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American political elites have increasingly polarized over the past decades, which has inspired much research into mass polarization. We study whether there is a generational component to mass polarization by disentangling period, age, and cohort differences while distinguishing two forms of mass polarization: partisan sorting and ideological divergence. Drawing from General Social Survey and American National Election Studies data, we find that partisan sorting has increased across long-standing and emerging issues, while ideological divergence has not. Contrary to expectations, over-time increases in sorting are clearly driven by changes within generations rather than by generational replacement. On several issues, newer generations turn out to be less sorted than those they replace. This tentatively suggests that, partially as a consequence of demographic changes, generational replacement will gradually lead to less polarization in American public opinion as it converges toward more liberal positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat from possible future superintelligent AI has given rise to discussion of the so-called “value alignment problem”. This is the problem of how to ensure artificially intelligent systems align with human values, and thus (hopefully) mitigate risks associated with them. Naturally, AI value alignment is often discussed in relation to morally relevant values, such as the value of human lives or human wellbeing. However, solutions to the value alignment problem target all human values, not only morally relevant ones. Is there a value alignment problem in other domains? In this paper, I explore whether the AI value alignment problem extends beyond morally relevant values to include aesthetic values. I demonstrate that the value alignment problem as typically framed includes aesthetic values, and, using examples from computer vision, put forward that AI may be misaligned with human values in the artistic realm. Whilst misalignment may be cause for concern when considering AI creativity, I argue that aesthetic value is a case in which we do not want AI to be fully aligned with human values. In doing so, I offer support to Peterson’s moderate value alignment thesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current one-stage object detection methods use dense prediction to generate classification and regression results at the same point on the feature map. Due to the different task attributes, classification and regression are typically trained using separate detection heads, which may result in different feature areas being focused on. However, they ultimately act on the same object, especially in the post-processing stage, where we hope they have the same performance. This inherent contradiction can seriously affect the performance of the detector. To solve this problem, we propose a flexible and effective decouple and align classification and regression one-stage object detector (DAOD), based on different aspects to decouple and align the two subtasks. Specifically, we first propose a regression subtask spatial decouple module to solve the regression spatial sensitivity problem by efficiently sampling the information of the regression result map to strengthen localization. Then, we propose a dynamic aligned label assignment strategy for sample selection, guiding the network to focus on more aligned features during training. Finally, we introduce harmonic supervision to align results while ensuring the independence of the respective task. With the negligible additional overhead, extensive experiments on the COCO dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our DAOD. Notably, DAOD with ResNeXt-101-64 × 4d-DCN backbone achieves 50.0 AP at single-model single-scale testing on MS-COCO test-dev. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonological assimilation phenomena are often restricted by morphological boundaries. This paper presents data from Mgira in order to argue that both root boundaries and affix boundaries serve to block assimilation processes such as nasal place assimilation and postnasal voicing. The result is that assimilation may obtain, but only within morphemes, not across them. This is analysed as confirmation of the power of the CrispEdge constraints proposed by Itô and Mester (1999) to take precedence over general markedness constraints, blocking feature spreading across morphological boundaries. The analysis is claimed to yield the same effect as a Morpheme Structure Constraint, limiting the force of a constraint to within the boundaries of morphemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While existing adult spinal deformity (ASD) alignment schemas acknowledge the dynamic relationship between the pelvis and spine, consideration of vertebral pelvic angles (VPA) thresholds for PJK may provide further insight into the relationship of each individual vertebra to the pelvis, which may allow for greater individualization of operative targets. Herein, we examine VPA's utility in preventing mechanical complications and its possible unification with prevalent scoring systems. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study of a prospectively collected database, operative ASD patients ≥ 18 years with complete baseline (BL) and two-year (Y) operative, radiographic, and health-related quality of life data were included. Descriptive analyses, means comparison, and logistic regression tests were applied to explore demographic and surgical differences, as well as the impact of alignment goals on outcomes. Cohorts were grouped as patients who met VPA non-PJK thresholds, as defined by Duvvuri et al. 2023 alone versus traditional GAP/SAAS alignment matching versus combined VPA + SAAS + GAP. The Non-PJK VPA validated mean for L1PA was 10.4 ± 7.0 and T9PA 8.9 ± 7.5. Results: 398 patients met inclusion criteria (mean age 61 ± 14 years, 78% female, BL BMI 27 ± 6, BL CCI 2 ± 2). At baseline, mean vertebral pelvic angles were as follows: T1PA: 24 ± 14; T4PA 20 ± 13, T9PA 15 ± 12, L1PA 11 ± 10, L4PA 11 ± 6. Mean vertebral pelvic angles at 6 W postoperatively: T1PA 16 ± 10, T4PA 12 ± 10, T9PA 8 ± 9, L1PA 9 ± 8, L4PA 11 ± 5. 240 (60%) patients attained optimal L1PA, while 104 patients (26.1%) reached non-PJK mean for T9PA. 89 patients (22%) were optimal by both VPA standards. VPA-Optimal group demonstrated significantly lower rates of 1Y PJK (17% v 83%, p = 0.042) and PJF by 2Y (7% v. 93%, p = 0.038). When patients attained VPA goals in addition to GAP/SAAS goals at 6 W, they demonstrated significantly lower rates of Y1 PJK (p = 0.026) and Y1 and Y2 PJF. Those with optimal VPA registered greater SRS-22 scores across multiple domains (p < 0.02) as well as a greater rate of normal neurological examination at 6 W (p = 0.048). Conclusions: Vertebral pelvic angles are a reliable measure of global alignment, and respecting certain targets may help prevent development of PJK/PJF. The value of VPA can be augmented through integration with GAP/SAAS frameworks to prevent complications and improve quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: More personalized alignment techniques in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have recently been described particularly for the young and active patients. Performing the ideal tibial cut might be challenging with a conventional ancillary. Therefore the aims of this study were: (1) to describe specific tibial landmarks to optimize the tibial cut in TKA; (2) to compare the accuracy of the tibial cut with these landmarks compared to a conventional technique. Methods: This retrospective case–control study compared primary TKAs performed using a conventional technique with extramedullary guide associated with specific tibial landmarks. For each case, one control patient was matched based on body mass index (BMI), age, preoperative Hip Knee Ankle (HKA) angle, and Medial Proximal Tibial Angle (MPTA). All control patients were operated by the same surgeon and similar conventional technique but without landmarks. The MPTA target was to reproduce preoperative deformity with a 3° of varus limit. 34 TKA were included in each group. There was no preoperative difference between both groups. Mean age was 63 years old ± 8. Mean BMI was 32 kg/m2 ± 5. Mean HKA was 170.6° ± 2.5. Mean MPTA was 85.1° ± 2.3. The radiographic assessment was performed preoperatively and at 2 months: HKA, mechanical Medial Distal Femoral Angle (mMDFA), MPTA, tibial slope, restoration of the joint line-height. Results: The tibial landmarks corresponded to the line of insertion of the deep medial collateral ligament fibers extended to the capsular insertion above the Gerdy tubercle. The postoperative MPTA was significantly more varus (87.2° ± 1.6 in landmark group versus 88.3° ± 2.2; p = 0.027) and closer to preoperative bone deformity in landmark group (p = 0.002) with significantly less outliers than in the conventional group. There was no significant difference between both groups postoperatively for HKA (175.4° ± 2.3 versus 175.9° ± 2.5; p = 0.42); mMDFA (88.9° ± 2.3 versus 88.2° ± 2.1; p = 0.18); tibial slope (82.6° ± 1.9 versus 82.4° ± 2.6; p = 0.67), the restoration of the joint line-height (1.5 mm ± 2 versus 1.8 mm ± 2; p = 0.56). Conclusion: Specific tibial landmarks during TKA can be used to increase the accuracy of the tibial cut when using personalized alignment techniques in TKA. Level of evidence: IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both participation and argumentation (OECD, 2022) are important keywords in educational contexts. While participation is seen as a crucial prerequisite for education and collaborative learning in general, argumentation as a discursive practice serves to convey and negotiate—also school-specific—knowledge. This paper explores repetition in argumentative events as a technique of establishing—or even hindering—participation in terms of alignment and affiliation. It can serve as a strategy for