Degree Of Alignment Research Articles

Deltoid Ligament Release for Varus Deformity Correction in Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Category: Ankle Arthritis; Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) with severe varus ankle deformity is balanced in the coronal plane by releasing medial soft tissue constraints. There are no previous reports examining the impacts of TAA with concomitant release of the deltoid. Progressive talar tilt and progressive collapsing foot deformity were evaluated. Methods: A retrospective review included patients undergoing TAA with confirmed preoperative varus deformity. Patients underwent complete soft tissue release of the deltoid ligament complex. Pre- and post-operative weightbearing radiographs quantified Meary’s angle, lateral talo-1st metatarsal angle, calcaneal pitch, talar coronal alignment, and the lateral distal tibial angle. The primary endpoints were degrees of coronal plane correction, longitudinal arch position, and complication rates. Results: Thirty-two patients were included with median 12.5 month follow-up. Coronal plane alignment and VAS pain scores improved significantly in all patients, and statistical analysis revealed that complete deltoid ligament release had no bearing on calcaneal pitch and Meary’s angle at final follow-up. Posterior tibial tenotomy was performed on 3 (9.3%) patients. Median coronal plane alignment correction averaged 17.5° improvement (X2(2)= 50.358, P<.001) from 19.5° varus (11.2-24.5°) to 2.0° varus (0.5- 3.5°)(P <.001). Two degrees of coronal plane varus alignment without tilt progression (0.6-3.4°)(P <.001) was maintained through follow-up. Final calcaneal pitch of 18.2° (14.4-23.2°) mirrored initial median measurement of 18.3° (15.7-21.1°). No significant differences were found between Meary’s angle measurements at any time points (P=.568). Eight of 32 patients had complications with five requiring further ankle surgery. Conclusion: Complete release of the deltoid ligament may improve coronal malalignment when performing TAA. Release did not lead to radiographic or clinical medial instability, valgus talar tilt, or medial arch collapse.

Optimizing Budget Allocation: A Strategic Framework for Aligning Human Resource Investments with Financial Objectives and Business Goals

This study explores the strategic framework for aligning human resource (HR) investments with financial objectives and broader business goals to enhance organizational performance. Through a qualitative literature review, this research synthesizes existing literature to understand the dynamics between strategic HR management, financial planning, and organizational outcomes, thereby elucidating how strategic alignment can optimize budget allocation in HR. The research methodology encompasses a comprehensive review of scholarly articles, foundational texts, and empirical studies related to strategic human resource management (SHRM). The focus is on how integration of HR functions with organizational strategies can contribute to enhanced financial performance and competitive advantage. By examining studies from the past three decades, this review highlights how effectively aligned HR practices support not only immediate operational goals but also long-term strategic objectives. Findings indicate that organizations demonstrating a high degree of strategic alignment in HR practices, such as recruitment, training, and compensation, see improved financial outcomes and organizational agility. The study reveals that investments in HR are most effective when meticulously aligned with an organization's strategic vision, emphasizing the importance of a dual approach where HR not only supports but actively drives strategic decisions. Furthermore, the integration of advanced analytics and technology in HR processes emerges as a significant enhancer of this alignment, enabling more precise decision-making and real-time adjustments in strategy. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a detailed analysis of the mechanisms through which strategic HR alignment impacts organizational performance and by proposing a framework for organizations to optimize their HR budget allocation in line with strategic goals.

Value alignment, human enhancement, and moral revolutions

ABSTRACT Human beings are internally inconsistent in various ways. One way to develop this thought involves using the language of value alignment: the values we hold are not always aligned with our behavior and are not always aligned with each other. Because of this self-misalignment, there is room for potential projects of human enhancement that involve achieving a greater degree of value alignment than we presently have. Relatedly, discussions of AI ethics sometimes focus on what is known as the value alignment problem, the challenge of how to build AI that acts in accordance with our human values. We argue that there is an especially close connection between solving the value alignment problem in AI ethics and using AI to pursue certain forms of human enhancement. But in addition, we also argue that there are important limits to what kinds of human enhancement can be pursued in this way, because some forms of human enhancement—namely moral revolutions—involve a kind of value misalignment rather than alignment.

