. In a pattern of periphyton distribution in which the size of algal cells was 47 mm, individuals moved significantly more slowly on algal cells than on nonalgal cells. However, in other patterns in which the sizes of algal cells were 23.5 mm and 15.7 mm, the speeds of individuals on algal and nonalgal cells were not significantly different. These results support the hypothesis that individuals use the environment homogeneously when the scales of spatial heterogeneity of resources are smaller than a certain scale, but they can distinguish between patches when the scales are larger.     

Modality-independent coding of spatial layout in the human brain

In many nonhuman species, neural computations of navigational information such as position and orientation are not tied to a specific sensory modality [1, 2]. Rather, spatial signals are integrated from multiple input sources, likely leading to abstract representations of space. In contrast, the potential for abstract spatial representations in humans is not known, because most neuroscientific experiments on human navigation have focused exclusively on visual cues. Here, we tested the modality independence hypothesis with two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments that characterized computations in regions implicated in processing spatial layout [3]. According to the hypothesis, such regions should be recruited for spatial computation of 3D geometric configuration, independent of a specific sensory modality. In support of this view, sighted participants showed strong activation of the parahippocampal place area (PPA) and the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) for visual and haptic exploration of information-matched scenes but not objects. Functional connectivity analyses suggested that these effects were not related to visual recoding, which was further supported by a similar preference for haptic scenes found with blind participants. Taken together, these findings establish the PPA/RSC network as critical in modality-independent spatial computations and provide important evidence for a theory of high-level abstract spatial information processing in the human brain.     

Influence of the spatial layout of vegetation on the stability of slopes

Background and aims

Plant nutrient uptake is affected by environmental stress, but how plants respond to cation-nutrient stress is poorly understood. We assessed the impact of varying degrees of cation-nutrient stress on cation uptake in an experimental plant-mineral system.

Methods

Column experiments, with red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) seedlings growing in sand/mineral mixtures, were conducted for up to 9 months. The Ca and K were supplied from both minerals and nutrient solutions with varying Ca and K concentrations.

Results

Cation nutrient stress had little impact on carbon allocation after 9 months of plant growth and K was the limiting nutrient for biomass production. Measurement of Ca/Sr and K/Rb ratios allowed independent estimation of dissolution incongruency and discrimination against Sr and Rb during cation uptake processes. The fraction of K in biomass from biotite increased with decreasing K supply from nutrient solutions. The mineral anorthite was consistently the major source of Ca, regardless of nutrient treatment.

Conclusions

Red pine seedlings exploited more mineral K in response to more severe K deficiency. This did not occur for Ca since Ca was not limiting plant growth. Plant discrimination factors must be carefully considered to accurately identify nutrient sources using cation tracers.     

昆虫濒危等级和保护级别

介绍了国际上目前普遍通用的物种濒危等级系统“IUCN红色名录等级 ( 1994年版 )”来源和结构及使用注意事项 ,对我国 1989年公布生效的《国家重点保护野生动物名录》保护级别和昆虫收录情况进行了评介 ,最后就保护名录与红皮书或红色名录的关系及国家重点保护昆虫的遴选和定级原则提出讨论和建议     

西藏自然保护区现状分析及其空间布局评估

对自然保护区空间布局合理性进行评估,可为管理部门制定政策提供科学依据。以自然保护区名录数据为基础,采用数理统计、时间序列分析和空间叠加分析等方法,在深入认知西藏国家级和省级自然保护区现状特点的基础上,从人文和自然角度对其空间布局合理性进行评估。结果表明:(1)截至2015年底,西藏自然保护区面积达41.37万km2,较全面保护了西藏脆弱生态系统和国家重点保护动植物;(2)西藏1990—2015新增国家级和省级自然保护区2000年以前由东南部往中西部扩展,2000年以后主要分布在自治区中部,其空间分布和类型趋于完善;(3)从人文角度看,西藏国家级和省级自然保护区生态保护与人类活动的矛盾不突出,总体布局合理;(4)从自然角度看,各个生态地理区(植被带)内自然保护区密度较为接近,但自然保护区面积占比差异较大,空间布局还需优化。     

A Bayesian Attractor Model for Perceptual Decision Making

Even for simple perceptual decisions, the mechanisms that the brain employs are still under debate. Although current consensus states that the brain accumulates evidence extracted from noisy sensory information, open questions remain about how this simple model relates to other perceptual phenomena such as flexibility in decisions, decision-dependent modulation of sensory gain, or confidence about a decision. We propose a novel approach of how perceptual decisions are made by combining two influential formalisms into a new model. Specifically, we embed an attractor model of decision making into a probabilistic framework that models decision making as Bayesian inference. We show that the new model can explain decision making behaviour by fitting it to experimental data. In addition, the new model combines for the first time three important features: First, the model can update decisions in response to switches in the underlying stimulus. Second, the probabilistic formulation accounts for top-down effects that may explain recent experimental findings of decision-related gain modulation of sensory neurons. Finally, the model computes an explicit measure of confidence which we relate to recent experimental evidence for confidence computations in perceptual decision tasks.     

Infraspecific categories in fungi

The problems facing the mycologist centre on the difficulty of distinguishing between the individual and the population, the degree of host or substratum specialization and the limited range of morphological characters available for use as denning taxa. The use of the categories 'variety' and 'forma specialis' is considered, and examples are given of their application in the cereal rusts and in the genera Phoma and Fusarium. Micro-evolutionary trends in Auricula auricula are also considered and are used to illustrate how amenable fungi are to studies on speciation.