participation by signalling responsiveness and thematic coherence—and thus inclusion. At the same time, however, studies show that repetition can also signal contradiction and rejection—and thus exclusion. So far, we know little about how exactly these functional differences are produced—especially in younger children. Therefore, the paper explores how children use repetition as a resource for negotiating participation in argumentative events. Using authentic data in the form of observations and transcriptions of audio and video recordings from child-child-interactions of 15 Hebrew- and 31 German-speaking children aged 3–6 years, we identify oral argumentative events and investigate different forms of repetitions and their respective relevance for enabling participation. Our results show that, on the one hand, minimal and partial repetitions are used by the children in an inclusive way, creating closeness between the participants. On the other hand, children use complete repetitions more as an excluding technique, displaying misalignment and disaffiliation, in order to challenge and mock each other. The findings suggest that this line of research has significant potential to provide new insights into the formation of social relationships between peers, into the prevention or establishment of participation, which itself is a prerequisite for joint learning, as well as insights into the acquisition of argumentative competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Conversational Analysis (CA) has seen an increasing interest in longitudinal studies (Deppermann & Pekarek Doehler, 2021). The recurrent experience of interactional practices leads interactants to develop routines that may sediment into entrenched patterns over time (Dreyer, 2022). Longitudinal CA thus aims to track the emergence and sedimentation of interactional practices over time. In this contribution, we analyse interactional practices of participation in play-situations. Participation in joint activities is a universal form of human sociality (Goodwin & Goodwin, 2005). Here, we focus on how children perform their own agentive participant's work and how mothers support their children in doing so. Investigating a longitudinal data set of mother-child play-interactions at ages 1 and 5, we ask whether participation patterns emerge as early as in the first year and are sedimented in the fifth year, as well as whether the synchronisation of embodied action provides crucial resources for the achievement of active participation in joint activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the risk factors for varus progression after arthroscopic medial meniscal posterior root tear (MMPRT) repair and to compare the clinical outcomes between two groups: one with more varus progression and the other with less varus progression. Methods: Patients who underwent isolated arthroscopic repair of MMPRT between 2015 and 2020 were enroled, and 2‐year follow‐up data were collected. Participants were categorized into two groups based on preoperative values of the weight‐bearing line (WBL) ratio: group A with <5.9% increase and group B with ≥5.9% increase. Various factors, including demographic features and radiological findings, were analysed and compared between the two groups. Intra‐meniscal signal intensity, meniscal healing, medial meniscal extrusion (MME), and articular cartilage grade were assessed preoperatively and 1‐year postoperatively using coronal magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The final cohort consisted of 34 patients in group A and 46 in group B, with a mean age of 55.8 ± 11.2 and 59.8 ± 6.6 years, respectively. Preoperative WBL ratio and cartilage lesions in the medial compartment did not differ between the groups. Preoperative MME were significantly lower in group A than those in group B (2.6 ± 0.6 mm in group A and 3.5 ± 0.7 mm in group B, p < 0.05). Patient‐reported outcomes at the 2‐year follow‐up did not differ between the two groups (n. s.). In a logistic analysis, the odds ratio of MME was 2.1 (p < 0.05), and the cutoff value of MME was 3.02 mm. Conclusion: Preoperative MME is a risk factor for varus progression. However, no differences in patient‐reported outcomes were observed at 2‐year follow‐up, even in the group with greater varus progression. Level of Evidence: Level IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) applications in medical artificial intelligence (AI) systems have shifted from traditional and statistical methods to increasing application of deep learning models. This survey navigates the current landscape of multimodal ML, focusing on its profound impact on medical image analysis and clinical decision support systems. Emphasizing challenges and innovations in addressing multimodal representation, fusion, translation, alignment, and co-learning, the paper explores the transformative potential of multimodal models for clinical predictions. It also highlights the need for principled assessments and practical implementation of such models, bringing attention to the dynamics between decision support systems and healthcare providers and personnel. Despite advancements, challenges such as data biases and the scarcity of "big data" in many biomedical domains persist. We conclude with a discussion on principled innovation and collaborative efforts to further the mission of seamless integration of multimodal ML models into biomedical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective well-being (SWB) is a multidimensional construct with three components (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) comprising the tripartite model. Yet, despite numerous studies in the field of SWB, the cross-cultural validity of the tripartite structure is still largely unknown. The present study evaluated competing models of SWB’s structure across 16 countries (N = 8860 undergraduate students; age range = 18–29 years; 63.6% female) and examined its measurement invariance using both exact and approximate approaches. The exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) of tripartite SWB that allowed small cross-loadings provided the best fit to the data in the majority of countries, and it demonstrated a high level of approximate invariance, which allows for a comparison of means across countries. A bifactor model with an omitted Positive Affect factor also fit well in all samples making the measurement of the general SWB possible; however, it was less robust for cross-cultural comparisons. The correlations between the three latent SWB factors were consistent across most countries, with a few meaningful exceptions. We conclude that ESEM model represents the tripartite structure of SWB robustly both within and across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of leg alignment on long‐term clinical outcome after matrix‐associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (M‐ACI) and to define an individualized target range to optimize clinical outcome. Methods: The present study examined patients who underwent M‐ACI of the femoral condyle. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) were used to assess the results. Clinical outcomes were related to Patient Acceptable Symptomatic State (PASS). For intra‐ and interobserver reliability of mechanical tibiofemoral angle, mechanical medial proximal tibial angle and mechanical lateral distal femoral angle, we calculated intraclass correlation coefficients using a two‐way mixed model with absolute agreement. A regression model and receiver‐operating characteristics curve were used to identify an individual range of alignment where a favourable clinical outcome could be expected in the long term. Results: Additional osteotomy was performed in 50% of patients with similar clinical outcomes as physiologically aligned patients (p > 0.05). The curve‐fitting regression model identified a target range of −2.5° valgus to 4.5° varus for ideal postoperative alignment (R2 = 0.12, p = 0.01). Patients within this range were more likely to achieve PASS (70% vs. 27%, p = 0.001). In medially treated defects, a refined range of −2.5° valgus to 4° varus alignment was found (R2 = 0.15, p = 0.01). These patients were more likely to achieve PASS (67% vs. 30%, p = 0.01) and showed favourable postoperative KOOS and MOCART scores (p = 0.02). Patients with lateral defects were more likely to achieve PASS within a range of −2° valgus and 0.5° varus (90% vs. 45%, p = 0.03) and showed favourable postoperative KOOS and MOCART scores (p = not significant). Conclusions: An individual range of leg alignment—whether achieved by osteotomy or physiologic alignment—should be respected in M‐ACI treatment. A neutral to slightly undercorrected alignment favours the postoperative outcome after M‐ACI. When planning surgery for patients with focal cartilage defects of the femoral condyle, these ranges should be recognized as critical factors. Level of Evidence: Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: When planning and delivering total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there are multiple coronal alignment strategies such as functional alignment (FA), kinematic alignment (KA), mechanical and adjusted mechanical alignment (MA, aMA). Recent three‐dimensional and robotic‐assisted surgery (RAS) studies have demonstrated that KA potentially better restores the trochlear anatomy than MA. The purpose of this study was to compare the restoration of the native trochlear orientation in patients undergoing RAS TKA using four different alignment strategies. It was hypothesised that FA would result in the lowest number of outliers. Methods: This is a prospective study of 200 patients undergoing RAS‐TKA with a single implant. All patients were analysed for MA and KA prebalancing, and 157 patients received aMA and 43 patients FA with intraoperative balancing. Preoperative transverse computed tomography scans were used to determine the posterior condylar axis (PCA), lateral trochlear inclination (LTI) angle, sulcus angle (SA) and anterior trochlear line (ATL) angle. Implant measurements were obtained using a photographic analysis. Intraoperative software data combined with implant data and preoperative measurements were used to calculate the differences. Outliers were defined as ≥3° of alteration. Trochlea dysplasia was defined as LTI < 12°. Results: Native transepicondylar PCA had a median of 2°, LTI 18°, SA 137°, ATL 4°. LTI outliers were observed in 47%–60% of cases, with KA < FA < aMA < MA. For ATL, the range of outliers was 40.5%–85%, KA < FA < aMA < MA. SA produced 81% of outliers. Of all median angle values, only LTI when using KA was not significantly altered compared to the native knee. Conclusion: There is a significant alteration of trochlear orientation after TKA, regardless of the alignment strategy used. KA produced the lowest, but a substantial, number of outliers. The uniform design of implants causes the surgeon to compromise on balance in flexion versus trochlear position. The clinical relevance of this compromise requires further clinical investigations. