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In vivo six degrees of freedom kinematics during step ascent in three total knee arthroplasty designs:A randomised clinical trial
No full textBackground: Total knee replacement (TKR) is generally successful in alleviating joint pain, and restoring function, however, select patients experience continuing discomfort and unsatisfactory functional outcomes postoperatively. These deficits are particularly evident in highly demanding activities such as a step-up motion. The aim of this study was to compare the six degrees of freedom kinematics of three common TKR designs during step-up. Methods: Sixty-eight participants were randomised to receive one of three TKR implants: cruciate-retaining fixed bearing (CR-FB), cruciate-retaining rotating platform (CR-RP) or posterior-stabilised fixed bearing (PS-FB). Participants performed a step-up task which was imaged via single-plane fluoroscopy at 12 and 24 months postoperatively. Implant models were registered to the fluoroscopy, generating kinematic data. Linear regression models were used to test the effect of implant design on kinematics during step-up. Results: Fifty-four participants were included in the final analysis. Key kinematic findings were that the CR-FB designs started and remained more posterior on the tibia throughout step-up. Furthermore, CR-RP designs consistently demonstrated greater degrees of external femoral rotation. Interestingly, there were no differences in rotation or translation between designs. Conclusions: The findings indicate that there may be kinematic advantages when selecting a particular implant design. However, the CR-FB design demonstrated unique kinematics which may favour a more efficient step-up. Further investigation of the relative biomechanical efficiency of the CR-FB implant would be an interesting next step in this research.</p
Bees Will Be Where Honey Is: The Role of Leader Humility and Leader Competence in Follower Behavior
No full textLeader humility concerns leader behavior centering on acknowledging the limits to the leader’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Even when leader humility concerns leaders acknowledging the limits of their competence, this does not mean that leader humility lowers follower perceptions of leader competence; there can always be limits to leaders’ knowledge, skills, and abilities they may acknowledge as well as reasons for the leader not to acknowledge these. Considering that leader humility can vary independently from perceptions of leader competence while leader humility concerns acknowledging the limits to one’s competence, it gives rise to the question of whether follower perceptions of leader competence inform follower responses to leader humility. Extending leader humility theory, we propose that with lower (as compared to higher) perceived leader competence, leader humility more strongly motivates followers to take charge, with positive downstream consequences for their job performance and innovative behavior. Results of a time-lagged study in Taiwan support the proposed moderation of perceived leader competence in the influence of leader humility on follower taking charge, as well as the moderated mediation model in which leader humility has a stronger indirect effect (mediated by follower taking charge) on job performance and innovative behavior with lower follower perceptions of leader competence
Lung Deposition of Biomass Smoke in Women, Children, and COPD Cases in Rural India: MPPD Modelling Insights
No full textBiomass smoke exposure in rural Indian kitchens presents a significant health risk, disproportionately affecting women and children who spend long hours near cookstoves. This study applied the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) model to simulate the deposition of PM2.5 from biomass cooking emissions across different kitchen and cookstove configurations, focusing on women, children, and women with pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Model inputs were derived from field-measured particle concentrations. Simulations showed that in healthy adult women, approximately 40-45% of inhaled particles deposited in the head region, 20-30% in the tracheobronchial region, and 25-35% in the pulmonary/alveolar region. In children, deposition doses were at least two-fold higher than in women under similar conditions, reflecting higher inhalation rates relative to body weight and narrower airway dimensions. Women with COPD exhibited substantially greater pulmonary deposition, with predicted alveolar region burdens 20–30% higher than their healthy counterparts. This suggests impaired clearance and deeper particle penetration, compounding the risks of chronic respiratory illness. Across kitchen types, separate kitchens with traditional cookstoves posed the greatest hazard, with predicted lung deposition up to three times higher than in open kitchens or improved stove settings. By integrating field exposure measurements with lung dosimetry modelling, this study demonstrates how biomass smoke emissions translate into differential respiratory burdens for vulnerable groups. Children and women with COPD bear the heaviest load, heightening risks of pneumonia, asthma, and disease progression. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted clean cooking interventions, improved ventilation, introduction of air pollution control technologies and prioritisation of high-risk populations to reduce the health impacts of biomass smoke in rural communities
Soft Robotic Sim2Real via Conditional Flow Matching
No full textModeling soft robots remains a significant challenge due to high computational costs and frequent mismatches with real-world behavior, a phenomenon known as the Sim2Real gap. This paper addresses the Sim2Real gap through conditional flow matching (CFM), which learns a mapping between the simulation domain and the real-world experimental domain. A neural network learns a conditional probability path that transforms simulated states into real-world observations, conditioned on control inputs, thereby minimizing simulation inaccuracies. The method is demonstrated through benchmark Sim2Sim and Sim2Real tensile tests, and additionally demonstrated in the domain of soft gripping using fin-ray grippers. A novel encoder architecture is introduced that learns a representation of the contact state, enabling the model to generalize to previously unseen interactions. The model provides a highly accurate prediction of force and deformation, successfully capturing complex elastic behaviors, including hysteresis and force fluctuations. Experimental results validate that CFM can bridge the Sim2Real gap for various soft robot morphologies, without requiring large datasets, and with strong generalization capabilities. Notably, the findings indicate substantial generalization capabilities in Sim2Real scenarios.</p
Bird eye-view to street-view:A survey