The Influences of Self-Introspection and Credit Evaluation on Self-Organized Flocking

For biological groups, the behaviors of individuals will have an impact on the alignment efficiency of the collective movement. Motivated by Vicsek’s pioneering research on self-organized particles and other related works about flocking behaviors, we propose two mathematical models based on the local information of individuals to include more realistic details in the interaction mechanism between individuals and the rest of the group during the flocking process. The local information of the individual refers to the local consistency, representing the degree of alignment with its neighbors. These two models are the self-introspection model, where the process of orientation adjustment of one individual is ruled by the degree of local consistency with the neighborhood, and the credit evaluation model, where the average orientation of the neighborhoods is weighed using the local consistency of the interacting individuals. Different metrics are calculated to analyze the effects of the model parameters and flocking parameters on groups. Simulation calculations indicate that the two improved models have certain advantages in terms of alignment efficiency for the group. Finally, the optimal model parameters are determined, and the effects of random noise on groups with a single behavior and mixed behaviors are analyzed. The results confirm that individuals with mixed behaviors still possess robustness against noise. This research would contribute to the further interdisciplinary cooperation that involves biology, ethology, and multi-agent complex systems.

How do women talk about self-funded breast cancer genetic testing?: Small stories and stance-taking strategies.

Genetic testing for breast cancer genes is an experience which is inextricably linked with health communication practices and the broader social context in which it occurs. Linguistic approaches can provide perspective on how women seeking self-funded BRCA1/2 gene testing represent their experiences, knowledge, roles, choices and emotions through the way they talk. A discursive constructionist epistemology and narrative theoretical framework informed the applied linguistics methodology. Analysis of 'small stories' and stance-taking was performed on eight transcripts of audio-recorded telephone interviews with women at low to moderate risk of carrying BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants who self-funded genetic testing. We found a high prevalence of 'small stories' including accounts of events, hypotheticals, habitual narratives, and stories which combined multiple genres. Stance-taking was a means by which participants constructed personal identities in the conversational context, such as that of a responsible person. Via stance-taking strategies, participants also actively negotiated the conversational agenda, for example expressing different degrees of alignment with the interviewer's orientation towards emotions. This study provides a basis for recognizing linguistic markers in genetic counseling interactions about genetic testing for breast cancer genes. Enhanced awareness of client language choice, and the ways in which small stories and stance can signify the client's evaluation of experience and choices, alignment with the genetic counselor's questions/statements, and investment in the conversation, has potential to improve the therapeutic interaction.

A Fuzzy Based Conceptual Framework for Career Guidance in Cloud

Making decisions regarding one's professional future requires individuals to receive career counselling, which is a crucial procedure. However, due to the complexity of career- related variables and the subjectivity of people's choices, it mightbedifficult to offer precise and individualized advice. Fuzzy logic is a mathematical framework that has been used to make decisions in a variety of domains because it can handle uncertainty and imprecision. In this study, we present a fuzzy logic-based career advising system that can offer tailored advice to each user. The algorithm makes recommendations based on the degree of alignment between people's choices and various career routes by taking into account several profession-related criteria, including hobbies, abilities, personality traits, and job market trends. Real- world data were used to evaluate the proposed system, and it showed promise results in terms of usability and accuracy. The suggested system might be a useful resource for those looking for career advice, as well as for career counsellors and educational institutions looking to offer individualized and knowledgeable recommendations. Keywords: Expert system, fuzzy logic, question answering, recommendation system, decision making support, real world entities, fuzzy inference engine

