The influence of sentence focus on mental simulation: A possible cause of ACE instability.

Recent studies have revealed the instability of the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE). The current study was designed to demonstrate the hypothesis that the instability of the ACE may be attributed to the instability of focused information in a sentence. A pilot study indicated that the focused information of sentences was relatively stable in the sentence-picture verification task but exhibited significant interindividual variability in the action-sentence compatibility paradigm in previous studies. Experiments 1 and 2 examined the effect of sentence focus on the shape match effect and the ACE by manipulating the focused information of sentences using the focus marker word "" (is). Experiment 1 found that the shape match effect occurred in the original sentence, while it disappeared when the word "" (is) was used to make an object noun no longer the focus of a sentence. Experiment 2 failed to observe the ACE regardless of whether the sentence focus was on the action information. Experiment 3 modified the focus manipulation to observe its impact on the ACE using different fonts and underlines to highlight the focused information. The results indicated that the ACE only occurred when the action information was the sentence focus. These findings suggest that sentence focus influences mental simulation, and the instability of the ACE is likely to be associated with the instability of sentence focus in previous studies. This outcome highlights the crucial role of identifying specific information as the critical element expressed in the current linguistic context for successful simulation.

Improved accuracy of implant placement with an imageless handheld robotic system compared to conventional instrumentation in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized controlled trial using CT-based assessment of radiological outcomes.

PURPOSE: Image-free handheld robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RATKA) has shown to achieve desired limb alignment compared to conventional jig-based instrumented total knee arthroplasty (CTKA). The aim of this prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the accuracy of a semi-autonomous imageless handheld RATKA compared to CTKA in order to achieve the perioperative planned target alignment of the knee postoperatively. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomized in 1:1 ratio to undergo unilateral CTKA or an imageless handheld RATKA. A full-length lower limb CT-scan was obtained pre- and 6-week postoperative. The primary outcomes were radiologic measurements of achieved target hip-knee-ankle axis (HKA-axis) and implant component position including varus and external rotation and flexion of the femur component, and posterior tibial slope. The proportion of outliers in above radiographic outcomes, defined as > 3° deviation in postoperative CT measurements as compared to perioperative planned target, were also noted. Knee phenotypes were compared with use of the Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification. RESULTS: Baseline conditions were comparable between both groups. The overall proportion and percentage of outliers (n = 38, 24.4% vs n = 9, 5.8%) was statistically significant (p < 0.001) in favor of RATKA. The achieved varus-valgus of the femoral component (varus 1.3° ± 1.7° vs valgus - 0.1° ± 1.9°, p < 0.05) with statistically significant less outliers (0% vs 88.5%, p < 0.01), the achieved HKA-axis (varus 0.4° ± 2.1° vs valgus - 1.2° ± 2.1°, p < 0.05) and the posterior tibial slope (1.4° ± 1.1° vs 3.2° ± 1.8°, p < 0.05) were more accurate with RATKA. The most common postoperative CPAK categories were type II (50% CTKA vs 61.5% RATKA), type I (3.8% CTKA vs 23.1% RATKA) and type V (26.9% CTKA vs 15.4% RATKA). CPAK classification III was only found in CTKA (19.2%). Type VI, VII, VIII, and IX were rare in both populations. CONCLUSIONS: The present trial demonstrates that an imageless handheld RATKA system can be used to accurately perioperatively plan the desired individual component implant positions with less alignment outliers whilst aiming for a constitutional alignment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

PSI kinematic versus non-PSI mechanical alignment in total knee arthroplasty: a prospective, randomized study.

