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Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to assess the gender‐specific differences in the presentation and outcomes following Talar OsteoPeriostic grafting from the Iliac Crest (TOPIC) between male and female patients. Methods: A prospective comparative analysis was performed comparing consecutive female and male patients having been treated by the press‐fit TOPIC procedure. Clinical comparative assessment preoperatively and at 12 months of follow‐up included determination of the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores for pain during walking (primary outcome), at rest and during stair‐climbing. The Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) was also assessed. A computed tomography (CT) scan was performed for lesion size, morphology and localization determination preoperatively as well as 10–12 weeks postoperatively to assess the union of the osteotomy site and at 1 year postoperatively to assess consolidation of the graft as well as intra‐graft cyst development. Results: A total of 48 patients (30 women, 18 men) were eligible for inclusion. Both men and women demonstrated significant functional improvements postoperatively concerning the clinical outcomes with no significant differences between men and women (n.s.) except for a significantly greater improvement in postoperative FAOS pain scores in women. Men presented with OLTs significantly larger in both surface area (208 mm2 for males versus 155 mm2 for females, p < 0.05) as well as lesion volume (3.0 cm3 for males versus 1.8 cm3 for females, p < 0.05). At 1‐year postoperatively, all patients showed graft consolidation. Cyst formation was present in 11 females (37% of the group) and 10 males (59% of the group), respectively (n.s.). Conclusion: Both males and females showed clinically relevant improvements in the clinical outcomes after undergoing the TOPIC procedure with significant differences in preoperative lesion size. The TOPIC procedure is a good treatment strategy for large OLTs in both men and women. Level of Evidence: Level III, comparative prospective clinical cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One important activity in conceptual ethics and conceptual engineering involves proposing to associate a new semantics with an existing word. Many philosophers think that one important way to evaluate such a proposal concerns whether it preserves the "topic" picked out by the existing word, and several have offered competing proposals concerning what is required to preserve topic. Our paper is focused on the conceptual ethics question of how conceptual engineers should use the term 'topic continuity'. We provide and defend a context-sensitive answer to this question. Our answer is motivated by the idea that there are several distinct considerations that we can reasonably care about (and which many conceptual engineers already do care about) in thinking about "topic continuity", and, moreover, that how best to weigh them against each other can vary from context to context. On our proposal, 'topic continuity' can function as a useful representational device that enables coordination by inquirers with respect to these concerns. We conclude by locating our account in a broader way of thinking about topic continuity across a range of inquiries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has highlighted the existence of expletive(-like) elements in various languages that are related to discourse, serving as fillers for designated topic/focus positions and/or contributing specific discourse–pragmatic effects. Such elements pose a number of challenges and opportunities, both for our overall conception of expletives and for our understanding of the syntax–discourse interface, although work in this area to date has mainly focused on the phenomenon in individual varieties. In this study, we critically survey the current state-of-the art on this topic and discuss four main areas where we see particular challenges and opportunities for research: (i) categories and definitions, (ii) typological correlations, (iii) theoretical modelling and (iv) language change. Overall, this article brings together a broad array of empirical findings and theoretical approaches on the phenomenon of discourse-related expletives and highlights the many avenues for future work in this area.

Purpose This study aimed to analyze the research trends of the Korean Journal of Medical Education (KJME) since it became an English-language journal. Methods A total of 274 articles published in KJME from 2016 to 2023 were analyzed. All article types were included in the analysis. NetMiner ver. 4.0 (Cyram Inc., Korea) was used for the main keyword and topic modeling analysis. Results Of the 274 articles, 170 (62%) and 104 (38%) were by domestic and international authors, respectively. The main keywords with high frequency were “students,” “learning,” “experience,” “pandemic,” and “perception.” Three topics were derived using topic matching analysis: “residents’ perception and attitude of the pandemic,” “assessment of learning and achievement,” and “learning experiences in the pandemic.” Conclusion Since the shift to English-language journals, medical education research has witnessed an increase in the number of articles published by international authors. Research on postgraduate education has increased. Research topics are relevant to situations such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. These findings can help researchers select research topics and encourage them to submit their research to the journal.