ELABORATING ESG CRITERIA IN INVESTMENTS

Purpose- The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of ESG criteria in investments, and to investigate the potential correlation between ESG pillar scores (i.e., environmental, social, and governance) and the market value of banks. Moreover, the study seeks to identify the areas where ESG performance is most valuable and relevant. ESG investment is a contentious subject, and there are varying perspectives regarding the appropriate weight given to ESG pillars when investing and managing certain banks. The study aims to establish ESG goals and means, define, evaluate, and report ESG performance of firms, and assist investors in comprehending the significance of ESG criteria in making informed investment decisions. Finally, the study provides insights into the implications of ESG investment for businesses and the capital markets as a whole. Methodology- To investigate the correlation of ESG scores on the market value of banks, a quantitative research methodology was employed, which involved a thematic analysis to identify and analyse relevant data. The dataset for this study was obtained from Thomson Reuters database, and it includes data from the past 10 years’ operating in the Turkish and Swiss banks. Findings- The findings of the study suggest that ESG factors have a stronger and more significant impact on the market values of Swiss banks compared to Turkish banks. The higher degree of integration and alignment between ESG concerns and market value is evident through the stronger correlations observed between ESG scores, market capitalization, and the individual pillars within Swiss banks. This implies that Swiss banks have demonstrated a better incorporation of ESG considerations into their market valuations, potentially reflecting their stronger focus on sustainability, responsible business practices, and investor demands for ESG-related performance. Overall, these empirical findings support the hypothesis that there is a positive impact of ESG scores on market value of banks. Conclusion- In sum, the analysis involved examining the correlation between various ESG metrics and market capitalization with a positive correlation between ESG scores and market capitalization in both Turkish and Swiss banks. Specifically, the correlation matrix showed that ESG scores were positively associated with market capitalization, indicating that higher ESG scores were generally accompanied by higher market values. Furthermore, the analysis highlighted the significance of individual ESG pillars. In both Turkish and Swiss banks, the E Pillar Score, S Pillar Score, and G Pillar Score showed positive correlations with market capitalization, suggesting that environmental, social, and governance factors play a role in influencing market value. Keywords: ESG scores, financial performance, sustainability, environmental risk, banking. JEL Codes: G11,G12,G5

Processing and characterization of aligned electrospun gelatin/polycaprolactone nanofiber mats incorporating borate glass (13-93B3) microparticles

Aligned biodegradable fibers incorporating bioactive glass particles are being highly investigated for tissue engineering applications. In this study, 5, 7 and 10 wt% melt-derived 1393B3 borate glass (BG) microparticles (average size: 3.15 µm) were incorporated in 83 wt% polycaprolactone (PCL) and 17 wt% gelatin (GEL) (83PCL/17GEL) solutions to produce aligned electrospun composite nanofiber mats. Addition of 5 wt% BG particles significantly increased the alignment of the nanofibers. However, further incorporation of BG particles led to reduced degree of alignment, likely due to an increase of viscosity. Mechanical tests indicated a tensile modulus and tensile strength of approximately 51 MPa and 3.4 MPa, respectively, for 5 wt% addition of 1393B3 BG microparticles, values considered suitable for soft tissue engineering applications. However, with the increasing amount of 1393B3 BG, the nanofiber mats became brittle. Contact angle was reduced after the addition of 5 wt% of 1393B3 BG particles from ∼45° to ∼39°. Cell culture studies with normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cells indicated that 5 wt% 1393B3 BG incorporated nanofiber mats were cytocompatible whereas higher doping with 1393B3 BGs reduced biocompatibility. Overall, 5 wt% 1393B3 BG doped PCL/GEL nanofiber mats were aligned with high biocompatibility exhibiting desirable mechanical properties for soft tissue engineering, which indicates their potential for applications requiring aligned nanofibers, such as peripheral neural regeneration.

Orbital Alignment of the Eccentric Warm Jupiter TOI-677 b

Warm Jupiters lay out an excellent laboratory for testing models of planet formation and migration. Their separation from the host star makes tidal reprocessing of their orbits ineffective, which preserves the orbital architectures that result from the planet-forming process. Among the measurable properties, the orbital inclination with respect to the stellar rotational axis, stands out as a crucial diagnostic for understanding the migration mechanisms behind the origin of close-in planets. Observational limitations have made the procurement of spin–orbit measurements heavily biased toward hot Jupiter systems. In recent years, however, high-precision spectroscopy has begun to provide obliquity measurements for planets well into the warm Jupiter regime. In this study, we present Rossiter–McLaughlin (RM) measurements of the projected obliquity angle for the warm Jupiter TOI-677 b using ESPRESSO at the VLT. TOI-677 b exhibits an extreme degree of alignment (λ = 0.3 ± 1.3 deg), which is particularly puzzling given its significant eccentricity (e ≈ 0.45). TOI-677 b thus joins a growing class of close-in giants that exhibit large eccentricities and low spin–orbit angles, which is a configuration not predicted by existing models. We also present the detection of a candidate outer brown dwarf companion on an eccentric, wide orbit (e ≈ 0.4 and P ≈ 13 yr). Using simple estimates, we show that this companion is unlikely to be the cause of the unusual orbit of TOI-677 b. Therefore, it is essential that future efforts prioritize the acquisition of RM measurements for warm Jupiters.