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective cohort study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worry can be productive when it concerns future events we have control over, but unproductive when those events cannot be controlled. We tested the novel hypothesis that to the extent people restrict their attention to threat cues signalling dangers they can potentially control, they may also be better at restricting their worrying to situations over which they have a high (rather than low) degree of control. In 67 participants, we measured the relative magnitude of attentional bias to threat cues signalling more versus less controllable dangers (i.e. alignment). Next, they underwent a speech-related worry induction task in which we assessed worry when the outcome of this task could be controlled (productive worry) and when such control was not possible (unproductive worry). As predicted, greatest attentional bias alignment was observed in those with high productive, low unproductive worry. This has implications for how to target attentional mechanisms in worry-related psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research identifies conditions of intra- and cross-sector partnerships with nonprofit organizations that lead to social innovation development. Primary survey data were collected from a nationally focused sample of executive directors in Canada (n = 720) on two valid and reliable multifactor measures, including partnership dynamics for social innovation and human services social innovation. Results of a multivariate regression analysis found that the structure of engagement and clarity of outcomes in partnerships were found to significantly predict all three types of social innovation (including product-based, process-based, and socially transformative social innovations), while alignment of partnership outcomes was not predictive of any social innovation outcome. Results identify aspects of partnerships that are most supportive of nonprofit social innovation development and provide a measurement tool for partner actors to assess partnership dynamics that lead to the development and undertaking of socially innovative initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surge in interest in natural language processing in artificial intelligence has led to an explosion of new language models capable of engaging in plausible language use. But ensuring these language models produce honest, helpful, and inoffensive outputs has proved difficult. In this paper, I argue problems of inappropriate content in current, autoregressive language models—such as ChatGPT and Gemini—are inescapable; merely predicting the next word is incompatible with reliably providing appropriate outputs. The various fine-tuning methods, while helpful, cannot transform the model from mere next word prediction to the kind of planning and forethought necessary for saying the right thing. The upshot is that these models will increasingly churn out bland, generic responses that will still fail to be accurate or appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generic alignment conjecture states that for almost every initial data on the torus solutions to the Cucker–Smale system with a strictly local communication align to the common mean velocity. In this note, we present a partial resolution of this conjecture using a statistical mechanics approach. First, the conjecture holds in full for the sticky particle model representing, formally, infinitely strong local communication. In the classical case, the conjecture is proved when N, the number of agents, is equal to 2. It follows from a more general result, stating that for a system of any size for almost every data at least two agents align. The analysis is extended to the open space R n in the presence of confinement and potential interaction forces. In particular, it is shown that almost every non-oscillatory pair of solutions aligns and aggregates in the potential well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Proteomics is a field dedicated to the analysis of proteins in cells, tissues, and organisms, aiming to gain insights into their structures, functions, and interactions. A crucial aspect within proteomics is protein family prediction, which involves identifying evolutionary relationships between proteins by examining similarities in their sequences or structures. This approach holds great potential for applications such as drug discovery and functional annotation of genomes. However, current methods for protein family prediction have certain limitations, including limited accuracy, high false positive rates, and challenges in handling large datasets. Some methods also rely on homologous sequences or protein structures, which introduce biases and restrict their applicability to specific protein families or structures. To overcome these limitations, researchers have turned to machine learning (ML) approaches that can identify connections between protein features and simplify complex high-dimensional datasets. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of articles that employ various ML techniques for predicting protein families. The primary objective is to explore and improve ML techniques specifically for protein family prediction, thus advancing future research in the field. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses of ML techniques, it is evident that multiple methods utilizing a range of classifiers have been applied for protein family prediction. However, there has been limited focus on developing novel classifiers for protein family classification, highlighting the urgent need for improved approaches in this area. By addressing these challenges, this research aims to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of protein family prediction, ultimately facilitating advancements in proteomics and its diverse applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this piece of work, we provide comments on the paper: “Solar system planetary alignment triggers tides and earthquakes” by Awadh (2021). The paper claimed to undertake quantitative statistical analysis of earthquakes and planetary alignment across the world and, particularly, in the Zagros Region. As a result of his statistical analysis, he claimed that the alignment of the Earth with two planets in a straight line would generate earthquakes. However, after a careful review of the paper, we found that the analysis was qualitative in its major part. It is suffering from a lack of clarity for planetary alignment data and methods, in addition to a deficiency in earthquake data. We found that the major two tables (i.e., Tables 2 and 5) used by Awadh (2021) to demonstrate the relationship and the planetary alignment were not accurate. Our work demonstrates the problems of relying on inadequate and inappropriate datasets of Awadh’s (2021) paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Clinical studies regarding medial open‐wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) often analyse a large group of mechanical varus knees rather than differentiating for its primary varus‐inducing component. This study aims to compare the radiological and clinical outcomes of the most prevalent varus malalignment phenotypes using the coronal plane alignment of the knee (CPAK) classification. Methods: MOWHTO cases with minimal 2‐year clinical follow‐up were retrospectively selected from a knee osteotomy database (2016–2020). Based on the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) and lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), subjects were allocated to the correct CPAK phenotype pre‐ and postoperatively. Clinical outcomes were the numeric rating scale (NRS), the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) and the therapeutic response rate (TRR) at 2‐year follow‐up. Inter‐observer correlation coefficient (ICC) and unpaired student t test were performed for cross‐phenotype comparison. Results: One hundred thirty‐five (135) subjects were found eligible (53.0 years old ±9.6 [19–77], 72% male, 53% left‐sided). The most prevalent preoperative phenotype was CPAK 1 (n = 70 (52%)) and the postoperative phenotype was CPAK 6 (n = 66 (49%)). All CPAK phenotypes improved significantly relative to baseline but cross‐phenotype comparison yielded no significant differences in clinical outcome. The TRR at 2 years was 67% for CPAK 1, 69% for CPAK 2 and 87% for CPAK 4. The TRR for CPAK 6 was 64% compared with 80% for CPAK 9, which was not significantly different. Conclusion: At 2‐year follow‐up, no clinically significant differences are observed between different CPAK phenotypes. Accurate MOWHTO corrections provide significant clinical improvement even in the femoral‐driven varus knee and the constitutional varus knee dominated by intra‐articular wear. The clinical indication for MOWHTO performance should not be reduced to the medial arthritic varus knee with underlying tibial varus alone. