Geniculate neural plasticity in kittens after exposure to periodic gratings

Kittens were exposed for 2 hours a day to a periodic vertical grating during the first 10 weeks after birth, and otherwise kept in darkness. The spatial frequency of the grating fell in the range of highest contrast sensitivity of normal cats. After the 10-week exposure period, cortical evoked potentials and lateral geniculate mass responses to alternating gratings showed a reduced amplitude for the spatial frequency of exposure. This reduction was independent of grating orientation. An analysis of orientational sensitivity of cortical units did not show any bias in favor of the vertical orientation.     

Picosecond holographic-grating spectroscopy

Interfering light waves produce an optical interference pattern in any medium that interacts with light. This modulation of some physical parameter of the system acts as a classical holographic grating for optical radiation. When such a grating is produced through interaction of pulsed light waves with an optical transition, a transient grating is formed whose decay is a measure of the relaxation time of the excited state. Transient gratings can be formed in real space or in frequency space depending on the time ordering of the interfering light waves. The two gratings are related by a space-time transformation and contain complementary information on the optical dynamics of a system. The status of a grating can be probed by a delayed third pulse, which diffracts off this grating in a direction determined by the wave vector difference of the interfering light beams. This generalized concept of a transient grating can be used to interpret many picosecond-pulse optical experiments on condensed-phase systems. Examples of some low-temperature experiments will be presented. In principle, many of these experiments could also be performed by using stochastic broad-band excitation. In these nonlinear photon-interference experiments the time resolution is determined by the correlation time of the light source rather than its pulse width.     

Shifts in perception of size after adaptation to gratings

After viewing a suitable grating of vertical stripes for 5 minutes, subjects overestimated the width of a rectangle by 6 percent. The shifts in perception of size occurred whether individual stripes in the grating were narrower than, equal to, or wider than the rectangle. Rectangle width was underestimated only if the grating stripes were extremely wide, with a spatial frequency lower than most of the effective amplitude spectrum of the rectangle. These findings (and complementary ones with horizontal gratings) suggest that the visual system codes size on the basis of spatial frequency components, rather than directly in terms of width.     

Neural correlate of perceptual adaptation to gratings

Exposure of simple cells of the cat striate cortex to high-contrast drifting gratings greatly reduces the subsequent response of the cells to low-contrast gratings. This adaptation effect has an average duration of 30 seconds and shows interocular transfer and selectivity for spatial frequency and orientation. This effect is strikingly similar to the perceptual adaptation to high-contrast gratings.     

Interocular transfer of orientational effects

Prolonged exposure of one eye to a diagonal line grating produces masking or decreased sensitivity for similar test gratings presented to the contralateral eye. These aftereffects are orientationally selective and suggest that narrow orientationally tuned channels found by electrophysiological methods in the visual cortex of the cat and the monkey may have neural correlates in the human brain.     

Chiral fiber gratings

Chiral gratings with double helix symmetry were produced by twisting glass optical fiber with a noncircular core cross section as it passed through a miniature oven. We observed polarization-selective transmission in chiral fibers with pitches of tens of micrometers. Two modes of optical interaction were differentiated. In chirallong-period gratings, dips in transmission were observed at wavelengths associated with scattering into distinct cladding modes mediated by the chiral grating. In chiral intermediateperiod gratings, a broad scattering band was observed. These gratings can be used to produce sharp or broad polarization-selective filters.     

Electrophysiological evidence for binocular disparity detectors in human visual system

Evoked potentials have been recorded from humans in response to two moving gratings presented stereoscopically to both eyes. The amplitude of the evoked potential is greater when the two gratings have slightly different spatial frequencies, which produces an apparent inclination of the binocularly fused image. The amplitude of the response is correlated with the degree of the perceived inclination.     

Perception of size of one object among many

Adaptation to a grating of properly chosen frequency may lead to two apparently conflicting observations: Another grating may then appear to be of increased frequency (compared with its "unadapted" frequency) while the individual bars of the grating appear to have widened. This perceived widening parallels previous results with single bars. By attending to only one grating bar, the subject effectively seems to change the grating frequency spectrum to that of a single bar.     

