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研究論文, Original article, 〔目的〕本研究の目的は，0.5 度刻みで設定した被写体に対し，学生が検査者となった場合，デジタル画像解析による角度測定の精度を検証することである．〔対象と方法〕検査者は大学生10 名とした．デジタルカメラで撮影した被写体は，89.0 度，89.5 度，90.0 度，90.5 度，91.0 度の5 条件を設定したモデルとした．得られたデジタル画像に対し，各条件で3 回の角度測定を行った．〔結果〕すべての検査者において，測定値は，いずれの設定条件でも設定角度の大きい条件は小さい条件より大きかった．また，各条件間で有意な差を認めた．絶対誤差は，平均0.16 ± 0.05 度であった．級内相関係数ICC（1，3）は0.981-0.987 であった．〔結語〕この研究では，デジタル画像解析が，大学生が測定しても，小さな変化を検出できる精度をもっていることが示唆された．, [Purpose] The purpose of this study is to verify the accuracy of angle measurement by digital image analysis for subjects set at 0.5-degree increments.[Methods] The examiners were 10 university students. The subjects were photographed with a digital camera, and the model was set to five conditions: 89.0, 89.5, 90.0, 90.5, and 91.0 degrees. The examiner performed angle measurements in each condition using the digital images obtained.[Results] In all examiners, measurements were greater for the larger set angle condition than for the smaller set angle condition for all conditions. In addition, measurements were significantly different between conditions. Absolute errors averaged 0.16 ± 0.05 degrees. The intraclass correlation coefficient ICC (1, 3) was 0.981-0.987.[Conclusion] This study suggests that digital image analysis has the accuracy to detect small changes even when measured by university students.

Nano-reinforcements in carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) have proven to enhance the mechanical properties considering quasi-static, as well as fatigue load and, are a promising option with regard to CFRP performance optimisation. While general knowledge about the nanofiller content and its influence in CFRP is well documented, the use of alignment techniques for a specific orientation of the nano-reinforcements is still insufficiently studied. In this work, the influence of oriented carbon nanofibres (CNF) on the mechanical properties of bidirectional CFRP is investigated. CFRP was produced CNF-reinforced with and without orientation using a hot press, where an electric field was applied during curing. The laminates were characterised with respect to dispersion quality, pore volume, quasi-static properties (tensile and bending tests) and dynamic properties (fatigue tests). Electrical resistance measurement was applied together with digital image correlation and in situ computed tomography to generate knowledge about the fatigue-related damage evolution and evaluate the sensors for viable use of condition monitoring. Results show that the orientation of CNF has a significant impact on both quasi-static and fatigue properties, increasing the strength while reducing and slowing down the introduced damage. Orientation of nanofillers thus shows large optimization potential of mechanical properties of CFRP components., Journal of composite materials;57(6)

Abandonar la promesa de la felicitat com a propòsit de vida i pensar la possibilitat d'habitar la infelicitat és la proposta política i feminista d'Ahmed per a evitar els abusos comesos en nom de la felicitat. Aquest treball té com a objectiu l'anàlisi dels subjectes voluntariosos, amb la finalitat de mostrar com els constants disciplinaments socials i l'opressió dels marcs conceptuals provoquen que les seves vides transcorrin en la incomoditat. A partir d'aquí, s'argumenta que un camí de resistència a la promesa de la felicitat consisteix a resignificar la infelicitat en una direcció prometedora que canvia les preguntes rellevants i accepta les subjectivitats alternatives com a desitjables maneres de convivència., Rejecting the imperative to be happy and contemplating the possibility of inhabiting unhappiness is Ahmed’s politics proposal to avoid the abuses committed in the name of happiness. This paper focuses on the analysis of willful subjects, on how the continual processes of social disciplining and the oppression of conceptual frameworks make their lives go by in discomfort. From here, I go into an attempt to show how our resistance to the promise of happiness might take the form of a resignification of unhappiness in a promising direction which changes the relevant questions and turns those alternative ways of life into desirable modes of coexistence.&nbsp, Abandonar la promesa de la felicidad como objetivo de vida y pensar la posibilidad de habitar la infelicidad es la propuesta política y feminista de Ahmed para evitar los abusos cometidos en nombre de la felicidad. Este trabajo se centra en el análisis de los sujetos voluntariosos, en cómo los constantes disciplinamientos sociales y la opresión de los marcos conceptuales provocan que sus vidas transcurran en la incomodidad. A partir de ahí, se incide en mostrar que un camino de resistencia a la promesa de la felicidad podría ser resignificar la infelicidad en una dirección prometedora que cambie las preguntas relevantes y acepte las formas alternativas de vida como deseables modos de convivencia.

Augmented reality (AR) permits the visualization of pre-operative data in the surgical field of view of the surgeon. This requires the alignment of the AR device’s coordinate system with the used navigation/tracking system. We propose a multimodal marker approach to align an AR device with a tracking system: in our implementation, an electromagnetic tracking system (EMTS). The solution makes use of a calibration method which determines the relationship between a 2D pattern detected by an RGB camera and an electromagnetic sensor of the EMTS. This allowed the projection of a 3D skull model on its physical counterpart. This projection was evaluated using a monocular camera and an optical see-through device (HoloLens 2) (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/) achieving an accuracy of less than 2.5 mm in the image plane of the HoloLens 2 (HL2). Additionally, 10 volunteers participated in a user study consisting of an alignment task of a pointer with 25 projections viewed through the HL2. The participants achieved a mean error of 2.7 1.3 mm and 2.9 2.9$$^\circ $$ ∘ in positional and orientation error. This study showcases the feasibility of the approach, provides an evaluation of the alignment, and finally, discusses its advantages and limitations.

The present study addresses young childrens (three-to five-year-olds) peer interactions and explores a recurrent interactional genre, i.e. childrens affectively heightened attention-organizing practices used when initiating an exchange in preschool interactions in Sweden. The data consists of 40 h of video recordings collected in two regular pre-schools in Sweden. By using Multimodal Interaction Analysis (Goodwin, 2000) of video -recordings from everyday activities, we examine the verbal, embodied and material fea-tures of childrens interactions. The analysis shows that children exploited common access to objects or physical personal attributes within their socio-material environment and relied on them to secure the others attention, while using various methods for making the object noteworthy. By indexing their affective stance towards the referent, the children created the interpretative framework for the recipients response. However, the recipients orientation and stance alignment were not to be presumed. The peer responses comprised a continuum of their affective engagement: the children aligned with or downplayed the prior speakers stance through the affective quality of their response. In all, detailed interactional analysis reveals the young childrens interactional repertoires and the communicative challenges associated with childrens peer interactions. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council [742-2013-7626]

The use of molecular data to study the evolutionary history of organisms has revolutionized the field of systematics. Now with the appearance of high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies, more and more genetic sequence data are available. One of the important sources of genetic data for phylogenetic analyses has been mitochondrial DNA. The limitations of mitochondrial DNA for the study of phylogenetic relationships have been thoroughly explored in the age of single locus phylogenetic studies. Now with the appearance of genomic scale data, increasing number of mitochondrial genomes are available, leading to an increasing number of mitophylogenomic studies. Here, we assemble 47 mitochondrial genomes using whole genome Illumina short reads from representatives of the family Erebidae (Lepidoptera), in order to evaluate the accuracy of mitochondrial genome application in resolving deep phylogenetic relationships. We find that mitogenomes are inadequate for resolving subfamily-level relationships in Erebidae, but given good taxon sampling, we see its potential in resolving lower level phylogenetic relationships.