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective comparative study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When communicating, individuals alter their language to fulfill a myriad of social functions. In particular, linguistic convergence and divergence are fundamental in establishing and maintaining group identity. Quantitatively characterizing linguistic convergence is important when testing hypotheses surrounding language, including interpersonal and group communication. We provide a quantitative interpretation of linguistic convergence grounded in information theory. We then construct a computational model, built on top of a neural network model of language, that can be deployed to measure and test hypotheses about linguistic convergence in "big data." We demonstrate the utility of our convergence measurement in two case studies: (1) showing that our measurement is indeed sensitive to linguistic convergence across turns in dyadic conversation, and (2) showing that our convergence measurement is sensitive to social factors that mediate convergence in Internet-based communities (specifically, r/MensRights and r/MensLib). Our measurement also captures differences in which social factors influence web-based communities. We conclude by discussing methodological and theoretical implications of this semantic convergence analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) can significantly improve quality of life (QOL) in patients with hip osteoarthritis. A relationship exists between activity levels and postoperative QOL, but its determinants are not well known. The aim of this work was to investigate the relationship between hip, pelvis and lumbar spine mobility and alignment before and after THA with QOL. Material and methods: Consecutive patients with hip arthrosis and an indication for THA were included prospectively between July 2019 and December 2020, and they underwent lateral radiographs in free-standing, extension, relaxed- and flexed-seated position. Spinopelvic and hip parameters were measured, as well as their changes between positions to assess hip, pelvis and lumbar spine mobility. Patients were also administered QOL questionnaires. Data were collected preoperatively and 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Results: Seventy patients were included; QOL significantly increased 6 months after THA (from 18 [10; 27] to 61 [48; 72], p < 0.001). QOL further increased by 10 points or more after 6 months in 18% of patients, while it decreased in 16%. The latter showed higher pelvic range of motion (between flexion and extension) than the former. Conclusions: This study confirmed that QOL is significantly improved by THA, and that spinopelvic alignment and function can play a role. Future work should elucidate how to better predict postoperative QOL from preoperative patient characteristics to improve patient treatment and establish early postoperative physical therapy for patients who could benefit from postoperative improvement of activity-related QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a new method for increasing the operational reliability of rotary cement kilns. The basis of the method is a set of diagnostic and control procedures that are carried out without stopping and unloading the kiln, i.e., in a hot state. Based on the results of alignment, the mechanical adjustment of kiln is carried out to eliminate deviations in the geometric axis of furnace and defects in the main components identified during diagnostics. The methods described in the article for determining the kiln's position in the horizontal and vertical planes, radial and end runout of the main support units, checking the condition of drives, hydraulic stops, the furnace body and constructing a computer model of furnace unit allow for high-quality mechanical adjustment and increase equipment productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We express our gratitude to the authors of five comment articles for their valuable contributions, feedback, and recommendations on our discussion document (Wu et al. Test, 2023). All the reviewers acknowledged the value of our proposed research direction, which focuses on shape-based functional data analysis. They also provided insightful suggestions to enhance and expand upon these ideas. In this response, we address their comments and provide further insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional data analysis (FDA) is a fast-growing area of research and development in statistics. While most FDA literature imposes the classical L 2 Hilbert structure on function spaces, there is an emergent need for a different, shape-based approach for analyzing functional data. This paper reviews and develops fundamental geometrical concepts that help connect traditionally diverse fields of shape and functional analyses. It showcases that focusing on shapes is often more appropriate when structural features (number of peaks and valleys and their heights) carry salient information in data. It recaps recent mathematical representations and associated procedures for comparing, summarizing, and testing the shapes of functions. Specifically, it discusses three tasks: shape fitting, shape fPCA, and shape regression models. The latter refers to the models that separate the shapes of functions from their phases and use them individually in regression analysis. The ensuing results provide better interpretations and tend to preserve geometric structures. The paper also discusses an extension where the functions are not real-valued but manifold-valued. The article presents several examples of this shape-centric functional data analysis using simulated and real data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to compare long‐term clinical and radiographic outcomes and survival rates between navigation‐assisted (NAV) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and conventional (CON) TKA using a mobile‐bearing insert. Methods: From May 2008 to December 2009, 45 and 63 mobile‐bearing TKA patients were enroled in the CON‐ and NAV‐TKA groups with 146.8 months follow‐up, respectively. Clinical outcomes (Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index and Knee Society Scores), radiographic outcomes (hip‐knee‐ankle [HKA], lateral distal femoral, medial proximal tibial, γ, and δ angles), and survivorship were compared between both groups. Results: The number of HKA angle outliers (more than 3 degrees or less than −3 degree) was significantly lower in the NAV‐TKA group (24.4% vs. 9.5%, p = 0.036) than in the CON‐TKA group. However, long‐term clinical outcomes were similar between both groups. The cumulative survival rate (best‐case scenario) was 98.3% in the CON‐TKA group and 97.5% in the NAV‐TKA group, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.883). Conclusion: Long‐term clinical outcomes and survival rates were similar between the two groups despite fewer outliers of postoperative lower‐limb alignment in the NAV‐TKA group. Excellent survival rates were observed in both groups using mobile‐bearing inserts. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the genre of input text influences Chinese young EFL learners' performance on continuation tasks. Participants were 30 students in Grade 9 and repeated-measures design was adopted to compare their performance on narrative and argumentative continuation tasks, in terms of writing quality, CAF indicators as well as alignment. Results showed that (i) genre had no significant influence on students' scores on the two continuation tasks; (ii) argumentative continuation task brought about more complex sentences and words, as reflected by most indicators, but narrative continuation task led to relatively longer writing, and no significant difference was found for accuracy; (iii) students' writings on argumentative task contained more 4-word phrases that were drawn from the input text, while the writings on narrative task were semantically more related to the reading input. This study provides another piece of validity evidence for employing continuation tasks in different genres in language tests and has implications for the writing teaching of Chinese young EFL learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the global financial crisis, banks have become more regulated to advance ethical sales cultures throughout the sector. Based on case studies of three retail banks, we find that they construct the 'appropriate advisor' in different ways. Inspired by Bakhtin's work on ethics, we propose a vocabulary of relational ethics centered on the 'answerable self.' We argue that this vocabulary is apt for studying and discussing how organizations advance ethical sales cultures in ways that instead of encouraging value congruence and alignment allow for ethical openness. In such cultures, employees—as moral agents—are morally questioning, critically self-reflexive, and answerable for their own actions toward others in their social relationships. Our paper makes three theoretical contributions, namely, problematizing the idea of cultural alignment and value congruence, demonstrating that identity regulation can both comprise and support the 'answerable self,' and advancing our understanding of the interdependence of ethical openness and ethical closure in fostering ethical sales cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in clinical outcomes and alignment of the ipsilateral knee and ankle in patients with varus ankle osteoarthritis after supramalleolar osteotomy (SMO). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 23 patients (24 ankles) with Takakura II, IIIa and IIIb ankle osteoarthritis treated with SMO between May 2017 and March 2022. The radiologic parameters of ankles contained medial distal tibial angle (TAS), tibiotalar angle (TT), tibial lateral surface (TLS), tibial plafond inclination (TPI) and talar inclination (TI). The radiologic parameters of knees contained medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), joint line convergence angle (JLCA), the knee joint line orientation relative to ground (G-KJLO) and WBL. Hip–knee–ankle angle (HKA) was also collected. The Takakura system was used for evaluating the ankle osteoarthritis and the Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) system was used for evaluating the knee osteoarthritis. Clinical evaluation of the ankle joints contained American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), range of motion (ROM) and visual analogue scale (VAS). Clinical evaluation of the knee joints contained Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores (JOA), ROM, VAS. Results: The mean follow-up times were 20.3 ± 7.3 months (range 12–38). According to the radiologic evaluation, the TAS increased from preoperative 84.7° ± 2.0° to 91.2° ± 1.8° at the last follow-up (P < 0.001). The TPI and TI decreased from 4.4° ± 4.2° and 11.0° ± 5.2° to 0.1° ± 4.7° and 4.1° ± 4.8° (P < 0.001 for both). The TT angel improved from 9.5° ± 4.1° to 4.9° ± 3.3° (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found regarding MPTA, JLCA, G-KJLO, knee WBL and HKA (P > 0.05 for all). The Takakura stage improved after SMO (P < 0.001) whilst the KL stage maintains the similar lever (P > 0.05). According to the clinical evaluation, the AOFAS significantly increased from 67.5 ± 10.6 to 88.5 ± 9.3 and the VAS of the ankle decreased from 4.7 ± 1.6 to 1.2 ± 1.1, whilst there were no changes on VAS and even the JOA and knee ROM after SMO (P > 0.05 for all). Conclusions: SMO can alleviate the symptoms of varus ankle osteoarthritis and delay the time for ankle replacement or arthrodesis by redistributing the abnormal stress of the ankle and restoring the congruence of the tibiotalar joint. In addition, it did not induce the clinical symptoms of knee without compromising lower limb alignment or knee joint line orientation in the short term. Level of evidence: Level IV case series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The role of concomitant fibula fracture fixation in distal-third tibia fractures regarding alignment, union, and functional outcome is still a topic of debate. In this review, we summarize the available comparative literature regarding fibula fixation in distal third lower leg fractures. Materials and methods: A systematic literature review of articles published between January 2000 and January 2022 in the PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases about this topic was performed. Results: 746 unique studies were identified of which four randomized-controlled trials and six retrospective studies were included. Nine studies compared alignment after tibia fixation with or without fibula fixation, six studies reported on tibial union, and three studies reported on functional outcome between groups. Pooling of data was not possible due to varying outcome measures and inclusion criteria. Fibula fixation was associated with less rotational malalignment, while there does not seem to be consensus regarding the effect on sagittal and coronal alignment. Six studies reported on the effect of fibula fixation on tibial union. None of these studies found a significant difference between treatment modalities. Furthermore, one out of three studies reporting functional outcome described a marginal beneficial functional outcome after fibula fixation. Ultimately, no differences in complication rates between treatment modalities were described. Conclusion: Fixation of the fibula in distal-third lower leg fractures does not seem to have a significant effect on coronal and sagittal tibial alignment. Furthermore, fibula fixation is associated with significantly less rotational malalignment, although the clinical importance of this finding is questionable as true differences in rotational alignment between treatment modalities are small. Finally, fibula fixation does not affect union, functional outcome, or complication rate as adjuvant to tibia fixation. Level of evidence: II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seed layers were deposited on the activated glass lamellas by dip-coating using zinc solutions with and without diethanolamine (DEA). ZnO nanorods were grown on these two types of seed layers by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at 95 °C. The nanorods were then annealed in air at 300, 400 and 500 °C and in an oxygen atmosphere at 400 and 500 °C. The influences of seed solution chemistry, annealing temperature and atmosphere on the structural properties of the ZnO nanorods were investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An improved vertical alignment of the nanorods along the c-axis was observed on the DEA-containing seed layer. Their diameters decreased with the increasing annealing temperature, whereas their crystallinities increased. Optical properties of the samples were also studied by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. Their optical band edges shifted to lower energies as the annealing temperature increased up to 400 °C. The PL intensities decreased with annealing at 500 °C in an oxygen atmosphere, which was attributed to the decrease in defect concentration. Their photocatalytic tests using AR88 azo dye and UVA irradiation revealed that the annealing process is beneficial in achieving improved color removals from the aqueous dye solutions. The well-aligned nanorods were successfully grown on the DEA-supported seed layer. However, their photocatalytic efficiencies remained relatively low, which was attributed to poor light interactions with their lateral surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text summarization methods are much needed to tackle the ever-increasing volume of text data, accessible online to help us find the relevant information and quicker ingestion of relevant data. In this paper, we have reported two issues related to text summarization. At first, we developed a Deep Neural Network (DNN) based abstractive text summarization method. After that, a chunk alignment-based interpretable semantic textual similarity (iSTS) method is designed to evaluate the quality of the summary text with reference to the main text. We have used an attention-based encoder-decoder Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model to develop the abstractive text summarization method. The encoder compresses the sequence information into a sequence of vectors to save the important information. A Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) based RNN model, composed of three stacks, takes the words in a sequence and produces the output as hidden states. During training, we have used word embeddings for each word with a dimension of 128. At first, the efficiency of the summary text in reference to the main text is evaluated using the BLEU score and ROUGE matrix. Further, the results are compared with the proposed iSTS-based evaluation measure. The quality of the summary text is accessed based on the similarity score, and for that, we have trained a multivariate supervised linear regression model. The supervised algorithm is trained with the features extracted from a pair of the chunk itself. The string similarity, distributional word representations, and relatedness scores between the chunks are provided as a feature vector to get the similarity score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic behaviour of different materials has been widely studied using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) testing. The striker bar's velocity (SV) and the incident bar's impact surface are well known to have a significant impact on producing a clear signal in the compressive SHPB studies. Several times, the shape of the incident strain signal differs from an ideal state, and the reason is difficult to find. In this paper, a parametric investigation of such understudied instances is carried out utilising Abaqus software for finite element analysis (FEA). The numerically obtained incident strain pulse for a perfectly aligned SHPB setup with different SV was validated experimentally on compressive SHPB apparatus. The numerical output was found to have good agreement with experimental results. Further, plots of incident strain were evaluated numerically for Sv (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 in m/s) which was used for polynomial fitting using MATLAB's curve fitting tool. A similar method was adopted for symmetrically plane non-parallel impact surface on the incident bar. The angles chosen for FEA calculations were 5°, 10°, 15° and 20°. Filleted impact surface with radius (r) 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 mm was also studied. The study of the variation of impact surface shape was done at a striker velocity of 25 m/s. It was observed from this study that when striker velocity increases, the absolute magnitude of incident strain at peak increases while rise time remained constant. In turn, when the symmetrically non-parallel plane surface angle and fillet radius grow, the absolute value of incident strain at peak almost stays the same but the rising time lengthens. This study can help understand the nature and discrepancy of the incident strain signal obtained in the compressive SHPB setup and find its root cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The relationship between knee osteoarthritis (OA), bone mineral density (BMD), and alignment has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the two limbs in patients with single-limb knee OA. Methods: Patients who underwent single-limb total knee arthroplasty between March 2019 and February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Only patients with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades III and IV on the operated side and KL I and II on the opposite side were included. Patients with traumatic OA, a surgery that could change the alignment of both lower extremities and previous fractures were excluded. The proximal femur BMD on the OA and non-OA sides were compared. In addition, the difference in BMD was