Perceptual deformation induced by visual motion

The perceived position of a moving object can be misleading because the object has advanced while its previous retinal image has been transmitted through the visual stream, leading to a mismatch between actual location and its neural representation. It has been suggested that the human visual system compensates for neural processing delays to retrieve instantaneous position. However, such a mechanism would require a precise measure of the actual delay in order to provide a reliable position estimate. A novel illusory deformation of moving contours demonstrates that humans misjudge the spatial relationship between parts of coherently moving targets, and therefore do not perfectly account for neural delays. The size of this deformation increases with growing speed. In some subjects this illusion can be reversed by varying the luminance of individual dots; a manipulation that affects the neural delays. Our experiments agree with other evidence that the capacity of the visual system to compensate for processing delays is limited.     

大理市水环境保护目标管理初探

实行水环境目标管理，应根据不同的水体功能，确定水环境质量目标，做好水环境保护规划，尤其是水质规划；应把总量控制和集中与分散相结合作为重要措施；实行逐级责任制，同时加强统一的监督管理     

论建筑施工噪声管理中的执法对象

建筑施工噪声的执法对象是建设单位还是施工单位是长期未能统一的问题，分析两者在环境噪声污染防治中的责任与义务，阐述两者作为执法对象的利弊及法律依据，提出建设单位作为执法对象通过经济合同方式与施工单位进行环境责任与义务再分配的可行观战点，并建议对现行法律进行修改。     

Visual prey detection by near-infrared cues in a fish

Many animal species are able to perceive light wavelengths beyond those visible to humans. While numerous species are additionally sensitive to short wavelengths (UV), long wavelengths such as the near-infrared spectrum (NIR) are supposed to be unsuitable for visual perception. Here, we experimentally show that under exclusive NIR illumination, the cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus displays a clear foraging response towards NIR reflecting prey. Additional control experiments without prey indicate that the observed behavior is not a mere response to the NIR environment. These results give first evidence for NIR visual sensitivity in a functional context and thus challenge the current view about NIR perception.     

Hormetic protection of Drosophila melanogaster middle-aged male flies from heat stress by mildly stressing them at young age

Previous studies have shown that exposing flies to hypergravity (3g or 5g) for the first 2 weeks of adult life slightly increases longevity of male flies and survival time at 37°C for both sexes, and delays an age-linked behavioral change. The present experiment tested whether the hypergravity could also protect flies from four successive deleterious non-lethal heat shocks at 4 and 5 weeks of age. Males that lived in hypergravity for the first 2 weeks of adult life lived slightly longer (ca. +15% or 1.2 day) after heat shocks (30 min or 45 min at 37°C) than flies that always lived at 1g, but this positive effect of hypergravity was not observed in females. Therefore, hypergravity exposure at young age can help the male flies recovering from a heat shock at older ages.     

Food selection in larval fruit flies: dynamics and effects on larval development

Selecting food items and attaining a nutritionally balanced diet is an important challenge for all animals including humans. We aimed to establish fruit fly larvae (Drosophila melanogaster) as a simple yet powerful model system for examining the mechanisms of specific hunger and diet selection. In two lab experiments with artificial diets, we found that larvae deprived of either sucrose or protein later selectively fed on a diet providing the missing nutrient. When allowed to freely move between two adjacent food patches, larvae surprisingly preferred to settle on one patch containing yeast and ignored the patch providing sucrose. Moreover, when allowed to move freely between three patches, which provided either yeast only, sucrose only or a balanced mixture of yeast and sucrose, the majority of larvae settled on the yeast-plus-sucrose patch and about one third chose to feed on the yeast only food. While protein (yeast) is essential for development, we also quantified larval success on diets with or without sucrose and show that larvae develop faster on diets containing sucrose. Our data suggest that fruit fly larvae can quickly assess major nutrients in food and seek a diet providing a missing nutrient. The larvae, however, probably prefer to quickly dig into a single food substrate for enhanced protection over achieving an optimal diet.     

A neuronal circuitry for relative movement discrimination by the visual system of the fly

We propose the basic structure of a neuronal circuitry possibly underlying the detection of discontinuities in the optical flow by the visual system of the housefly. The main features of the circuitry are: binocular cells summate elementary movement detectors over a large visual field and inhibit each one of them; inhibition is of the shunting type, with an inhibitory equilibrium potential very near the resting potential. A specific model implementing our proposal accounts for all the behavioral data on relative movement discrimination, including the characteristic dynamics of the response.     

In situ detection of melanomas by fluorescence measurements

Special thanks are due to Dr. H. Schmitt for cooperation and to W. Schmehl, H. Wickert, and P. Bernhardt for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported in part by grants from the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, from the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, and from the Hoechst company.     

南京地区相对湿度对气溶胶含量的影响

为了研究南京地区相对湿度对气溶胶的影响,利用位于南京信息工程大学的拉曼-瑞利-米氏激光雷达,分析湿度廓线对消光系数的影响;利用2014年3月~2015年2月国控点环境监测数据对可吸入颗粒物浓度特征进行统计,并与相对湿度进行逐月和四季对比分析,并计算各参数之间的相关系数,以期为南京市的城市布局与规划、大气污染治理等提供更多参考.结果表明,低空气溶胶的消光系数廓线与相对湿度廓线变化趋势高度一致,地面相对湿度与可吸入颗粒物浓度在一定湿度范围（以不发生重力沉降为界限）内,相对湿度越大越有利于颗粒物的形成,超过这个范围,相对湿度越大,颗粒物浓度越低,在南京地区,对于PM₁₀来说,这个界限在40%~49%,对于PM_2.5来说,这个界限在50%~59%.