The success of many clinical, association, or population genetics studies critically relies on properly performed variant calling step. The variety of modern genomics protocols, techniques, and platforms makes our choices of methods and algorithms difficult and there is no "one size fits all" solution for study design and data analysis. In this review, we discuss considerations that need to be taken into account while designing the study and preparing for the experiments. We outline the variety of variant types that can be detected using sequencing approaches and highlight some specific requirements and basic principles of their detection. Finally, we cover interesting developments that enable variant calling for a broad range of applications in the genomics field. We conclude by discussing technological and algorithmic advances that have the potential to change the ways of calling DNA variants in the nearest future.

Multimodal registration is a challenging problem in visual computing, commonly faced during medical image-guided interventions, data fusion and 3D object retrieval. The main challenge of multimodal registration is finding accurate correspondence between modalities, since different modalities do not exhibit the same characteristics. This paper explores how the coherence of different modalities can be utilized for the challenging task of 3D multimodal registration. A novel deep learning multimodal registration framework is proposed by introducing a siamese deep learning architecture, especially designed for aligning and fusing modalities of different structural and physical principles. The cross-modal attention blocks lead the network to establish correspondences between features of different modalities. The proposed framework focuses on the alignment of 3D point clouds and the micro-CT 3D volumes of the same object. A multimodal dataset consisting of real micro-CT scans and their synthetically generated 3D models (point clouds) is presented and utilized for evaluating our methodology.

Podrijetlo i odnosi među vrstama proučavaju se stoljećima. Kako je vrijeme prolazilo, pojavile su se mnoge nove tehnologije koje su povukle nova područja studija. Jedno od tih područja je bioinformatika, disciplina koja se bavi prikupljanjem i analizom bioloških podataka. Potpodručje bioinformatike koje se naziva filogenija usredotočuje se na odnose među organizmima. Koristi različite metode za izračunavanje razlika u genetskom materijalu vrsta, a zatim ih vizualizira u obliku filogenetskih stabala. U ovom radu implementirala sam dvije metode koje koriste udaljenosti sekvenci aminokiselina različitih podtipova HIV virusa za konstruiranje filogenetskog stabla: UPGMA i Metodu povezivanja susjeda. Udaljenost dviju sekvenci izračunata je primjenom Jukes-Cantorovog korekcijskog modela na broj vidljivih razlika. Stabla se vizualiziraju jednostavnom manipulacijom i ispisom znakova koji predstavljaju čvorove i grane. Na kraju uspoređujem svoju vizualizaciju s onom iz Biopython modula. The origin and relations between species have been studied for centuries. With the passage of time, many new technologies have emerged dragging along new fields of studies. One of those fields is bioinformatics, a discipline concerned with collecting and analyzing biological data. A subfield of bioinformatics called phylogeny focuses on relations between organisms. It uses different methods for calculating differences in the genetic material of species and then visualizes them in the form of phylogenetic trees. In this paper I have implemented two methods that use the distances of amino acid sequences of different HIV virus subtypes to construct a phylogenetic tree: UPGMA and Neighbor-Joining method. The distance of two sequences is calculated by applying Jukes-Cantor's correction model to the number of visible differences. Trees are visualized by simple manipulation and printing of characters that represent nodes and branches. In the end I compare my visualization to that of Biopython module.

This study relies on an interactional, conversational–analytic approach to elucidate what meanings Chilean Spanish speakers convey via creaky voice quality in informal conversations. Highly creaky utterances produced by 18 speakers were derived from a larger corpus of sociolinguistic interview speech from Santiago, Chile, and examined via an interactional approach that accounted for how creaky voice figured in the process of meaning-making and meaning negotiations throughout the conversation. Results indicate that approximately 40% of highly creaky utterances were used to organize the speaker’s discourse, signaling the end of turns, hedges or uncertainty, and a change in communicative purpose, while the majority of the highly creaky utterances were used to invoke alignment with the listener via ensuring that their messages or stances were understood and potentially endorsed. This study offers evidence from a non-English language for creaky voice as a tool for both discursive organization and interactional alignment.

The current research aimed to examine the similarities and differences in bullying prevalence across the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Level tests require measurement invariance to be met before they can be performed. In 2019, 45k people participated and provided data for the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). When the exact measurement invariance (MI) protocols failed, the alignment methodology was used to analyze the data. After ensuring measurement invariance via the free alignment method, findings revealed statistically significant differences in bullying prevalence; specifically, bullying levels were significantly lower in Saudi Arabia compared to all other countries. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, with the second-lowest bullying rates, which were also significantly lower compared to the rates in all the other countries. As a whole, Saudi Arabia had the lowest levels, followed by the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. Although the absolute difference between Saudi Arabia and the other countries was only modest, further research into the causes, consequences, and preventative measures of bullying is warranted.

Magistrska naloga predstavlja metodo za avtomatsko segmentacijo maternic v 3D ultrazvočnih podatkih ter izdelavo referenčnega modela zdrave maternice. Delo je nastalo v okviru raziskave NURSE, katere cilj je določiti merila za normalno maternico ter ugotoviti morebitna odstopanja pri ženskah z neplodnostjo in spontanimi splavi. V tej nalogi so predstavljeni globoki nevronski model za avtomatsko segmentacijo maternic, ki dosega natančnost $0.899$ (Diceov koeficient), algoritem za poravnavo segmentiranih 3D modelov maternic ter vizualizacija povprečnega modela maternice. S to nalogo prav tako objavljamo javno podatkovno zbirko označenih volumetričnih ultrazvočnih posnetkov maternic. Predlagane metode in ugotovitve zagotavljajo dragocen vpogled v analizo oblike maternice in prispevajo k razvoju področja ginekologije. This master's thesis presents a method for the automatic segmentation of uteri in 3D ultrasound data and a reference model of a healthy uterus. The work is part of the NURSE research, which aims to determine the criteria for a normal uterus and identify possible deviations in women with infertility and repeated miscarriages. In this work, we present a deep neural model for the automatic segmentation of the uterus, which achieved a Dice score of 0.899, an algorithm for the alignment of segmented 3D shapes, and visualization of the average model of the uterus obtained with the presented methods. We will also publish a public database of annotated volumetric ultrasound data. The proposed methods and findings provide valuable insights into the analysis of uterine shape and contribute to the field of gynecology.

Since the end of the Cold War, informal security cooperation has been on the rise. Besides formal alliances, states are increasingly establishing so-called “strategic partnerships”. This new form of security cooperation is currently under-researched, although governments consider it an important foreign policy tool. We do not yet know whether security interests are the basis of these arrangements or whether strategic partnerships function as substitutes for or complements to formal alliances. This article addresses both issues by analyzing a new dataset on strategic partnerships with the involvement of G20 countries. I find that two or more states are most likely to be tied by partnerships when the presence of a common threat coincides with the absence of their joint membership in a formal alliance. However, states parties to a formal alliance with a lower commitment, such as a consultation, neutrality, or non-aggression pact, are also likely to be tied to each other by partnerships when they face a common threat.

