Spatial Information Processing Research Articles

Vision shapes tactile spatial perspective taking.

Information from the environment can be perceived according to ego-centered or decentered spatial perspectives. Different spatial perspectives can be adopted when perceiving not only visual but also auditory or tactile information. Because vision may be dominant in setting up spatial information processing, visual loss might affect perspective taking in other sensory modalities. The present study investigated the influence of vision on the perspective that is adopted naturally and the influence of visual experience on the ability to switch between perspectives in the tactile domain. Participants with varying degrees of visual experience (early blind, late blind, blindfolded-sighted, and sighted) completed a tactile recognition task of ambiguous letter stimuli ("b," "d," "p," and "q") presented on the body, for which 3 perspectives can be adopted (trunk centered, head centered, and decentered). The participants were first free to adopt any perspective they wanted before either the same or a different perspective was imposed. The results showed that both a temporary and a permanent lack of vision promote spontaneous adoption of ego-centered spatial coordinates, anchored to the head. Moreover, more decentered coordinates were adopted by the blindfolded-sighted compared with the early and late blind, suggesting that blindness reduces the adoption of decentered perspectives. Finally, the early blind exhibited a greater cost of switching perspectives compared with the sighted, suggesting that early visual experience is important for flexible perspective taking. Overall, our study reveals that vision shapes both the naturally adopted perspective and the flexibility to change perspective. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Perirhinal and Postrhinal Damage Have Different Consequences on Attention as Assessed in the Five-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task.

The perirhinal (PER) and postrhinal (POR) cortices, structures in the medial temporal lobe, are implicated in learning and memory. The PER is understood to process object information and the POR to process spatial or contextual information. Whether the medial temporal lobe is dedicated to memory, however, is under debate. In this study, we addressed the hypothesis that the PER and POR are also involved in non-mnemonic cognitive functions. Rats with PER or POR damage and SHAM surgical controls were shaped, trained, and tested on the five-choice serial reaction time (5CSRT) task, which assesses attention and executive function. Rats with PER damage were impaired in acquiring the task and at asymptote, although processing information about objects was not relevant to the task. When confronted with attentional challenges, rats with PER damage showed a pattern consistent with decreased attentional capacity, increased response errors, and increased impulsive behavior. Rats with POR damage showed intact acquisition and normal asymptotic performance. They also exhibited faster latencies in the absence of speed accuracy trade-off suggesting enhanced response readiness. We suggest this increased response readiness results from decreased automatic monitoring of the local environment, which might normally compete with response readiness. Our findings are consistent with a role for PER in controlled attention and a role for POR in stimulus-driven attention providing evidence that the PER and POR cortices have functions that go beyond memory for objects and memory for scenes and contexts, respectively. These findings provide new evidence for functional specialization in the medial temporal lobe.

A Positively Selected MAGEE2 LoF Allele Is Associated with Sexual Dimorphism in Human Brain Size and Shows Similar Phenotypes in Magee2 Null Mice.

A nonsense allele at rs1343879 in human MAGEE2 on chromosome X has previously been reported as a strong candidate for positive selection in East Asia. This premature stop codon causing ∼80% protein truncation is characterized by a striking geographical pattern of high population differentiation: common in Asia and the Americas (up to 84% in the 1000 Genomes Project East Asians) but rare elsewhere. Here, we generated a Magee2 mouse knockout mimicking the human loss-of-function mutation to study its functional consequences. The Magee2 null mice did not exhibit gross abnormalities apart from enlarged brain structures (13% increased total brain area, P = 0.0022) in hemizygous males. The area of the granular retrosplenial cortex responsible for memory, navigation, and spatial information processing was the most severely affected, exhibiting an enlargement of 34% (P = 3.4×10−6). The brain size in homozygous females showed the opposite trend of reduced brain size, although this did not reach statistical significance. With these insights, we performed human association analyses between brain size measurements and rs1343879 genotypes in 141 Chinese volunteers with brain MRI scans, replicating the sexual dimorphism seen in the knockout mouse model. The derived stop gain allele was significantly associated with a larger volume of gray matter in males (P = 0.00094), and smaller volumes of gray (P = 0.00021) and white (P = 0.0015) matter in females. It is unclear whether or not the observed neuroanatomical phenotypes affect behavior or cognition, but it might have been the driving force underlying the positive selection in humans.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Urban groundwater quality monitoring and state-owned assets management optimization based on spatial information processing

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Urban groundwater quality monitoring and state-owned assets management optimization based on spatial information processing

Effects of Chronic Alcohol Use Disorder on the Visual Tilt Illusion.

