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At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Leukocyte spreading behavior on vascular biomaterial surfaces: consequences of chemoattractant stimulation.

Chemoattractant-induced phenomena of polarity and migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are believed to play a key physiological role in controlling bacterial infections on implantable vascular biomaterials. Our study targeted the spreading behavior of human PMN adherent to expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), pretreated with various plasma proteins, in response to the chemoattractant, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). To this end, a novel imaging configuration was developed to allow in situ reconstructive analysis of PMN 3-D morphology on opaque ePTFE surfaces, using optical sectioning confocal microscopy. Following fMLP stimulation, PMN morphological polarity was enhanced on all substrates studied except fibrinogen treated ePTFE. 3-D PMN morphometry revealed that in the absence of fMLP, overall cell spreading was minimized on albumin-treated ePTFE and maximized on fibrinogen and immunoglobulin-G-treated ePTFE. Following fMLP stimulation, overall PMN spreading increased markedly on untreated and albumin-coated ePTFE, while it stayed invariant on IgG and plasma treated ePTFE, and decreased on fibrinogen-treated ePTFE. Spatial analysis of PMN spreading following fMLP stimulation revealed enhanced PMN attachment on untreated and albumin treated ePTFE and diminished attachment on fibrinogen and plasma treated ePTFE. Thus, chemoattractant stimulation altered a wide range of PMN spreading attributes on ePTFE, including morphological polarity, substrate attachment, and 3-D membrane spreading, in a substrate dependent manner. These chemoattractant-induced spreading responses may also have important consequences for PMN phagocytosis. We report that fMLP stimulation led to enhanced unopsonized particulate phagocytosis on untreated and albumin treated ePTFE, but caused no discernible change in phagocytosis on other protein substrates. Thus, chemoattractant modulation of PMN spreading on ePTFE is highly substrate-regulated, and manifests in concerted effects on PMN phagocytosis.

Blood Vessel Prosthesis↗
PubMed2002

Spreading speed and linear determinacy for two-species competition models.

One crucial measure of a species' invasiveness is the rate at which it spreads into a competitor's environment. A heuristic spread rate formula for a spatially explicit, two-species competition model relies on 'linear determinacy' which equates spread rate in the full nonlinear model with spread rate in the system linearized about the leading edge of the invasion. However, linear determinacy is not always valid for two-species competition; it has been shown numerically that the formula only works for certain values of model parameters when the model is diffusive Lotka-Volterra competition [2]. This paper derives a set of sufficient conditions for linear determinacy in spatially explicit two-species competition models. These conditions can be interpreted as requiring sufficiently large dispersal of the invader relative to dispersal of the out-competed resident and sufficiently weak interactions between the resident and the invader. When these conditions are not satisfied, spread rate may exceed linearly determined predictions. The mathematical methods rely on the application of results established in a companion paper [11].

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Diversity selection for phase-diverse phase retrieval.

Wavefront-sensing performance is assessed for focus-diverse phase retrieval as the aberration spatial frequency and the diversity defocus are varied. The analysis includes analytical predictions for optimal diversity values corresponding to the recovery of a dominant spatial-frequency component in the pupil. The calculation is shown to be consistent with the Cramér-Rao lower bound by considering a sensitivity analysis of the point-spread function to the spatial frequency being estimated. A maximum value of diversity defocus is also calculated, beyond which wavefront-sensing performance decreases as diversity defocus is increased. The results are shown to be consistent with the Talbot imaging phenomena, explaining multiple periodic regions of maximum and minimum contrast as a function of aberration spatial frequency and defocus. Wavefront-sensing performance for an iterative-transform phase-retrieval algorithm is also considered as diversity defocus and aberration spatial frequency are varied.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Spatially filtered wave-front sensor for high-order adaptive optics.