In this short report, I explore whether Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Homo sapiens share genomic sequence through shared k-mer analysis and simulated read alignment. You can read the HTML version on my website., {"references":["Nilgiriwala K, Rabodoarivelo M-S, Hall MB, Patel G, Mandal A, Mishra S, et al. Genomic sequencing from sputum for tuberculosis disease diagnosis, lineage determination, and drug susceptibility prediction. J Clin Microbiol. 2023;61: e0157822. doi:10.1128/jcm.01578-22","Rhie A, Nurk S, Cechova M, Hoyt SJ, Taylor DJ, Altemose N, et al. The complete sequence of a human Y chromosome. bioRxiv. 2022. doi:10.1101/2022.12.01.518724","Cole ST, Brosch R, Parkhill J, Garnier T, Churcher C, Harris D, et al. Deciphering the biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from the complete genome sequence. Nature. 1998;393: 537–544. doi:10.1038/31159","Wick R. Badread: simulation of error-prone long reads. J Open Source Softw. 2019;4: 1316. doi:10.21105/joss.01316","Li H. Minimap2: pairwise alignment for nucleotide sequences. Bioinformatics. 2018;34: 3094–3100. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/bty191","Jain C, Rhie A, Hansen NF, Koren S, Phillippy AM. Long-read mapping to repetitive reference sequences using Winnowmap2. Nat Methods. 2022;19: 705–710. doi:10.1038/s41592-022-01457-8","Huang W, Li L, Myers JR, Marth GT. ART: a next-generation sequencing read simulator. Bioinformatics. 2012;28: 593–594. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btr708"]}

To undertake the modernization of Azerbaijan’s water sector, the government of Azerbaijan collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in a comprehensive initiative to explore stakeholder perceptions on in-country water governance. The research approach, designed by national water experts and the authors, resulted in the development and administration of a stakeholder engagement and perception survey. The survey, implemented in 2022, elicited responses from a total of 219 state and non-state actors. To enrich interpretations of the survey, this study furthers the analysis of the government commissioned FAO stakeholder survey results and sheds additional insights as to where stakeholders see problems in water governance processes. This independent study informs the broader FAO project and generates supplemental recommendations to the Azerbaijani government for legislative and executive-level action to make Azerbaijan’s water sector more resilient as the climate changes and water insecurity increases. Even though an impressive number of 219 stakeholders participated in the survey, 80% of the responses were from state stakeholders, thus introducing significant bias into the dataset. In order to cope with the bias and make the best of the dataset, the authors analyzed the responses with a customized categorical methodology. Stakeholders were categorized into state, non-state, decision-maker, or executive groups and were examined for trends using various Pareto analyses. Interpretation of the survey responses reveals that, while stakeholders in the water sector interact through informal and formal means, stakeholder groups, to a large extent, lack an understanding of the barriers to stakeholder engagement in water-related policy matters. The stakeholders that indicate understanding of challenges accompanying water policy engagement note a lack of data, a lack of human and institutional capacity, and a lack of financial support to be some of the most common obstacles encountered in the sector. Furthermore, perceptions differ regarding the need for governance reform, the criticality of climate change, institutional resistance to change, policy or practice gaps, transparency, and variables needed for successful stakeholder engagement across all sectors. Such variations in perceptions illustrate the need for restructuring stakeholder interactive platforms and financial channeling to lead to better water governance and water management.

Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s). While decomposition of organic matter by bacteria plays a major role in nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, the significance of viruses remains poorly understood. Here we combined metagenomics and metatranscriptomics with temporal sampling to study the significance of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria and their viruses on nutrient cycling during industrial-scale hyperthermophilic composting (HTC). Our results show that virus-bacteria density dynamics and activity are tightly coupled, where viruses specific to mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria track their host densities, triggering microbial community succession via top-down control during HTC. Moreover, viruses specific to mesophilic bacteria encoded and expressed several auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) linked to carbon cycling, impacting nutrient turnover alongside bacteria. Nutrient turnover correlated positively with virus–host ratio, indicative of a positive relationship between ecosystem functioning, viral abundances, and viral activity. These effects were predominantly driven by DNA viruses as most detected RNA viruses were associated with eukaryotes and not associated with nutrient cycling during the thermophilic phase of composting. Our findings suggest that DNA viruses could drive nutrient cycling during HTC by recycling bacterial biomass through cell lysis and by expressing key AMGs. Viruses could hence potentially be used as indicators of microbial ecosystem functioning to optimize productivity of biotechnological and agricultural systems.

To enhance the crypticity and operational efficiency of unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) charging, we propose an automatic alignment method for an underwater charging platform based on monocular vision recognition. This method accurately identifies the UUV number and guides the charging stake to smoothly insert into the charging port of the UUV through target recognition. To decode the UUV’s identity information, even in challenging imaging conditions, an encryption encoding method containing redundant information and an ArUco code reconstruction method are proposed. To address the challenge of underwater target location determination, a target location determination method was proposed based on deep learning and the law of refraction. The method can determine the two-dimensional coordinates of the target location underwater using the UUV target spray position. To meet the real-time control requirements and the harsh underwater imaging environment, we proposed a target recognition algorithm to guide the charging platform towards the target direction. The practical underwater alignment experiments demonstrate the method’s strong real-time performance and its adaptability to underwater environments. The final alignment error is approximately 0.5548 mm, meeting the required alignment accuracy and ensuring successful alignment.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the factorial structure of the bullying scale on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS 2019) for eighth graders and evaluate the instrument’s invariance across gender so that tests of level between males and females can be conducted. Data came from the 2019 cohort of TIMSS in Saudi Arabia. The 14-item scale was evaluated using three competing models: (a) a unidimensional structure, (b) the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) online, non-online two-factor model, and (c) the Wang et al. (2012) 4-domain bullying taxonomy. Participants were 5567 eighth graders who participated in the 2019 TIMSS study. There were 2856 females and 2711 males. The mean age was 13.9 years. Data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Mplus 8.9. Results indicated that a 4-domain structure including verbal, physical, relational, and online bullying represented the most optimal factor structure of the 14-item bullying measure. Tests of exact measurement invariance for gender originally failed but were then satisfied using the newly recommended “alignment” methodology. Latent mean differences were salient and significant suggesting that levels of bullying across all domains were elevated in males compared to females, contrasting earlier views that different types of bullying are linked to males versus females. Results are discussed in relation to educational policy interventions.

