Light aversion in mice depends on nonimage-forming irradiance detection.

Detection of light in the eye underlies image-forming vision, but also regulates adaptive responses in physiology and behavior. Typically these adaptive responses do not involve image-forming vision, but depend on a relatively absolute measure of brightness (nonimage-forming irradiance detection). The goal of this study was to further understand how image-forming vision and nonimage-forming irradiance detection contribute to the effects of light on behavior. Three light dependent behaviors were assessed in wild-type, Rpe65-/- and rd1 mice. In Rpe65-/- mice, nonimage-forming irradiance detection is severely attenuated, but rod based visual acuity is relatively preserved. In rd1 mice visual acuity is nonrecordable, but nonimage-forming responses are less severely attenuated than Rpe65-/-. Positive masking, an image-forming vision dependent increase in wheel running, was absent in rd1 and restricted to higher irradiances in Rpe65-/-. Negative masking, a suppression of wheel running sensitivity with nonimage-forming irradiance detection input, was increased in rd1, but reduced in Rpe65-/- mice. By contrast, light aversion, an avoidance of brightly lit areas, was abolished in both Rpe65-/- and rd1. This shows that image-forming vision is not sufficient for light aversion, suggesting nonimage-forming irradiance detection motivates this behavior. Further, the differing effects of disease suggest that negative masking and light aversion are distinct responses with specialized nonimage-forming irradiance detection pathways. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The specific nature of the color and brightness components of the human visual evoked potential

In order to gain an insight into the electrophysiological cortical mechanisms of color discrimination and to compare the results with psychophysiological data summarized in the previous publications as the spherical model of color discrimination a problem was specified to identify color and brightness components of human evoked potentials. The experiments were carried out with alternating pairs of light flashes constituted of five colors (white and four main colors; red, blue, yellow, and green). Each of the light stimuli varied by seven brightness levels. Color and brightness components (N87 and P120, respectively) were reasonably reliably detected in all cases of substitution of stimuli with identical or different spectra. However, the latency and amplitude analysis of N87 and P120 components in these cases showed that N87 reflects not only color but also brightness information. It makes it possible to draw on the analogy between the N87 as one of the earliest components and N1 in primate cortical evoked potential and suggest that these components reflect the activity of cells receiving information directly from the lateral geniculate body. This process can be considered as the first stage of cortical analysis of chromatic and achromatic light characteristics. The brightness component P120, probably, represents the activity of cortical cells related to the analysis of nonchromatic stimuli characteristics, such as form, movement, orientation, etc. These characteristics are also based on luminance gradients and contrasts, however, in contrast to N87, these characteristics are not directly related with brightness of light.     

Study of the Stevens exponential function for brightness perception

Study of the brightness scaling function within the range from 2.10(-2) to 3.5.10(3) lk revealed that the total curve of brightness estimation was not exactly Stevens power function within this range: the exponent's value and its deviation was variable in different light regions. Presumably, the luminance's region with minimal value of exponent is the most information for brightness perception. There seems to exist a certain interrelationship between both Veber--Fechner's and Stevens' laws.     

Continuous measurement of visible persistence.

In the synchrony judgment paradigm, Ss judge whether a click precedes or follows the onset of a light flash and, on other trials, whether or not a click precedes light termination. The interclick interval defines the duration of visible persistence. An elaboration of this method was developed that consisted of 2 phases: In Phase 1, the luminance of a reference stimulus was psychophysically matched to the peak brightness of the test flash. Five luminance values between .1 and 1.0 of the reference stimulus were used subsequently. In Phase 2, a random 1 of the 5 reference stimuli, a test flash, and a click were presented; the Ss judged whether the click occurred before or after the brightness of test flash reached the reference value (on onset trials) or decayed below it (on termination trials). This method was validated on 3 male graduate students with test stimuli whose luminance rose and decayed slowly in time, and then was used to trace out the precise subjective rise and decay (temporal brightness response function) of brief flashes. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of occlusion of the better seeing eye on the function of the visual system in children with unilateral amblyopia

