scholarly journals Overcoming the detectability costs of symmetrical coloration

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1918) ◽  
pp. 20192664
Author(s):  
J. Benito Wainwright ◽  
Nicholas E. Scott-Samuel ◽  
Innes C. Cuthill
Keyword(s):  
High Contrast ◽  
Developmental Constraints ◽  
Wing Area ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Visual Systems ◽  
Lepidopteran Species ◽  
Symmetrical Body ◽  
Axis Of Symmetry ◽  
Body Patterns

For camouflaged prey, enhanced conspicuousness due to bilaterally symmetrical coloration increases predation risk. The ubiquity of symmetrical body patterns in nature is therefore paradoxical, perhaps explicable through tight developmental constraints. Placing patterns that would be salient when symmetrical (e.g. high contrast markings) away from the axis of symmetry is one possible strategy to reduce the predation cost of symmetrical coloration. Artificial camouflaged prey with symmetrical patterns placed at different distances from the axis were used in both visual search tasks with humans and survival experiments with wild avian predators. Targets were less conspicuous when symmetrical patterning was placed outside a ‘critical zone’ near the midline. To assess whether real animals have evolved as predicted from these experiments, the saliency of features at different distances from the midline was measured in the cryptically coloured forewings of 36 lepidopteran species. Salience, both in absolute terms and relative to wing area, was greatest away from the axis of symmetry. Our work, therefore, demonstrates that prey morphologies may have evolved to exploit a loophole in the ability of mammalian and avian visual systems to spot symmetrical patterns.

scholarly journals Effects of early visual experience on the background preference in juvenile cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 740-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Hsin Lee ◽  
Hong Young Yan ◽  
Chuan-Chin Chiao
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Enriched Environment ◽  
Object Size ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Sepia Pharaonis ◽  
Body Patterns ◽  
Enriched Environments

Although cuttlefish are capable of showing diverse camouflage body patterns against a variety of background substrates, whether they show background preference when given a choice of substrates is not well known. In this study, we characterized the background choice of post-embryonic cuttlefish ( Sepia pharaonis ) and examined the effects of rearing visual environments on their background preferences. Different rearing backgrounds (enriched, uniformly grey and checkerboard) were used to raise cuttlefish from eggs or hatchlings, and four sets of two-background-choice experiments (differences in contrast, shape, size and side) were conducted at day 1 and weeks 4, 8 and 12 post-hatch. Cuttlefish reared in the enriched environment preferred high-contrast backgrounds at all post-embryonic stages. In comparison, those reared in the impoverished environments (uniformly grey and checkerboard) had either reversed or delayed high-contrast background preference. In addition, cuttlefish raised on the uniformly grey background, exposed to a checkerboard briefly (0.5 or 3 h) at week 4 and tested at week 8 showed increased high-contrast background preference. Interestingly, cuttlefish in the enriched group preferred an object size similar to their body size at day 1 and week 4, but changed this preference to smaller objects at week 12. These results suggest that high-contrast backgrounds may be more adaptive for juvenile cuttlefish, and visually enriched environments are important for the development of these background preference behaviours.

scholarly journals Outline and surface disruption in animal camouflage

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1657) ◽  
pp. 781-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Stevens ◽  
Isabel S Winney ◽  
Abi Cantor ◽  
Julia Graham
Keyword(s):  
Body Shape ◽  
Luminance Contrast ◽  
The Body ◽  
Maximum Effect ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
High Luminance ◽  
Effective Surface ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Disruptive Coloration ◽  
Visual Mechanism

Camouflage is an important strategy in animals to prevent predation. This includes disruptive coloration, where high-contrast markings placed at an animal's edge break up the true body shape. Successful disruption may also involve non-marginal markings found away from the body outline that create ‘false edges’ more salient than the true body form (‘surface disruption’). However, previous work has focused on breaking up the true body outline, not on surface disruption. Furthermore, while high contrast may enhance disruption, it is untested where on the body different contrasts should be placed for maximum effect. We used artificial prey presented to wild avian predators in the field, to determine the effectiveness of surface disruption, and of different luminance contrast placed in different prey locations. Disruptive coloration was no more effective when comprising high luminance contrast per se , but its effectiveness was dramatically increased with high-contrast markings placed away from the body outline, creating effective surface disruption. A model of avian visual edge processing showed that surface disruption does not make object detection more difficult simply by creating false edges away from the true body outline, but its effect may also be based on a different visual mechanism. Our study has implications for whether animals can combine disruptive coloration with other ‘conspicuous’ signalling strategies.

scholarly journals Shape-centered representations of bounded regions of space mediate the transformation of retinotopic representations into conscious perception of objects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Vannuscorps ◽  
A. Galaburda ◽  
A. Caramazza
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Representations ◽  
Object Perception ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Conscious Perception ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Bounded Region ◽  
Shape Representations ◽  
Low Contrast ◽  
Axis Of Symmetry