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Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the research trends of the Korean Journal of Medical Education (KJME) since it became an English-language journal. Methods: A total of 274 articles published in KJME from 2016 to 2023 were analyzed. All article types were included in the analysis. NetMiner ver. 4.0 (Cyram Inc., Korea) was used for the main keyword and topic modeling analysis. Results: Of the 274 articles, 170 (62%) and 104 (38%) were by domestic and international authors, respectively. The main keywords with high frequency were “students,” “learning,” “experience,” “pandemic,” and “perception.” Three topics were derived using topic matching analysis: “residents’ perception and attitude of the pandemic,” “assessment of learning and achievement,” and “learning experiences in the pandemic.” Conclusion: Since the shift to English-language journals, medical education research has witnessed an increase in the number of articles published by international authors. Research on postgraduate education has increased. Research topics are relevant to situations such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. These findings can help researchers select research topics and encourage them to submit their research to the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses the possibility of placing the subject in a pre-verb position in verbal sentences in Arabic, without necessarily stipulating that if the subject is preposed before the verb, it becomes a topic. In this way, the subject is a non-overt pronoun positioned within or after the verb, because the subject is conventionally acknowledged by grammarians to move freely to various post-verbal positions, but never pre-verbally. The research considers the views and opinions of linguists and grammarians who have dealt with this issue in detail, presenting a discussion of these views to reveal the strict restrictions imposed on the movement of the subject. It is hoped that this will contribute to the facilitation of teaching and learning Arabic grammar. It will also revitalize the discussion of views in Arabic grammatical traditions to try to establish new grammatical principles that contemporary linguists may adopt when reformulating the rules of Arabic grammar. This endeavor may simplify the task of learning rules and contribute to presenting them more flexibly and plausibly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left peripheral topics and foci often differ with respect to resumption: in languages such as Italian, Tzotzil Maya, and Warlpiri, while fronted topics may be co-indexed with a pronominal form in the corresponding argument position, fronted foci correspond to a gap. However, this contrast does not universally apply. In languages such as Anyi and Baule, two Kwa languages of Côte d'Ivoire, subjects and animate objects must be resumed by a pronoun whenever they appear in the left periphery – independent of information structure. The question is whether this instance of cross-linguistic variation arises through differences in the syntax of left peripheral positions in various languages or in the conditions of resumption. The present study examines data from Kwa languages and concludes that the difference lies in the conditions of resumption, which are orthogonal to the syntactic differences between topics and foci. Resumptives have a dual nature in these languages, serving as anaphoric constants (true resumptives) in topicalization and as bound variables (apparent resumptives) in focus constructions. A survey of the relevant facts in further Kwa languages reveals that resumption is determined by factors that are independent from information structure and relate to the recoverability of empty argument positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of learner‐ and task‐related variables on second language (L2) writing syntactic complexity (SC) have been extensively investigated. However, previous research has rarely assessed the reliability of computational tools for analyzing the SC of L2 spoken production, and we know less about the effects of such variables on L2 speaking SC. Using data from the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English, this study explores data preprocessing issues for preparing L2 English speech samples for automated SC analysis, evaluates the reliability of L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer on preprocessed L2 English speech samples, and examines the effects of proficiency, first language (L1) background, and topic on L2 speaking SC. Our manual analysis of 30 random speech samples identified several issues that can be addressed through preprocessing to improve the accuracy of automated SC analysis. Results from multiple linear mixed‐effects models revealed significant effects of proficiency, L1 background, and topic on the mean length of clause, the number of complex AS‐units per AS‐unit, and the number of dependent clauses and complex nominals per clause in L2 learners' spoken production. Our findings have useful implications for L2 speaking pedagogy and assessment as well as future L2 speaking SC research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared topics, impact, disciplines, and research methods in articles published from 2016 to 2020 between Scientometrics and Journal of Informetrics (JOI) to provide referential data for researchers and understand developments in scientometric research. Regarding similarities between Scientometrics and JOI, the results revealed that authors affiliated with management-related institutes accounted for the largest group of researchers and were predominantly listed as the first authors. Methodology was the second most common topic, and the proportion of studies increased during the study period. Most researchers preferred combining various methods to analyze publications from different sources. Regarding the main differences between the two journals, articles on research-based communication and metrics and indicators dominated Scientometrics and JOI, respectively. Authors working for scientometric institutes were the second largest group of authors in JOI, whereas computer science authors were the second largest group in Scientometrics. The average impact of articles for each topic in JOI was higher than that of articles in Scientometrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research topic is a subject or problem that an investigator is interested in research. The starting point of any research project that is successful is a well-defined subject of research. The selection of topics is an ongoing approach in which investigators analyse, describe, classify, and refine their ideas. For the ease of selection of topics particularly in the field of Ayurveda, Authors have created an acronym ‘TOPIC’ as a guiding tool for the selection of the area of research. The components of the TOPIC criterion are Textual & Time-bound; Objectivity & Outcome measures; Planning & Pragmatic; Innovative & Interesting and Contemporarily relevant & Consent, highlight useful points for the easy selection of the topic for the research by the novice.

