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main.tex

@@ -1542,45 +1542,28 @@ acoustic environment.
 
 Our understanding of sensory processing systems is based on the distributed
 accumulation of anatomical, physiological, and ethological evidence. Functional
-modelling provides a powerful tool to integrate the available knowledge
-fragments into a coherent whole, which greatly fasciliates systematic
-investigations and allows us to address questions of increasingly broader
-scope. For instance, we were able to investigate the interaction between the
-two mechanisms of intensity invariance because we can relate the output of the
-first mechanism to the input of the second mechanism, which would not be
-possible if both are treated as separate entities. We can also use the model
-pathway as a general basis for comparing song representations across different
-species without building a specific model for each species. However, the
-potential of a functional modelling approach also depends directly on the
-amount of available knowledge on the sensory system and the stimuli it operates
-on. The grasshopper auditory system is a comparably simple and well-understood
-system and is therefore a particularly suitable candidate for functional
-modelling.
+modelling provides a powerful tool to integrate the available fragments into a
+coherent whole. It fasciliates systematic, reproducible investigations of
+relevant parameters such as scale $\sca$ or threshold value $\thr$. Moreover,
+it allows to address questions of broader scope by generalizing from concrete
+evidence. For instance, the interaction between the two mechanisms of intensity
+invariance is most assessible if both mechanisms can be treated as consecutive
+stages along the pathway --- where the output of the first stage relates
+directly to the input of the second stage --- rather than separate entities.
+The model pathway also provides a general basis for comparing song
+representations across different species without the need for species-specific
+models. However, the potential of functional modelling for research on sensory
+systems depends entirely on the amount of available knowledge about the system.
+The grasshopper song recognition pathway is a comparably simple and very
+well-understood system and is therefore a particularly suitable candidate for
+functional modelling. Other sensory systems that are either more complex or
+have not been subject to decades of study will likely not be suitable for this
+approach yet.
 
-that has been studied extensively over the past decades. This makes it
-a particularly suitable candidate for functional modelling.
-
-functional
-modelling is not without limitations.
-
-However, building a
-framework that captures the essential functional aspects of a sensory system is
-a challenging task. 
-
-It requires comprehensive information on the system and the
-stimuli it operates on as well as careful abstraction of the underlying
-structures and mechanisms. The grasshopper auditory system is a comparably
-simple, well-understood system that has been studied extensively over the past
-decades.
-
-and is therefore a
-particularly suitable candidate for functional modelling. Many other sensory
-systems 
-
-\textbf{Song recognition pathway: Grasshopper vs. model:}\\
-The model pathway includes a rather large number of Gabor kernels compared to
-the 15 to 20 ascending neurons in the grasshopper auditory
-system~(\bcite{stumpner1991auditory}). 
+% \textbf{Song recognition pathway: Grasshopper vs. model:}\\
+% The model pathway includes a rather large number of Gabor kernels compared to
+% the 15 to 20 ascending neurons in the grasshopper auditory
+% system~(\bcite{stumpner1991auditory}). 
 
 \subsection{Interplay of song representation and song design}