Rationale: Among the serious consequences of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the reduced ability to process visual information. It is also generally agreed that AUD tends to occur with disturbed excitation–inhibition (EI) balance in the central nervous system. Thus, a specific visual behavioral probe could directly qualify the EI dysfunction in patients with AUD. The tilt illusion (TI) is a paradigmatic example of contextual influences on perception of central target. The phenomenon shows a characteristic dependence on the angle between the inducing surround stimulus and the central target test. For small angles, there is a repulsion effect; for larger angles, there is a smaller attraction effect. The center-surround inhibition in tilt repulsion is considered to come from spatial orientational interactions between orientation-tuned neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1), and tilt attraction is from higher-level effects of orientation processing in the visual information processing.Objectives: The present study focuses on visual spatial information processing and explores whether chronic AUD patients in abstinence period exhibited abnormal TI compared with healthy controls.Methods: The participants are 30 male volunteers (20–46 years old) divided into two groups: the study group consists of 15 clinically diagnosed AUD patients undergoing abstinence from alcohol, and the control group consists of 15 healthy volunteers. The TI consists of a center target surround with an annulus (both target and annulus are sinusoidal grating with spatial frequency = 2 cycles per degree). The visual angle between center and surround is a variable restricted to 0°, ±15°, ±30°, or ±75°. For measuring the TI, participants have to report whether the center target grating orientation tilted clockwise or counterclockwise from the internal vertical orientation by pressing corresponding keys on the computer keyboard. No feedback is provided regarding response correctness.Results: The results reveal significantly weaker tilt repulsion effect under surround orientation ±15° (p < 0.05) and higher lapse rate (attention limitation index) under all tested surround orientations (all ps < 0.05) in patients with chronic AUD compared with health controls.Conclusions: These results provide psychophysical evidence that visual perception of center-contextual stimuli is different between AUD and healthy control groups.

VECTORIZATION OF MAPS OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF LOGISTICS WITH HELP OF GEOINFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

The article is devoted to the traditional sphere of application of Geoinformation systems – logistics and use of Geoinformation technologies in the process of preparation of future logisticians on the basis of the offered technique of carrying out laboratory employment with use of vectorization of a rural settlement map. It is claimed that Geoinformation technologies allow to present statistical information on maps and provide tools for processing spatial statistical information with taking into account its qualitative and quantitative properties.&#x0D; The reasons of efficiency of the mechanism of the decision of a logistic problem are defined, some widespread ways of optimization of logistic activity on the basis of the geographical approach are considered and the directions of its optimization are established. The main professionally necessary tasks that represent a valuable part of cartographic literacy of future professionals in the field of logistics are highlighted. Due to the priority of development and detailing the maps of urban settlements, there is a decrease in attention to rural and remoted areas, which, to some extent, creates some inconvenience in designing transport routes to the necessary points of location. The sequence of laboratory work on vectorization of the selected part of the map of the rural settlement is offered. Comparing it with the modes "Satellite" and "Map" and adhering to the selected fixed scale, additional graphic prompts are applied. This work is performed in the training of specialists in the specialty 015.38 Professional Education (Transport) at Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical

A GIS-based method for central kitchen location selection problem

Central Kitchen is a new trend in the food and beverage industry. COVID-19 pandemic causes a disruptive economy globally. The central kitchen business is being considered to be developed because of the restriction living regulation in Indonesia and the function of this central kitchen can help the micro-business actors to develop their businesses with a lower operational cost because all of the transactions are carried out via delivery. This study aims to visualize the potential areas to develop central kitchen businesses in Jabodetabek. A GIS-based approach is implemented to carry out the geoprocessing process of spatial information to performs the spatial analysis.Overlay analysis is conducted using Kernel Density Estimation map, to identify potential areas. This study identified several potential areasin several cities to develop central kitchen businesses, namelyCentral Jakarta, West Jakarta, South Jakarta, Tangerang City, Bekasi, and Bogor.