(Invited) The Impact of Carbon Nanotube Length and Diameter on Their Global Alignment by Dead-End Filtration

Dead-end filtration on polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated polycarbonate track-etched membranes has proven to be an effective method to prepare macroscopically (3.8 cm²) aligned thin films from solution-based single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). However, to make this technique broadly applicable, the role of SWCNT length and diameter on the alignment process must be understood. To date, most groups report the alignment of unsorted large diameter (» 1.4 nm) SWCNTs, but systematic studies on their small diameter (» 0.78 nm) counterparts are rare and in the case of sorted SWCNT species, non-existent. In this work, films are prepared from two series of length sorted fractions comprised of small and large diameter SWCNTs, respectively. The degree of alignment is characterized by cross polarized microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. For the longest fractions, the two-dimensional order parameter, , values of » 0.66 and » 0.76 are reported for the small and large diameter SWCNTs, respectively, and Raman maps over an area of 2500 μm2 are presented. A comparison of Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (DLVO) theory calculations with the aligned domain size is then used to propose a law identifying the required length of a carbon nanotube with a given diameter and zeta potential for alignment.

Assembly and Characterization of Length-Sorted, Aligned Boron Nitride/Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Composites Via Slow Vacuum Filtration

Globally aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are a promising, scalable platform for studying fundamental physical phenomena and an important vehicle for optoelectronic device applications. Recent work by Rust et al. [1] has identified nanotube length as an important mediating factor in the degree and scale of SWCNT alignment via slow vacuum filtration (SVF).Building on this work and that of Walker et al. [2,3], we explore the co-assembly of length-sorted SWCNTs and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) atop polycarbonate track-etched membranes. BNNTs have recently gained interest as a chirality-agnostic, wide-bandgap material for encapsulation, insulation, thermal/mechanical robustness, and visible-light transparency, while also having a similar high aspect ratio morphology, making them an exceptional and alignable host matrix for individualized CNT species. To prepare such hybrid assemblies, a polymer-assisted, depletion-based method was first used to length-sort different diameter SWCNT (alkane filled electric-arc, CoMoCAT, metallic-sorted Tuball), and BNNT nanotube populations. Thereafter, we investigated the impacts of tube lengths, relative BN/C fraction, mass loading, and presence of a global director force on the multi-scale assembly behavior. A combination of birefringence microscopy and polarized Raman spectroscopy probed and identified trends in global and local ordering under these conditions.[1] Rust, C., Shapturenka, P., Spari, M., Jin, Q., Li, H., Bacher, A., Guttmann, M., Zheng, M., Adel, T., Hight Walker, A. R., Fagan, J. A., & Flavel, B. S. (2022). The Impact of Carbon Nanotube Length and Diameter on their Global Alignment by Dead-End Filtration. Small (forthcoming).[2] Walker, J. S., Fagan, J. A., Biacchi, A. J., Kuehl, V. A., Searles, T. A., Hight Walker, A. R., & Rice, W. D. (2019). Global Alignment of Solution-Based Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Films via Machine-Vision Controlled Filtration. Nano Letters, 19(10), 7256–7264.[3] Walker, J. S., Macdermid, Z. J., Fagan, J. A., Kolmakov, A., Biacchi, A. J., Searles, T. A., Walker, A. R. H., & Rice, W. D. (2022). Dependence of Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotube Alignment on the Filter Membrane Interface in Slow Vacuum Filtration. Small, 18, 2105619.