AbstractThe primary visual cortex represents the retinotopic orientation of visual primitives (edges, blobs, bars), but our conscious perception is of orientated objects (e.g., dogs, forks) in the environment. How this transformation operates remains unknown. We report here the study of a young woman presenting with an extraordinarily clear and informative visual disorder that affects highly specific aspects of object perception allowing precise inferences about the type and properties of visual representations that mediate this transformation. Davida perceives sharp-edged 2D bounded regions of space of medium to high contrast as if they were plane-rotated by 90, 180 or 270 degrees around their center, mirrored across their own axes, or both. In contrast, her perception of strongly blurred or very low contrast shapes, and of compound shapes emerging from a collection of bounded elements, is intact. The nature of her errors implies that visual perception is mediated by a representation of each bounded region of space in a shape-centered coordinate system aligned on either the shape’s most elongated part or on the shape’s axis of symmetry and centered either at the midpoint of the shape’s most elongated part or at the shape’s centroid. The selectivity of her disorder to sharp-edged medium to high-contrast stimuli additionally suggests that duplicate shape-centered representations are computed in parallel from information derived from the parvocellular and magnocellular subcortical channels and integrated precisely at the level at which shape representations must be mapped onto a behaviorally relevant frame of reference.

scholarly journals Changeable camouflage: how well can flounder resemble the colour and spatial scale of substrates in their natural habitats?

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 160824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derya Akkaynak ◽  
Liese A. Siemann ◽  
Alexandra Barbosa ◽  
Lydia M. Mäthger
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Digital Camera ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Visual Systems ◽  
Body Patterns ◽  
Colour Gamut ◽  
Spectral Match

Flounder change colour and pattern for camouflage. We used a spectrometer to measure reflectance spectra and a digital camera to capture body patterns of two flounder species camouflaged on four natural backgrounds of different spatial scale (sand, small gravel, large gravel and rocks). We quantified the degree of spectral match between flounder and background relative to the situation of perfect camouflage in which flounder and background were assumed to have identical spectral distribution. Computations were carried out for three biologically relevant observers: monochromatic squid, dichromatic crab and trichromatic guitarfish. Our computations present a new approach to analysing datasets with multiple spectra that have large variance. Furthermore, to investigate the spatial match between flounder and background, images of flounder patterns were analysed using a custom program originally developed to study cuttlefish camouflage. Our results show that all flounder and background spectra fall within the same colour gamut and that, in terms of different observer visual systems, flounder matched most substrates in luminance and colour contrast. Flounder matched the spatial scales of all substrates except for rocks. We discuss findings in terms of flounder biology; furthermore, we discuss our methodology in light of hyperspectral technologies that combine high-resolution spectral and spatial imaging.

Resistance Monitor and Control for Vacuum Evaporation of Metals and Carbon

1976 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 572-573
Author(s):  
Russell L. Steere ◽  
Eric F. Erbe ◽  
J. Michael Moseley
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Device ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Variable Resistor ◽  
Quality Of Results ◽  
Low Contrast ◽  
Evaporation Source ◽  
And Control ◽  
At Will

We have designed and built an electronic device which compares the resistance of a defined area of vacuum evaporated material with a variable resistor. When the two resistances are matched, the device automatically disconnects the primary side of the substrate transformer and stops further evaporation.This approach to controlled evaporation in conjunction with the modified guns and evaporation source permits reliably reproducible multiple Pt shadow films from a single Pt wrapped carbon point source. The reproducibility from consecutive C point sources is also reliable. Furthermore, the device we have developed permits us to select a predetermined resistance so that low contrast high-resolution shadows, heavy high contrast shadows, or any grade in between can be selected at will. The reproducibility and quality of results are demonstrated in Figures 1-4 which represent evaporations at various settings of the variable resistor.

Confocal laser microscopy of impregnated central nervous system tissue

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 94-95
Author(s):  
J.N. Turner ◽  
M. Siemens ◽  
D. Szarowski ◽  
D.N. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Central Nervous System Tissue ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Reflected Light

A classic preparation of central nervous system tissue (CNS) is the Golgi procedure popularized by Cajal. The method is partially specific as only a few cells are impregnated with silver chromate usualy after osmium post fixation. Samples are observable by light (LM) or electron microscopy (EM). However, the impregnation is often so dense that structures are masked in EM, and the osmium background may be undesirable in LM. Gold toning is used for a subtle but high contrast EM preparation, and osmium can be omitted for LM. We are investigating these preparations as part of a study to develop correlative LM and EM (particularly HVEM) methodologies in neurobiology. Confocal light microscopy is particularly useful as the impregnated cells have extensive three-dimensional structure in tissue samples from one to several hundred micrometers thick. Boyde has observed similar preparations in the tandem scanning reflected light microscope (TSRLM).

