Alignment Patterns Research Articles

The Orientation of Romanesque Marian Churches in Soria (Spain)

This work studies orientations of 150 parish churches with Marian dedications in the province of Soria, Spain, grouped into subsamples according to Romanesque chronology and dedication to the Marian advocation of the Assumption. The hypothesis of observing local sunrise for aligning churches versus solem orientem during a restricted Romanesque working calendar (i.e. excluding winter and harvest-time) is assessed via a large number of simulated probability densities of declinations, allowing for the application of the confidence envelope method. It was found that the hypothesis cannot be discarded for Romanesque churches with Marian dedications other than to the Assumption, alignments to sunrise on specific Marian feast days being absent in these churches. In contrast, the null hypothesis of the working calendar can be discarded for the Romanesque churches dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption. As shown in previous studies, about 50% of these churches show intended alignments, of which two thirds are toward the sol aequinoctialis and one third to sunrise on the feast day (15 August). This last alignment pattern is a singular feature of the advocation of the Assumption, and its use in Spain cannot be older than the mid-to-late twelfth century. The theological or theoretical foundations for this practice are unknown. The paper shows that the methods used by archaeoastronomy for the quantitative statistical assessment of null hypotheses are powerful tools for inferring alignment patterns of cultural relevance.

Gesture alignment in teacher–student interaction: a study concerning office hour consultations using English as the lingua franca

IntroductionIn this study, we explore the presence of gesture alignment in office hour consultations, a form of academic talk characterized by private face-to-face dialogues between a lecturer and a university student. Unlike classroom interactions, the topic of these consultations is initiated by the student. Our objectives were to describe the patterns of gesture alignment in these educational settings, to determine the direction of the copied behavior (i.e., who copies whom?), and to understand the temporal structuring of these instances.MethodsWe analyzed 12 office hour consultations, involving Spanish undergraduate students and lecturers from universities in England, Ireland, and Sweden. All the conversations were held in English. The annotation considered three domains: the timing of matching gestures (i.e., if the aligned gestures appeared in a Simultaneous, Consecutive, or Later manner), the form features of the aligned gestures (hand shape, movement, and orientation), and the function of the gestures (representational, deictic, or pragmatic).ResultsOur results show that although there are important differences between dyads, there were four general findings. First, aligned gestures mostly took place in a Consecutive manner. Second, gesture alignment is shown to achieve shared understanding between interactants, but this can be manifested in different ways: from the active negotiation of meaning to the signaling of agreement. Third, paired gestures become useful in educational contexts where the teachers and students include native and non-native speakers, as they contribute to disambiguating meaning. Fourth, many cases of matching gestures happen due to the presence of recurrent gestural forms.DiscussionOverall, our results are in line with previous evidence that has highlighted the role of gesture alignment in grounding processes, related to the achievement of mutual agreement between participants. Matching gestures are a helpful resource during office hour consultations—a form of academic talk where content is being explained and negotiated.

The results of a magnetic field on flow past an inclined isothermal vertical plate with heat and varying mass diffusion

This work describes the influence of a magnetic environment on the circulation of matter and thermal energy over an accelerating advanced inclined isothermal sectional surface. The temperature is elevated to . The proximity intensity is increased to . The Laplace-transform approach is applied to solve the dimensionless analytical equation. In this research work different physical variables including thermal grashof number (Tg), mass grashof number (Tm), Schmidt number (Sc), Prandtl number(Pr), time(t), velocity profile ( ), temperature ( ), and intensity ( ) are investigated. The output of the graph produced by the Matlab software commands an energy equation, momentum equation, and concentration equation. The values are shown in an aligned pattern for a variety of flow variables. Diagrammatic representations of the fluid velocity profiles are provided. The velocity rises corresponding to different Tg and the velocity rises corresponding to different Tm. As the angle is decreased, the velocity increases differently. , As the different magnetic environment values lower, the velocity rises. Elevated values of angle ( ), Sc, Pr, and contribute to an enhancement in local skin friction, and an upsurge in Gr, Gc, and t leads to a reduction. A tabulated presentation of Nusselt quantities reveals a positive correlation with increasing Pr. Similarly, Sherwood quantities, as tabulated for various parameters, demonstrate a proportional increase with rising Sc.