This study describes the opposite charge electrospun method for preparation of polyacrilonitrile / DMF nanofibrous tubular structure . Constant a processing parameters such as high polymer concentration and high rotational speed mandrel collector with varied the applied voltage and flow rate in wide range to display the effect of each one in determining the diameter , alignment, porosity, mean surface area and mean pores size of nanofibers. Tubular structures were produced from highly aligned continuous and uniform nanofibers through the opposite charge electrospinning methods and effect of each regulating parameter on tubular structure properties were evaluated and characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and thresholding method. Increasing flow rate of polymer solution considerably increased the diameter of the nanofibers , ranges of the average diameters were larger , the nanofibers diameter distribution were gradually border. Nanofibers diameter on the other hand, decreased as the applied voltage increased, ranges of the average diameters were smaller and the nanofibers diameter distribution were gradually narrower . while increased the porosity % , heights intensity(Y%) and mean surface area (nm2) and decreased the mean pores size (nm) with increased both the applied voltage and flow rate of polymer solution

An electronic survey was administered to multidisciplinary neurocritical care providers at 365 hospitals in 32 countries to describe intrahospital transport (IHT) practices of neurocritically ill patients at their institutions. The reported IHT practices were stratified by World Bank country income level. Variability between high-income (HIC) and low/middle-income (LMIC) groups, as well as variability between hospitals within countries, were expressed as counts/percentages and intracluster correlation coefficients (ICCs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 246 hospitals (67% response rate; n = 103, 42% HIC and n = 143, 58% LMIC) participated. LMIC hospitals were less likely to report a portable CT scanner (RR 0.39, 95% CI [0.23; 0.67]), more likely to report a pre-IHT checklist (RR 2.18, 95% CI [1.53; 3.11]), and more likely to report that intensive care unit (ICU) physicians routinely participated in IHTs (RR 1.33, 95% CI [1.02; 1.72]). Between- and across-country variation were highest for pre-IHT external ventricular drain clamp tolerance (reported by 40% of the hospitals, ICC 0.22, 95% CI 0.00–0.46) and end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring during IHT (reported by 29% of the hospitals, ICC 0.46, 95% CI 0.07–0.71). Brain tissue oxygenation monitoring during IHT was reported by only 9% of the participating hospitals. An IHT standard operating procedure (SOP)/hospital policy (HP) was reported by 37% (n = 90); HIC: 43% (n= 44) vs. LMIC: 32% (n = 46), p = 0.56. Amongst the IHT SOP/HPs reviewed (n = 13), 90% did not address the continuation of hemodynamic and neurophysiological monitoring during IHT. In conclusion, the development of a neurocritical-care-specific IHT SOP/HP as well as the alignment of practices related to the IHT of neurocritically ill patients are urgent unmet needs. Inconsistent standards related to neurophysiological monitoring during IHT warrant in-depth scrutiny across hospitals and suggest a need for international guidelines for neurocritical care IHT.

One of the major upcoming challenges in particle physics is achieving precise measurements of the Z, W, and H bosons, as well as the top quark. To meet these targets, the next e\textsuperscript{+}e\textsuperscript{-} collider complex, FCC-ee, will need to achieve unprecedented luminosities. The FCC-IS European Study is investigating the feasibility of these challenges, with a cornerstone of the study being the design and optimization of the high-energy booster (HEB). This paper provides an update on the status of the HEB of FCC-ee in light of recent developments in the injector and collider survey, as well as an overview of ongoing work on longitudinal stability and design robustness in relation to field, alignment, and diagnostics errors. Constraints and effects related to the design frequency of the accelerating cavities, as well as collective effects, are also highlighted. Lastly, the paper presents an investigation into an alternative arcs cell design., Comment: pre-print of ICFA Newsletter 2023

The Americas, particularly Brazil, were greatly impacted by the widespread Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in 2015 and 2016. Efforts were made to implement genomic surveillance of ZIKV as part of the public health responses. The accuracy of spatiotemporal reconstructions of the epidemic spread relies on the unbiased sampling of the transmission process. In the early stages of the outbreak, we recruited patients exhibiting clinical symptoms of arbovirus-like infection from Salvador and Campo Formoso, Bahia, in Northeast Brazil. Between May 2015 and June 2016, we identified 21 cases of acute ZIKV infection and subsequently recovered 14 near full-length sequences using the amplicon tiling multiplex approach with nanopore sequencing. We performed a time-calibrated discrete phylogeographic analysis to trace the spread and migration history of the ZIKV. Our phylogenetic analysis supports a consistent relationship between ZIKV migration from Northeast to Southeast Brazil and its subsequent dissemination beyond Brazil. Additionally, our analysis provides insights into the migration of ZIKV from Brazil to Haiti and the role Brazil played in the spread of ZIKV to other countries, such as Singapore, the USA, and the Dominican Republic. The data generated by this study enhances our understanding of ZIKV dynamics and supports the existing knowledge, which can aid in future surveillance efforts against the virus. ispartof: VIRUSES-BASEL vol:15 issue:6 ispartof: location:Switzerland status: published

The genomic diversity across strains of a species forms the genetic basis for differences in their behavior. A large-scale assessment of sequence variation has been made possible by the growing availability of strain-specific whole-genome sequences (WGS) and with the advent of large-scale databases of laboratory-acquired mutations. We define the Escherichia coli “alleleome” through a genome-scale assessment of amino acid (AA) sequence diversity in open reading frames across 2,661 WGS from wild-type strains. We observe a highly conserved alleleome enriched in mutations unlikely to affect protein function. In contrast, 33,000 mutations acquired in laboratory evolution experiments result in more severe AA substitutions that are rarely achieved by natural selection. Large-scale assessment of the alleleome establishes a method for the quantification of bacterial allelic diversity, reveals opportunities for synthetic biology to explore novel sequence space, and offers insights into the constraints governing evolution.

The article examines the superstructures of the tramway tracks of tramway line No. 1 in Budapest (the capital of Hungary). Since the first appearance of tramways, several technological advancements have been made to serve passenger needs as efficiently as possible. Several types of tramway track superstructure systems can be differentiated, which are implemented differently in each project. Furthermore, these superstructure types have different degradation times (both geometrical and structural), which depend on several factors. Nowadays, visual inspections are no longer considered sufficient in monitoring the tracks’ condition and deterioration, thus it is necessary to consider examinations carried out using the sensors mounted on the vehicles. Adopting appropriate methods, the measured data can be modeled and the life cycle of superstructures and structural elements can be determined as a result of sufficiently long-term studies (i.e., life cycle costs, the whole lifetime, etc.). First, the authors present a review of the relevant international literature, after that they conduct analysis of track geometry parameters of the superstructures related to five sections on the investigated tramway line based on the results of the measurements performed for three consecutive years between 2019 and 2021. The analyses consist primarily in statistical examination of the measured and calculated parameters.

Thomas, Egan et al. report that hexokinase 2 localizes to the nucleus of leukaemic and normal haematopoietic cells to maintain stemness by interacting with nuclear proteins and modulating chromatin accessibility independently of its kinase activity.Mitochondrial metabolites regulate leukaemic and normal stem cells by affecting epigenetic marks. How mitochondrial enzymes localize to the nucleus to control stem cell function is less understood. We discovered that the mitochondrial metabolic enzyme hexokinase 2 (HK2) localizes to the nucleus in leukaemic and normal haematopoietic stem cells. Overexpression of nuclear HK2 increases leukaemic stem cell properties and decreases differentiation, whereas selective nuclear HK2 knockdown promotes differentiation and decreases stem cell function. Nuclear HK2 localization is phosphorylation-dependent, requires active import and export, and regulates differentiation independently of its enzymatic activity. HK2 interacts with nuclear proteins regulating chromatin openness, increasing chromatin accessibilities at leukaemic stem cell-positive signature and DNA-repair sites. Nuclear HK2 overexpression decreases double-strand breaks and confers chemoresistance, which may contribute to the mechanism by which leukaemic stem cells resist DNA-damaging agents. Thus, we describe a non-canonical mechanism by which mitochondrial enzymes influence stem cell function independently of their metabolic function.