Social networks have become a powerful communication tool, with millions of people exchanging information, opinions, and experiences daily. Companies, organizations, and even people have turned this tool into a marketing platform to position themselves and gain popularity. However, not only do companies present products or services to society, but society also provides feedback. This feedback also has a significant impact. It is impossible to process all this vast information manually in time, but it is crucial. This information is precious even to governmental or public entities such as universities. Potential future students will use social media to learn about the general feel of the institution. Therefore, this study presents a new dataset called CEIMaT2021, which compiles all tweets in Spanish related to the Technical School of Industrial Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM). This dataset is designed for two main tasks of Online Reputation Management: 1) automatic detection of topics and 2) polarity. Furthermore, this study shows that the BETO model obtains better performance for topic detection for these tasks. Meanwhile, the MarIA model obtains better results for polarity detection.

This paper investigates the syntactic–pragmatic behavior of two expletive-like elements, namely a and chiru, in Fornese and Cilentano, two Romance varieties spoken in Northern and Southern Italy, respectively. We argue that a and chiru are not bona fide expletive subjects but discourse-pragmatic expletives, which mark zero aboutness or the absence of an aboutness referent in an utterance. The investigation of Fornese and Cilentano points towards the existence of a sub-class of null-subject languages where aboutness as a discourse feature must be structurally satisfied by merging an overt or null topic in the syntactic spine of the clause. In the absence of such an element—for example, in thetic clauses—a discourse-pragmatic expletive is externally merged as a last-resort strategy to satisfy [uAboutness]. We argue that, in these null-subject languages, the satisfaction of the discourse feature [uAboutness] is an LF requirement, which is subject to a parametric choice. We show that, in Fornese, "default" [aboutness] is satisfied in SubjP, which is the canonical syntactic position for overt subjects within a cartographic approach. In Cilentano, on the other hand, [aboutness] is satisfied in a higher position within the C-domain, namely ShiftP, the canonical syntactic position that hosts overt aboutness/shift topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Referents with a topical or focused status have been shown to be preferable antecedents in real-time resolution of pronouns. However, it remains unclear regarding whether topicality and focus compete for prominence when co-present in the same narrative, and if so, how differential prominence affects prosodic realization of a subsequent pronoun. Building upon the general understanding that stress on pronouns signals an unusual, less accessible interpretation, we take advantage of the conditional bi-clausal construction in conjunction with homophonic 3rd person pronouns in Chinese. We manipulated the information status of two referents that were introduced into a six-clause narrative in succession, specifically (i) Topic and (ii) Focus, and also (iii) the Reference of the Pronoun (either the first or second referent). Our acoustic analyses showed that pronouns were produced with higher F0s when the first referent was topicalized than when it was not topicalized under conditions where the second referent was focused. Pronouns referring back to the first referent were uttered longer when the referent was not topicalized than when it was topicalized. These results suggest accessibility statuses of referents vary dynamically in response to different prominence-lending cues, and these variations can be captured by the prosodic features of a following pronoun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the syntactic–pragmatic behavior of two expletive-like elements, namely a and chiru, in Fornese and Cilentano, two Romance varieties spoken in Northern and Southern Italy, respectively. We argue that a and chiru are not bona fide expletive subjects but discourse-pragmatic expletives, which mark zero aboutness or the absence of an aboutness referent in an utterance. The investigation of Fornese and Cilentano points towards the existence of a sub-class of null-subject languages where aboutness as a discourse feature must be structurally satisfied by merging an overt or null topic in the syntactic spine of the clause. In the absence of such an element—for example, in thetic clauses—a discourse-pragmatic expletive is externally merged as a last-resort strategy to satisfy [uAboutness]. We argue that, in these null-subject languages, the satisfaction of the discourse feature [uAboutness] is an LF requirement, which is subject to a parametric choice. We show that, in Fornese, “default” [aboutness] is satisfied in SubjP, which is the canonical syntactic position for overt subjects within a cartographic approach. In Cilentano, on the other hand, [aboutness] is satisfied in a higher position within the C-domain, namely ShiftP, the canonical syntactic position that hosts overt aboutness/shift topics.