Adaptive optics (AO) systems take sampled measurements of the wave-front phase. Because in the general case the spatial-frequency content of the phase aberration is not band limited, aliasing will occur. This aliasing will cause increased residual error and increased scattered light in the point-spread function (PSF). The spatially filtered wave-front sensor (SFWFS) mitigates this phenomenon by using a field stop at a focal plane before the wave-front sensor. This stop acts as a low-pass filter on the phase, significantly reducing the high-spatial-frequency content phase seen by the wave-front sensor at moderate to high Strehl ratios. We study the properties and performance of the SFWFS for open- and closed-loop correction of atmospheric turbulence, segmented-primary-mirror errors, and sensing with broadband light. In closed loop the filter reduces high-spatial-frequency phase power by a factor of 10(3) to 10(8). In a full AO-system simulation, this translates to a reduction by up to 625 times in the residual error power due to aliasing over a specific spatial frequency range. The final PSF (generated with apodization of the pupil) has up to a 100 times reduction in intensity out to lambda/2d.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Radial Hilbert transform with Laguerre-Gaussian spatial filters.

We analyze the point spread function (PSF) of the image processing system for radial Hilbert transform and propose a novel spiral phase filter, called the Laguerre-Gaussian spatial filter (LGSF). Theoretical analysis and real experiments show that the LGSF possesses some advantages in comparison with the conventional spiral phase plate (SPP). For example, the PSF of the imaging system with a LGSF presents smaller suboscillations than that with the conventional SPP, which allows us to realize a radial Hilbert transform for achieving a high contrast edge enhancement with high resolution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

[Fate of Larix chinensis apex buds and its influence on branching pattern].

Using box-counting dimension method, this paper investigated the spatial occupation ability of different branching patterns related to the fate of Larix chinensis apex buds. The results showed that type I branching was beneficial to the branches to extend their spatial occupation, type II branching was beneficial to spread their areas, and type III branching was beneficial both to extend their spatial occupation and to spread their areas. As a whole, the death of apex buds could help branches to improve their spatial occupation ability and energy utilization efficiency, and play an important role in adjusting crown type, and hence, in improving its photosynthesis. The death of Larix chinensis apex buds was probably a compelled result of their rigorous living conditions.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed2005

Clonal and fine-scale genetic structure in populations of a restricted Korean endemic, Hosta jonesii (Liliaceae) and the implications for conservation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In plant populations the magnitude of spatial genetic structure of apparent individuals (including clonal ramets) can be different from that of sexual individuals (genets). Thus, distinguishing the effects of clonal versus sexual individuals in population genetic analyses could provide important insights for evolutionary biology and conservation. To investigate the effects of clonal spread on the fine-scale spatial genetic structure within plant populations, Hosta jonesii (Liliaceae), an endemic species to Korea, was chosen as a study species. METHODS: Using allozymes as genetic markers, spatial autocorrelation analysis of ramets and of genets was conducted to quantify the spatial scale of clonal spread and genotype distribution in two populations of H. jonesii. KEY RESULTS: Join-count statistics revealed that most clones are significantly aggregated at < 3-m interplant distance. Spatial autocorrelation analysis of all individuals resulted in significantly higher Moran's I values at 0-3-m interplant distance than analyses of population samples in which clones were excluded. However, significant fine-scale genetic structure was still observed when clones were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that clones enhance the magnitude of spatial autocorrelation due to localized clonal spread. The significant fine-scale genetic structure detected in samples excluding clones is consistent with the biological and ecological traits exhibited by H. jonesii including bee pollination and limited seed dispersal. For conservation purposes, genetic diversity would be maximized in local populations of H. jonesii by collecting or preserving individuals that are spaced at least 5 m apart.

Alleles↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of aberrations in different types of progressive power lenses.

Recently, computer numerically controlled machines have permitted the manufacture of progressive power lenses (PPLs) with different designs. However, the possible differences in optical performance among lens designs are not yet well established. In this work, the spatially resolved aberrations, at 20 relevant locations, of three PPLs with different designs were measured with a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor. The wavefront aberration (WA), its root mean square error (RMS) and the point-spread function were obtained. Spatially resolved plots are shown for all aberrations, astigmatism alone, and for higher order aberrations. The average RMS of all zones is also compared, and the standard deviation is used as a parameter to evaluate the level of hard-soft design. We find differences in the spatial distribution of the aberrations but not in the global RMS, indicating that current PPLs are rather similar to a waterbed, with the aberrations being the water: they can be moved but they cannot be eliminated.

Accommodation, Ocular↗
PubMed2004

Recurrent epidemics in small world networks.