Experience in analysing the landscape morphological structure based on innovative methodological approaches

The current tendencies in studying landscape geosystems direct to increase information support of processes using innovative spatial information processing methods. The paper represents the developed complex analysis of theoretical, cartographical, and geo-informative studies, including automated decoding techniques of remote sensing data. Problems of approval of methodology and interpretation of results are considered. They were received with multi-channel segmenting of pixel images from satellite vehicles for a long-term period (1989-2018). Spectral channels of visible, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared diapasons were used. Parameters were identified to select territorial units on the geosystem level – the landscape province. Steppe and forest-steppe areas of the Orenburg region were chosen to conduct the study. The results were compared with existing landscape zoning. Anthropogenic factors defining the dynamics of the morphological structure of landscape geosystem were identified: subsurface and land use, abandonment of agricultural landscapes, self-restoration of inter-component and inside-landscape interconnections on steppe strips, urbanization processes. The developed algorithm promotes a maximal possible objectiveness of the conducted study at the expense of using automated mathematic methods and realization of repeated verifications of the results. The universality of the methodology promotes extrapolating its principles in areas of various natural zones.

Adult-born neurons promote cognitive flexibility by improving memory precision and indexing.

Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) is an extraordinary form of plasticity fundamental for cognitive flexibility. Recent evidence showed that newborn neurons differentially modulate input to the infra- and supra-pyramidal blades of the DG during the processing of spatial and contextual information, respectively. However, how this differential regulation by neurogenesis is translated into different aspects contributing cognitive flexibility is unclear. Here, we increased adult-born neurons by a genetic expansion of neural stem cells and studied their influence during navigational learning. We found that increased neurogenesis improved both memory precision and flexibility. Interestingly, each of these gains was associated with distinct subregional patterns of activity and better separation of memory representations in the DG-CA3 network. Our results highlight the role of adult-born neurons in promoting memory precision and indexing and suggests their anatomical allocation within specific DG-CA3 compartments, together contributing to cognitive flexibility.

Structural Connectivity Remote From Lesions Correlates With Somatosensory Outcome Poststroke.

Changes in connectivity of white matter fibers remote to a stroke lesion, suggestive of structural connectional diaschisis, may impact on clinical impairment and recovery after stroke. However, until recently, we have not had tract-specific techniques to map changes in white matter tracts in vivo in humans to enable investigation of potential mechanisms and clinical impact of such remote changes. Our aim was to identify and quantify white matter tracts that are affected remote from a stroke lesion and to investigate the associations between reductions in tract-specific connectivity and impaired touch discrimination function after stroke. We applied fixel-based analysis to diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data from 37 patients with stroke (right lesion =16; left lesion =21) and 26 age-matched healthy adults. Three quantitative metrics were compared between groups: fiber density; fiber-bundle cross-section; and a combined measure of both (fiber-bundle cross-section) that reflects axonal structural connectivity. Compared with healthy adults, patients with stroke showed significant common fiber-bundle cross-section and fiber density reductions in 4 regions remote from focal lesions that play roles in somatosensory and spatial information processing. Structural connectivity along the somatosensory fibers of the lesioned hemisphere was correlated with contralesional hand touch function. Touch function of the ipsilesional hand was associated with connectivity of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, and, for the right-lesion group, the corpus callosum. Remote tract-specific reductions in axonal connectivity indicated by diffusion imaging measures are observed in the somatosensory network after stroke. These remote white matter connectivity reductions, indicative of structural connectional diaschisis, are associated with touch impairment in patients with stroke.

Parcellation of the Hippocampus According to Its Connection Probability with Prefrontal Cortex Subdivisions in a Malaysian Malay Population: Preliminary Findings.

BackgroundLesion studies have shown distinct roles for the hippocampus, with the dorsal subregion being involved in processing of spatial information and memory, and the ventral aspect coding for emotion and motivational behaviour. However, its structural connectivity with the subdivisions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the executive area of the brain that also has various distinct functions, has not been fully explored, especially in the Malaysian population.MethodsWe performed diffusion magnetic resonance imaging with probabilistic tractography on four Malay males to parcellate the hippocampus according to its relative connection probability to the six subdivisions of the PFC.ResultsOur findings revealed that each hippocampus showed putative connectivity to all the subdivisions of PFC, with the highest connectivity to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Parcellation of the hippocampus according to its connection probability to the six PFC subdivisions showed variability in the pattern of the connection distribution and no clear distinction between the hippocampal subregions.ConclusionHippocampus displayed highest connectivity to the OFC as compared to other PFC subdivisions. We did not find a unifying pattern of distribution based on the connectivity-based parcellation of the hippocampus.

