Excitation of complicated shapes in three dimensions

We experimentally verified a recently proposed technique for the excitation of a complicated three-dimensional profile (CARVE, completely arbitrary regional volume excitation). CARVE is based on a generalized DANTE RF pulse sequence and a synchronous string of gradient steps. Provided there is no limitation in the number of pulses, CARVE can generate an excitation profile of any shape with any resolution. However, hardware limitations and sample properties restrict the number of RF pulses and gradient steps and, thus, limit attainable resolution of the excitation profile. We theoretically and experimentally showed that spatial resolution can be increased by distributing a long sequence among several CARVE experiments and summing up their signals. This is particularly important for three-dimensional excitation profiles where an n-fold increase in resolution requires an n3-fold increase of the number of events in the sequence. The potential use of three-dimensional CARVE might be in spectroscopic imaging where the excitation profile can be tailored to match the shape of a selected organ or body part.     

Sidebranch-spectrum for a dendrite-model in three dimensions

For the standard dendrite-model with Ivantsov-approximation in three dimensions we study the linear stability with respect to cylindrically symmetric modes. The results are qualitatively similar to the two-dimensional case. For Péclet-numbers p ≈ 10⁻² we find a sidebranch-spacing of ≈2.8 times the tip radius in good agreement with experiments.     

Analysis of saccadic short-term plasticity in three dimensions

The capacity for short-term adaptation is a well-established property of the horizontal (H) and vertical (V) components of saccades. It allows these directional components, which clearly serve the goal of foveation, to maintain their precision even under changing circumstances. Torsional (T) saccade components, on the other hand, which deal with the orientation of the target on the fovea, have hardly been investigated in adaptation experiments. They appear to be severely restricted by Listing's law during fixations and saccades. The main purpose of Listing's law is far from obvious but could be visual or oculomotor. Better knowledge of the adaptive capacity of the saccadic system in the torsional direction could throw new light on the functional significance of this interesting neural strategy. To study short-term plasticity in the torsional components of saccades, binocular 3D-eye positions were measured, using magnetic search coils. Five normal human subjects were instructed to make uni-directional refixation saccades, while they viewed a large visual scene. To induce a change in the torsional component, the complete stimulus was rapidly rotated during these saccades. We thoroughly investigated the torsional responses of the saccadic system, to see if any short-term adaptive response in torsional direction was induced, in which case the notion of a visual purpose for Listing's law would be strengthened. In none of our experiments, however, did we find any clear adaptive response in torsional direction. To further investigate the reliability of this result and to ascertain that our experimental conditions allowed classical gain adaptation, we also did experiments designed to achieve a combination of torsional adaptation and classic gain shortening in one of the directional components. While gain adaptation was very obvious, none of the experiments provided evidence for a short-term effect in torsion. We conclude that our experiments do not support a purely visual basis for Listing's law.