Spatial and temporal sensitivity degradation of primary visual cortical cells in senescent rhesus monkeys

Human visual function declines with age. Much of this decline is mediated by changes in the central visual pathways. In this study we compared the spatial and temporal sensitivities of striate cortical cells in young and old paralysed macaque monkeys. Ext

Hydroacoustic study of spatial and temporal distribution of Gymnocypris przewalskii (Kessler, 1876) in Qinghai Lake, China

Gymnocypris przewalskii (Kessler 1876) is an endangered and state-protected rare fish species in Qinghai Lake, China. To further understand the life history and distribution of this fish, five surveys were carried out in Qinghai Lake between 2002-2006. Results of these surveys indicate that fishes were predominantly distributed about 2 m under the surface. In July, significant differences in fish density were found between surface and bottom layers (P = 0.001), and/or between middle and bottom layers (P = 0.025). Fish density was the greatest in the surface layer. In August and October, no significant differences were found between the different layers, but the bottom layer had a greater fish density. Furthermore, there were very large differences among different zones in fish distribution density. Differences in horizontal distribution were not significantly correlated to factors such as water depth and inshore distance, possibly because of very low and uniform fish density. Feeding, changes in water temperature, over-wintering and spawning appeared to influence fish distribution. Hydroacoustic estimates of G. przewalskii biomass in Qinghai Lake increased significantly between 2002 and 2006. We attribute this increase to the management measures put in place to protect this species.

Numerical Study on the Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Water Quality in the Taihu Lake of China

Taihu Lake is the third largest fresh water lake in China. With the fast economic development, abundant industrial and agricultural waste water has been discharged into Taihu Lake, causing the eutrophication of the water quality, which greatly affected the water utility. In the past decades, the treatment of Taihu Lake has witnessed limited success. Therefore, it is practically and theoretically significant to study the eutrophication of Taihu Lake. This research has focused on the issue of water quality including the characteristics of spatial and temporal distributions, and the rules of nutrient diffusion in the Taihu lake area. Based on the monitoring data, the basis distribution characteristics of water quality in Taihu Lake are analyzed. Comparing Taihu Lake with other Lakes shows that one important reason for Taihu eutrophication is the long period of water retention. A transporting and diffusing model of Taihu nutrient is developed by combining with the hydrodynamics model. Using the model, the concentration field of the total phosphorus (TP) and the influence of wind-driven current are numerically investigated, which leads to the conclusion that the flow field has a great influence on the spatial and temporal distributions of TP in Taihu Lake. Furthermore, the effect for improving the water quality by the project of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Taihu Lake was analyzed by simulation. The results demonstrate that short-term water diversion cannot improve the water quality of the heavily-polluted Meiliang Bay and the western bank areas of Taihu Lake.

Spatial and temporal flows of China's forest resources: Development of a framework for evaluating resource efficiency

Science & Technology Basic Work Program of China: Scientific Survey of the Middle-lower Reaches of Lantsang River and the Great Shangri-La Region [2008FY110300]; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program): Ecosystem Services and Ecological Safety of the Major Terrestrial Ecosystems of China [2009CB421106]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [30670374]; EU ; European Commission, DG Research [003874]

Spatial and temporal relationships between precipitation and ANPP of four types of grasslands in northern China

Precipitation is considered to be the primary resource limiting terrestrial biological activity in water-limited regions. Its overriding effect on the production of grassland is complex. In this paper, field data of 48 sites (including temperate meadow steppe,temperate steppe, temperate desert steppe and alpine meadow) were gathered from 31 published papers and monographs to analyze the relationship between above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and precipitation by the method of regression analysis. The results indicated that there was a great difference between spatial pattern and temporal pattern by which precipitation influenced grassland ANPP. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was the main factor determining spatial distribution of grassland ANPP (r~2 = 0.61,P ＜ 0.01); while temporally, no significant relationship was found between the variance of AN PP and inter-annual precipitation for the four types of grassland. However, after dividing annual precipitation into monthly value and taking time lag effect into account, the study found significant relationships between ANPP and precipitation. For the temperate meadow steppe, the key variable determining inter-annual change of ANPP was last August-May precipitation (r~2= 0.47, P = 0.01); for the temperate steppe, the key variable was July precipitation (r~2 = 0.36, P = 0.02); for the temperate desert steppe, the key variable was April-June precipitation (r~2 = 0.51, P ＜0.01); for the alpine meadow, the key variable was last September-May precipitation (r~2 = 0.29, P ＜ 0.05). In comparison with analogous research, the study demonstrated that the key factor determining inter-annual changes of grassland ANPP was the cumulative precipitation in certain periods of that year or the previous year.