compared between a group with a difference in alignment of both lower extremities (> 5°) and a group without a difference (< 5°). Results: In total, 149 patients were included. The BMD T-score of the femoral neck on the OA side was lower than that of the non-OA side (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between BMD and alignment, and there was no difference in BMD according to the difference in alignment. Conclusion: The femoral neck BMD of the leg on the side with knee OA was lower than that on the side without OA. However, the alignment difference between the legs did not affect BMD. BMD was lowered because of OA and not because of alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This retrospective study aimed to assess the impact of distal nail placement on misalignment and healing rates in distal tibial fractures. Methods: We reviewed all patients with distal tibial fracture treated with intramedullary nailing between 2015 and 2021, and a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Distal nail positioning was determined according to the Triantafillou zones. We related these positioning zones to misalignments (alignment ≥ 3°) and too bony union disorders (delayed union, non-union). Results: Out of the 62 patients included, 56 (90.3%) show bone union without additional procedure, 3 (4.8%) with dynamization, and 3 (4.8%) showed non-union. Twenty-one (33.8%) presented misalignment, with valgus in the coronal plane being the most frequent (76.19%). In patients with and without misalignment, the most frequent distal nail position was 2–2 in 47.6% and 80.5%, respectively (p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, distal nail positioning in the 2–2 zone showed a significant protective effect against misalignment (OR 0.18; p = 0.018), while nail positioning in the 3–2 zone generated a significant risk of misalignment (OR 18.55; p = 0.009). Conclusion: In intramedullary nailing of distal tibial fractures, distal positioning of the nail slightly lateral to the center of the talus in the coronal plane and slightly posterior in the sagittal plane (zone 2–2) allows high alignment percentages to be obtained. Positioning medial to this point in the coronal plane (zone 3) is associated with more significant misalignment and should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of innovative ideas and the latest technology have undoubtedly brought down telescope costs substantially. However, there are still ways to further reduce the cost of optical ground-based telescopes and make them affordable to much larger and wide spread astronomical communities. In this and subsequent papers we are presenting our studies carried out towards building affordable mid-size telescopes of 4.0-6.0m in size. In the present era, segmented mirror technology has become the first choice for building moderate to large-size telescopes. In any Segmented Mirror Telescope (SMT) the most important part is its primary mirror control system (M1CS). The conventional M1CS is based on edge sensors and actuators, but such a system introduces many design and implementation complexities. In this paper, we propose to make use of an Off-axis Alignment and Phasing System (OAPS), which is an active mirror kind of control system working in real time to maintain the figure of a segmented primary mirror without the use of edge-sensors. The alignment and phasing system which is an integral part of any segmented telescope can be used in the real time at the off-axis. Through extensive simulations we have explored the feasibility of using an OAPS for co-alignment, co-focusing as well as co-phasing of segmented mirror telescopes. From our simulations we find that the co-alignment and co-focusing of the segments can be achieved with a guide star as faint as 16-18 th magnitude. This implies that seeing limited performance for any segmented telescope can be easily accomplished without use of a complex edge sensor based control system. Whereas, to attain diffraction limited performance, mirror segments need to be co-phased with an accuracy of few tens of nanometers. In our simulations we have used a dispersed fringe sensor based phasing scheme, which can effectively work up to guide stars of 14 th magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopic imaging has become a common and useful technique for various interdisciplinary studies. Raster scan is still the most general and reliable imaging modality due to the lack of matrix detectors. In terahertz raster scanning imaging, row displacements occur due to the use of a two-way continuous scanning mode, the lack of delay line triggering, or other technical factors. The displacements result in image distortion which significantly affects the subsequent data analysis. In this article, a row displacement correction algorithm based on a genetic algorithm is proposed. The algorithm corrects images based on the principle that row displacements result in an increase of high-frequency components of the Fourier spectrum transformed along the image column direction. The algorithm performance is comprehensively verified by both numerical simulation and experimental data, showing a promising effectiveness and robustness on different sample types, shapes, orientations, and spatial distributions. The algorithm corrects the displacements numerically regardless of the causing factors, offering a wide adaptability for various THz systems to improve the scanning efficiency and image quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craniofacial superimposition requires the photographic registration of a skull at transparency to a photograph of an antemortem (AM) face so that anatomical concordance between the two can be assessed. When the camera vantage point of the AM photograph is exactly replicated for skull photography, the superimposition is a relatively straightforward process as the images are precisely comparable without complicating factors. In practice, however, focus distances are almost never exactly replicated because the focus distance for AM face photography is rarely known. Embedded differences in perspective, thereby, drive the images away from correspondence, raising questions as to how much difference can be tolerated and what image registration methods should be used. Recently, a ± 1% mismatch in facial height has been posited as an acceptable upper tolerance limit to differential perspective, but this proposition is speculative and has not yet been confirmed by tests on real-life images. In addition, the impact of image registration methods, though critically relevant, has received comparatively little consideration. This paper provides the first in-depth review of these intertwined perspective/registration matters and objective evaluation of tolerances by using real 2D photographic images and synthetic images generated from 3D CT data to demonstrate perspective impact on skull morphology. Taken together, the review confirms a ≤ 1% perspective difference in facial height to be a suitable criterion for craniofacial superimposition (at least as a starting point for method improvement), and that image registration should be point-based using a sellion/nasion combination to minimize anatomical misalignment in the principal region-of-interest (the mid-face). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The alignment obtained after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) influences the risk of failure. Kinematic alignment after UKA based on Cartier angle restauration is likely to improve clinical outcomes compared with mechanical alignment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of implant alignment and native knee restoration after UKA using the conventional techniques on clinical outcomes. Methods: This retrospective study included 144 medial UKA patients from 2015 to 2020. Radiographic measurements were performed pre- and postoperatively. Outliers were defined as follows: Δ Cartier > 3° (difference between the preoperative and postoperative Cartier angle); Δ MPTA (Medial Proximal Tibial angle) and postoperative TCA (Tibial Coronal component Angle) > 3° (difference between the positioning of the tibial implant and the preoperative proximal tibial deformity). The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the International Knee Society (IKS) Function and Knee score, the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), and the Subjective Knee Value (SKV) were evaluated. A Student t test or a non-parametric Wilcoxon test was used for non-normal data to compare pre- and postoperative values for functional scores and angular measurements. The correlation of postoperative angles with functional outcomes was assessed by the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Results : During the inclusion period, 214 patients underwent medial UKA, 71 patients were excluded, and 19 were lost to follow-up leaving 124 patients with 144 knees (20 bilateral UKA) included for analysis with a mean follow-up of 54.7 months ± 22.1 (24–95). The Δ Cartier was significantly correlated with IKS function (R2 = 0.06, p < 0.001) and FJS (R2 = 0.05, p < 0.01) scores. The Δ preoperative MPTA–TCA was significantly correlated (p < 0.001) with KOOS (R2 = 0.38), IKS Knee (R2 = 0.17), IKS function (R2 = 0.34), SKV (R2 = 0.08), and FJS (R2 = 0.37) scores. In subgroup analysis, non-outliers (< 3°) for Δ preoperative MPTA–TCA had better KOOS score (Δ = 23.5, p < 0.001) and IKS Function (Δ = 17.7, p < 0.001) compared to outliers (> 3°) patients. Conclusion : Functional results after medial UKA can be influenced by implant alignment in the coronal plane with slight clinical improvement when positioning the tibial implant close to the preoperative tibial deformity, rather than by restoring the Cartier angle. This series suggests the interest of a more personalized alignment strategy, but these results will have to be confirmed by other controlled studies. Level of evidence: IV, retrospective case series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Changes in coronal and sagittal alignment of the knee joint after HTO have been reported in several previous studies. However, only few of them investigated the changes only on coronal alignment of the ankle joint. