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A choice reaction time analysis of spatial frequency discrimination.

Simple reaction time to the onset of sinewave gratings was measured as a function of spatial frequency in two observers. These results are compared to the choice reaction time required for the observer to correctly discriminate the spatial frequency of two gratings flashed sequentially. Grating contrast was either 0.75 or 1.5 logarithmic units above the detection threshold for each spatial frequency tested. The spatial phase and contrast of the reference and test gratings were varied from trial to trial by small random amounts to eliminate fixed cues other than the difference frequency. The spatial frequency difference between the reference and test grating was either 0.125, 0.25 or 0.5 octave. As has been earlier reported, simple reaction time increases with increasing spatial frequency. Contrary to this, choice reaction time first increases (up to 4 c/deg) and then decreases. We derived the time required by the observer to make a spatial frequency judgment by subtracting the simple reaction time from the choice reaction time for a given spatial frequency and contrast. The maximum decision time occurs in the medium spatial frequency range (between 1 and 4 c/deg), at which frequencies we are most sensitive. The time required to make a correct spatial-frequency discrimination decreases with increasing spatial-frequency difference. The decision time is, however, fairly invariant over a large range of suprathreshold contrast levels. The findings suggest that the decision time for spatial frequency discrimination increases with the number of mechanisms involved.

Contrast Sensitivity

Nonlinear analysis of spatial vision using first-and-second-order Volterra transfer functions measurement.

The harmonic input method of nonlinear system identification is modified to allow the Volterra series approach to be used for psychophysical investigation of various aspects of human pattern vision in the spatial frequency domain. While it is well known that only one modulation transfer function provides a complete characterization of a linear system, a number of multidimensional transfer functions are needed to identify a nonlinear system. We have shown, that so far as the contrast sensitivity to sine-wave gratings may be used for an empirical estimate of the first-order modulation transfer function of the human visual system, the contrast sensitivity to difference harmonics may be used as an empirical estimate of the second-order modulation transfer function. A difference harmonic arises from a mixture of two sine-wave gratings resulting from the nonlinearity of the visual system. Difference harmonic, experienced as some periodic beatlike structure, may still be observed if frequencies of the component gratings are higher than the maximum visual acuity. The visibility of the low-frequency beatlike pattern produced by pairs of sine-wave gratings, which themselves are of spatial frequencies too high to be resolved, could be accounted for either by a difference frequency distortion product (Burton, 1973) or by a special beat detector (Derrington & Badcock, 1985). We found that increasing the contrast of one component grating may be compensated for by reducing the contrast of the other component grating, the beatlike pattern being at threshold. This is exactly what would be expected if the beatlike pattern is detected because of the difference harmonics produced by nonlinearity of the visual system. We have determined contrast thresholds for the difference harmonics which occur between two unresolved different spatial frequencies. The contrast sensitivity function for difference harmonics was found to have a marked similarity both in the shape and position of peak sensitivity to the contrast sensitivity function for single sine-wave gratings. Another important characteristic of the contrast sensitivity function for difference harmonics is that it depends only on the frequency difference, delta f = f1 - f2, rather than on the value of either f1 or f2. All this indicates that a difference harmonic arises from local nonlinearities in the visual system. More specifically, the visual system may be represented as a cascade system, composed of a linear system with transfer function O (f) followed by a nonlinear element, r(.), without spatial spread in cascade with another linear system with transfer function P (f).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Contrast Sensitivity

A behavioural analysis of spatial localization following electrolytic, kainate- or colchicine-induced damage to the hippocampal formation in the rat.

This experiment examines the notion that in the rat the hippocampal formation is an essential structure in the neurological representation of spatial abilities. Spatial localization by rats with different types of hippocampal damage, including bilateral electrolytic lesions, unilateral and bilateral kainic acid-induced CA3-CA4 lesions, and unilateral and bilateral colchicine-induced dentate gyrus lesions, was compared with vehicle-injected and normal control groups in the Morris water task. The task required the rats to escape from cold water by finding a submerged and hidden platform located at a fixed place within the room. The start point was varied randomly from trial to trial and there were no local cues available to indicate the position of the hidden platform. After training, the platform was moved. Escape latencies and the initial swimming headings revealed that all lesion groups, except the unilateral CA3-damaged group, were impaired at finding the platform: the dentate-damaged rats exhibited the greatest deficit. When the platform was moved the control rats swam mainly in the part of the pool that had previously contained the platform and, on finding it in the new location, they showed a marked dishabituation of rearing. None of the bilateral lesion groups showed these effects.

Animals

Confocal image analysis of spatial variations in immunocytochemically identified calmodulin during pollen hydration, germination and pollen tube tip growth in Nicotiana tabacum L.

Using monoclonal anti-calmodulin antibodies in conjunction with confocal scanning laser microscopy we have analysed the spatial variations in the distribution pattern of calmodulin (CaM) during the sequential events of pollen hydration, germination and tube growth in Nicotiana tabacum. These immunocytochemical observations have been complemented by immunochemical studies wherein the anti-calmodulin antibody raised against pea CaM recognises a polypeptide of c. 18 kDa in the pollen extracts. Digitisation of confocally acquired optical sections of immunofluorescence images reveals that in hydrated pollen a high level of CaM is consistently present in the region of the germinal apertures. Subsequently, with the onset of germination a high CaM concentration was found associated with the plasma membrane of the germination bubble and in the cytoplasm in its vicinity, while in the vegetative cytoplasm a weak diffuse and intense punctate signal was registered. CaM immunostain was also detected in association with the plasma membrane of the tube tips in both short and long pollen tubes. Furthermore, the cytosol of the tubes invariably manifested an apically focused CaM gradient. We were, however, unable to detect any vacuolar association of CaM in the older regions of the pollen tubes. Although punctate immunostain was obvious across the pollen tube numerous punctate structures were invariably present in the extreme tip. The possible implications of these findings in development of cell polarity, polarised growth, maintenance of calcium homeostasis and CaM interactions with other mechanochemical motor proteins in effecting propulsion of organelles during pollen hydration, germination and pollen tube growth are discussed.

Blotting, Western

Odor-related bulbar EEG spatial pattern analysis during appetitive conditioning in rabbits.

Mildly thirsty rabbits were classically conditioned by reinforcement with water to give a discriminative licking response to the presentation of odors. The jaw movement component of the licking conditioned response (JM CR) was elicited only by the reinforced odor; an increase in the relative frequency of sniffing (RR CR) occurred to both reinforced (CS+) and nonreinforced (CS-) odors. Oscillatory electroencephalographic bursts of high-frequency (40-80 Hz) potentials were recorded epidurally from the lateral olfactory bulb with 64-electrode arrays (8 X 8, 3.5 X 3.5 mm) chronically implanted. Emphasis was on comparing bursts during odor presentation with bursts preceding odor arrival on each trial. A "detection" burst was characterized as occurring immediately after odor arrival and before the sniff response. "Discrimination" bursts occurred during the RR CR and before the JM CR onset. Significant air-odor burst differences (together with sniffing) occurred through up to six sessions for both CS+ and CS- odors for "discrimination" bursts but not for "detection" bursts.

Animals