A Neural Network Model for the Spatial and Temporal Response of Retinal Ganglion Cells

This article introduces a quantitative model of early visual system function. The model is formulated to unify analyses of spatial and temporal information processing by the nervous system. Functional constraints of the model suggest mechanisms analogous to photoreceptors, bipolar cells, and retinal ganglion cells, which can be formally represented with first order differential equations. Preliminary numerical simulations and analytical results show that the same formal mechanisms can explain the behavior of both X (linear) and Y (nonlinear) retinal ganglion cell classes by simple changes in the relative width of the receptive field (RF) center and surround mechanisms. Specifically, an increase in the width of the RF center results in a change from X-like to Y-like response, in agreement with anatomical data on the relationship between α- and

Soft sediment ecology of Lough Hyne Marine Reserve - spatial and temporal patterns

Distribution of soft sediment benthic fauna and the environmental factors affecting them were studied, to investigate changes across spatial and temporal scales. Investigations took place at Lough Hyne Marine Reserve using a range of methods. Data on the sedimentation rates of organic and inorganic matter were collected at monthly intervals for one year at a number of sites around the Lough, by use of vertical midwater-column sediment traps. Sedimentation of these two fractions were not coupled; inorganic matter sedimentation depended on hydrodynamic and weather factors, while the organic matter sedimentation was more complex, being dependent on biological and chemical processes in the water column. The effects of regular hypoxic episodes on benthic fauna due to a natural seasonal thermocline were studied in the deep Western Trough, using camera-equipped remotely-operated vehicle to follow transects, on a three-monthly basis over one year. In late summer, the area below the thermocline of the Western Trough was devoid of visible fauna. Decapod crustaceans were the first taxon to make use of ameliorating oxygen conditions in autumn, by darting below the thermocline depth, most likely to scavenge. This was indicated by tracks that they left on the surface of the Trough floor. Some species, most noticeably Fries’ goby Lesueurigobius friesii, migrated below the thermocline depth when conditions were normoxic and established semi-permanent burrows. Their population encompassed all size classes, indicating that this habitat was not limited to juveniles of this territorial species. Recolonisation by macrofauna and burrowing megafauna was studied during normoxic conditions, from November 2009 to May 2010. Macrofauna displayed a typical post-disturbance pattern of recolonisation with one species, the polychaete Scalibregma inflatum, occurring at high abundance levels in March 2010. In May, this population had become significantly reduced and a more diverse community was established. The abundance of burrowing infauna comprising decapods crabs and Fries’ gobies, was estimated by identifying and counting their distinctive burrow structures. While above the summer thermocline depth, burrow abundance increased in a linear fashion, below the thermocline depth a slight reduction of burrow abundance occurred in May, when oxygen conditions deteriorated again. The majority of the burrows occurring in May were made by Fries’ gobies, which are thought to encounter low oxygen concentrations in their burrows. Reduction in burrow abundance of burrowing shrimps Calocaris macandreae and Callianassa subterranea (based on descriptions of burrow structures from the literature), from March to May, might be related to their reduced activity in hypoxia, leading to loss of structural burrow maintenance. Spatial and temporal changes to macrofaunal assemblage structures were studied seasonally for one year across 5 sites in the Lough and subject to multivariate statistical analysis. Assemblage structures were significantly correlated with organic matter levels in the sediment, the amounts of organic matter settling out of the water column one month before macrofaunal sampling took place as well as current speed and temperature. This study was the first to investigate patterns and processes in the Lough soft sediment ecology across all 3 basins on a temporal and spatial scale. An investigation into the oceanographic aspects of the development, behaviour and break-down of the summer thermocline of Lough Hyne was performed in collaboration with researchers from other Irish institutions.

Spatial and temporal scales of neuronal correlation in visual area V4.

The spiking activity of nearby cortical neurons is correlated on both short and long time scales. Understanding this shared variability in firing patterns is critical for appreciating the representation of sensory stimuli in ensembles of neurons, the coincident influences of neurons on common targets, and the functional implications of microcircuitry. Our knowledge about neuronal correlations, however, derives largely from experiments that used different recording methods, analysis techniques, and cortical regions. Here we studied the structure of neuronal correlation in area V4 of alert macaques using recording and analysis procedures designed to match those used previously in primary visual cortex (V1), the major input to V4. We found that the spatial and temporal properties of correlations in V4 were remarkably similar to those of V1, with two notable differences: correlated variability in V4 was approximately one-third the magnitude of that in V1 and synchrony in V4 was less temporally precise than in V1. In both areas, spontaneous activity (measured during fixation while viewing a blank screen) was approximately twice as correlated as visual-evoked activity. The results provide a foundation for understanding how the structure of neuronal correlation differs among brain regions and stages in cortical processing and suggest that it is likely governed by features of neuronal circuits that are shared across the visual cortex.

Summarising spatial and temporal information in CPR data

The Continuous Plankton Recorder survey provides pan-oceanic data on geographic distribution, species composition, seasonal cycles of abundance, and long-term change during the last 70 years. In this paper we compare and contrast some of the historic data-analytic protocols of the survey, focusing primarily on the various means by which spatio-temporal information in CPR data has been exposed. Relative strengths and limitations are assessed, followed by suggestions for future approaches to the visualisation and summarising of CPR data.