Convergent effects of different anesthetics on changes in phase alignment of cortical oscillations.

Many anesthetics cause loss of responsiveness despite having diverse underlying molecular and circuit actions. To explore the convergent effects of these drugs, we examined how anesthetic doses of ketamine and dexmedetomidine affected oscillations in the prefrontal cortex of nonhuman primates. Both anesthetics caused increases in phase locking in the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, within and across hemispheres. However, the nature of the phase locking varied. Activity in different subregions within a hemisphere became more anti-phase with both drugs. Local analyses within a region suggested that this finding could be explained by broad cortical distance-based effects, such as large traveling waves. By contrast, homologous areas across hemispheres became more in-phase. Our results suggest that both anesthetics induce strong patterns of cortical phase alignment that are markedly different from those in the awake state, and that these patterns may be a common feature driving loss of responsiveness from different anesthetic drugs.

Positioning of the test surface in a CGH null test by cat's eye interference

Interferometric null test of optical aspheres and freeforms is one of the most established methods, in spite of recognized limitations related to positioning of the test surface. Slight misalignment of the surface in the null test system can introduce remarkable wave aberrations. Current approaches for positioning the test surface are based on a series of fiducial marks or retroreflectors set at given spots around the test surface, which consequently suffer the problem of datum transformation. We propose a method for positioning the test surface in a null test by cat's eye interference without any fiducial marks or retroreflectors. A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is used as null optics fabricated with null test pattern, alignment pattern and positioning pattern. A part of test beam with relatively small f/number is diffracted through the positioning pattern and then focuses on certain spots of the test surface. The cat's eye reflection from the test surface returns to the interferometer and interferes with the reference beam. It is then possible to precisely position the test surface by measuring the wavefront error of the cat's eye interference. The design method for such a CGH positioning pattern is presented, following the physical constraint that the surface normal at the cay's eye reflection is right the angular bisector of the positioning beam. Analysis on the positioning performance is then presented to show the sensitivity to misalignment including defocus, lateral shift and tip-tilt, which at last is experimentally verified by measuring an even asphere with a CGH.

Catalyst efficiency through the disorder kinetics to identify its nonlinearity in their properties of Ag3PO4@TiO2 catalyst using UV–visible spectroscopy

Abstract Photocatalysis has a significant role in water remediation. During the process of photocatalysis, catalysts face different problems, such as instability and inefficiency. Here, we are introducing a new method, ‘nonlinearity kinetics’, which will help to identify this kind of problem during photocatalytic activity. We are considering Ag3PO4@TiO2 to study nonlinear disorder kinetics. Ag3PO4 is a highly photoactive compound with an inherent photocorrossive nature. Here, it addresses the challenge of pure Ag3PO4 by transforming composite materials to Ag3PO4@TiO2 and by studying its nonlinear kinetics during photocatalysis. The Ag3PO4@TiO2 underwent preliminary characterisation. Increment of crystalline nature studied through XRD. FESEM and TEM analysed morphological alignment and diffraction patterns. The functional behaviour of oxygen, Ag, Ti and P–O–P were identified through the FT-IR spectra. The reduced optical band gap Ag3PO4@TiO2 was 2.9 eV Obtained from the UV–visible spectra. Photocatalysis activity was performed, and newly introduced disorder kinetics were observed. The nonlinear fit of the kinetics shows a shift over time (intercept value of linear fit −0.27) that indicates the corrosive characteristics. For an efficient catalyst, this value must be equivalent to zero. The photocorrossive disorder kinetics study demonstrates the disorder and nonlinearity of the catalyst and catalytic medium when it does not fit with a linear fit. To identify a disorder, it is important to look at the disorder kinetics of analysis.