Purpose:Young age at breast cancer diagnosis correlates with unfavorable clinicopathologic features and worse outcomes compared with older women. Understanding biological differences between breast tumors in young versus older women may lead to better therapeutic approaches for younger patients.Experimental Design:We identified 100 patients ≤35 years old at nonmetastatic breast cancer diagnosis who participated in the prospective Young Women's Breast Cancer Study cohort. Tumors were assigned a surrogate intrinsic subtype based on receptor status and grade. Whole-exome sequencing of tumor and germline samples was performed. Genomic alterations were compared with older women (≥45 years old) in The Cancer Genome Atlas, according to intrinsic subtype.Results:Ninety-three tumors from 92 patients were successfully sequenced. Median age was 32.5 years; 52.7% of tumors were hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative, 28.0% HER2-positive, and 16.1% triple-negative. Comparison of young to older women (median age 61 years) with luminal A tumors (N = 28 young women) revealed three significant differences: PIK3CA alterations were more common in older patients, whereas GATA3 and ARID1A alterations were more common in young patients. No significant genomic differences were found comparing age groups in other intrinsic subtypes. Twenty-two patients (23.9%) in the Young Women's Study cohort carried a pathogenic germline variant, most commonly (13 patients, 14.1%) in BRCA1/2.Conclusions:Somatic alterations in three genes (PIK3CA, GATA3, and ARID1A) occur at different frequencies in young versus older women with luminal A breast cancer. Additional investigation of these genes and associated pathways could delineate biological susceptibilities and improve treatment options for young patients with breast cancer.See related commentary by Yehia and Eng, p. 2209

A beta-class carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) was cloned from the genome of the Monogenean platyhelminth Gyrodactylus salaris, a parasite of Atlantic salmon. The new enzyme, GsaCA beta has a significant catalytic activity for the physiological reaction, CO2 + H2O (sic) HCO3- + H+ with a k(cat) of 1.1 x 10(5) s(-1) and a k(cat)/K-m of 7.58 x 10(6) M-1 x s(-1). This activity was inhibited by acetazolamide (K-I of 0.46 mu M), a sulphonamide in clinical use, as well as by selected inorganic anions and small molecules. Most tested anions inhibited GsaCA beta at millimolar concentrations, but sulfamide (K-I of 81 mu M), N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (K-I of 67 mu M) and sulphamic acid (K-I of 6.2 mu M) showed a rather efficient inhibitory action. There are currently very few non-toxic agents effective in combating this parasite. GsaCA beta is subsequently proposed as a new drug target for which effective inhibitors can be designed.

Mixed reality provides on-the-spot and real-time data access capabilities by making virtual models and information more intuitive and accessible. Furthermore, allowing the operator to perceive 3D as holograms would allow for a more natural and straightforward manipulation of the perceived 3D content by permitting the augmentation of real objects with various levels of data. This can be accomplished by appropriately registering and superimposing the presented 3D models with the surrounding environment. This work aims to provide a quantitative evaluation of HoloLens 2 capabilities in registering virtual content inside monumental spaces. Two different methodologies are evaluated: Vuforia image targets and Microsoft World Locking Tools (WLTs). Tests have been performed inside Milan Cathedral's monumental spaces. Here, ambience dimensions, single architectural element repetition and non-uniform lighting conditions push out-of-the-box methods to their limits. Results show that WLTs with their space pins API can correctly reference virtual content keeping deviations in the order of 15 cm coping with the scale error produced from sensors’ drifts.

Compound refractive lenses (CRLs) are established X-ray focusing optics, and are used to focus the beam or image the sample in many beamlines at X-ray facilities. While CRLs are quite established, the stack of single lens elements affords a very small numerical aperture because of the thick lens profile, making them far more difficult to align than classical optical lenses that obey the thin-lens approximation. This means that the alignment must be very precise and is highly sensitive to changes to the incident beam, often requiring regular readjustments. Some groups circumvent the full realignment procedure by using engineering controls (e.g. mounting optics) that sacrifice some of the beam's focusing precision, i.e. spot size, or resolution. While these choices minimize setup time, there are clear disadvantages. This work presents a new automated approach to align CRLs using a simple alignment apparatus that is easy to adapt and install at different types of X-ray experiments or facilities. This approach builds on recent CRL modeling efforts, using an approach based on the Stochastic Nelder–Mead (SNM) simplex method. This method is outlined and its efficacy is demonstrated with numerical simulation that is tested in real experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Source to confirm its performance with a synchrotron beam. This work provides an opportunity to automate key instrumentation at X-ray facilities.

Seeing sociology visually adds a sense of realness to the viewer compared to only reading sociological texts. In this paper, I aim to provide an example of how a single scene from a feature film can be utilized as a practical and meaningful means to analyze a social situation and to help students of sociology to grasp key features of Goffman’s theory of interaction order. More precisely, the main aims of the paper are 1) to illustrate Goffman’s theory of the interaction order by identifying acts of disruption and alignment in interaction through a film clip; and 2) to attempt to analyze, in a Goffmanian sense, what is really going on in the situational interaction. The scene is from the 2013 American movie August: Osage County and follows a dinner of immediate family in the wake of the funeral of the hostess’s late husband. The normative and civilized interaction of the meal is, however, jeopardized by the hostile and provocative mood of the hostess, as she repeatedly disrupts the interaction order with attempts to mock and/or uncover the hidden and vulnerable truths of the immediate members of her family, exemplifying her power status in the particular situation. The dinner guests, however, try to overlook and resist the provocation of the hostess and stick to their predetermined roles to save and sustain their idealized selves (their faces) and the interaction order (the faces of others), In doing so they, on the one hand, discard the uncomfortable truths acclaimed by the hostess and, on the other, explain the hostess’s provocative actions in terms of their claim that she is unwell and in need of medical attention. Thus, the attacked dinner guests in the scene align more alliance to the interaction order than to truth itself.

The propensity of cells to align in particular directions is relevant to a number of areas, including tissue engineering and biohybrid robotics. Cell alignment is modulated through various extracellular conditions including surface topographies, mechanical cues from cell-matrix interactions, and cell-cell interactions. Understanding of these conditions provides guidance for desirable cellular structure constructions. In this study, we examine the roles of surface topographies and cell-cell interactions in inducing cell alignment. We employed wavy surface topographies at the nanometer scale as a model extracellular environment for cell culture. The results show that, within a certain range of wavelengths and amplitudes of the surface topographies, cell alignment is dependent on cell confluency. This dependence on both topology and confluency suggests interplay between cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in inducing cell alignment. Images of sparsely distributed and confluent cells also demonstrated clear differences in the structures of their focal adhesion complexes. To understand this effect, we introduced anti-N-cadherin to cell culture to inhibit cell-cell interactions. The results show that, when anti-N-cadherin was applied, cells on wavy surfaces required greater confluency to achieve the same alignment compared to that in the absence of anti-N-cadherin. The understanding of the cell alignment mechanisms will be important in numerous potential applications such as scaffold design, tissue repair, and development of biohybrid robotic systems. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Cell alignment plays a critical role in numerous biological functions. Advances in tissue engineering utilizes cell alignment to restore, maintain, or even replace different types of biological tissues. The clinical impact that tissue engineering has made is facilitated by advancements in the understanding of interactions between scaffolds, biological factors, and cells. This work further elucidates the role of cell-cell interactions in promoting the organization of biological tissues. Nanyang Technological University Published version This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Health (R01AG06100501A1), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550–18–1-0262), National Science Foundation (CMMI-1946456), Office of Naval Research (N00014-17–1–2566), and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (SAP4100077084). BD and KJH acknowledge partial financial support by the NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant R01HD086325). KJH, YH and HRS would like to acknowledge the financial support from Nanyang Technological University (grant M4082428.050).