No full textIn recent years, street view imagery has grown to become one of the most important sources of geospatial data collection and urban analytics, which facilitates generating meaningful insights and assisting in decision-making. Synthesizing a street-view image from its corresponding satellite image is a challenging task due to the significant differences in appearance and viewpoint between the two domains. In this study, we screened 20 recent research papers to provide a thorough review of the state-of-the-art of how street-view images are synthesized from their corresponding satellite counterparts. The main findings are: (i) novel deep learning techniques are required for synthesizing more realistic and accurate street-view images; (ii) more datasets need to be collected for public usage; and (iii) more specific evaluation metrics need to be investigated for evaluating the generated images appropriately. We conclude that, due to applying outdated deep learning techniques, the recent literature failed to generate detailed and diverse street-view images.</p
EEG-based Cognitive Load Estimation of Acoustic Parameters for Data Sonification
No full textSonification is a data visualization technique which expresses data attributes via psychoacoustic parameters, which are non-speech audio signals used to convey information. This paper investigates the binary estimation of cognitive load induced by psychoacoustic parameters conveying the focus level of an astronomical image via Electroencephalogram (EEG) embeddings. Employing machine learning and deep learning methodologies, we demonstrate that EEG signals are reliable for (a) binary estimation of cognitive load, (b) isolating easy vs difficult visual-to- auditory perceptual mappings, and (c) capturing perceptual similarities among psychoacoustic parameters. Our key findings reveal that (1) EEG embeddings can reliably measure cognitive load, achieving a peak F1-score of 0.98; (2) Extreme focus levels are easier to detect via auditory mappings than intermediate ones, and (3) psychoacoustic parameters inducing comparable cognitive load levels tend to generate similar EEG encodings.</p
Increased age and reduced physical activity level worsen thermoregulatory pacing behaviour in men during walking exercise in the heat
No full textOlder adults are vulnerable to heat-related morbidity and mortality due to reduced thermoregulatory function associated with aging. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between age and thermoregulatory behaviour during walking exercise in Control (22 °C; 40% relative humidity [RH]) and Hot (35 °C, 40% RH) conditions. Thirty-six healthy males (age 46 ± 20 (range 19–86) years; stature 177 ± 7 cm; body mass 75.7 ± 11.3 kg; BMI 24.2 ± 2.9 kg m−2; Ʃskinfolds 33.3 ± 10.5 mm; mean ± SD) each completed two experimental trials, one in Control and one in Hot conditions. Each trial consisted of three bouts of 10 min walking at a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 13, interspersed with 5 min of seated rest. Thermoregulatory behaviour was assessed as the ratio between distance walked in the Control and Hot trials. Participants walked 3.8% less in the Hot (2.63 ± 0.46 km) than in the Control (2.73 ± 0.4 km) condition (t(36) = −2.38, p = 0.023, d = 0.26). Regression analysis demonstrated that age was the primary predictor of thermoregulatory pacing behaviour, explaining 23% of the variance (Std β = −0.475, p = 0.003). Including physical activity levels (PASE) increased the variance accounted to 32% (age Std β = −0.396, p = 0.011; PASE Std β = 0.319, p = 0.038). In conclusion, thermoregulatory pacing behaviour was impaired with increased age and reduced physical activity when undertaking walking exercise at a perceived exertion of ‘somewhat hard’ in hot ambient conditions.</p
Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Safety practices and insights from Aboriginal Elders, Organisations and Communities.
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic in Australia highlighted the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisation However, it also exposed significant challenges relating to equity, equality, and ethical decision-making, underscoring the need for Aboriginal community-based research to gain a better understanding of the pandemic’s impact. Using Indigenous Standpoint Theory and Complex Adaptive Systems Theory as philosophical lens and Aboriginal Participatory Action Research as methodology, our team of Aboriginal and ally researchers conducted ten yarning and validation yarning circles with 52 participants in the southwest regions of Western Australia. We theoretically sampled urban and rural Aboriginal Elders, community members and organisations, and explored their experiences and perspectives about COVID-19. Our thematic analysis of the yarning circles revealed that an interaction of individual and contextual factors and processes significantly influenced perception of safety, coping strategies, and decision-making across individual, community, and organisational levels. Although many participants experienced resilience and adaptability resulting from Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing and sharing ways for circumventing negative and inequitable experiences, these individual and system level interactions also led to many participants experiencing fear in response to the pandemic exacerbating disruptions to services and basic needs. The findings indicate that the complexities of Australia’s historical and contemporary colonial practices share similar characteristics with COVID-19 restrictions, evoking traumatic memories from the past. The findings suggest a need for crisis response to be co-created, co-implemented and co-evaluated with local Aboriginal communities to be evaluative, culturally informed, and inclusive of diverse Aboriginal voices, knowledges, and practices
Decolonizing Deliberative Democracy
No full textDeliberative democracy advances an emancipatory project of inclusion, equality, and freedom. Yet these ideals have been produced within a context structured by colonial power. This article argues that if deliberative democracy is to unfold its full democratic potential, it needs to face its colonial legacies and position a decolonizing ethos at its center. The article proposes a framework consisting of six moves toward decolonizing deliberative democracy—three deconstructive and three reconstructive: 1. acknowledging modernity's violence; 2. recognizing epistemic injustices within the knowledge production of deliberative democracy; 3. criticizing the colonial drive of deliberative institutions; 4. theorizing from the bottom up by and with Indigenous and marginalized groups; 5. engaging in an open dialogue with the Global South scholarship; 6. focusing on emancipation
The Short-Shrifting of Our Academic Journals
No full textWhen Australian researchers publish their work, the journal they choose to publish in has implications for their academic careers. Journals are important vehicles for peer-review and a particular journal’s reputation is a useful measure of the quality of the research output. However, the system is often skewed to ignore research focused exclusively on Australian issues