Vision acuity and visual evoked potentials (VEP) to a homogeneous light field and chess field reversion were studied in children aged 5-6 years with unilateral amblyopia before and after 3-month direct total occlusion of the intact eye. Occlusion of the intact eye resulted in improvement of the vision acuity and VEP of the amblyopic eye, that correlated with the degree of amblyopia. At the same time examinations of the intact eyes revealed reduced amplitude of VEP to large and increased latency to small chess pattern cells but no changes of the vision acuity. The results evidence the necessity of monitoring the occlusion by VEP recording to prevent the detrimental effects of visual deprivation on the development of the system of vision in a child.     

Nature of visual recovery following posterior neodecortication in the hooded rat.

Subsequent to bilateral, single-stage posterior neodecortication, 32 male hooded rats were either retrained on a preoperatively-learned brightness discrimination, or trained on the reversal of the preoperatively-learned discrimination. Postoperative relearning was significantly retarded when the discrimination involved a reversal of the original discrimination. Results suggest that the preoperatively-established brightness habit is not exclusively localized in the neocortex and that postoperative recovery of the discrimination does not involve relearning a new and independent memory engram. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of altered vision on constant load exercise performance while wearing a respirator

Previous testing has shown that visual acuity greatly influences task performance at light work rate levels. At moderate to heavy work rates, however, the Performance Rating Table (PRT) predicts almost no visual acuity effect. This experiment was performed to determine if the PRT value is realistic. Ten subjects walked on a treadmill at 75-80% of their maximum heart rates until their voluntary end points. Subjects wore various masks of the same kind, each with a different set of clouded lenses. Visual acuities, as measured on the Snellen eye chart, were measured before, during, and after exercise. It was found that visual acuity did not influence performance time, and that an average value for a performance rating of 91 must have been influenced by other mask factors besides visual acuity. These other factors are most likely respiratory stress, thermal stress, and other vision elements. The full-facepiece masks used in this study adversely affected visual acuity by about three-quarters of a Snellen line during exercise. Postexercise visual acuities were found to first decrease below pre-exercise values, then become better than pre-exercise values, then decline asymptotically to pre-exercise values.     

Development of brightness preferences in young chicks: Effects on brightness discrimination learning.

Conducted 7 experiments with a total of 256 1-3 day old Vantress * Arbor Acre chicks to investigate the effects of interactions between the S and its sensory environment on both emergence of brightness preferences and modification by conditioning. In a simultaneous brightness discrimination, Ss were rewarded with heat for approaching either a bright or dim stimulus. Results indicate (a) brightness preference was so stable that it could not be eliminated by incubating, hatching, and rearing in the dark; (b) light experience significantly increased this preference; and (c) modification of this preference by heat reinforcement depended on age of S, prior rearing condition, sensory stimulation between testing sessions, and the length of interval between testing sessions. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the management of soft-tissue sarcomas

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether clinical tests of ocular function and macular appearance independently can help to predict which patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will have a choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) develop in their fellow eye. DESIGN: The study design was a prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-seven patients with unilateral neovascular AMD observed for up to 4.5 years participated. INTERVENTION: Functional measurements included visual acuity, macular visual field, glare recovery time, and foveal electroretinogram amplitude and implicit time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The age-adjusted proportion of patients having a CNVM develop over follow-up assessed by the Cox proportional hazards model with stepwise selection was measured. RESULTS: On average, 8.8% of patients had a CNVM develop each year. Independent risk factors for the fellow eye were its glare recovery time in minutes (relative risk = 1.30, confidence interval = 1.10-1.54, P = 0.003) and its extent of visible macular abnormalities on a four-point scale (relative risk = 1.62, confidence interval = 1.06-2.59, P = 0.03). Of the fellow eyes that converted, the interval to have a CNVM develop was inversely related to the foveal electroretinogram implicit time. CONCLUSIONS: A slower recovery from glare and more extensive funduscopic changes appear to be independent risk factors for the development of a CNVM in the fellow eyes of patients with unilateral neovascular AMD. A slower foveal electroretinogram implicit time may be a sign of early stage CNVM development, perhaps because of outer retinal ischemia. These results have clinical management implications, particularly for those patients at high risk of having a potentially treatable form of AMD develop.     