Antagonistic surround responses in different cones are mediated by feedback synapses from different horizontal cells

Cone photoreceptors are the first neurons along the visual pathway that exhibit center-surround antagonistic receptive fields, the basic building blocks for spatial information processing in the visual system. The surround responses in cones are mediated by the horizontal cells (HCs) via multiple feedback synaptic mechanisms. It has been controversial on which mechanisms are responsible for the surround-elicited depolarizing responses in cones (ΔVCone(s)), and whether the surround responses of various types of cones are mediated by the same HC feedback mechanisms. In this report, we studied ΔVCone(s)) of four types of cones in the salamander retina, and found that they are mediated by feedback synapses from A-type, B-type or A- and B-type HCs. ΔVCone(s) are observable in the presence of concomitant center light spots, and surround + center light stimuli of various intensity, size and wavelength differentially activate the feedback synapses from A- and B-type HCs to cones. We found that ΔVCone(s) of the L-cones are mediated by both A- and B-type HCs, those of the P- and S-cones by B-type HCs, and those of the A-cones by the A-type HCs. Moreover, our results suggest that B-type HCs mediate ΔVCone(s) through both GABAergic and GluT-ClC feedback synaptic mechanisms, and A-type HCs mediate ΔVCone(s) via the GluT-ClC feedback mechanism. Feedback synaptic mechanisms that increase calcium influx in cone synaptic terminals play important roles in mediating the antagonistic surround responses in the postsynaptic bipolar cells, but they may not generate enough current to depolarize the cones and significantly contribute to ΔVCone(s).

The lateralization and reliability of spatial mismatch negativity elicited by auditory deviants with virtual spatial location

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an intensively studied event-related potential component that reflects pre-attentive auditory processing. Existing spatial MMN (sMMN) studies usually use loud-speakers in different locations or deliver sound with binaural localization cues through earphones to elicit MMN, which either was practically complicated or sounded unnatural to the subjects. In the present study, we generated head related transfer function (HRTF)-based spatial sounds and verified that the HRTF-based sounds retained the left and the right spatial localization cues. We further used them as deviants to elicit sMMN with conventional oddball paradigm. Results showed that sMMN was successfully elicited by the HRTF-based deviants in 18 of 21 healthy subjects in two separate sessions. Furthermore, the left deviants elicited higher sMMN amplitudes in the right hemisphere compared to the left hemisphere, while the right deviants elicited sMMN with similar amplitudes in both hemispheres, which supports a combination of contralateral and right-hemispheric dominance in spatial auditory information processing. In addition, the sMMN in response to the right deviants showed good test-retest reliability, while the sMMN in response to the left deviants had weak test-retest reliability. These findings implicate that HRTF-based sMMN could be a robust paradigm to investigate spatial localization and discrimination abilities.

PCNet: partial convolution attention mechanism for image inpainting

Image inpainting is an essential issue in the field of computer vision. The basic purpose is to automatically recover the lost content according to the known content in the image. Although significant progress has been made in the completion of the regular missing image, the completion of the irregular image is still challenging. The completed images generated by the previous methods were different from the surrounding areas, considering the low efficiency of convolution in processing spatial position information. Based on this study, a partial convolution attention mechanism for image inpainting was proposed (PCNet), and an attention mechanism was introduced to extract long-distance and irregular image content which is a self-supervised module capable of focusing on global information. In addition, attentive normalization is introduced to model the long-distance relationship on the conditional image generation task. Experiments show that the results generated by our method are more natural and real, and the completed parts demonstrate more connected consistency.

Integrated Processing of Spatial Information based on Multidimensional Data Models for General Planning Tasks

The article presents the development of method of integrated spatial information processing based on multidimensional data models. Joint description of spatial data of different levels of detail (LOD) using a multidimensional model and attribute data using a relational model is difficult and requires the development of modified structures of multidimensional data models. The description of spatial and attribute data based on multidimensional information objects (MIO) is determined. It is proposed to use a new type of MIO - modified multidimensional information objects (MMIO). MIO and MMIO schemes allow describing multidimensional information objects and relationships in the form of a single multidimensional structure. On the basis of the introduced method of joint description of spatial and attributive data using extended multidimensional information objects, a multidimensional data model is built. This approach allows integrating different types of databases and contains a unified description of spatial and attribute data in the form of a multidimensional information object. The developed method is supposed to be used in BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology of computer modeling to solve general planning tasks.

Minecraft as a block building approach for developing spatial skills

Spatial skills belong to a group of functions and capacities that allow for the manipulation and processing of spatial information. Spatial skills are essential in STEM fields where students need to imagine objects in different orientations, manipulate three-dimensional models, and mentally reconstruct drawings from two to three dimensions. However, many students have difficulty with understanding 3D spatial geometry and the transitions between 2D and 3D. Making accurate drawings of spatial objects and 3D visual-spatial understanding are factors that impact one’s ability to learn spatial geometry. Spatial skills can be developed through specific training with appropriate tools, and Minecraft allows for the creation of and interaction with 3D objects and scenarios. The present study investigated the impact of a block-building workshop that implemented Minecraft activities on the development and training of students’ mental rotation skill. After the workshop, participants showed an improvement on the mental rotation task. In the development of mental rotation skill field have been carried out in other research different strategies using 3D modeling, SketchUp, Tetris, Block 3D apps and Augmented Reality. The activity carried out with Minecraft offers good results, only surpassed by augmented reality.