Economic competitiveness of pultruded fiber composites for wind turbine applications

Pultrusion manufacturing of fiber reinforced polymers has been shown to yield some of the highest mechanical properties for unidirectional composites, having a high degree of fiber alignment with consistent performance. Pultrusions offer a low-cost manufacturing approach for producing unidirectional composites with a constant cross-section and are used in many applications, including spar caps of wind turbine blades. However, as an intermediate processing step for wind blades, the additional cost of manufacturing pultrusions must be accompanied by sufficient increases in mechanical performance and system benefits. Wind turbine blades are manufactured using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding with infused unidirectional fiberglass or carbon pultrusions for the spar cap. Infused fiberglass composites are among the most cost-effective structural materials available and replacing this material in the cost-driven wind industry has proven challenging, where infused fiberglass spar caps are still the predominant material system in use. To evaluate alternative material systems in a pultruded composite form, it is necessary to understand the costs for this additional manufacturing step which are shown to add 33%–55% on top of the material costs. A pultrusion cost model has been developed and used to quantify cost sensitivities to various processing parameters. The mechanical performance for pultruded composites is improved versus resin-infusion manufacturing with a 17% increase in design strength at a constant fiber volume fraction, but also enables higher achievable fiber volume fractions. The cost-specific mechanical performance is compared as a function of processing parameters for pultruded composites to identify the opportunities for alternative material and manufacturing approaches for wind turbine spar caps. Four materials are compared in a representative wind turbine blade model to assess the performance of pultruded carbon fiber systems and pultruded fiberglass relative to infused fiberglass, where the pultruded systems produce lower weight blades with various cost distinctions.

Improved ballistic limit velocity from filament-wound fibres as composite cover on ceramic tiles

Hard armour plates are used in body armour for protection against high-velocity threats. The strike face often consists of a single ceramic tile that is covered by a sheet material made of a high-tenacity fibre-composite material. During impact, the ceramic will fracture but at the same time cause erosion and fragmentation of the hard core of the projectile. The composite cover is there to improve the ballistic performance by partly maintaining the integrity of the fracturing ceramic. In this study, a new production method where glass fibre yarns were filament-wound around an alumina tile in a unidirectional 0°/90°lay-up, was investigated. Ballistic testing was conducted with a 7.62 mm armour piercing projectile. The new target design gave a remarkable increase in the V50ballistic limit velocity by as much as 16% compared to a traditional design where a glass fibre fabric was wrapped around the tile. A higher degree of fragmentation of the projectile steel core after perforation was also observed. The high degree of fibre alignment in the filament-wound composite, as opposed to the more wavy fibres in the fabric, is believed to be the main reason for the higher ballistic performance.

A Comparative Analysis of Measured and Simulated Data of PV Rooftop Installations Located in Poland

In recent years, photovoltaics (PVs) is the main driver of the renewable energy market growth in Poland. The number of photovoltaic installations, most of which are rooftop prosumer systems, is consistently growing. Therefore, the determination of the applicability and feasibility of photovoltaic systems under different climate conditions is of great significance. This study presents the performance analysis of four prosumer photovoltaic installations situated in the Eastern part of Poland, Lublin Voivodeship. The influence of various tilt angles, ranging from 19° to 40°, and azimuths (south, east, south–east, and east–west) on the final yield have been determined under one year of operation (2022). The average yearly final yield was found to be 1022 kWh·kW−1, with the highest value obtained for the installation oriented towards the south, equal 1079 kWh·kW−1. Then, the PV systems were simulated by the use of four specialized photovoltaic software: DDS-Cad 16, PVGIS 5.2, PVSOL premium 2022, and the PVWatts Calculator 8.2.1. A comparative analysis of the measured and simulated data in terms of the final yield was carried out. The data obtained from PVGIS and PVSOL demonstrated the highest degree of overall alignment of 92% and 91%, respectively. The most significant underestimation was noticed for the DDS-Cad software, which was equal to 77%. The most accurate predictions stand out for the system oriented to the south, while the weakest was found for the E–W installation.

Conceptualizing "positive attributes" across psychological perspectives.

