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Patellofemoral joint (PFJ) complications, such as anterior knee pain, are a common complaint among knee arthroplasty patients and femoral rotational mal-alignment is thought to be a contributing factor. However, no studies have assessed the effect of femoral internal and external rotation on PFJ biomechanics using simulated physiological loading cycles. The present study aimed to assess the effect of surgical femoral rotational alignment errors on the forces, moment arms and contact areas within the PFJ. Testing was carried out under physiological loading, with a quasi-static kinematic knee joint simulator, using Scorpio NRG prostheses implanted on synthetic bones. Three scenarios were simulated, to replicate the worst case in terms of surgical error; neutral placement was compared to 5° internal and 5° external femoral rotation.External rotation caused a significant reduction in the patella moment arm. However, femoral rotational mal-alignments of ± 5° had no clinically relevant effect on the quadriceps force, patella compressive force, or PFJ contact areas. For all scenarios, the PFJ was subjected to over 65% lateral loading and consistent edge loading of the patella button. This study demonstrates that, in terms of PFJ biomechanics, the Scorpio NRG implant used was tolerant of surgically relevant levels of femoral rotational mal-alignment.

This contribution explores the unique combinations and interdependencies that emerge in current fashion design in Italy. The paper focuses on the encounter between technology and biology to experiment with textiles and materials for the fashion industry. The theoretical framework draws on Donna Haraway’s concepts of making kin as generating new collaborations and staying with the trouble. It brings these concepts together with Tony Fry’s definition of futuring and Alice Payne’s fashion futuring. We applied these ideas to the analysis of four Italian case studies illustrating how four companies use agri-food waste: Orange Fiber from citrus, Grado Zero Innovation from fungi, Frumat from apples, the latter used by Womsh for the production of sneakers. Building new relationships between humans and nonhumans, in this case between companies, agri-food processing waste, new materials, and consumers represent a possibility to work towards a more sustainable future starting from the dynamics of the present. The paper presents findings on redirective practices as a way to stay with the trouble from initial research on fashion, and reports on new alliances and collaborations between people, business, waste, territory, technology and biology.

“Off-cells. Un luogo del lavoro per le Foreste Casentinesi” è il progetto presentato alla Biennale di Venezia 2018 da Diverserighestudio, uno dei cinque gruppi di progettazione selezionati per il Padiglione Italia dal Curatore Mario Cucinella. “Arcipelago Italia” guarda ai territori distanti, fuori dalle città e dalle aree urbane maggiori: l’area di boschi secolari al confine tra Toscana ed Emilia Romagna ha, ancor più di altre, stimolato a riflettere sulle potenzialità che le risorse materiali del luogo offrono all’architettura e sulla rete di relazioni che esse possono alimentare, diventando occasioni di rilancio di sistemi insediativi indeboliti da decenni di marginalizzazione, ma ancora straordinariamente ricchi di potenzialità. "Off-cells. A place of work for Casentinesi Forests“ is the project presented at Biennale di Architettura 2018 in Venice by Diverserighestudio, one of the five design groups selected for Italian Pavilion by the Curator Mario Cucinella. “Arcipelago Italia” looks to distant territories, outside the cities and major urban areas: this area of secular woods on the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna has, even more than others, stimulated to reflect on both the potential that the material resources of the place offer to architecture and the network of relationships that they can form, becoming opportunities for relaunching settlement systems weakened by decades of marginalization, but still extraordinarily rich in potential.