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in both coronal and sagittal alignment of the ankle joint after HTO. Methods: 46 patients (49 cases) who underwent HTO were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative lower extremity scanogram and EOS imaging system were investigated. The hip–knee–ankle (HKA) angle, medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), and knee tibia plafond angle (KTPA) were measured by scanogram to evaluate coronal alignment of the knee. Tibial anterior surface angle (TAS), talar tilt (TT), tibial plafond inclination (TPI), and ankle joint axis point on the weight-bearing-line (AAWBL) ratio were measured by scanogram to investigate coronal alignment of the ankle. Knee lateral ankle surface angle (KLAS) and tibial lateral surface angle (TLS) were measured by EOS to evaluate sagittal alignment of the ankle. Results: Varus alignment of the knee was corrected by significant change of the HKA angle (5.8 ± 3.1° vs. − 2.1 ± 2.8°, p < 0.001), MPTA (85.7 ± 2.9° vs. 91.7 ± 3.3°, p < 0.001), and KTPA (5.0 ± 3.5° vs. − 2.1 ± 4.2°, p < 0.001) after HTO. Regarding the ankle coronal alignment, there was significant change in TPI (3.9 ± 3.4° vs. − 0.9 ± 3.8°, p < 0.001) and AAWBL ratio (45.5 ± 14.7% vs. 61.6 ± 13.3%, p < 0.001). In sagittal alignment of the ankle, KLAS (4.5 ± 3.1° vs. 7.7 ± 3.7°, p < 0.001) significantly increased. Among the variables, the amount of correction in AAWBL ratio (R = 0.608, p < 0.01) showed strongest relationship with tibial correction angle. Conclusion: Based on the present study, coronal and sagittal alignment of ankle joint was significantly affected by HTO. After HTO, AAWBL ratio increased due to lateralization of the ankle joint axis, and KLAS increased due to increased posterior tibial slope. Level of Evidence: III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes in patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SB-TKA) using either robotic-assisted TKA (RA-TKA) or conventional TKA (C-TKA). Methods: Included were the patients who underwent SB-TKA between January 2018 and January 2020 and had a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Of 151 patients included, 117 patients were operated using an image-free handheld robotic sculpting system (RA-TKA group) and 34 patients operated using conventional instrumentation (C-TKA group). The key outcomes noted were multiple patient-reported outcomes (PROs), adverse events, and radiological outcomes. Two investigators independently measured the radiological outcomes on pre- and post-operative radiographs in coronal plane (medial proximal tibial angle [MPTA] and anatomic lateral distal femoral angle [aLDFA]) and sagittal plane (posterior tibial slope [PTS] and posterior condylar offset [PCO]). The chi-square test was used to examine categorical variables. Student's t test was used to analyze the continuous variables. Results: Patients in both groups were similar in baseline characteristics (gender, body mass index, incidence of comorbidities, and length of hospital stay) except that RA-TKA group patients younger (66.7 ± 8.9 vs 70.4 ± 10.5, P = 0.037) than C-TKA group. The operative time was longer in RA-TKA group as compared to C-TKA (189.3 ± 37.1 vs 175.0 ± 28.2, P = 0.040). The final PROs at each were similar between the two groups (P > 0.05). The values of PROs at final follow-up in RA-TKA compared to C-TKA were VAS pain (0.4 ± 0.9 vs 0.4 ± 0.5), KOOS-JR (89.3 ± 5.8 vs 87.1 ± 5.3), and physical (55.9 ± 2.8 vs 55.4 ± 3.2), mental (61.1 ± 4.4 vs 60.2 ± 4.7) component of VR-12 scores, and KSS satisfaction (37.5 ± 1.1 vs 37.1 ± 2.2) (all P > 0.50 or non-significant [n.s.]). While one patient in RA-TKA required revision of femoral component for peri-prosthetic fracture, none of the patient in conventional group were revised (0.85% vs 0%, P = n.s.). The proportion of patients with outliers in RA-TKA group was lower for aLDFA (2.6% vs 22.1%, P < 0.01) and PTS (0% vs 35%, P < 0.01). Conclusion: This comparative study in patients undergoing SB-TKA found reduction of outliers in femoral and tibial implant positioning with RA-TKA as compared to C-TKA. There were no differences in both groups for pain, function, and satisfaction at a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. Level of evidence: III Therapeutic Study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Strategies to further improve patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty include the introduction of new alignment philosophies and more precise instruments such as navigation and robotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a combination of image-based robotic assistance and the use of modern alignment strategies on the resulting joint line obliquity as well as femoral component rotation and to compare this between varus, neutral and valgus knees. Methods: This retrospective study included 200 patients who received a robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (MAKO®, Stryker) using functional alignment between 2018 and 2020. The patients were divided into a varus (103 patients), neutral (57 patients) and valgus (40 patients) group. The intraoperatively recorded bone cuts and resulting joint line obliquity were identified and compared to values obtained with a robotic computer simulation of kinematic alignment. Results: The mean femoral coronal alignment of the varus, neutral and valgus group, respectively, equalled 0.5° (± 1.1°), 1.1° (± 0.8°) and 1.6° (± 0.7°) of valgus with functional alignment and 2.1° (± 2.1°), 4.1° (± 1.7°) and 6.2° (± 1.7°) of valgus with kinematic alignment. The mean femoral axial alignment of the valgus group resulted in 0.8° (± 2.0°) of internal rotation with functional alignment and 3.9° (± 2.8°) of internal rotation with kinematic alignment. Overall, 186 knees (93%) could be balanced while respecting certain safe zones by using functional alignment as opposed to 54 knees (27% and none in the valgus group) when applying kinematic alignment. Kinematic alignment led to a combination of femoral component valgus and internal rotation of more than 3° in 22 valgus knees (55%), 10 neutral knees (18%) and 3 varus knees (3%) compared to none in each group when applying functional alignment with safe zones. Conclusions: Robotic-assisted kinematic alignment leads to a combination of excessive valgus and internal rotation of the femoral component in valgus and to a lesser extent also in neutral knees when compared with functional alignment. Level of evidence: IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (R-TKA) has emerged as an alternative to improve the results of the conventional manual TKA (C-TKA). The aim of this study was to analyse the high-level studies comparing R-TKA and C-TKA in terms of clinical outcomes, radiological results, perioperative parameters, and complications. Methods: The literature search was conducted on three databases (PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science) on 1 February 2023 according to the guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Inclusion criteria were: randomized controlled trials (RCTs), written in English language, published in the last 15 years, focusing on the comparison of C-TKA and R-TKA results. The quality of each article was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials version 2 (RoB 2). The statistical analysis was carried out using random effects (DerSimonian & Laird) for weighted mean difference (MD) of the continuous variables and Peto method for odds ratios of the dichotomous variables. Results: Among the 2905 articles retrieved, 14 RCTs on 12 series of patients treated with mechanically aligned implants were included. A total of 2255 patients (25.1% males and 74.9% females; mean age 62.9 ± 3.0; mean BMI 28.1 ± 1.3) were analysed. The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis showed that R-TKA did not provide overall superior results compared to C-TKA in mechanically aligned implants in terms of clinical and radiological outcomes. R-TKA showed longer operative time (MD = 15.3 min, p = 0.004) and similar complication rates compared to C-TKA. A statistically significant difference in favour of R-TKA was found in the posterior-stabilized subgroup in terms of radiological outcomes (hip–knee–ankle angle MD = 1.7, p < 0.001) compared to C-TKA, although without resulting in appreciable difference of clinical outcomes. Conclusion: R-TKA did not provide overall superior results compared to C-TKA in terms of clinical and radiological outcomes, showing longer operative time and similar complication rates. Level of evidence: Level I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patient-specific alignment in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has shown promising patient-reported outcome measures; however, the clinical and biomechanical effects of restoring the native knee anatomy remain debated. The purpose of this study was to compare the gait pattern between a mechanically aligned TKA cohort (adjusted mechanical alignment—aMA) and a patient-specific alignment TKA cohort (inverse kinematic alignment—iKA). Methods: At two years postoperatively, the aMA and iKA groups, each with 15 patients, were analyzed in a retrospective case–control study. All patients underwent TKA with robotic assistance (Mako, Stryker) through an identical perioperative protocol. The patients' demographics were identical. The control group comprised 15 healthy participants matched for age and gender. Gait analysis was performed with a 3D motion capture system (VICON). Data collection was conducted by a blinded investigator. The primary outcomes were knee flexion during walking, knee adduction moment during walking and spatiotemporal parameters (STPs). The secondary outcomes were the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and