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To validate an efficient and reliable instrument for measuring postoperative performance and satisfaction in refractive cataract surgery. A 10-question survey was designed to assess patient satisfaction and functional outcomes in refractive cataract surgery. The survey included seven questions rated on a 1-10 scale and three yes/no questions. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Correlations between survey responses and objective visual acuity measurements (binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity [BUDVA] and binocular uncorrected near visual acuity [BUNVA]) were analyzed. Factor analysis explored the constructs assessed by the survey. A total of 477 eyes from 240 patients were included, including 234 AcrySof PanOptix, 53 AcrySof IQ Vivity, 88 TECNIS Eyhance, 102 AcrySof Aspheric Monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). Cronbach's alpha (0.785) indicated acceptable moderate to strong internal consistency. Significant correlations were found between visual acuity and satisfaction ratings for distance (r = 0.256; p < 0.001) and near vision (r = 0.195; p < 0.001). A significant model was found (R² = 0.350, F(7, 474) = 35.86, p < 0.001) with quality of near vision (β = 0.188, p < 0.001), quantity of glasses independence (β = 0.116, p < 0.05), and lens choice (β = 0.434, p < 0.001) being significant predictors for IOL selection. The Refractive Cataract Surgery Survey (RCSS) is an efficient, reliable tool for assessing patient satisfaction and performance in refractive cataract surgery. The quality of near vision and the level of glasses independence were significant predictors of lens choice satisfaction.

Rationale The contribution of norepinephrine on the different phases of spatial memory processing remains incompletely understood. To address this gap, this study depleted norepinephrine in the brain and then conducted a spatial learning task with multiple phases. Methods Male and female Wistar rats were administered 50 mg/kg/i.p. of DSP-4 (N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine) to deplete norepinephrine. After 10 days, rats were trained on a 20-hole Barnes maze spatial navigation task for 5 days. On the fifth day, animals were euthanized and HPLC was used to confirm depletion of norepinephrine in select brain regions. In Experiment 2, rats underwent a similar Barnes maze procedure that continued beyond day 5 to investigate memory retrieval and updating via a single probe trial and two reversal learning periods. Results Rats did not differ in Barnes maze acquisition between DSP-4 and saline-injected rats; however, initial acquisition differed between the sexes. HPLC analysis confirmed selective depletion of norepinephrine in dorsal hippocampus and cingulate cortex without impact to other monoamines. When retrieval was tested through a probe trial, DSP-4- improved memory retrieval in males but impaired it in females. Cognitive flexibility was transiently impacted by DSP-4 in males only. Conclusions Despite significantly reducing levels of norepinephrine, DSP-4 had only a modest impact on spatial learning and behavioral flexibility. Memory retrieval and early reversal learning were most affected and in a sex-specific manner. These data suggest that norepinephrine has sex-specific neuromodulatory effects on memory retrieval with a lesser effect on cognitive flexibility and no impact on acquisition of learned behavior.

First theorized by Hebb, neuronal ensembles have provided a framework for understanding how the mammalian brain operates, especially regarding learning and memory. Neuronal ensembles are discrete, sparsely distributed groups of neurons that become activated in response to a specific stimulus and are thought to provide an internal representation of the world. Beyond the study of region-wide or projection-wide activation, the study of ensembles offers increased specificity and resolution to identify and target specific memories or associations. Neuroscientists interested in the neurobiology of learning, memory, and motivated behavior have used electrophysiological-, calcium-, and protein-based proxies of neuronal activity in preclinical models to better understand the neurobiology of learned and motivated behaviors. Although these three approaches may be used to pursue the same general goal of studying neuronal ensembles, technical differences lead to inconsistencies in the output and interpretation of data. This mini-review highlights some of the methodologies used in electrophysiological-, calcium-, and protein-based studies of neuronal ensembles and discusses their strengths and weaknesses.

