Soft like velvet and shiny like satin: Perceptual material signatures of fabrics depicted in 17th century paintings

Dutch 17^th century painters were masters in depicting materials and their properties in a convincing way. Here, we studied the perception of the material signatures and key image features of different depicted fabrics, like satin and velvet. We also tested whether the perception of fabrics depicted in paintings related to local or global cues, by cropping the stimuli. In Experiment 1, roughness, warmth, softness, heaviness, hairiness, and shininess were rated for the stimuli shown either full figure or cropped. In the full figure, all attributes except shininess were rated higher for velvet, whereas shininess was rated higher for satin. This distinction was less clear in the cropped condition, and some properties were perceived significantly different between the two conditions. In Experiment 2 we tested whether this difference was due to the choice of the cropped area. On the basis of the results of Experiment 1, shininess and softness were rated for multiple crops from each fabric. Most crops from the same fabric differed significantly in shininess, but not in softness perception. Perceived shininess correlated positively with the mean luminance of the crops and the highlights’ coverage. Experiment 1 showed that painted velvet and satin triggered distinct perceptions, indicative of robust material signatures of the two fabrics. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that the presence of local image cues affects the perception of optical properties like shininess, but not mechanical properties such as softness.     

People's community kitchens in Peru: Women's activism pro urban food security

The women's community kitchen movement in low‐income areas of Lima and Callao has, over the last twenty‐five years, played an important role in contributing to household food security and improved nutrition. It represents a case of grass‐roots activism with food and nutrition aims, which at the same time appears to have important human development outcomes for women, as well as beneficial effects on community development.     

Methods for population size estimation of problem drug users using a single registration

BackgroundThe number of problem drug users is used as a key indicator to monitor the drug situation in the European Union. An alternative approach to estimate the number of problem drug users is given by ‘the one-source capture–recapture analysis’ that uses a single registration.MethodsTwo variants of the one-source capture–recapture analysis were applied to a single registration: the truncated Poisson regression model (TPR) and the Zelterman regression model. These models were applied to data about clinical drug-related hospital admissions derived from the Dutch Hospital Registration (LMR). The TPR accounts for heterogeneity in capture probabilities by allowing for covariates and the Zelterman regression model relies on the problem drug users that were seen only once or twice in the hospital; the latter model is known to be robust against unobserved heterogeneity.ResultsThe TPR model was found to have a bad fit due to unobserved heterogeneity. The Zelterman regression model estimated the population size at 10,415 problem drug users (95% CI is 8400–12,429). This figure is an estimate of the number of problem drug users who are at risk of a clinical hospital admission due to the medical consequences of their drug use. The model can also provide estimates of different subgroups of problematic drug users.ConclusionThe method presented here offers a promising alternative for estimating the number of problem drug users, including different subgroups of drug users. In addition, observed and unobserved heterogeneity can be accounted for in these estimates.     

The Survival Paradox of Elderly Patients After Major Liver Resections

Objective  The objective of this study is to assess the outcome of liver resections in the elderly in a matched control analysis. Patients and Methods  From a prospective single center database of 628 patients, 132 patients were aged 60 years or over and underwent a primary major liver resection. Of these patients, 93 could be matched one-to-one with a control patient, aged less than 60 years, with the same diagnosis and the same type of liver resection. The mean age difference was 16.7 years. Results  Patients over 60 years of age had a significantly higher American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade. All other demographics and operative characteristics were not different. In-hospital mortality and morbidity were higher in the patients over 60 years of age (11% versus 2%, p = 0.017 and 47% versus 31%, p = 0.024). One-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in the patients over 60 years of age were 81%, 58%, and 42%, respectively, compared to 90%, 59%, and 42% in the control patients (p = 0.558). Unified model Cox regression analysis showed that resection margin status (hazard ratio 2.51) and ASA grade (hazard ratio 2.26), and not age, were determining factors for survival. Conclusion  This finding underlines the important fact that in patient selection for major liver resections, ASA grade is more important than patient age.     

Management of Cardiogenic Shock: Focus on Tissue Perfusion

Cardiogenic shock (CS) may result from ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, inflammation, myocardial contusion, and cardiac surgery. CS is the leading cause of in-hospital death in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Although early revascularization strategies have resulted in a better prognosis, in-hospital mortality from CS remains exceptionally high. Notably, long-term annual mortality is similar in survivors of CS relative to patients with myocardial infarction without shock. This underlines the importance of aggressive support of the failing heart in the acute phase of CS. Because CS reflects a state of hypoperfusion induced by heart failure, management of CS should aim at improving cardiac function as well as at optimization of tissue perfusion. This review evaluates the current treatment of CS. In addition, novel approaches to monitor and modulate peripheral circulation at the bedside are highlighted. It is expected that these techniques will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of CS and will offer new opportunities to guide therapy in CS patients to improve long-term prognosis.