The effect of spatial correlations on the spread of infectious diseases was investigated using a stochastic susceptible-infective-recovered (SIR) model on complex networks. It was found that in addition to the reduction of the effective transmission rate, through the screening of infectives, spatial correlations have another major effect through the enhancement of stochastic fluctuations, which may become considerably larger than in the homogeneously mixed stochastic model. As a consequence, in finite spatially structured populations significant differences from the solutions of deterministic models are to be expected, since sizes even larger than those found for homogeneously mixed stochastic models are required for the effects of fluctuations to be negligible. Furthermore, time series of the (unforced) model provide patterns of recurrent epidemics with slightly irregular periods and realistic amplitudes, suggesting that stochastic models together with complex networks of contacts may be sufficient to describe the long-term dynamics of some diseases. The spatial effects were analysed quantitatively by modelling measles and pertussis, using a susceptible-exposed-infective-recovered (SEIR) model. Both the period and the spatial coherence of the epidemic peaks of pertussis are well described by the unforced model for realistic values of the parameters.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed2002

Spatial and temporal distribution of solute leaching in heterogeneous soils: analysis and application to multisampler lysimeter data.

Accurate assessment of the fate of salts, nutrients, and pollutants in natural, heterogeneous soils requires a proper quantification of both spatial and temporal solute spreading during solute movement. The number of experiments with multisampler devices that measure solute leaching as a function of space and time is increasing. The breakthrough curve (BTC) can characterize the temporal aspect of solute leaching, and recently the spatial solute distribution curve (SSDC) was introduced to describe the spatial solute distribution. We combined and extended both concepts to develop a tool for the comprehensive analysis of the full spatio-temporal behavior of solute leaching. The sampling locations are ranked in order of descending amount of total leaching (defined as the cumulative leaching from an individual compartment at the end of the experiment), thus collapsing both spatial axes of the sampling plane into one. The leaching process can then be described by a curved surface that is a function of the single spatial coordinate and time. This leaching surface is scaled to integrate to unity, and termed S can efficiently represent data from multisampler solute transport experiments or simulation results from multidimensional solute transport models. The mathematical relationships between the scaled leaching surface S, the BTC, and the SSDC are established. Any desired characteristic of the leaching process can be derived from S. The analysis was applied to a chloride leaching experiment on a lysimeter with 300 drainage compartments of 25 cm2 each. The sandy soil monolith in the lysimeter exhibited fingered flow in the water-repellent top layer. The observed S demonstrated the absence of a sharp separation between fingers and dry areas, owing to diverging flow in the wettable soil below the fingers. Times-to-peak, maximum solute fluxes, and total leaching varied more in high-leaching than in low-leaching compartments. This suggests a stochastic-convective transport process in the high-flow streamtubes, while convection dispersion is predominant in the low-flow areas. S can be viewed as a bivariate probability density function. Its marginal distributions are the BTC of all sampling locations combined, and the SSDC of cumulative solute leaching at the end of the experiment. The observed S cannot be represented by assuming complete independence between its marginal distributions, indicating that S contains information about the leaching process that cannot be derived from the combination of the BTC and the SSDC.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed1992

A visual nonlinearity fed by single cones.

An intensive nonlinearity in the visual system can produce distortion products, or difference frequency gratings, when observers view two high contrast, high spatial frequency interference fringes of slightly different frequency or orientation added together at the retina. These distortion products are visible even when the two fringes imaged on the retina are above the resolution limit. Our experiments take advantage of this nonlinearity to measure the spatial filtering in the visual system following the formation of the retinal image, but preceding the site of the nonlinearity. The point spread function corresponding to this spatial filter is so small that it can be entirely explained by light integration within the apertures of foveal and parafoveal cones. The small size of this point spread function implies that (1) laser interferometry avoids contrast losses inherent in the eye's optics at spatial frequencies as high as 130 c/deg, (2) retinal scatter causes negligible image degradation in the fovea and parafoveal retina, (3) eye movements have little or no effect on contrast sensitivity to the distortion product and (4) that there is no neural spatial summation in the visual system prior to the site of the nonlinearity. Distortion products could also be observed when a bright interference fringe was briefly flashed on the fovea and a test interference fringe was viewed through the resulting afterimage. Measurements of the point spread function at stages in the visual system that precede the generation of this distortion product were similar to those obtained with simultaneous presentation of the two fringes, implying that the aftereffect of light adaptation is extremely local, no larger than the dimensions of single cones.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed2003

Using network models to approximate spatial point-process models.