Anatomical projections to the dorsal tegmental nucleus and abducens nucleus arise from separate cell populations in the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, but overlapping cell populations in the medial vestibular nucleus.

Specialized circuitry in the brain processes spatial information to provide a sense of direction used for navigation. The dorsal tegmental nucleus (DTN) is a core component of this circuitry and utilizes vestibular inputs to generate neural activity encoding the animal's directional heading. Projections arising from the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi (NPH) and the medial vestibular nucleus (MVe) are thought to transmit critical vestibular signals to the DTN and other brain areas, including the abducens nucleus (ABN), a component of eye movement circuitry. Here, we utilized a dual retrograde tracer approach in rats to investigate whether overlapping or distinct populations of neurons project from the NPH or MVe to the DTN and ABN. We report that individual MVe neurons project to both the DTN and ABN. In contrast, we observed individual NPH neurons that project to either the DTN or ABN, but rarely to both structures simultaneously. We also examined labeling patterns in other structures located in the brainstem and posterior cortex and observed (1) complex patterns of interhemispheric connectivity between the left and right DTN, (2) projections from the supragenual nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus, and retrosplenial cortex to the DTN, (3) projections from the lateral superior olive to the ABN, and (4) a unique population of cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Collectively, our experiments provide valuable new information that extends our understanding of the anatomical organization of the brain's spatial processing circuitry.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Influence of GIS technology on coastal atmospheric climate and employee’s innovation intention

GIS technology was first introduced by Canadian surveyors. This technology was primarily used to digitize paper-based maps so that data can be analyzed and used on a computer that is convenient for distribution, storage, and use of information. Since GIS technology has been put forward, academic circles have been very interested. The growth of computer technology has also contributed to the development of GIS technology. GIS technology has now become a sophisticated topic that combines classification, storage, analysis, and performance of spatial information. Three-dimensional spatial knowledge can be realized by GIS technology. Spatial knowledge is often unique in real life, offering security for people’s clothes, food, housing, and transport. GIS technology also has great advantages in the processing of spatial information which makes GIS technology the most common application technology for spatial information processing and has been widely used in geological surveying, construction, and transport. In addition, the GIS framework can also be used to analyze atmospheric data. According to the results, the water content of the atmosphere can be measured in order to forecast precipitation and weather conditions. With the rapid advancement of computer technologies, GIS technology can be combined with the programming of databases. However, the progress of science and technology contradicts the principle of harmonious development between man and nature. Global warming caused by excessive carbon dioxide pollution is probably the most serious environmental issue.

DETERMINATION OF TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY IN THE FORMATION OF TOURIST ROUTES USING QGIS AND GRASS GIS

The creation of modern tourist products contributes to the attractiveness of our country in the market of tourist services. Transport accessibility is an important aspect for creating tourism products. This study considers the algorithm for determining transport accessibility for the projection of tourist travel routes, based on the use of geographic information technologies. Transport accessibility is determined by collecting and filtering data and subsequent creation of isochron maps, which show the time distance when moving a particular mode of transport along the lines of the road network from points of interest. Attractions of Ternopil region were chosen as such points of interest for tourists. The paper uses open OSM data on tourist facilities and the road network. Data preparation was performed using PostgreSQL software. When performing the study, the QGIS program was used, in which data processing was performed. Spatial analysis is performed in the spatial information processing environment GRASS GIS; data processing modules or GRASS GIS plug-ins are used. The proposed algorithm allows forming a database of tourist facilities, transport routes, to define more accurately existing tourist routes, to create new ones. As a test in the course of the study, the route of the tour of Ternopil was designed, in the construction of which an isochron map was used. Spatial analysis helps to better determine the path of the tourist tour and its duration.

CONDUCTING GEODETIC PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN THE CONDITIONS OF DISTANCE LEARNING

The article discusses the features of conducting practical geodetic, where topographic maps, computer programs for processing spatial information and geodetic devices are studied in a distant form. The experience of conducting educational practice distantly is described. It is noted that the use of distance learning forms is justified during pandemic and is more suitable for conducting refresher courses.