International audience; After the discovery of the Higgs boson at the LHC, particle physics community is exploring and proposing next accelerators, to address the remaining open questions on the underlying mechanisms and constituents of the present universe. One of the studied possibilities is FCC (Future Circular Collider), a 100 km long collider at CERN. The feasibility study of this future proposed accelerator implies the definition of tolerances on magnets imperfections and of the strategies of correction in order to guarantee the target performances of the High Energy Booster ring. The efficiency of the correction scheme, used to control the orbit, directly bounds the corrector needs and magnet tolerances. Analytic formulae give a first estimation of the average rms value of the required linear correctors' strengths and of the allowed magnets misalignments and field quality along the entire ring. The distribution of the correctors along the ring is simulated in order to verify the quality of the residual orbit after the proposed correction strategy and compared with the analytical predictions. First specifications of the orbit correctors strength and tolerances for the alignment of the main elements of the ring are presented. The limits of the studied correction scheme and method are also discussed.

We study kinetic models for swarming. The interaction between individuals is given by self-propelling and friction forces, alignment and noise. We consider that each individual relaxes its velocity toward some average velocity, such that the total momentum does not change. We concentrate on fluid models obtained when the time and space scales become very large. We derive first and second order approximations.

How does the alignment between strategy, governance, and people management occur in a public organization? When devising a strategy, many organizations have sought to place it at the center of their management models in order to ensure that the adopted strategy reaches all levels of the organization and is widely shared. However, more often than not, most organizations attempt to generate synergy, but in a fragmented and uncoordinated manner and do not perceive alignment as a management process. This study evaluated the alignment of strategy, governance, and people management in a public organization, based on the people management strategy adopted by the organization and the perceptions of employees versus strategic managers. It is a theoretical-empirical research, adopting a pragmatic philosophical conception, using quantitative and qualitative research strategies, consisting of survey, documentary research, and a single case study, using quantitative and qualitative research methods for data collection, analysis, and interpretation. As a conclusion of the study, actions implemented by the institution were identified that demonstrate the existence of practices aligned with strategy, focused on governance and people management. However, according to the perception of employees, many practices were initiated but not completed or only partially applied in the organization, confirming the difficulty of organizations in sharing the strategy and defining coherent and aligned objectives among all those involved in implementing the strategy so that expected results can be achieved.

Despite ample attention in the literature for alignment patterns and case frames more generally, we know very little about how these elements of grammar spread from one language to another in a contact situation. Achieving a better understanding of this will help explain areal patterns in alignment and grammatical relation marking. In this contribution, we zoom in on a contact situation in the foothills of North-West Amazon, where languages of the Quechuan and Tukanoan families are in contact, and where previous authors have suggested that grammatical relation marking shows many potential contact effects. We find that, despite the absence of loanwords, abstract lexico-grammatical information associated with individual lexical items may spread from one language to another, especially within the class of sensation predicates. These can be characterized as lexically driven diffusion patterns, without formal borrowing, consistent with an overall characterization of the area’s sociolinguistics as loanword-avoiding.

Background: Realignment osteotomies is gaining popularity amongst Dutch orthopaedic surgeons. Exact numbers and used standards in clinical practice concerning osteotomies are unknown due to the absence of a national registry. The aim of this study was to inves-tigate the national statistics of performed osteotomies, utilized clinical workups, surgical techniques, and post-operative rehabilitation standards in the Netherlands. Method: Dutch orthopaedic surgeons, all members of the Dutch Knee Society, received a web-based survey between January and March 2021. This electronic survey contained 36 questions, subdivided into: general surgeon-related information, number of performed osteotomies, inclusion of patients, clinical workup, surgical techniques, and post-operative management. Results: 86 orthopaedic surgeons filled in the questionnaire, of whom 60 perform realign-ment osteotomies around the knee. All the 60 responders (100%) perform high tibial osteo-tomies and 63.3% additionally perform distal femoral osteotomies, while 30% perform double level osteotomies. Discrepancies in surgical standards were reported regarding to inclusion criteria, clinical workup, surgical techniques, and post-operative strategies. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study got more insight in knee osteotomy clinical practices as applied by Dutch orthopaedic surgeons. However, there are still important discrepancies which pleads for more standardization based on available evidence. A (inter)national knee osteotomy registry, and even more so, a (inter)national registry for joint preserving surgeries could be helpful to achieve more standardization and treatment insights. Such a registry could improve all aspects of osteotomies and its combinations with other joint-preserving interventions towards evidence for personalised treatments. (c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Quasars are nowadays the basis to determine the world’s absolute orientation in space by radio interferometry (VLBI). The global network of baselines measured by the used radio telescopes, which vary greatly in size, is subject to various influences that have an impact on the International Terrestrial Reference Frame. Among others, those influences are imperfections of individual panels of the dishes, a possible elevation dependent deformation of the whole dish and a shift of the reference point due to gravitational influences. In this study, we monitor the elevation dependent deformation of the main reflector of the 20 m radio telescope of the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell by a Leica RTC360 laser scanner. For this task, we mount the terrestrial laser scanner overhead near the subreflector to capture the surface of the moving dish at each elevation angle. This study focusses on 1) introducing further redundancy in the measurement and processing strategy to gain a reliable and accurate result even the used scanner is a no high-end one. This furthermore leads to 2) investigations whether there are differences in the results between in related work used high-end scanners and the RTC360 and thus 3) whether the RTC360 proves to be capable to detect deformations at a radio telescope’s main reflector. Using these three foci, we show that deformations in the main reflector between elevations can be reliably determined areal and in focal length by redundant measurements with the RTC360. It is also shown that the results are less sensitive to axis errors compared to those obtained with high-end scanners. However, the compensations also show that the application scanner has certain systematics, which must be investigated in further steps.