Spatial effects are fundamental to ecological and epidemiological systems, yet the incorporation of space into models is potentially complex. Fixed-edge network models (i.e. networks where each edge has the same fixed strength of interaction) are widely used to study spatial processes but they make simplistic assumptions about spatial scale and structure. Furthermore, it can be difficult to parameterize such models with empirical data. By comparison, spatial point-process models are often more realistic than fixed-edge network models, but are also more difficult to analyze. Here we develop a moment closure technique that allows us to define a fixed-edge network model which predicts the prevalence and rate of epidemic spread of a continuous spatial point-process epidemic model. This approach provides a systematic method for accurate parameterization of network models using data from continuously distributed populations (such as data on dispersal kernels). Insofar as point-process models are accurate representations of real spatial biological systems, our example also supports the view that network models are realistic representations of space.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Retino-cortical information transmission achievable with a retina implant.

Blind subjects with photoreceptor degeneration perceive phosphenes when their intact retinal ganglion cells are stimulated electrically. Is this approach suitable for transmitting enough information to the visual cortex for partially restoring vision? We stimulated the retina of anesthetized cats electrically and visually while recording the responses in the visual cortex. Transmission of retino-cortical information T was quantified by information theory. T was 20-160 bit/s (per stimulation and recording site) with random electrical or visual impulse stimulation at rates between 20 and 40 s-1. While increasing spatial density of independent electrical stimulation channels T did not saturate with 7 electrodes/mm2 retina. With seven electrodes up to 500 bit/s was transmitted to 15 cortical recording sites. Electrical stimulation basically employs temporal stimulus patterns. They are intimately linked with intensity/contrast information coded by the spike density of retinal ganglion cells. From the cortical information spread we estimated the spatial resolution as 0.5mm cortex corresponding to 0.5-1.0 degrees visual angle. If the human cortex can receive and decode the information transmitted by a retina implant, our quantitative results measured in cats suggest that visuo-motor coordination and object recognition in many in- and out-door situations will be possible.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

Is there a modality effect? Evidence for visual recency and suffix effects.

In Experiment 1, four groups of 16 subjects performed ordered recall of six-syllable lists in both suffix and nonsuffix conditions. Sequential presentation of the lists varied for each group. In the auditory presentation, the syllables were delivered from one location only and were read aloud by the subjects. For the visual, spatially nondistributed presentation, the syllables appeared in one location only and were read silently. For visual, spatially distributed presentations, the syllables were spread out either vertically or horizontally and were read silently. Very robust recency and suffix effects were found in the auditory presentation, as well as in visual, spatially distributed presentations. In Experiment 2, 16 subjects performed ordered recall of visually presented lists with the items spread out vertically and conflicting spatial and temporal orders. A reliable recency effect was found for the final block of trials. In Experiment 3, 16 subjects performed ordered recall in the same conditions as in Experiment 2, except that they were instructed to recall the temporal order in which the spatial positions would be filled in. A bow-shaped curve and a strong recency effect were obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A simple cellular automaton model for influenza A viral infections.

Viral kinetics have been extensively studied in the past through the use of spatially homogeneous ordinary differential equations describing the time evolution of the diseased state. However, spatial characteristics such as localized populations of dead cells might adversely affect the spread of infection, similar to the manner in which a counter-fire can stop a forest fire from spreading. In order to investigate the influence of spatial heterogeneities on viral spread, a simple 2-D cellular automaton (CA) model of a viral infection has been developed. In this initial phase of the investigation, the CA model is validated against clinical immunological data for uncomplicated influenza A infections. Our results will be shown and discussed.

Cell Death↗
PubMed2000

Four-dimensional neuronal signaling by nitric oxide: a computational analysis.

Nitric oxide (NO) is now recognized as a transmitter of neurons that express the neuronal isoform of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase. NO, however, violates some of the key tenets of chemical transmission, which is classically regarded as occurring at points of close apposition between neurons. It is the ability of NO to diffuse isotropically in aqueous and lipid environments that has suggested a radically different form of signaling in which the transmitter acts four-dimensionally in space and time, affecting volumes of the brain containing many neurons and synapses. Although "volume signaling" clearly challenges simple connectionist models of neural processing, crucial to its understanding are the spatial and temporal dynamics of the spread of NO within the brain. Existing models of NO diffusion, however, have serious shortcomings because they represent solutions for "point-sources," which have no physical dimensions. Methods for overcoming these difficulties are presented here, and results are described that show how NO spreads from realistic neural architectures with both simple symmetrical and irregular shapes. By highlighting the important influence of the geometry of NO sources, our results provide insights into the four-dimensional spread of a diffusing messenger. We show for example that reservoirs of NO that accumulate in volumes of the nervous system where NO is not synthesized contribute significantly to the temporal and spatial dynamics of NO spread.