Perceiving the Intensity of Light.

The relationship between luminance (i.e., the photometric intensity of light) and its perception (i.e., sensations of lightness or brightness) has long been a puzzle. In addition to the mystery of why these perceptual qualities do not scale with luminance in any simple way, "illusions" such as simultaneous brightness contrast, Mach bands, Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet edge effects, and the Chubb-Sperling-Solomon illusion have all generated much interest but no generally accepted explanation. The authors review evidence that the full range of this perceptual phenomenology can be rationalized in terms of an empirical theory of vision. The implication of these observations is that perceptions of lightness and brightness are generated according to the probability distributions of the possible sources of luminance values in stimuli that are inevitably ambiguous. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of light conversion agent on luminous properties of a new down-converting material SrAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+)/light conversion agent

A new luminous material SrAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+)/light conversion agent that can emit red light in the darkness after being excited was fabricated by combining light conversion agent on to SrAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+) particles through YsiX3.The morphology of the luminous materials was analyzed by scan electron microscopy(SEM).The emission behavior was evaluated by fluorescence spectrophotometric analysis and the results demonstrated that the emission spectra of samples had a redshift compared to SrAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+) and the emission intensity rose dramatically at first and then decreased when the ratio of light conversion agent doping was over 1.4 wt.%.And the emission color of SrAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+)/light conversion agent was tuned from green(SrAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+))to orange-red.Furthermore,the afterglow property was also investigated,and the results indicated that the afterglow brightness reached 6.5 cd/m~2,and as the light conversion agent concentration increased the brightness intensity decreased.     

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of TOC-50, a new parenteral cephalosporin, against Enterococcus faecalis

The object of the study was to compare resting pupil diameter in darkness and light, and the pupillary darkness and light reflexes between a group of young and elderly healthy subjects. Twelve young (eight men, four women; median age 19.5 years) and 14 elderly subjects (six men, eight women; median age 69 years) participated. Pupil diameter was monitored with an infra-red television pupillometer. Resting pupil size was measured in light (16 and 32 Cd m-2) and in darkness. The darkness reflex was elicited by switching off the ambient illumination (16 Cd m-2) for 1 s. The light reflex was elicited in darkness by short (200 ms) pulses of green (peak wavelength 565 nm) light at four ascending stimulus intensities (8.5 x 10(-3), 7.0 x 10(-2), 0.43 and 1.84 mW cm-2). The amplitude (mm) and maximum velocity (mm s-1) of the darkness reflex and the latency (ms), amplitude (mm), maximum constriction velocity (mm s-1) and 75% recovery time (s) of the light reflex were measured. The resting pupil diameter was found to be smaller in the elderly group at all three illumination levels (p = 0.001). The amplitude and maximum dilatation velocity of the darkness reflex were smaller for the elderly group (p = 0.001). The amplitude of the light reflex at the three highest light intensities and maximum constriction velocity at all light intensities were smaller in the elderly group (p = 0.002). Seventy-five per cent recovery time was longer in the elderly group (p = 0.02). There was no difference in the latency of the light reflex response between the two groups. The reduced pupil size, diminished darkness reflex amplitude and velocity, and prolonged recovery time of light reflex are consistent with sympathetic deficit in old age. Although the reductions in light reflex amplitude and constriction velocity in the elderly group at first sight would indicate a parasympathetic deficit in old age, they are more likely to be secondary to the grossly diminished pupil size.     