Background and Objectives: The treatment of transfemoral amputees using osseointegrated implants for prosthetic anchorage requires accurate implant positioning when using threaded bone-anchoring implants due to the curvature of the femur and the risk of cortical penetration in misaligned implants. This study investigated the accuracy and precision in implant positioning using additively manufactured case-specific positioning guides. Materials and Methods: The geometry and density distribution of twenty anatomic specimens of human femora were assessed in quantitative computed tomography (QCT) scanning. The imaging series were used to create digital 3D specimen models, preoperatively plan the optimal implant position and manufacture specimen-specific positioning guides. Following the surgical bone preparation and insertion of the fixture (threaded bone-anchoring element) (OPRA; Integrum AB, Mölndal, Sweden), a second QCT imaging series and 3D model design were conducted to assess the operatively achieved implant position. The 3D models were registered and the deviations of the intraoperatively achieved implant position from the preoperatively planned implant position were analyzed as follows. The achieved, compared to the planned implant position, was presented as resulting mean hip abduction or adduction (A/A) and extension or flexion (E/F) and mean implant axis offset in medial or lateral (M/L) and anterior or posterior (A/P) direction measured at the most distal implant axis point. Results: The achieved implant position deviated from the preoperative plan by 0.33 ± 0.33° (A/A) and 0.68 ± 0.66° (E/F) and 0.62 ± 0.55 mm (M/L) and 0.68 ± 0.56 mm (A/P), respectively. Conclusions: Using case-specific guides, it was feasible to achieve not only accurate but also precise positioning of the implants compared to the preoperative plan. Thus, their design and application in the clinical routine should be considered, especially in absence of viable alternatives.

Hinged total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a valid option to treat patients during revision of an implant; however, in case of varus/valgus deformity, the force transmission from the femur to the tibia could be altered and therefore the performance of the implant could be detrimental. To be able to evaluate this, the goal of this study was to investigate, using a validated finite element analysis, the effect of varus/valgus load configurations in the bones when a hinged TKA is used. In detail, short and long stem lengths (50 mm, and 120 mm), were analyzed both under cemented or press-fit fixation under the following varus and valgus deformity: 5°, 10°, 20°, and 30°. The main outputs of the study were average bone stress in different regions of interest, together with tibio-femoral contact pressure and force. Results demonstrated that changes in the varus or valgus deformity degrees induce a change in the medio-lateral stress and force distribution, together with a change in the contact area. The effect of stem length and cement do not alter the tibio-femoral contact biomechanics but its effect is mainly localized in the distal femoral region, and it is negligible in the proximal regions.

The physical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are extraordinary and surpass most state-of-the-art bulk materials. However, three decades since their discovery, CNT technology commercially thrives as additives to plastics, paints, or battery electrodes rather than standalone macroscopic products. The main reason for this shortcoming is the inability to transfer the CNTs' superb nanoscale properties into macroscopic materials. To realize the CNTs' full potential so this material can be widely adopted, efficient and inexpensive methods must be developed to narrow the gap between nanoscale and bulk properties. Novel applications must also be developed to harness current CNT textiles' multifunctional capabilities rather than striving for the superiority of an individual physical property. CNT alignment within a textile has been proven to be a critical contributor to narrow the nano to the macro gap. To facilitate this need, a setup was designed to apply an AC electric field to continuously align the CNTs in situ during the CNT bundling phase in a floating catalyst CVD reactor. The resulting bulk CNT textiles demonstrated an increase in the specific electrical and tensile properties (up to 90 and 460%, respectively) without modifying the quantity or quality of the CNTs, as verified by thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The enhanced properties were correlated to the degree of CNT alignment within the textile as quantified by small-angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy image analysis. The first application that was developed taking advantage of the direct-spun CNT textile's multifunctionality involved the design and production of active air filters using ultra-thin carbon nanotube electrically conductive membranes, mechanically supported by a porous polyester backing. Filtration efficiencies were measured up to 99.999%, while ultra-thin materials with low areal density (0.1 g m-2) exhibited pressure drops comparable to commercial High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. These electrically conductive filters were designed to be actively self-sanitized by thermal flashes via resistive heating to temperatures above 80°C within milliseconds to seconds. The second application involved the development of a high-efficiency standalone electromagnetic interference shielding material (ESM) made of a direct-spun nonwoven CNT mat. The electrically conductive textile (~50×103 S m-1) was post-treated by chemical oxidation or thin copper metallization, increasing the conductivity by ~10 and ~1000 times, respectively, thus increasing its attenuation efficiency. The mats were tested for shielding effectiveness (SE) in an ultra-wide bandwidth of 30 kHz to 70 GHz. Maximal SE of >120 dB was measured for a 30 g m-2 CNTM (20,000 dB cm-1 for an HCl oxidized CNT mat. Both attenuation values are the highest values for non-metal-based ESMs. The textiles were also successfully utilized as ESMs integrated into waveguide gaskets or battery enclosures, outperforming their commercial counterparts., Q-Flo Limited

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for surveying is at the forefront of their use in the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. UAVs make accessing hard-to-reach construction regions simpler and more cost-effective because of their small size, ease of mobility, and the wealth of information given by their integrated sensors. Accordingly, their use is thriving in different AEC sectors such as the management and inspection of engineering facilities such as concrete bridges. Overpass bridge engineering inspections are still applied using high accuracy surveying instruments in situ to ensure meeting the quality standards of construction. One important application is to measure the bridge pier caps centerline fitting using total stations, which is costly in terms of time and labor. Therefore, in this article, a new approach based on consumer-grade UAV imaging is proposed for replacing the traditional surveying techniques which are expected to improve automation and reduce time and cost. The proposed method utilized a sequence of processes on the UAV point clouds of the bridge concrete pier caps to finally extract the pier pads center and check their alignment. In two experiments, point clouds are created using DJI Phantom 3 images taken over bridge pier projects under construction, and concrete pad centers are then estimated and compared to the reference total station measurements. The results of both tests reveal the ability of the proposed method to attain the required accuracy for the pads’ alignment, as the root mean square error (RMSE) is one centimeter and two centimeters for the first and second tests, respectively. In addition, the new approach can reduce implementation time and the project budget.

Background. The inaccurate maxillomandibular relationship of virtual casts following alignment by the vestibular scan may result in intersection (intermesh penetration) between opposing dental arch surfaces. Intersection occurs at short interocclusal distances in the occlusal contact area (OCA) and may result in infra-occluded definitive restorations. The purpose of this clinical study was to compare initial (by the proprietary scanner software) and new alignments (by a standalone 3D software) of virtual casts regarding OCA and intersection failure. New alignments aimed to rectify intersections by refinement of occlusal contacts. Material and Methods. The virtual casts of 30 patients following digital and conventional impression-taking were analyzed, which were acquired for single implant restoration in the posterior site. Digital impressions were performed by both IOS 1 (3M True Definition) and IOS 2 (TRIOS 3), either as complete- or partial-arch scans, respectively. Mounted gypsum casts were digitized as complete-arch by a laboratory scanner (LS) in enabled and disabled mode to avoid intersection [LS (+)/LS (−)]. All virtual casts were newly aligned by a 3D software. The difference of the OCA and the area of intersection were calculated for initial and new alignments, using interocclusal distance ranges of 0–100 μm, 0–10 μm or