Fluormacraeite, [(H.sub.2 O)K]Mn.sub.2 (Fe.sub.2 Ti)(PO.sub.4).sub.4 [OF](H.sub.2 O).sub.10 â 4H.sub.2 O, is a new monoclinic member of the paulkerrite group from the Plößberg pegmatite, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany. It was found in specimens of magnesium-bearing triplite. Associated minerals are spherical blue phosphosiderite, pink-coloured strengite micro-crystals, white fluorapatite globules, light-yellow leucophosphite, black-green rockbridgeite, and reddish-brown cacoxenite. Fluormacraeite occurs as isolated pale-yellow rhombic tablets, flattened on (010) with diameters in the range of 50 to 150 µm and thicknesses on the order of 10 to 30 µm. The crystal forms are 010, 001, and 111. The calculated density for the empirical formula and single-crystal unit-cell volume is 2.39 g cm.sup.-3 . Optically, fluormacraeite crystals are biaxial (+), with α=1.610(3), β=1.620(3), and γ=1.644(3) (measured in white light). The calculated 2V is 66.5°. The optical orientation is X=b, Y=c, and Z=a. The empirical formula from electron microprobe analyses and structure refinement is .sup.A1 [K.sub.0.14 (H.sub.2 O).sub.0.76 ].sub.Σ0.90 .sup.A2 [K.sub.0.79 (H.sub.2 O).sub.0.21 ].sub.Σ1.00 .sup.M1 (Mn1.752+Mg.sub.0.25).sub.Σ2.00 .sup.M2+M3 (Fe1.843+Al.sub.0.13 Ti1.024+Mg.sub.0.01).sub.Σ3.00 (PO.sub.4).sub.4.00 .sup.X [O.sub.0.94 F.sub.0.81 (OH).sub.0.25 ].sub.Σ2.00 (H.sub.2 O).sub.10 â 3.90H.sub.2 O. Fluormacraeite has monoclinic symmetry with space group P2.sub.1 /c and unit-cell parameters a=10.546(2) Ã, b=20.655(1) Ã, c=12.405(1) Ã, β=90.09(1)°, V=2702.1(6) Ã.sup.3, and Z=4. The crystal structure was refined using synchrotron single-crystal data to wR.sub.obs =0.0559 for 5646 reflections with I3Ï(I). Fluormacraeite is isostructural with the paulkerrite-group minerals pleysteinite, macraeite, rewitzerite, hochleitnerite, fluor-rewitzerite, sperlingite, and paulkerrite, with ordering of K and H.sub.2 O at different A sites (A1 and A2) using the general formula A1A2M1.sub.2 M2.sub.2 M3(PO.sub.4).sub.4 X.sub.2 (H.sub.2 O).sub.10 â 4H.sub.2 O. It is the F analogue of macraeite, with OF replacing O(OH) at the X2 sites. The general crystal-chemical properties of the monoclinic paulkerrite-group minerals are compared.

Fluormacraeite, [(H2O)K]Mn2(Fe2Ti)(PO4)4[OF](H2O)10 ⋅ 4H2O, is a new monoclinic member of the paulkerrite group from the Plößberg pegmatite, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany. It was found in specimens of magnesium-bearing triplite. Associated minerals are spherical blue phosphosiderite, pink-coloured strengite micro-crystals, white fluorapatite globules, light-yellow leucophosphite, black–green rockbridgeite, and reddish-brown cacoxenite. Fluormacraeite occurs as isolated pale-yellow rhombic tablets, flattened on (010) with diameters in the range of 50 to 150 µm and thicknesses on the order of 10 to 30 µm. The crystal forms are 010, 001, and 111. The calculated density for the empirical formula and single-crystal unit-cell volume is 2.39 g cm−3. Optically, fluormacraeite crystals are biaxial (+), with α=1.610(3), β=1.620(3), and γ=1.644(3) (measured in white light). The calculated 2V is 66.5°. The optical orientation is X=b, Y=c, and Z=a. The empirical formula from electron microprobe analyses and structure refinement is A1[K0.14(H2O)0.76]Σ0.90 A2[K0.79(H2O)0.21]Σ1.00 M1(Mn1.752+Mg0.25)Σ2.00 M2+M3(Fe1.843+Al0.13Ti1.024+Mg0.01)Σ3.00 (PO4)4.00 X[O0.94F0.81(OH)0.25]Σ2.00(H2O)10 ⋅ 3.90H2O.Fluormacraeite has monoclinic symmetry with space group P21/c and unit-cell parameters a=10.546(2) Å, b=20.655(1) Å, c=12.405(1) Å, β=90.09(1)°, V=2702.1(6) Å3, and Z=4. The crystal structure was refined using synchrotron single-crystal data to wRobs=0.0559 for 5646 reflections with I>3σ(I). Fluormacraeite is isostructural with the paulkerrite-group minerals pleysteinite, macraeite, rewitzerite, hochleitnerite, fluor-rewitzerite, sperlingite, and paulkerrite, with ordering of K and H2O at different A sites (A1 and A2) using the general formula A1A2M12M22M3(PO4)4X2(H2O)10 ⋅ 4H2O. It is the F analogue of macraeite, with OF replacing O(OH) at the X2 sites. The general crystal–chemical properties of the monoclinic paulkerrite-group minerals are compared.