Complex Optical Surfaces Formed by Replica Molding Against Elastomeric Masters

Complex, optically functional surfaces in organic polymers can be fabricated by replicating relief structures present on the surface of an elastomeric master with an ultraviolet or thermally curable organic polymer, while the master is deformed by compression, bending, or stretching. The versatility of this procedure for fabricating surfaces with complex, micrometer- and submicrometer-scale patterns was demonstrated by the production of (i) diffraction gratings with periods smaller than the original grating; (ii) chirped, blazed diffraction gratings (where the period of a chirped grating changes continuously with position) on planar and curved surfaces; (iii) patterned microfeatures on the surfaces of approximately hemispherical objects (for example, an optical surface similar to a fly's eye); and (iv) arrays of rhombic microlenses. These topologically complex, micropatterned surfaces are difficult to fabricate with other techniques.     

Neurophysiological localization of the vertical and horizontal visual coordinates in man

The amplitude of the potential evoked by a moving grating, recorded from the occipital scalp, is less when it is oblique compared with vertical and horizontal. This inequality is not found by recording the electroretinogram. Thus, orientational effects must arise between the site of origin of the electroretinogram and the evoked cortical response.     

A neural effect of partial visual deprivation in humans

Certain human subjects have considerable sensitivity differences in the visual resolution of vertical gratings as compared to horizontal gratings. Although only subjects with pronounced ocular astigmatism exhibit this effect, the differences are of neural, rather than optical, origin. It is argued that the resolution anisotropies result from early abnormal visual input caused by astigmatism. This abnormal input permanently modifies the brain.     

Generation of light from free electrons

Experiments with the interaction of a rectangular cross- section beam of electrons which is brought into contact with a metallic diffraction grat e ng produce light variable in wavelength throughout the visible spectrum. Con tinuous variation of the beam thickness shows that light is produced by electrons hundreds of wavelengths from the grating, if the side of the beam near the grating is in contact with it. The results can be accounted for by periodic accelerations of the electrons passing over the surface of the grating. These accelerations are caused by electrostatic forces which in turn are due to the average spacecharge of sheets of elec trons reflected from the grating surface, so that in their space- charge structure the periodicity of the grating rulings is preserved.     

Unit responses from commissural fibers of optic lobes of fish

The paired optic lobes of teleost fish are connected by two commissures. One of these, the tectal commissure, was studied with metal microelectrodes. Fibers are rhythmically active for prolonged periods in the dark and respond to light by a decrease in the rate of discharge. There is a rebound acceleration when the light is turned of. Each fiber is influenced by light in one eye only, and there is no response when light is projected into the opposite eye. This behavior resembles the "off" response recorded from the optic lobes and the optic nerve of fish. Unlike most units from the visual pathways of lower animals, single commissural fibers do not seem to give any recognizable response to patterned input such as small light or dark objects or small light sources stationary or moving anywhere in the visual field, nor do they respond to a vertical black bar moved over a white background.     

光对美洲蛙肌肉纤维衍射强度的分布研究

肌原纤维是由粗丝和细丝重迭而成的Ａ带和只含细丝的Ⅰ带组成，形成了天然光栅，因此可用光学方法探讨肌原纤维分子结构及其动力学问题。试验表明，单色光通过美洲蛙肌原纤维后，衍射光左右两端为非对称性，且左右条纹锋值间隔随肌原纤维节长度增大而减小。肌肉运动有张有弛，于是肌原纤维长度有变异，共变异与非对称有关。当肌原纤维长度增加时，左右两端强度差异变大，而相对应条纹的锋值间隔距离变小。这一现象与布拉格方程和折射     

Hyperacuity in cat retinal ganglion cells

Cat X retinal ganglion cells that can resolve sine gratings of only 2.5 cycles per degree can nevertheless respond reliably to displacements of a grating of approximately 1 minute of arc. This is a form of hyperacuity comparable in magnitude to that seen in human vision. A theoretical analysis of this form of hyperacuity reveals it to be a result of the high gain and low noise of ganglion cells. The hyperacuity expected for the best retinal ganglion cells is substantially better than that observed in behavioral experiments. Thus the brain, rather than improving on the retinal signal-to-noise ratio by pooling signals from many ganglion cells, is unable to make use of all the hyperacuity information present in single ganglion cell responses.     