Forgotten Joint Score (FJS). Results: During walking, the maximum knee flexion did not differ between the iKA group (53.0°) and the control group (55.1°), whereas the aMA group showed lower amplitudes of sagittal motion (47.4°). In addition, the native limb alignment in the iKA group was better restored, and although more in varus, the knee adduction moments in the iKA group were not increased (225 N mm/kg) compared to aMA group (276 N mm/kg). No significant differences in STPs were observed between patients receiving iKA and healthy controls. Six of 7 STPs differed significantly between patients receiving aMA and healthy controls. The OKS was significantly better in patients receiving iKA than aMA: 45.4 vs. 40.9; p = 0.05. The FJS was significantly better in patients receiving iKA than aMA: 84.8 vs. 55.5; p = 0.002. Conclusion: At two years postoperatively, the gait pattern showed greater resemblance to that in healthy controls in patients receiving iKA rather than aMA. The restoration of the native coronal limb alignment does not lead to increased knee adduction moments due to the restoration of the native tibial joint line obliquity. Level of evidence: Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy of balanced halo-pelvic traction (HPT) and evaluate its contribution to the correction surgery in treating adult severe rigid spinal deformity. Methods: One hundred and eight adult patients with severe rigid spinal deformity who underwent preoperative HPT and correction surgery were reviewed. The main coronal curve, segmental kyphotic angle, coronal balance (CB), sagittal balance (SVA), and the length of spine were measured before HPT, after HPT, post-operatively, and at final follow-up. The HPT contribution rates to deformity correction were calculated. Results: The pre-HPT main coronal curve was 103.4 ± 10.6°, improved to 61.0 ± 13.4° after traction and further improved to 44.2 ± 10.2° after surgical correction, and maintained at 50.3 ± 9.9° at final follow-up. CB started at 4.2 ± 4.8 cm, improved to 2.1 ± 2.5 cm after HPT, 0.8 ± 1.2 cm after operation, and 0.7 ± 0.9 cm at final follow-up. The pre-HPT sagittal segmental kyphotic angle was 67.3 ± 17.7°, was then improved to 42.2 ± 27.5° after traction and further improved to 34.9 ± 10.2° after surgery, and maintained at 35.4 ± 10.4° at final follow-up. The length of spine improved from 35.9 ± 5.9 to 42.6 ± 6.0 cm via HPT, reached up to 45.0 ± 6.0 cm after operation, and maintained at 44.3 ± 5.2 cm at final follow-up. Conclusion: HPT is effective for the treatment of severe rigid spinal deformity. Balanced HPT can dramatically improve coronal and sagittal deformity as well as spinal length before corrective surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating catalysis chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) direct spinning process is an attractive method for fabrication of carbon nanotube fibers (CNTFs). However, the intrinsic structural defects, such as entanglement of the constituent carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and inter-tube gaps within the FCCVD CNTFs, hinder the enhancement of mechanical/electrical properties and the realization of practical applications of CNTFs. Therefore, achieving a comprehensive reassembly of CNTFs with both high alignment and dense packing is particularly crucial. Herein, an efficient reinforcing strategy for FCCVD CNTFs was developed, involving chlorosulfonic acid-assisted wet stretching for CNT realigning and mechanical rolling for densification. To reveal the intrinsic relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical/electrical properties of CNTFs, the microstructure evolution of the CNTFs was characterized by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), polarized Raman spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The results demonstrate that this strategy can improve the CNT alignment and eliminate the inter-tube voids in the CNTFs, which will lead to the decrease of mean distance between CNTs and increase of inter-tube contact area, resulting in the enhanced inter-tube van der Waals interactions. These microstructural evolutions are beneficial to the load transfer and electron transport between CNTs, and are the main cause of the significant enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of the CNTFs. Specifically, the tensile strength, elastic modulus and electrical conductivity of the high-performance CNTFs are 7.67 GPa, 230 GPa and 4.36 × 106 S/m, respectively. It paves the way for further applications of CNTFs in high-end functional composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Osteoarthritis of the knee is commonly associated with malalignment of the lower limb. Recent classifications, as the Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) and Functional Phenotype classification, describe the bony knee morphology in addition to the overall limb alignment. Data on distribution of these classifications is not sufficient in large populations. The aim of this study was to analyse the preoperative knee morphology with regard to the aforementioned classifications in long leg radiographs prior to total knee arthroplasty surgery using Artificial Intelligence. Methods: The cohort comprised 8739 preoperative long leg radiographs of 7456 patients of all total knee arthroplasty surgeries between 2009 and 2021 from our institutional database. The automated measurements were performed with the validated Artificial Intelligence software LAMA (ImageBiopsy Lab, Vienna) and included standardized axes and angles [hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), mechanical lateral distal femur angle (mLDFA), mechanical medial proximal tibia angle (mMPTA), mechanical axis deviation (MAD), anatomic mechanic axis deviation (AMA) and joint line convergence angle (JLCA)]. CPAK and functional phenotype classifications were performed and all measurements were analysed for gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) within these subgroups. Results: Varus alignment was more common in men (m: 2008, 68.5%; f: 2953, 50.8%) while neutral (m: 578, 19.7%; f: 1357, 23.4%) and valgus (m: 345, 11.8%; f: 1498, 25.8%) alignment was more common in women. The most common morphotypes according to CPAK classification were CPAK Type I (2454; 28.1%), Type II (2383; 27.3%), and Type III (1830; 20.9%). An apex proximal joint line (CPAK Type VII, VIII and IX) was only found in 1.3% of all cases (n = 121). In men, CPAK Type I (1136; 38.8%) and CPAK Type II (799; 27.3%) were the most common types and women were spread more equally between CPAK Type I (1318; 22.7%), Type II (1584; 27.3%) and Type III (1494; 25.7%) (p < 0.001). The most common combination of femur and tibia types was NEUmLDFA0°,NEUmMPTA0° (m: 514, 17.5%; f: 1004, 17.3%), but men showed femoral varus more often. Patients with a higher BMI showed a significantly lower age at surgery (R2 = 0.09, p < 0.001). There were significant differences between men and women for all radiographic parameters (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Distribution in knee morphology with gender-specific differences highlights the wide range in osteoarthritic knees, characterized by CPAK and phenotype classification and may influence future surgical planning. Level of evidence: Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While transformer-based models have been remarkably successful in the field of visual question answering (VQA), their approaches to achieve vision and language feature alignment are simple and coarse. In recent years, this shortcoming has been further amplified with the popularity of vision-language pretraining, resulting in the slow development of an effective architecture for multimodal alignment. Based on this, we propose the shrinkage transformer-visual question answering (ST-VQA) framework. It aims to achieve more accurate multimodal alignment than the standard transformer. First, the ST-VQA framework uses the region feature of an image as a visual representation. Secondly, between the different Transformer layers, the ST-VQA framework reduces the number of visual regions in the transformer by feature fusion and ensures the difference between new regions by contrast loss. Finally, visual and textual features are fused and used for decision making answers. Many experiments demonstrate that without pretraining, our proposed method achieves better performance than the standard transformer and outperforms partial state-of-the-art methods on the VQA-v2 dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This multi-case study examined the strengths and weaknesses of aligning teaching–learning-assessment of classroom project-based learning to curriculum standards and offered suggestions for teacher training and instructional improvement. The study constructed an alignment analysis framework for analyzing the cognitive dimension of classroom project-based learning and analyzed the situation of two junior high schools in Zhejiang Province using deductive and inductive content analysis. According to the results, the cognitive demands of classroom instruction activities and classroom assessments were much higher than those of teaching objectives and curriculum standards. Simultaneously, classroom instruction paid insufficient attention to engineering topics, and all instructional implementation elements exhibited content and cognitive deficiencies. The study suggests that teachers' dearth of engineering knowledge and the characteristics of project-based learning in the classroom are the primary reasons for the lack of alignment among three instructional implementation elements with curriculum standards. Similarly, it was discovered that classroom project-based learning has the characteristics of co-development of physical knowledge and engineering content and that future research can focus on developing more effective forms of classroom content organization and time distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]