Parallel Concentric Wrinkled Polydimethylsiloxane Patterns and Their Potential Biomedical Applications

AbstractThe objective of this study is to examine microbial behavior by fabricating and applying parallel concentric wrinkled patterns to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. The patterns are generated and subsequently relaxed in a rigid silica layer, resulting in the formation of discernible wrinkles that can be analyzed using electron microscopy and light diffraction. The alignment of E. coli and silica microparticles is facilitated by these structures along the creases. Within these creases, E. coli exhibits enhanced attachment and rotational mobility in regions characterized by hydrophobic cracks. Furthermore, the bacteria demonstrate an increase in velocity when propelled by the PDMS creases, suggesting that these structures are capable of guiding microbial motion. In addition, distinct alignment and growth patterns are observed for E. coli proliferation within the PDMS microchannels under confined conditions. The analysis of bacterial morphology and gene expression in response to chemical stimuli, such as isopropyl‐β‐D‐thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) gradients, demonstrates that the chemical environment has a substantial impact; filamentous cells aligned along the creases. These results illustrate the efficacy of parallel concentric wrinkled PDMS patterns in establishing regulated conditions for investigating microbial behavior and represent significant contributions to the fields of microbiology and biomedicine.

Gene-level alignment of single-cell trajectories

AbstractSingle-cell data analysis can infer dynamic changes in cell populations, for example across time, space or in response to perturbation, thus deriving pseudotime trajectories. Current approaches comparing trajectories often use dynamic programming but are limited by assumptions such as the existence of a definitive match. Here we describe Genes2Genes, a Bayesian information-theoretic dynamic programming framework for aligning single-cell trajectories. It is able to capture sequential matches and mismatches of individual genes between a reference and query trajectory, highlighting distinct clusters of alignment patterns. Across both real world and simulated datasets, it accurately inferred alignments and demonstrated its utility in disease cell-state trajectory analysis. In a proof-of-concept application, Genes2Genes revealed that T cells differentiated in vitro match an immature in vivo state while lacking expression of genes associated with TNF signaling. This demonstrates that precise trajectory alignment can pinpoint divergence from the in vivo system, thus guiding the optimization of in vitro culture conditions.

Role of surface roughness in determining surface energy and magnetic properties of Fe80Ce20 films during thermal processing on Si(100) and glass substrates

In this study, Fe80Ce20 films were deposited on Si(100) and glass substrates using sputtering in a high-vacuum environment and subsequently heat-treated in a vacuum annealing furnace. The films, with thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to 50 nm, were annealed at temperatures of 100 °C, 200 °C, and 300 °C. The objective was to investigate the effects of film thickness and annealing temperature on the structural, surface energy, and magnetic properties of the material. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of both Si(100)/Fe80Ce20 and Glass/Fe80Ce20 films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed a smooth film surface that became rougher after annealing. Contact angle measurements indicated hydrophilic properties, with the highest surface energy observed in the as-deposited films due to a higher density of defects and grain boundaries. The hysteresis loop demonstrated exceptional soft magnetic properties and a high saturation magnetization (Ms) of approximately 2000 emu/cm³. Annealing at 100 °C altered the magnetic domain structure from a striped labyrinthine configuration to an aligned pattern. At higher annealing temperatures, the films exhibited grain growth, increased surface roughness, and new grain formation. Following annealing, the grains in the Fe80Ce20 films became larger, surface roughness increased, and the water contact angle increased, rendering the films more hydrophobic. The as-deposited films displayed the highest surface energy due to the high density of defects and grain boundaries. Increased surface roughness led to more grain boundary defects and irregularities, which served as pinning points for magnetic domain walls, thus increasing coercivity (Hc). Rough surfaces induced local stress fields, increased magnetic anisotropy, and decreased saturation magnetization. Thermal perturbations from higher annealing temperatures further disrupted the alignment of the magnetic moments, leading to a reduction in saturation magnetization.