The CM120 Biotwin: a high-contrast objective lens, optimum cryo-vacuum and improved EDX performance

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 584-585
Author(s):  
Uwe Lücken ◽  
Michael Felsmann ◽  
Wim M. Busing ◽  
Frank de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Life Science ◽  
Focal Length ◽  
Objective Lens ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Forming Mechanism ◽  
Similar Image ◽  
High Contrast Imaging ◽  
Low Concentrations

A new microscope for the study of life science specimen has been developed. Special attention has been given to the problems of unstained samples, cryo-specimens and x-ray analysis at low concentrations.A new objective lens with a Cs of 6.2 mm and a focal length of 5.9 mm for high-contrast imaging has been developed. The contrast of a TWIN lens (f = 2.8 mm, Cs = 2 mm) and the BioTWTN are compared at the level of mean and SD of slow scan CCD images. Figure 1a shows 500 +/- 150 and Fig. 1b only 500 +/- 40 counts/pixel. The contrast-forming mechanism for amplitude contrast is dependent on the wavelength, the objective aperture and the focal length. For similar image conditions (same voltage, same objective aperture) the BioTWIN shows more than double the contrast of the TWIN lens. For phasecontrast specimens (like thin frozen-hydrated films) the contrast at Scherzer focus is approximately proportional to the √ Cs.

Performance and applications of the holography electron microscope

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 1078-1079
Author(s):  
Akira Tonomura
Keyword(s):  
Electron Beam ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Phase Measurement ◽  
Electron Holography ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Magnetic Lens ◽  
High Brightness ◽  
Holographic Imaging ◽  
Dynamic Observation

Electron holography is a two-step imaging method. However, the ultimate performance of holographic imaging is mainly determined by the brightness of the electron beam used in the hologram-formation process. In our 350kV holography electron microscope (see Fig. 1), the decrease in the inherently high brightness of field-emitted electrons is minimized by superposing a magnetic lens in the gun, for a resulting value of 2 × 109 A/cm2 sr. This high brightness has lead to the following distinguished features. The minimum spacing (d) of carrier fringes is d = 0.09 Å, thus allowing a reconstructed image with a resolution, at least in principle, as high as 3d=0.3 Å. The precision in phase measurement can be as high as 2π/100, since the position of fringes can be known precisely from a high-contrast hologram formed under highly collimated illumination. Dynamic observation becomes possible because the current density is high.

Compositional Analysis of III-V Interface Lattice Images

1980 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 318-319
Author(s):  
A. Olsen ◽  
J.C.H. Spence ◽  
P. Petroff
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Image Matching ◽  
Compositional Analysis ◽  
Depth Of Field ◽  
Limit Set ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Resolution Limit ◽  
Fourier Image ◽  
Lattice Images ◽  
True Structure

Since the point resolution of the JEOL 200CX electron microscope is up = 2.6Å it is not possible to obtain a true structure image of any of the III-V or elemental semiconductors with this machine. Since the information resolution limit set by electronic instability (1) u0 = (2/πλΔ)½ = 1.4Å for Δ = 50Å, it is however possible to obtain, by choice of focus and thickness, clear lattice images both resembling (see figure 2(b)), and not resembling, the true crystal structure (see (2) for an example of a Fourier image which is structurally incorrect). The crucial difficulty in using the information between Up and u0 is the fractional accuracy with which Af and Cs must be determined, and these accuracies Δff/4Δf = (2λu2Δf)-1 and ΔCS/CS = (λ3u4Cs)-1 (for a π/4 phase change, Δff the Fourier image period) are strongly dependent on spatial frequency u. Note that ΔCs(up)/Cs ≈ 10%, independent of CS and λ. Note also that the number n of identical high contrast spurious Fourier images within the depth of field Δz = (αu)-1 (α beam divergence) decreases with increasing high voltage, since n = 2Δz/Δff = θ/α = λu/α (θ the scattering angle). Thus image matching becomes easier in semiconductors at higher voltage because there are fewer high contrast identical images in any focal series.

Do Children With Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Have Difficulties With Interference Control, Visuospatial Working Memory, and Selective Attention? Developmental Patterns and the Role of Severity and Persistence of DLD

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 3036-3050
Author(s):  
Elma Blom ◽  
Tessel Boerma
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Developmental Patterns ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have weaknesses in executive functioning (EF), specifically in tasks testing interference control and working memory. It is unknown how EF develops in children with DLD, if EF abilities are related to DLD severity and persistence, and if EF weaknesses expand to selective attention. This study aimed to address these gaps. Method Data from 78 children with DLD and 39 typically developing (TD) children were collected at three times with 1-year intervals. At Time 1, the children were 5 or 6 years old. Flanker, Dot Matrix, and Sky Search tasks tested interference control, visuospatial working memory, and selective attention, respectively. DLD severity was based on children's language ability. DLD persistence was based on stability of the DLD diagnosis. Results Performance on all tasks improved in both groups. TD children outperformed children with DLD on interference control. No differences were found for visuospatial working memory and selective attention. An interference control gap between the DLD and TD groups emerged between Time 1 and Time 2. Severity and persistence of DLD were related to interference control and working memory; the impact on working memory was stronger. Selective attention was unrelated to DLD severity and persistence. Conclusions Age and DLD severity and persistence determine whether or not children with DLD show EF weaknesses. Interference control is most clearly impaired in children with DLD who are 6 years and older. Visuospatial working memory is impaired in children with severe and persistent DLD. Selective attention is spared.

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