Mesopic and glare driving performance in a driving simulator.

Objective: Difficulties in night driving due to deficits in visual function are a common problem among older drivers. Signage, hazards, and road markings can be more difficult to identify for those with presbyopia, especially in nighttime conditions that include glare from headlights. This study evaluated the visual function and driving abilities of participants in various lighting conditions to find efficient and effective testing procedures for predicting how older individuals will perform in night driving conditions.

qPRF: A system to accelerate population receptive field modeling.

BOLD response can be fitted using the population receptive field (PRF) model to reveal how visual input is represented on the cortex (Dumoulin and Wandell, 2008). Fitting the PRF model costs considerable time, often requiring days to analyze BOLD signals for a small cohort of subjects. We introduce the qPRF ("quick PRF"), a system for accelerated PRF modeling that reduced the computation time by a factor >1,000 without losing goodness-of-fit when compared to another widely available PRF modeling package (Kay et al.

Using Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling to Enhance Statistical Inference on Contrast Sensitivity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to introduce a nonparametric hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM) that enables advanced statistical inference on contrast sensitivity (CS) both at individual spatial frequencies (SFs) and across multiple SFs in clinical trials, where CS measurements are crucial for assessing safety and efficacy.

Methods: The HBM computes the joint posterior distribution of CS at six Food and Drug Administration-designated SFs across the population, individual, and test levels. It incorporates covariances at both population and individual levels to capture the relationship between CSs across SFs.

Multifunctional System with Camptothecin and [12]aneN Units for Effective Anti Pancreatic Cancer through Synergistic Chemotherapy, Gene Therapy, and Photodynamic Therapy.

Maximizing drug cargo carrying capacity in blood circulation, controlling the fate of nanoparticles, and precisely drug release to tumor targets are the main aims of multifunctional nanomedicine-based antitumor therapy. Here we combined macrocyclic polyamine di(triazole-[12]aneN) () and chemical drug camptothecin (CPT, ) through photosensitizer 1,1-dicyano-2-phenyl-2-(4-diphenylamino) phenyl-ethylene () containing the cleavable disulfide () linkage as an all-in-one theranostic nanoprodrug, . The corresponding compound with carbon chain () linkage, , was also prepared for a comparison study.

How the window of visibility varies around polar angle.

Contrast sensitivity, the amount of contrast required to discriminate an object, depends on spatial frequency (SF). The contrast sensitivity function (CSF) peaks at intermediate SFs and drops at other SFs. The CSF varies from foveal to peripheral vision, but only a couple of studies have assessed how the CSF changes with polar angle of the visual field.

ENHANCING 3T RETINOTOPIC MAPS USING DIFFEOMORPHIC REGISTRATION.

Retinotopic mapping aims to uncover the relationship between visual stimuli on the retina and neural responses on the visual cortical surface. This study advances retinotopic mapping by applying diffeomorphic registration to the 3T NYU retinotopy dataset, encompassing analyze-PRF and mrVista data. Diffeomorphic Registration for Retinotopic Maps (DRRM) quantifies the diffeomorphic condition, ensuring accurate alignment of retinotopic maps without topological violations.

Predicting contrast sensitivity functions with digital twins.

We developed and validated digital twins (DTs) for contrast sensitivity function (CSF) across 12 prediction tasks using a data-driven, generative model approach based on a hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM). For each prediction task, we utilized the HBM to compute the joint distribution of CSF hyperparameters and parameters at the population, subject, and test levels. This computation was based on a combination of historical data (N = 56), any new data from additional subjects (N = 56), and "missing data" from unmeasured conditions.

A Novel Artificial Intelligence-Based Classification of Highly Myopic Eyes Based on Visual Function and Fundus Features.

Purpose: To develop a novel classification of highly myopic eyes using artificial intelligence (AI) and investigate its relationship with contrast sensitivity function (CSF) and fundus features.

Methods: We enrolled 616 highly myopic eyes of 616 patients. CSF was measured using the quantitative CSF method.

Presaccadic Attention Enhances and Reshapes the Contrast Sensitivity Function Differentially around the Visual Field.

Contrast sensitivity (CS), which constrains human vision, decreases from fovea to periphery, from the horizontal to the vertical meridian, and from the lower vertical to the upper vertical meridian. It also depends on spatial frequency (SF), and the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) depicts this relation. To compensate for these visual constraints, we constantly make saccades and foveate on relevant objects in the scene.

qPRF: A system to accelerate population receptive field decoding.

Patterns of BOLD response can be decoded using the population receptive field (PRF) model to reveal how visual input is represented on the cortex (Dumoulin and Wandell, 2008). The time cost of evaluating the PRF model is high, often requiring days to decode BOLD signals for a small cohort of subjects. We introduce the qPRF, an efficient method for decoding that reduced the computation time by a factor of 1436 when compared to another widely available PRF decoder (Kay, Winawer, Mezer and Wandell, 2013) on a benchmark of data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP; Van Essen, Smith, Barch, Behrens, Yacoub and Ugurbil, 2013).

Hierarchical Bayesian Augmented Hebbian Reweighting Model of Perceptual Learning.