Use microfluidics to study cell migration in response to fluid shear stress gradients

Cells respond not only to biological regulatory factors but also to physical stimuli such as electric fields, light, and shear stress in their environment. These stimuli can lead to cell migration and morphological changes. In the human body, cells encounter fluid shear stress induced by interstitial flow, lymphatic flow, blood flow, or organ-specific conditions within their micro-environments. Therefore, fluid shear stress, a classic mechanical force, has gained significant attention in wound healing and cancer metastasis. In this study, a microfluidic chip was developed to both culture cells and generate a shear stress gradient to direct cell migration. The design of this device’s geometry allows the generation of a shear stress gradient perpendicular to the direction of medium flow. This greatly eliminates the influence of flow-induced cell responses. Using mouse fibroblast cells (NIH3T3) and human lung cancer cells (CL1-5) as models, their migration directionality, migration rates, and alignment in response to the shear stress gradient were investigated. Within the stress range of 0.095–0.155 Pa and a gradient of 0.015 Pa/mm, NIH3T3 cells did not exhibit significant directional migration, differences in migration rates, or specific alignment patterns. In contrast, CL1-5 cells preferred higher shear stress environments and alignment parallel to the medium flow, suggesting that these conditions could induce higher mobility in these cancer cells.

Machine learning identifies clusters of the normal adolescent spine based on sagittal balance.

This study applied a machine learning semi-supervised clustering approach to radiographs of adolescent sagittal spines from a single pediatric institution to identify patterns of sagittal alignment in the normal adolescent spine. We sought to explore the inherent variability found in adolescent sagittal alignment using machine learning to remove bias and determine whether clusters of sagittal alignment exist. Multiple semi-supervised machine learning clustering algorithms were applied to 111 normal adolescent sagittal spines. Sagittal parameters for resultant clusters were determined. Machine learning analysis found that the spines did cluster into distinct groups with an optimal number of clusters ranging from 3 to 5. We performed an analysis on both 3 and 5-cluster groups. The 3-cluster groups analysis found good consistency between methods with 96 of 111, while the analysis of 5-cluster groups found consistency with 105 of 111 spines. When assessing for differences in sagittal parameters between the groups for both analyses, there were differences in T4-12 TK, L1-S1 LL, SS, SVA, PI-LL mismatch, and TPA. However, the only parameter that was statistically different for all groups was SVA. Based on machine learning, the adolescent sagittal spine alignments do cluster into distinct groups. While there were distinguishing features with TK and LL, the most important parameter distinguishing these groups was SVA. Further studies may help to understand these findings in relation to spinal deformities.

3D printing of reprogrammable liquid crystal elastomers with exchangeable boronic ester bonds

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are a kind of soft actuating materials with large reversible deformation ability, which can work as the “motor” to exhibit complex deformations and drive the locomotion of soft robots. The deformation of LCEs depends on the three-dimensional (3D) shape of whole structure and alignment patterns of mesogens. Various methods have been employed to fabricate the LCE structure with desired shapes and mesogen alignments. However, conventional 3D printed LCEs require continuous thermal energy input to maintain their actuated shapes. The LCEs cannot be reprocessed and reprogrammed once cured. Herein, we introduce dynamic boronic ester bonds into the ink, with which the printed LCE structures are capable of being reprogrammed from polydomain into monodomain state and vice versa. We further explore the effects of printing parameters and content of dynamic covalent bonds on the actuation performance and reprogramming ability. The actuated shape could be well predicted with finite element method. The dynamic printable LCEs developed here offer new strategy and large design space for LCE structures.

Compressive instabilities enable cell-induced extreme densification patterns in the fibrous extracellular matrix: Discrete model predictions.