美洲斑潜蝇的空间和垂直分布

在不同时期对豇豆相同生育期的美洲斑潜蝇自然种群进行调查．结果表明：在种群密度较小时（＜１头·株－１）,空间分布均符合Ｐｏｓｉｏｎ分布,空间分布的图式是随机的;但在种群密度较高时,空间分布均符合二项分布,空间分布图式是聚集的．豇豆上美洲斑潜蝇垂直分布的调查和研究结果表明：美洲斑潜蝇成虫嗜好在嫩叶上产卵;随着作物向上生长和斑潜蝇种群密度的提高,分布逐渐向上扩展．     

Gratings mask bars and bars mask gratings: visual frequency response to aperiodic stimuli

Gratings and bars produce unexpected mutual visual masking. A grating masks a bar much less than a bar masks a bar; and a bar masks a grating uniformly over the grating field. These effects suggest that neural populations selective for size and orientation may be involved in frequency analysis rather than in simple feature detection.     

不同架式温室葡萄冠位叶片及叶绿体结构的变化

【目的】研究温室葡萄不同受光架式和冠位叶片组织结构及其叶绿体超微结构的变化,为温室葡萄栽培提供理论依据。【方法】以温室的棚架、单篱架、双篱架葡萄为试材,分别采用光学显微和电子显微镜技术观测不同架式和冠位叶片的显微结构和叶绿体的超微结构。【结果】温室葡萄棚架受光优于篱架,篱架下部叶片受光极差,阴天对篱架受光的影响比棚架大,对下部影响比上部大;温室葡萄叶片的总厚、栅栏组织厚、组织密度CTR值及栅栏海绵组织比值等光合组织结构有所退化,但不同受光架式间和冠位间有差异。棚架的叶片质量均匀,光合组织发达,篱架的下部叶片结构严重退化;叶片总厚、栅栏组织厚与光照强度呈显著正相关;葡萄棚架叶片和篱架上部叶片的叶绿体数、基粒数、基粒片层数明显高于篱架下部的叶片。【结论】温室葡萄采取棚架栽培时整体叶片的叶绿体发育正常,而篱架下部叶片因长期弱光胁迫导致叶绿体结构发生异常变化。     

西双版纳热带季节雨林辐射垂直分布特征

于西双版纳热带季节雨林观测了林内不同高度和全光照条件下不同波长太阳辐射. 通过比较分析,探讨了热带季节雨林垂直方向上不同波长辐射的时空分布特征. 雾凉季时昼间各辐射要素值均随高度的下降而递减,而干热季和雨季时,受光斑的影响,个别时刻出现了较低观测点的辐射值高于较高观测点的现象;各季节不同高度各测点的总辐射、红外辐射和可见光日总量值及其与全光照条件下的比值均随高度的降低而减小,且各测点比值均呈现红外辐射总辐射可见光的趋势;各测点的辐射值、辐射日总量值、日总量与全光照条件下的比值,以及红外辐射和可见光在总辐射中所占份额均随季节的变化而不同,且这些值在各季节间的大小顺序随测点高度的不同而变化. 受林冠对可见光吸收作用的影响,各测点的红外辐射在总辐射中所占份额在各季节均较全光照条件下高,而可见光比值却总低于全光照条件,但无论是在同一季节的不同测点之间,还是同一测点在不同季节之间的红外辐射和可见光所占份额的比较结果均呈现出复杂多变的状况. 研究结果充分显示了热带季节雨林垂直方向上不同波长辐射的时空异质性,这势必对植物的生长、更新、演替、群落结构的形成以及森林与大气间物质和能量的交换等诸多方面都起到重要的作用.