The growth of positive psychology has birthed debate on the nature of what "positive" really means. Conceptualizations of positive attributes vary across psychological perspectives, and it appears these definitional differences stem from standards for "positive" espoused by three normative ethical frameworks: consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. When definitions of "positive" do not align with one of these ethical schools, it appears researchers rely on preference to distinguish positive attributes. In either case, issues arise when researchers do not make their theoretical alignment explicit, leading to value-laden, often subjective criteria being smuggled into science as a description of what is positive. To foster a deeper critical understanding of the different approaches, we examine how these conceptual definitions of positive attributes (mis)align with their ethical traditions or fail to align with an ethical school. We review several positive attribute theories across psychological disciplines that serve as examples of the ethical and non-ethical sources of "positivity." Through this, we assess the conceptual criteria for what each approach considers "positive," note the degree of alignment between definition and ethical school, and draw attention to potential issues. We advance the conceptual assessment of positive attributes by considering the implications of failing to explicitly address the theoretical foundation from which a construct is defined.

Nonadiabatic Laser-Induced Alignment Dynamics of Molecules on a Surface.

We demonstrate that a sodium dimer, Na_{2}(1^{3}Σ_{u}^{+}), residing on the surface of a helium nanodroplet, can be set into rotation by a nonresonant 1.0ps infrared laser pulse. The time-dependent degree of alignment measured, exhibits a periodic, gradually decreasing structure that deviates qualitatively from that expected for gas-phase dimers. Comparison to alignment dynamics calculated from the time-dependent rotational Schrödinger equation shows that the deviation is due to the alignment dependent interaction between the dimer and the droplet surface. This interaction confines the dimer to the tangential plane of the droplet surface at the point where it resides and is the reason that the observed alignment dynamics is also well described by a 2D quantum rotor model.

Laser powder bed fusion of anisotropic Nd-Fe-B bonded magnets utilizing an in-situ mechanical alignment approach

Nd-Fe-B bonded magnets are an important class of permanent magnets, employed in many technological sectors. Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables the fabrication of net-shape bonded magnets with complex geometries, allowing to tailor their magnetic stray field specifically for a given application. A crucial challenge is the production of magnetically anisotropic components. Approaches presented in the literature up to now required a post-printing procedure or the complex integration of a magnetic field source into the AM process. Here, we present a technique to fabricate anisotropic bonded magnets via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) by utilizing the mechanical alignment of anisotropic particles in a single step, without the need for a magnetic field source. Anisotropic bonded magnets were fabricated using a mixture of anisotropic Nd-Fe-B powder (MQA-38–14) and polyamide-12 (PA12). This magnetic powder consists of ellipsoidal particles, where the easy magnetization axis is distributed perpendicular to their longest side, and the mean aspect ratio of 3:1 can be exploited to generate magnetic texture. Depending on the particle size used as feedstock, the degree of alignment (<cosθ>) can be tailored to a maximum of <cosθ> = 0.78. The fabricated anisotropic bonded magnets exhibited a maximum remanence of Jr = 377 mT and an energy product of (BH)max = 28.6 kJ/m3, respectively.

Long leg radiographs underestimate the degree of constitutional varus limb alignment and joint line obliquity in comparison with computed tomography: a radiographic study.

The purpose of this study was to understand if differences exist between computed tomography (CT) and long leg radiographs (LLR) when defining coronal plane alignment of the lower limb in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It aimed to identify any such differences between the two imaging modalities by quantifying constitutional limb alignment (arithmetic hip-knee-ankle angle (aHKA), joint line obliquity (JLO) and Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) type within the same population. A retrospective radiographic study compared pre-operative LLR and CT measurements in patients undergoing robotic-assisted TKA. The aHKA, JLO and CPAK types were calculated after measuring the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) and lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA). The primary outcomes were the mean differences in aHKA (MPTA-LDFA), JLO (MPTA + LDFA) and proportions of CPAK types between LLR and CT groups. The secondary outcomes were the differences in CT-derived MPTA values based on four different tibial sagittal landmarks. After exclusions, 465 imaging sets were analysed in 394 patients. There was a statistically significant mean difference between LLR and CT, respectively, for both MPTA (87.5° vs. 86.2°; p < 0.01) and LDFA (88.7° vs. 87.3°; p < 0.01). There were also statistically significant differences for aHKA (-0.2° vs. -1.1°) and JLO (175.1° vs. 173.4°) for LLR and CT, respectively (both p < 0.01). CT increased the proportion of patients with CPAK Type I (constitutional varus aHKA, apex distal JLO) and CPAK Type II (neutral aHKA, apex distal JLO), and decreased numbers of CPAK Types III-VI. There were significant mean differences in the MPTA using varying sagittal landmarks. Alignment determined by LLRs underestimates the magnitude of both constitutional varus alignment and joint line obliquity compared to CT, differences that notably increase the proportions of patients included in CPAK Types I and II. These distinctions are primarily due to underestimation of proximal tibial varus when measured on LLRs compared to CT, which more specifically defines articular weight-bearing points. III.