We present a new model and extensive computations that explain the dramatic remodelling undergone by a fibrous collagen extracellular matrix (ECM), when subjected to contractile mechanical forces from embedded cells or cell clusters. This remodelling creates complex patterns, comprising multiple narrow localised bands of severe densification and fiber alignment, extending far into the ECM, often joining distant cells or cell clusters (such as tumours). Most previous models cannot capture this behaviour, as they assume stable mechanical fiber response with stress an increasing function of fiber stretch, and a restriction to small displacements. Our fully nonlinear network model distinguishes between two types of single-fiber nonlinearity: fibers that undergo stable (supercritical) buckling (as in previous work) versus fibers that suffer unstable (subcritical) buckling collapse. The model allows unrestricted, arbitrarily large displacements (geometric nonlinearity). Our assumptions on single-fiber instability are supported by recent simulations and experiments on buckling of individual beams with a hierarchical microstructure, such as collagen fibers. We use simple scenarios to illustrate, for the first time, two distinct compressive-instability mechanisms at work in our model: unstable buckling collapse of single fibers, and snap-through of multiple-fiber groups. The latter is possible even when single fibers are stable. Through simulations of large fiber networks, we show how these instabilities lead to spatially extended patterns of densification, fiber alignment and ECM remodelling induced by cell contraction. Our model is simple, but describes a very complex, multi-stable energy landscape, using sophisticated numerical optimisation methods that overcome the difficulties caused by instabilities in large systems. Our work opens up new ways of understanding the unique biomechanics of fibrous-network ECM, by fully accounting for nonlinearity and associated loss of stability in fiber networks. Our results provide new insights on tumour invasion and metastasis.

Unsupervised Domain Adaptation With Class-Aware Memory Alignment.

Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) is to make predictions on unlabeled target domain by learning the knowledge from a label-rich source domain. In practice, existing UDA approaches mainly focus on minimizing the discrepancy between different domains by mini-batch training, where only a few instances are accessible at each iteration. Due to the randomness of sampling, such a batch-level alignment pattern is unstable and may lead to misalignment. To alleviate this risk, we propose class-aware memory alignment (CMA) that models the distributions of the two domains by two auxiliary class-aware memories and performs domain adaptation on these predefined memories. CMA is designed with two distinct characteristics: class-aware memories that create two symmetrical class-aware distributions for different domains and two reliability-based filtering strategies that enhance the reliability of the constructed memory. We further design a unified memory-based loss to jointly improve the transferability and discriminability of features in the memories. State-of-the-art (SOTA) comparisons and careful ablation studies show the effectiveness of our proposed CMA.

Mimetic schemas in multimodal contact-establishing communication

Contact-establishing is deservedly characterized as the major function of communication. Until recently, it has been mostly subjected to linguistic analysis aimed at identifying its discursive markers. Meanwhile, contact-establishing frequently appears in gesturing. The current work develops a cognitive view to gesture and speech alignment, and addresses multimodal contact-establishing communication as mediated by mimetic schemas or bodily schemas shared by communicants who engage in face-to-face and body-to-body interaction. Based on a multimodal experiment where participants engage into task-oriented expository dialogue, we identified two most common contact-establishing recurrent gestures, palm-up-open-hand (PUOH) and palm-down-open-hand (PDOH) gestures contingent on two mimetic schemas, SHOW and RESTRAIN. In the study, we explore the distribution of these two schemas in their sub-schemas in gesture and speech. Following the participants’ contact-establishing PUOH and PDOH gestures (manifesting SHOW and RESTRAIN sub-schemas) and verbal cues (cognitive, pragmatic, and functional semantic dimensions), we determined the multimodal alignment patterns mediated by SHOWand RESTRAIN mimetic schemas in contactestablishing communication. Additionally, the clusters of PUOH and PDOH contactestablishing gestures were determined via their linguistic correspondences since they account for common thinking-for-speaking growth points and the language profiles of PUOH and PDOH contact-establishing gestures. The results allowed to scale the mimetic sub-schemas as manifesting event and referent features such as situatedness, embodiment, performativity, referent definiteness, referent foregrounding, reification, dynamicity, addressing, agentivity, referentiality. Overall, we established that in cognitive dimension non-situated events prevail in PUOH gestures while situated events prevail in PDOH gestures. In pragmatic dimension there is the difference in constativity in PUOH gestures and in performativity in PDOH gestures. In functional semantic dimension PDOH gestures commonly occur with acts, while PUOH gestures are more frequented with attributes. Additionally, we identified that within-cluster distance in PDOH gestures is more obvious than in PUOH gestures, which signifies that the typological differences (mediated indirectly by linguistic characteristics) in PDOH gestures are more distinct. The data obtained provide new evidence in multimodal contact-establishing communication.