This study examined the effects of second language (L2) proficiency, acquisition context, and topic on the use of verb argument constructions (VACs) in Asian college-level L2 writers' argumentative essays. A total of 776 essays written on two topics by 388 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) writers of two L2 proficiency levels were used as data. Six indices informed by large-scale corpora of L1 English speakers were used to gauge the frequency and association strength of the VACs. Results of a series of linear mixed-effects models showed the frequencies of verbs and verb-construction combinations were affected by the interaction between L2 proficiency and acquisition context. L2 proficiency also had a main effect on construction frequency, with more proficient writers using constructions of lower frequency than less proficient writers. No effect of L2 proficiency was found on the association strength of VACs. Additionally, acquisition context affected the directional association strength of VACs, with ESL writers using verbs that associated less strongly with constructions than EFL writers. Finally, topic effects were found on five of the six indices. These findings offered empirical evidence for the developmental trajectories of VACs, and carried practical implications for L2 writing pedagogy. • The interaction between acquisition context and L2 proficiency affected VAC usage. • Higher proficiency L2 writers used more lower frequency constructions. • L2 writers had difficulty acquiring VACs of strong contingency. • Topic effects were found on L2 VAC usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between academic finance research and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) has gained increasing attention over recent years. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the interplay between the UN SDGs and scholarly output in financial journals from 2010 to 2022. Utilizing a framework that combines fuzzy matching, bibliometric analysis, and topic modelling techniques, the research traces the evolution of finance research and its alignment with the UN SDGs. Our findings indicate that academic finance research is unevenly spread across the SDG's. Key areas around the natural world, sustainability and climate change are underresearched. The implications of our study are significant for both academic scholars and policymakers, suggesting a need for strategic redirection in research priorities to better support global sustainability initiatives in the future. [Display omitted] • We use a combination of machine learning methods to map finance research to un SDG's. • We can map a considerable percentage. • Finance research from an sDG perspective is extremely concentrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Public attitudes toward MCHs are mined from social media data. • Public sentiments and topics concerning MCHs fluctuate temporally and regionally. • Negative sentiments rise with Covid-19 cases, while positive ones fall inversely. • Negative topic ranking remains stable, while positive topic ranking has two patterns. • The superiority of the "BERT+FCN" model is confirmed among multi-algorithms. The diverse and ambivalent public attitudes toward Mobile Cabin Hospitals (MCHs) markedly influence MCHs' social sustainability. Conventional studies regarding MCHs' public attitudes rely heavily on survey-based approaches (e.g., questionnaires) that suffer from limited respondents, short durations, and narrow geographical coverages, overlooking tempo-spatial variations of MCHs' public attitudes. Hence, this study proposes a social media data (SMD)-based approach to reveal public attitudes toward MCHs. It consists of MCH-related SMD collection, SMD preprocessing and annotation, sentiment and topic analysis model development, model performance verification, and statistical analyses of public sentiments and topics. This newly devised approach has been demonstrated for mining 413,572 pieces of MCH-related SMD covering MCH policy lifecycle in China. The findings reveal that (i) positive sentiment can surpass or fall below negative sentiments toward MCHs, which is correlated with the number of Covid-19 cases (NoCC), and (ii) the rankings of public concerns on 8 positive topics shift between two patterns temporally and spatially with NoCC, while the rankings among 6 negative topics remain stable for China's MCHs. This study not only offers an SMD-based supplementary approach for exploring public attitudes toward MCHs but also updates current understandings to enhance their social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research topic is a subject or problem that an investigator is interested in research. The starting point of any research project that is successful is a well-defined subject of research. The selection of topics is an ongoing approach in which investigators analyse, describe, classify, and refine their ideas. For the ease of selection of topics particularly in the field of Ayurveda, Authors have created an acronym 'TOPIC' as a guiding tool for the selection of the area of research. The components of the TOPIC criterion are Textual & Time-bound; Objectivity & Outcome measures; Planning & Pragmatic; Innovative & Interesting and Contemporarily relevant & Consent, highlight useful points for the easy selection of the topic for the research by the novice., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)