Individual alignment techniques have been introduced to restore patients’ unique anatomical variations during total knee arthroplasty. The transition from conventional mechanical alignment to individualised approaches, with the assistance of computer and/or robotic technologies, is challenging. The objective of this study was to develop a digital training platform with real patient data to educate and simulate various modern alignment philosophies. The aim was to evaluate the training effect of the tool by measuring the process quality and efficiency, as well as the post-training surgeon’s confidence with new alignment philosophies. Based on 1000 data sets, a web-based interactive TKA computer navigation simulator (Knee-CAT) was developed. Quantitative decisions on bone cuts were linked to the extension and flexion gap values. Eleven different alignment workflows were introduced. A fully automatic evaluation system for each workflow, with a comparison function for all workflows, was implemented to increase the learning effect. The results of 40 surgeons with different experience levels using the platform were assessed. Initial data were analysed regarding process quality and efficiency and compared after two training courses. Process quality measured by the percentage of correct decisions was increased by the two training courses from 45% to 87.5%. The main reasons for failure were wrong decisions on the joint line, tibia slope, femoral rotation, and gap balancing. Efficiency was obtained with a reduction in time spent per exercise from 4 min 28 s to 2 min 35 s (42%) after the training courses. All volunteers rated the training tool as helpful or extremely helpful for learning new alignment philosophies. Separating the learning experience from OR performance was mentioned as one of the main advantages. A novel digital simulation tool for the case-based learning of various alignment philosophies in TKA surgery was developed and introduced. The simulation tool, together with the training courses, improved surgeon confidence and their ability to learn new alignment techniques in a stress-free out-of-theatre environment and to become more time efficient in making correct alignment decisions.

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.

People repeat each other words in conversation, for example by using the word "brolly" instead of the word "umbrella" after their interlocutor used "umbrella". In other words, people entrain at a lexical level (Branigan et al., 2011). Lexical entrainment has been described as a consequence of alignment at the level of lexical representations, based on priming (Pickering and Garrod, 2004) but also as an audience design mechanism (e.g. speakers may repeat their interlocutors' words to facilitate their comprehension, in particular when their linguistic competence is assumed not to be optimal) (Brennan and Clark, 1996) or a combination of the two (Branigan et al.,2011). Speakers entrain with their interlocutors regardless of who they are. However, some elements of interlocutors' identity can modulate entrainment: Not only do people repeat their interlocutors' words when they interact with other people, but also when they interact with computer systems (such as virtual agents or social robots) (Branigan et al.,2011; Cirillo et al., 2021). Branigan et al. (2011) showed that the tendency to entrain is modulated by the perceived competence of the interlocutors (i.e. speakers entrain more often with systems that are perceived as less competent), which supports the audience design explanation or the combination between audience design and priming. However, it is still not clear how automatic mechanisms (based on priming) and strategic mechanisms (based on audience design) interact. Ivanova et al. (2020) proposed that attention might have a role: People might pay more attention to interlocutors when they assume they would need more help for comprehension. Attention would increase the depth of processing and encoding of linguistic information which would lead to greater alignment, and entrainment consequentially. In the current experiment, we replicate Branigan et al. (2011)'s experiment, by manipulating participants' beliefs about their interlocutor. One group of participants will play a picture matching/picture naming task with a virtual agent which is presented as highly competent (high competence condition), while another group will play the same task with the same virtual agent, presented, this time, as a beta version (low competence condition). Moreover, half of the participants will be asked to perform a secondary memory task (load condition). Additionally, all participants will be asked to perform a surprise follow-up memory task (word recognition task) that will allow us to investigate whether they attended to interlocutors' linguistic behaviour to a different extent in different conditions and whether attention boosts entrainment.

This pilot study investigates whether human participants, by interacting with a language model that is more capable than they are at answering particular kinds of difficult multiple-choice questions, can find ways to answer these questions such that their accuracy after they have interacted with the model will exceed the accuracy of the model when it is asked the question directly. The study also explores the effects of presenting model-generated arguments in support of both answer options, and of offering bonus payments to participants whose responses meet a target level of usefulness.

In this study, we are interested in whether or not young children (4 and 5-years of age) are sensitive to higher-order relational mappings. The study is an online conceptual replication of Kotovsky & Gentner, 1996 where it was shown that 4-year-olds succeeded at easier relational mappings (where a single dimension varies in identical ways across the target and the match) , but failed at harder mappings (where the the target dimension varies in one way (e.g., getting monotonically bigger) and the match in the inverse way (e.g., monotonically smaller).

Axion-like particles (ALPs) are leading candidates to explain the dark matter in the universe. Their production via the misalignment mechanism has been extensively studied for cosine potentials characteristic of pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons. In this work we investigate ALPs with non-periodic potentials, which allow for large misalignment of the field from the minimum. As a result, the ALP can match the relic density of dark matter in a large part of the parameter space. Such potentials give rise to self-interactions which can trigger an exponential growth of fluctuations in the ALP field via parametric resonance, leading to the fragmentation of the field. We study these effects with both Floquet analysis and lattice simulations. Using the Press-Schechter formalism, we predict the halo mass function and halo spectrum arising from ALP dark matter. These halos can be dense enough to produce observable gravitational effects such as astrometric lensing, diffraction of gravitational wave signals from black hole mergers, photometric microlensing of highly magnified stars, perturbations of stars in the galactic disk or stellar streams. These effects would provide a probe of dark matter even if it does not couple to the Standard Model. They would not be observable for halos predicted for standard cold dark matter and for ALP dark matter in the standard misalignment mechanism. We determine the relevant regions of parameter space in the (ALP mass, decay constant)-plane and compare predictions in different axion fragmentation models.

Contents: Machinery particulars ; Coordinate system and sign conventions ; Calculation procedure ; Calculation data ; Influence coefficient matrix ; Support reaction forces ; Support offsets ; Support reaction forces ; Deflection curve ; Deflection curve diagram ; Shear force diagram ; Bending moment diagram ; Bending stress diagram ; Alignment criteria check ; Bearing reactions at MCR conditions (Cold) ; Bearing reactions at MCR conditions (Warm) ; Assembly sketch ; Verification procedure (Jack-up test) ; Conclusions ; Appendix: Shaft alignment procedure. Total: 21 pages

Det finns mycket publicerat om implementation och integration av IT-system generellt. Detta gäller även för Business intelligence (BI) system när det gäller den övergripande implementationen. Dock saknas forskning med större fokus på anpassning och alignment arbetet för att dessa system ska kunna brukas till full potential. Detta arbete syftar till att öka kunskaper gällande alignment och utmaningar som kommer med utveckling av BI lösningar för konsulter inom området. Detta görs genom en litteraturgenomgång som kompletteras med intervjuer av yrkesverksamma personer inom BI-utveckling, den insamlade empirin analyseras och tolkades för att identifiera och förstå utmaningarna. Arbetet fokuserar endast på alignment delen av implementationsarbetet och är fokuserat på de IT relaterade faktorerna. Arbetet genomförs via ett konsultperspektiv, inte utifrån en specifik verksamhet. Det som framkommit är vikten av kommunikation mellan konsult och kund för att på olika sätt motverka utmaningarna och bidra till ett effektivt arbetssätt som är mer optimalt. Detta genom att kommunikationen bidrar till ökad förståelse för kundernas verksamhet och hjälper konsulterna förstå och därmed hantera utmaningarna bättre. Kommunikationen bidrar även till att flera delar av processen fungerar effektivare och genererar bättre möjligheter för konsulterna att göra ett bra jobb genom att till exempel bidra till en bättre kravspecifikation och arbetsstruktur.