Aligned polycaprolactone/polyaniline electrospun nanofibers for directing neural stem cell differentiation and neuron arrangement

The use of engineered biomimetic substrates combined with neural stem cells (NSCs) constitutes a promising approach to develop reliable in vitro models of the nervous tissue. The fabrication of scaffolds with suitable compositional, topographical, and electrical properties is crucial for directing neural cell adhesion, differentiation, and arrangement. Herein, we propose the development of electroconductive polycaprolactone/polyaniline (PCL/PANI) electrospun mats as functional substrates for NSC culture. A rotating drum collector was employed to obtain fibers with aligned geometry. According to the results, the increase in alignment contributed to the reduction of fiber diameter and the increase of scaffold mechanical properties in terms of elastic modulus and tensile strength. In vitro experiments demonstrated the ability of PCL/PANI membranes to support NSC attachment and growth, as well as significantly foster neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, the presence of an aligned pattern was shown to effectively influence the arrangement of NSC-derived neurons, confirming the potential of this substrate for the design of a physiologically relevant culture platform for in vitro investigation of the nervous tissue.

Unsupervised machine learning for clustering forward head posture, protraction and retraction movement patterns based on craniocervical angle data in individuals with nonspecific neck pain

ObjectivesThe traditional understanding of craniocervical alignment emphasizes specific anatomical landmarks. However, recent research has challenged the reliance on forward head posture as the primary diagnostic criterion for neck pain. An advanced relationship exists between neck pain and craniocervical alignment, which requires a deeper exploration of diverse postures and movement patterns using advanced techniques, such as clustering analysis. We aimed to explore the complex relationship between craniocervical alignment, and neck pain and to categorize alignment patterns in individuals with nonspecific neck pain using the K-means algorithm.MethodsThis study included 229 office workers with nonspecific neck pain who applied unsupervised machine learning techniques. The craniocervical angles (CCA) during rest, protraction, and retraction were measured using two-dimensional video analysis, and neck pain severity was assessed using the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). CCA during sitting upright in a comfortable position was assessed to evaluate the resting CCA. The average of midpoints between repeated protraction and retraction measures was considered as the midpoint CCA. The K-means algorithm helped categorize participants into alignment clusters based on age, sex and CCA data.ResultsWe found no significant correlation between NPQ scores and CCA data, challenging the traditional understanding of neck pain and alignment. We observed a significant difference in age (F = 140.14, p < 0.001), NPQ total score (F = 115.83, p < 0.001), resting CCA (F = 79.22, p < 0.001), CCA during protraction (F = 33.98, p < 0.001), CCA during retraction (F = 40.40, p < 0.001), and midpoint CCA (F = 66.92, p < 0.001) among the three clusters and healthy controls. Cluster 1 was characterized by the lowest resting and midpoint CCA, and CCA during pro- and -retraction, indicating a significant forward head posture and a pattern of retraction restriction. Cluster 2, the oldest group, showed CCA measurements similar to healthy controls, yet reported the highest NPQ scores. Cluster 3 exhibited the highest CCA during protraction and retraction, suggesting a limitation in protraction movement.DiscussionAnalyzing 229 office workers, three distinct alignment patterns were identified, each with unique postural characteristics; therefore, treatments addressing posture should be individualized and not generalized across the population.