Energy metabolism and fuel mobilization: from the perioperative period to recovery

PURPOSE: Previous studies of monochromatic visual evoked potentials confirm the strong suppression of (the cortical representation of) paracentral retinal areas of functionally amblyopic eyes, by a flat response to a blue stimulus. A clinical trial stimulating these areas with blue light was encouraging, and justified a prospective comparison of this treatment with conventional classic treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 50 strabismic children with amblyopia, the blue filter treatment protocol (flash stimulation with, and the wearing of, a blue filter during occlusion of the better eye for one hour daily) was compared with the classical treatment (full time total occlusion by patch) in a prospective matched and randomized study. Patients 3 to 7 years old without previous treatment and a visual acuity up to 0.3 were admitted to the study. Visual acuity and fixation behavior were used as the parameters of comparison. Visual Evoked Potentials by monochromatic flashes were also studied. Results of treatment were compared after 6 months. RESULTS: The visual acuity outcome for the blue filter treatment was "statistically significantly" better (p=0.005). The greatest improvement was seen in the subgroup of children with eccentric fixation (p=0.01). Fixation behavior also showed a better outcome from the blue filter treatment (p=0.05) favoring especially children between 3 and 5 years. In children of this age with a visual acuity better than 0.1 we found a very "statistically significant" difference between the two treatments (p=0.004). In children 3 to 5 years old with poorer visual acuity we also found a "statistically significant" difference in the two treatments (p=0.04). The interocular difference of amplitude on the Visual Evoked Potentials also demonstrated more improvement in children treated with the blue filter. This treatment improved especially the cortical response to blue flash stimulation, correlating to paracentral retinal areas. CONCLUSIONS: The blue filter treatment protocol provided better results for treating amblyopia than the conventional classic occlusion treatment method. We propose that stimulation of these paracentral retinal areas triggers a better disinhibition of a functionally amblyopic eye.     

Intact selective attention in rats with lesions of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle.

Tested S. T. Mason's hypothesis (1980) that lesions of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle (DNB), which induce depletion of forebrain noradrenaline, alter performance of discrimination tasks because they retard habituation to naturally attractive, but instrumentally irrelevant, stimuli. Exp I used 100 male Wistar rats in groups with either vehicle or 6-hydroxydopamine injections into the DNB. Groups were assigned to 5 discrimination tasks in a cross-maze. Lesions of the DNB did not alter performance of any of the tasks. In Exp II, control and noradrenaline-depleted Ss were trained in a task of light–dark discrimination followed by shift to position discrimination in a Y-maze. At the onset of training, Ss of both groups reliably avoided the bright goal arm and responded to the dark arm, thus demonstrating predominant attention for the relevant brightness stimuli rather than the irrelevant position stimuli. DNB lesions impaired acquisition of brightness discrimination only when the positive stimulus was the illuminated goal arm, and they did not alter shift performance. These results do not support Mason's hypothesis; but on the other hand they do indicate that DNB lesions in the rat can impair habituation of light avoidance. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of photorefractive keratectomy with excimer laser in situ keratomileusis in correcting low myopia (from -2.00 to -5.50 diopters). A randomized study

OBJECTIVE: To compare laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in the correction of myopia from -2.00 to -5.50 diopters. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, paired clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two eyes of 26 myopic patients were enrolled in the study. INTERVENTION: Each patient received PRK on one eye (PRK eye) and LASIK on the other (LASIK eye); the procedure assigned to each eye, and the sequence of surgeries for each patient was randomized. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Slit-lamp microscopy, manifest refraction, uncorrected and spectacle-corrected visual acuity, and videokeratography were done before operation, and 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after operation. Patient satisfaction and preference were assessed by a subjective questionnaire. RESULTS: All LASIK eyes had fast, painless recovery. At 1 year, 24 patients (92.3%) were examined, the mean spherical equivalent refraction was -0.08 +/- 0.38 diopter in the PRK eyes and -0.14 +/- 0.31 diopter in the LASIK eyes, and the uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 or better in 15 PRK eyes (62.5%) and 19 LASIK eyes (79.2%); no eye lost 2 or more Snellen lines of spectacle-corrected visual acuity. Both procedures were stable throughout the first year. One PRK eye developed dense subepithelial corneal haze. The strongest correlate to spectacle-corrected visual acuity after the two procedures was the coefficient of variation of corneal power over the pupil. Nineteen patients (79.2%) preferred the LASIK procedure because of the fast, painless recovery. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, PRK and LASIK were found to be similarly effective, predictable, stable, and reasonably safe for the correction of myopia between -2.00 and -5.50 diopters. Laser in situ keratomileusis has the advantage of fast, painless recovery. Patients prefer LASIK.     