Creating patient-specific digital phantoms with a longitudinal atlas for evaluating deformable CT-CBCT registration in adaptive lung radiotherapy.

Quality assurance of deformable image registration (DIR) is challenging because the ground truth is often unavailable. In addition, current approaches that rely on artificial transformations do not adequately resemble clinical scenarios encountered in adaptive radiotherapy. We developed an atlas-based method to create a variety of patient-specific serial digital phantoms with CBCT-like image quality to assess the DIR performance for longitudinal CBCT imaging data in adaptive lung radiotherapy. A library of deformations was created by extracting the longitudinal changes observed between a planning CT and weekly CBCT from an atlas of lung radiotherapy patients. The planning CT of an inquiry patient was first deformed by mapping the deformation pattern from a matched atlas patient, and subsequently appended with CBCT artifacts to imitate a weekly CBCT. Finally, a group of digital phantoms around an inquiry patient was produced to simulate a series of possible evolutions of tumor and adjacent normal structures. We validated the generated deformation vector fields (DVFs) to ensure numerically and physiologically realistic transformations. The proposed framework was applied to evaluate the performance of the DIR algorithm implemented in the commercial Eclipse treatment planning system in a retrospective study of eight inquiry patients. The generated DVFs were inverse consistent within less than 3mm and did not exhibit unrealistic folding. The deformation patterns adequately mimicked the observed longitudinal anatomical changes of the matched atlas patients. Worse Eclipse DVF accuracy was observed in regions of low image contrast or artifacts. The structure volumes exhibiting a DVF error magnitude of equal or more than 2mm ranged from 24.5% (spinal cord) to 69.2% (heart) and the maximum DVF error exceeded 5mm for all structures except the spinal cord. Contour-based evaluations showed a high degree of alignment with dice similarity coefficients above 0.8 in all cases, which underestimated the overall DVF accuracy within the structures. It is feasible to create and augment digital phantoms based on a particular patient of interest using multiple series of deformation patterns from matched patients in an atlas. This can provide a semi-automated procedure to complement the quality assurance of CT-CBCT DIR and facilitate the clinical implementation of image-guided and adaptive radiotherapy that involve longitudinal CBCT imaging studies.

Connectivism Theory: Exploring its Relevance in Informing Lesotho’s Integrated Curriculum for Effective Learning in the Digital Age

At present, the world is immersed in technology which seems to alter people’s way of life and how people learn. While traditional learning theories seem insufficient to explain how technology and the proliferation of information could be manipulated for effective learning, Connectivism theory emerged to salvage this insufficiency. Different countries around the globe are also occupied with reforming their curriculums to address contemporary issues. The study, informed by technology adoption model, deployed qualitative content analysis to investigate the degree of alignment between connectivism theory and Lesotho’s integrated curriculum for effective learning in the digital age. Document analysis was used to analyse the pedagogy section in CAP in order to identify principles and objectives that overlap with the major principles of connectivism. The findings indicated that to a large extent, connectivism and Lesotho’s integrated curriculum principles overlap. However, Lesotho’s integrated curriculum shrinks in explicitly guiding how technological skills could be promoted. It was therefore recommended that technology and digital tools should be integrated into the curriculum to enable students to engage in networked learning. In addition, there should be training of both teachers and students on ICT and network learning environments to enhance students’ learning.