Selective phase transition of cholesteric blue phase I induced by pattern-controlled Grandjean–Cano disclinations

This study investigates the influence of Grandjean–Cano disclinations on the cholesteric-blue phase I (Ch-BPI) phase transition, revealing the pivotal role of defects in the phase transition of liquid crystals (LCs). We prepared the disclinations by wedge cells or parallel cells with an alignment pattern and demonstrated that the disclinations induce a phase transition in Ch-BPI. Furthermore, we demonstrated the control of the BPI appearance areas by utilizing this property. This defect-induced transition technique not only provides a novel method for controlling BPI orientation, but also offers insights into soft material crystal growth, suggesting potential applications in new BPLC-based device development.

Three-dimensional-based native alignment phenotype classification system: Description for use in planning for deformities during total knee arthroplasty

IntroductionTotal knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a complex surgical procedure that traditionally relies on two-dimensional radiographs for pre-operative planning. These radiographs may not capture the intricate details of individual knee anatomy, potentially limiting the precision of surgical interventions. With advancements in imaging technology, there is an opportunity to refine TKA outcomes. This study introduces the Native Alignment Phenotype classification system that is based on pre-operative 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) scans, aiming to provide a more detailed understanding of knee deformities and their influence on characterizing knee osteoarthritis and planning for TKA procedures. MethodsThere were 1406 pre-operative non-weight-bearing CT scans analyzed by a single surgeon experienced with robotically-assisted total knee arthroplasties. These scans were converted into three-dimensional models, focusing on the coronal and sagittal planes. Intraoperatively, the robotic system was used to capture native coronal and sagittal deformities for each patient. These values were captured with the patient's leg held in a non-stress, extension pose. A new classification system, ‘The Native Alignment Phenotype’, was developed to categorize the specific differences between individual knees. ResultsThere were four primary knee malalignments identified: varus deformity; valgus deformity; and two deformities in the sagittal plane. These malalignments were further categorized based on the degrees of deviation, creating groups with 5° coronal and sagittal ranges. A total of 77 phenotypic alignment patterns were found based on the analyzed cohort. In the coronal plane, varus HKA deformity between 6 and 10° was the most common, with 36.9% of the cases, followed by varus HKA alignment, which was between 0 and 5°, representing 34.3% of the cases. In the sagittal plane, neutral and flexion contracture deformities between 0 and 5° were the most common, with 32.6% of the cases, followed by a fixed flexion contracture alignment, which was between 6 and 10°, representing 28.7% of the cases. When combining coronal and sagittal planes, the most common alignment was the varus between 0 and 5° with a flexion contracture between 0 and 5° (12.5% of cases), closely followed by the varus between 6 and 10° with a flexion contracture between 6 and 10° (12.4% of cases). ConclusionThe Native Alignment Phenotype classification system offers a nuanced understanding of knee deformities based on three-dimensional (CT scan) assessments, potentially leading to improved surgical outcomes in TKA. By leveraging the detailed data from the CT scans, this system provides a more comprehensive view of the knee's anatomy, emphasizing the importance of individualized, data-driven approaches in knee surgery.

Twisted-plywood-like tissue formation in vitro. Does curvature do the twist?

Little is known about the contribution of 3D surface geometry to the development of multilayered tissues containing fibrous extracellular matrix components, such as those found in bone. In this study, we elucidate the role of curvature in the formation of chiral, twisted-plywood-like structures. Tissues consisting of murine preosteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1) were grown on 3D scaffolds with constant-mean curvature and negative Gaussian curvature for up to 32 days. Using 3D fluorescence microscopy, the influence of surface curvature on actin stress-fiber alignment and chirality was investigated. To gain mechanistic insights, we did experiments with MC3T3-E1 cells deficient in nuclear A-type lamins or treated with drugs targeting cytoskeleton proteins. We find that wild-type cells form a thick tissue with fibers predominantly aligned along directions of negative curvature, but exhibiting a twist in orientation with respect to older tissues. Fiber orientation is conserved below the tissue surface, thus creating a twisted-plywood-like material. We further show that this alignment pattern strongly depends on the structural components of the cells (A-type lamins, actin, and myosin), showing a role of mechanosensing on tissue organization. Our data indicate the importance of substrate curvature in the formation of 3D tissues and provide insights into the emergence of chirality.