Sperlingite, (H2O)K(Mn2+Fe3+)(Al2Ti)(PO4)4[O(OH)][(H2O)9(OH)]·4H2 O, is a new monoclinic member of the paulkerrite group, from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany. It was found in corrosion pits of altered zwieselite, in association with columbite, hopeite, leucophosphite, mitridatite, scholzite, orange-brown zincoberaunite sprays and tiny green crystals of zincolibethenite. Sperlingite forms colourless prisms with pyramidal terminations, which are predominantly only 5 to 20 µm in size, rarely to 60 µm and frequently are multiply intergrown and are overgrown with smaller crystals. The crystals are flattened on {010} and slightly elongated along [100] with forms {010}, {001} and {111}. Twinning occurs by rotation about c. The calculated density is 2.40 g·cm-3. Optically, sperlingite crystals are biaxial (+), α = 1.600(est), β = 1.615(5), γ = 1.635(5) (white light) and 2V (calc.) = 82.7°. The optical orientation is X = b, Y = c and Z = a. Neither dispersion nor pleochroism were observed. The empirical formula from electron microprobe analyses and structure refinement is A1[(H2O)0.96K0.04]Σ1.00A2(K0.52∎0.48)Σ1.00M1(Mn 2+0.60Mg 0.33Zn0.29Fe3+0.77)Σ1.99M2+M3(Al1.05Ti4+1.33Fe3+ 0.62)Σ3.00 (PO4)4X[F0.19(OH)0.94O0.87]Σ2.00[(H2O)9.23(OH)0.77 ]Σ10.00·3 .96H2O. Sperlingite has monoclinic symmetry with space group P21/c and unit-cell parameters a = 10.428(2) Å, b = 20.281(4) Å, c = 12.223(2) Å, β = 90.10(3)°, V = 2585.0(8) Å3 and Z = 4. The crystal structure was refined using synchrotron single-crystal data to wRobs = 0.058 for 5608 reflections with I > 3σ(I). Sperlingite is the first paulkerrite-group mineral to have co-dominant divalent and trivalent cations at the M1 sites; All other reported members have Mn2+ or Mg dominant at M1. Local charge balance for Fe3+ at M1 is achieved by H2O → OH- at H2O coordinated to M1.

An investigation into the hot tear susceptibility of ternary Al-Si-Mg alloys has been made using direct crack observation, measurement of load response, and predictions made by a modified Rappaz-Drezet-Gremaud (RDG) hot tearing model. A peak in both the hot tear susceptibility and the load at solidus occurred at approximately 0.2Si and 0.15Mg, and then the hot tear susceptibility decreased as the total solute content increased. In general, a good correlation was found among the observation of cracks, the load at solidus, and the predictions of the RDG hot tearing model, although it was shown that correlation with the RDG model depended critically on the fraction solid at which solid coalescence was assumed to occur. A combination of these approaches indicated that when the total Si+Mg content and the Si:Mg ratio increased toward four, a decrease occurred in the hot tear susceptibility because of an increase in the amount of final eutectic formed. At the lowest Si:Mg ratio of 0.25, the RDG model also predicted a lower relative hot tear susceptibility than that measured by the load at solidus. In these alloys, the final stages of solidification are predicted to occur over a large temperature range, and hence, both the predictions of the RDG model and the measurement of the load were dependent on which fraction solid was chosen for grain coalescence. In the alloys studied in this article, the formation of small amounts of the ternary eutectic Al+Mg 2 Si+Si caused the highest hot tear susceptibility.

Predictions of secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) for multicomponent aluminum alloys using a dendrite ripening model are compared with experimental observations. For six of the seven alloys studied, the predicted SDAS was within 20 pct of the measured SDAS. It was found that the final SDAS was dependent upon both the solidification time and the solute profile of the solidifying alloys. It is interesting that while the solidification times and the solute segregation during solidification varied significantly over the range of alloys, these two factors largely canceled each other out so that the predicted SDAS did not vary much between the alloys. The experimental and modeling results show that elements causing high constitutional undercooling near the beginning of solidification, e.g. , Ti, which reduces the grain size substantially, have little effect on the SDAS. Instead, it was found that elements that strongly partitioned toward the end of solidification were more effective at restricting SDAS coarsening.

Visual memory schemas (VMS) are two-dimensional memorability maps that capture the most memorable regions of a given scene, predicting with a high degree of consistency human observer’s memory for the same images. These maps are hypothesized to correlate with a mental framework of knowledge employed by humans to encode visual memories. In this study, we develop a generative model we term ‘MEMGAN’ constrained by extracted visual memory schemas that generates completely new complex scene images that vary based on their degree of predicted memorability. The generated populations of high and low memorability images are then evaluated for their memorability using a human observer experiment. We gather VMS maps for these generated images from participants in the memory experiment and compare these with the intended target VMS maps. Following the evaluation of observers’ memory performance through both VMS-defined memorability and hit rate, we find significantly superior memory performance by human observers for the highly memorable generated images compared to poorly memorable. Implementing and testing a construct from cognitive science allows us to generate images whose memorability we can manipulate at will, as well as providing a tool for further study of mental schemas in humans.