The Augmented Hebbian Reweighting Model (AHRM) has been effectively utilized to model the collective performance of observers in various perceptual learning studies. In this work, we have introduced a novel hierarchical Bayesian Augmented Hebbian Reweighting Model (HB-AHRM) to simultaneously model the learning curves of individual participants and the entire population within a single framework. We have compared its performance to that of a Bayesian Inference Procedure (BIP), which independently estimates the posterior distributions of model parameters for each individual subject without employing a hierarchical structure.

How the window of visibility varies around polar angle.

Contrast sensitivity, the amount of contrast required to detect or discriminate an object, depends on spatial frequency (SF): The Contrast Sensitivity Function (CSF) peaks at intermediate SFs and drops at lower and higher SFs and is the basis of computational models of visual object recognition. The CSF varies from foveal to peripheral vision, but only a couple studies have assessed changes around polar angle of the visual field. Sensitivity is generally better along the horizontal than the vertical meridian, and better at the lower vertical than the upper vertical meridian, yielding polar angle asymmetries.

Visual Function and Driving Performance Under Different Lighting Conditions in Older Drivers: Preliminary Results From an Observational Study.

Background: Age-related vision changes significantly contribute to fatal crashes at night among older drivers. However, the effects of lighting conditions on age-related vision changes and associated driving performance remain unclear.

Objective: This pilot study examined the associations between visual function and driving performance assessed by a high-fidelity driving simulator among drivers 60 and older across 3 lighting conditions: daytime (photopic), nighttime (mesopic), and nighttime with glare.

Transfer of visual perceptual learning over a task-irrelevant feature through feature-invariant representations: Behavioral experiments and model simulations.

A large body of literature has examined specificity and transfer of perceptual learning, suggesting a complex picture. Here, we distinguish between transfer over variations in a "task-relevant" feature (e.g.

A mitochondria-specific NIR fluorescence probe for dual-detection of sulfur dioxide and viscosity in living cells and mice.

The level of sulfur dioxide (SO) and viscosity in mitochondria play vital roles in various physiological and pathological processes. Abnormalities in mitochondrial SO and viscosity are closely associated with numerous biological diseases. It is of great significance to develop novel fluorescence probes for simultaneous detection of SO and viscosity within mitochondria.

Enabling identification of component processes in perceptual learning with nonparametric hierarchical Bayesian modeling.

Perceptual learning is a multifaceted process, encompassing general learning, between-session forgetting or consolidation, and within-session fast relearning and deterioration. The learning curve constructed from threshold estimates in blocks or sessions, based on tens or hundreds of trials, may obscure component processes; high temporal resolution is necessary. We developed two nonparametric inference procedures: a Bayesian inference procedure (BIP) to estimate the posterior distribution of contrast threshold in each learning block for each learner independently and a hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM) that computes the joint posterior distribution of contrast threshold across all learning blocks at the population, subject, and test levels via the covariance of contrast thresholds across blocks.

Novel Quantitative Contrast Sensitivity Function Enhances the Prediction of Treatment Outcome and Recurrence in Amblyopia.

Purpose: Although effective amblyopia treatments are available, treatment outcome is unpredictable, and the condition recurs in up to 25% of the patients. We aimed to evaluate whether a large-scale quantitative contrast sensitivity function (CSF) data source, coupled with machine learning (ML) algorithms, can predict amblyopia treatment response and recurrence in individuals.

Methods: Visual function measures from traditional chart vision acuity (VA) and novel CSF assessments were used as the main predictive variables in the models.

Codelivery of CPT and siPHB1 with GSH/ROS Dual-Responsive Hybrid Nanoparticles Based on a [12]aneN-Derived Lipid for Synergistic Lung Cancer Therapy.

The combination of small-interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing and chemotherapeutic agents for lung cancer treatment has attracted widespread attention in terms of a greater therapeutic effect, minimization of systemic toxicity, and inhibition of multiple drug resistance (MDR). In this work, three amphiphiles, -, were first designed and synthesized as a camptothecin (CPT) conjugate and gene condensation agents by the combination of CPT prodrugs and di(triazole-[12]aneN) through the ROS-responsive phenylborate ester and different lengths of alkyl chains (with 6, 9, 12 carbon chains for -, respectively). - were able to be self-assembled into liposomes with an average diameter in the range of 320-240 nm, showing the ability to effectively condense siRNA.

Binocular Summation With Quantitative Contrast Sensitivity Function: A Novel Parameter to Evaluate Binocular Function in Intermittent Exotropia.

Purpose: Intermittent exotropia (IXT) is the most common form of strabismus. Surgery can potentially improve binocular function in patients with IXT. We aimed to evaluate binocular function using a novel parameter-binocular summation ratio (BSR), measured using quantitative contrast sensitivity function (CSF) in patients with IXT before and after surgery.

Adaptive smoothing of retinotopic maps based on Teichmüller parametrization.

Retinotopic mapping, the mapping between visual inputs on the retina and neural responses on the cortical surface, is one of the fundamental topics in visual neuroscience. In human studies, retinotopic maps are conventionally constructed and processed by decoding blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses to designed visual stimuli on the cortical surface. However, these methods frequently generate retinotopic maps that do not preserve topology, contradicting a fundamental property of retinotopic maps observed in neurophysiology.