氰化磨矿浸出工艺优化试验研究

为了打破现有氰化生产中传统磨矿、分级及浸出工艺,达到提高磨矿效率、氰化回收率和降低生产能耗的目标,金翅岭金矿进行氰化磨矿浸出工艺的优化试验研究,通过对矿物进行一次性磨矿浸出试验与分段磨矿浸出试验对比发现,矿物一次性磨矿至合格细度-400目细度达到90%,浸出12 h时,氰化回收率可达到99.5%;分段磨矿分段浸出一次磨矿细度为-400目占75%,一次浸出时间为16 h,分级后+400目再磨细度为91%,浸出时间为12 h时,总回收率可达99.64%。分段磨矿浸出磨机节约能耗约15%,氰化回收率提高0.14%。     

A possible means of monitoring the progress of demyelination in multiple sclerosis: effect of body temperature on visual perception of double light flashes

The ability to discriminate closely separated pairs of light flashes as being double is impaired in multiple sclerosis. The effects of altering body temperature on double flash resolution and on visual acuity were studied in four multiple sclerosis patients and in control subjects. At demyelinated sites heating impaired and cooling improved double flash resolution. Visual acuity behaved similarly. The double flash test was very sensitive, changing up to 75 ms in response to simple heating and cooling procedures that produced small variations in acuity. Apart from its diagnostic value, the double flash test furnishes a simple in vivo model to study the effect of temperature change (and potential symptomatic therapy) on conduction in partially demyelinated axons in the visual system.     

提高罗泾转炉煤气回收综合措施

转炉煤气作为炼钢过程的副产品,是重要的二次能源和清洁能源,提高转炉煤气回收率是负能炼钢和降低工序能耗的重要环节,是一项重要节能减排工作。由于COREX-3000铁水成分波动,易造成转炉喷溅,影响转炉煤气的正常回收,因此,为了稳定煤气回收并减少高硅铁水冶炼的喷溅问题,研究了如何减缓化学反应速率和提高强脱碳期炉渣熔点,探索了高硅铁水冶炼模式和操作要领;同时,结合罗泾煤气回收生产实际经验,为减少铁水成分对煤气含量波动的影响,分时段控制煤气回收、优化了回收连锁条件,罗泾转炉煤气回收取得良好效果。     

Evaluation of viral safety of a high-purity human factor VIII concentrate submitted to 2 specific virus inactivation treatments (FANDHI)]

The Coronary Measurement System (CMS, MEDIS, Leiden, Netherlands) is a film-based QCA system that allows the user to vary the intensity of the light source which illuminates the film, thereby changing the brightness of the image viewed by the digitizing video camera. We found that significant variations in calibration factor (mm/pixel) and measured diameter can occur as a result of variations in either of these intensities. We calculated the variability of the measured diameters for a range of light intensities used for vessel measurement and for calibration. The root mean square deviations in estimated vessel diameter for simulated vessels having actual diameters of 2.03, 2.56, 3.03, and 3.55 mm were 0.13, 0.13, 0.13, and 0.11 mm, respectively, while the ranges (maximum-minimum estimates) were 0.47, 0.45, 0.47, and 0.36 mm, respectively. These results show that while mean errors due to changes in brightness are small, there is the potential for larger errors for certain combinations of light intensities.     

An empirical explanation of brightness

The striking illusions produced by simultaneous brightness contrast generally are attributed to the center-surround receptive field organization of lower order neurons in the primary visual pathway. Here we show that the apparent brightness of test objects can be either increased or decreased in a predictable manner depending on how light and shadow are portrayed in the scene. This evidence suggests that perceptions of brightness are generated empirically by experience with luminance relationships, an idea whose implications we pursue in the accompanying paper.