Cell Size↗
PubMed1997

Use of scanner characteristics in iterative image reconstruction for high-resolution positron emission tomography studies of small animals.

The purpose of this work was to improve of the spatial resolution of a whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) system for experimental studies of small animals by incorporation of scanner characteristics into the process of iterative image reconstruction. The image-forming characteristics of the PET camera were characterized by a spatially variant line-spread function (LSF), which was determined from 49 activated copper-64 line sources positioned over a field of view (FOV) of 21.0 cm. This information was used to model the image degradation process. During the course of iterative image reconstruction, the forward projection of the estimated image was blurred with the LSF at each iteration step before the estimated projections were compared with the measured projections. The imaging characteristics of the high-resolution algorithm were investigated in phantom experiments. Moreover, imaging studies of a rat and two nude mice were performed to evaluate the imaging properties of our approach in vivo. The spatial resolution of the scanner perpendicular to the direction of projection could be approximated by a one-dimensional Gaussian-shaped LSF with a full-width at half-maximum increasing from 6.5 mm at the centre to 6.7 mm at a radial distance of 10.5 cm. The incorporation of this blurring kernel into the iteration formula resulted in a significantly improved spatial resolution of about 3.9 mm over the examined FOV. As demonstrated by the phantom and the animal experiments, the high-resolution algorithm not only led to a better contrast resolution in the reconstructed emission scans but also improved the accuracy for quantitating activity concentrations in small tissue structures without leading to an amplification of image noise or image mottle. The presented data-handling strategy incorporates the image restoration step directly into the process of algebraic image reconstruction and obviates the need for ill-conditioned "deconvolution" procedures to be performed on the projections or on the reconstructed image. In our experience, the proposed algorithm is of special interest in experimental studies of small animals.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1993

Development of metabolic activity patterns in the somatosensory cortex of cats.

1. The development of cortical responses to somatic stimulation was studied in kittens 2-5 wk of age using the 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) technique. During the 2DG experiment each kitten received an innocuous intermittent vertical displacement stimulus to the forepaw. 2. The pattern of metabolic activity was substantially different in young animals compared with adults. In the individual autoradiographs of the 2-wk-old kittens stimulus-evoked 2DG uptake in primary somatosensory cortex was localized to a small spot in the upper portion of the cortex, whereas in the adult the label extended vertically through the cortical layers and appeared more column-like. Individual patches of label were substantially smaller and less dense in young animals. Over a period of several weeks the evoked activity evolved to the more extensive adult pattern. The 2DG uptake displayed a mature distribution by approximately 4-5 wk of age. During this period, the cortical architecture also evolved from an immature to a mature arrangement. 3. The evoked activity was reconstructed into two-dimensional maps; the distribution of label > or = 1.5 SD above background was considered to be stimulus related. In the adult, the pattern appeared as a strip or strips of increased metabolic activity that extended in the rostrocaudal direction for approximately 1 mm. In contrast, the activity pattern in animals 2-4 wk old was less discretely organized into "strips" and was more diffusely spread over several mms of somatosensory cortex. The two-dimensional pattern gradually coalesced into a more localized strip by approximately 4-5 wk of age. Although the pattern of label was more widespread in the young animals, the absolute distance of the spread of activity did not vary substantially, regardless of the age of the animal. 4. Other measurements regarding the distribution of activity at different ages indicate that the amount of cortex activated increases in absolute terms, although the percent of cortex activated by the stimulus decreases. The overall intensity of the 2DG uptake as measured on the two-dimensional maps increases with age, as does the variability of the 2DG uptake; a wider range of intensity values is seen in the adult. Plots created from the individual two-dimensional reconstructions allowed a measure of "patch strength" at different ages. These histograms relate the most intense region of uptake in a given map to the spatial distribution of activity spreading in the medial and lateral directions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aging↗