PURPOSE: Kinematic alignment in TKA is supposed to restore function by aligning the components to the premorbid flexion-extension axis instead of altering the joint line and natural kinematic axes of the knee. The purpose of this study was to compare mechanically aligned TKA to kinematic alignment. METHODS: In this study, 200 patients underwent TKA and were randomly assigned to 2 groups: 100 TKAs were performed using kinematic alignment with custom-made cutting guides in order to complete cruciate-retaining TKA; the other 100 patients underwent TKA that was manually performed using mechanical alignment. The WOMAC and combined Knee Society Score (KSS), as well as radiological alignment, were determined as outcome parameters at the 12-month endpoint. RESULTS: WOMAC and KSS significantly improved in both groups. There was a significant difference in both scores between groups in favour of kinematic alignment. Although the kinematic alignment group demonstrated significantly better overall results, more outliers with poor outcomes were also seen in this group. A correlation between post-operative alignment deviation from the initial plan and poor outcomes was also noted. The most important finding of this study is that applying kinematic alignment in TKA achieves comparable results to mechanical alignment in TKA. This study also shows that restoring the premorbid flexion-extension axis of the knee joint leads to better overall functional results. CONCLUSION: Kinematic alignment is a favourable technique for TKA. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The kinematic alignment idea might be a considerable alternative to mechanical alignment in the future. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Development of singleton consonants in French-speaking children with typical versus protracted phonological development: The influence of word length, word shape and stress.

PURPOSE: To provide preliminary reference data for singleton consonant development in children with typical development (TD) versus protracted phonological development (PPD) for Manitoba Canadian French, a language with an uncommon stress pattern ("iambic" or "right-headed"). Following a nonlinear perspective, singleton consonants were examined both as segments and in terms of the structure of words. Higher match levels for consonants were expected in shorter versus longer words and in stressed versus unstressed syllables. A larger effect was expected in children with PPD than those with TD. METHOD: Participants included 20 TD children and 12 with PPD aged 2 to 4 years from Manitoba, Canada. Single words were digitally recorded by trained speech-language pathologists, transcribed by native French speakers and analysed with Phon 3.0. RESULT: Friedman and Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests revealed that children with PPD had significantly more mismatches than TD children, especially in contexts of unstressed syllables in multisyllabic words. The most common mismatch ("error") patterns were consonant substitution, consonant deletion and syllable deletion. CONCLUSION: Word length and stress were found to influence consonant development within French, similar to findings in languages with left-headed or trochaic stress. Clinically, the findings underscore the relevance of considering the child's entire phonological system for identification of strengths and needs in assessment and intervention.

Estudio preliminar sobre patrones fonológicos según la fonología no lineal de niños chilenos de entre 3. 0 y 3. 11 años con Desarrollo Fonológico prolongado (DFP) / A preliminary study about phonological patterns according to the non-linear phonology of chilean children between 3. 0 and 3. 11 years with Protracted Phonological Development (PPD)

El Desarrollo Fonológico Prolongado (DFP) presenta patrones de simplificación que persisten más allá de la edad esperada, disminuyendo la inteligibilidad en los niños (Dubasik & Ingram, 2013). En el presente trabajo se describen los patrones fonológicos, según la Fonología No Lineal, en niños chilenos de entre 3.0 y 3.11 años con DFP. Este objetivo surgió de la necesidad de conocer los patrones suprasegmentales y segmentales de niños chilenos con DFP, puesto que no se ha realizado un estudio basado en la Teoría No Lineal en la población chilena. La muestra estuvo conformada por cinco niños pertenecientes a jardines infantiles de la Región de Valparaíso, Chile. A estos niños se les aplicó la Lista de Palabras del Español, obteniendo un corpus de 500 palabras. Este fue analizado a través de las medidas suprasegmentales Whole Word Match (WWM) o coincidencia de la palabra completa, Word Shape Match (WSM) o coincidencia de la estructura de la palabra, patrones acentuales; y medidas segmentales, en Porcentaje de Consonantes Correctas (PCC). Como resultado se obtuvo que los niños con DFP presentan puntajes altos en patrones acentuales (99.2%), pero muestran una alteración en las medidas de WWM, con un 52.2% de aciertos; WSM, con un 73.4%, y PCC, con un 89.2%. En consecuencia, se evidenció alteración suprasegmental y segmental en niños con DFP, pues los valores obtenidos no coinciden con el Desarrollo Típico (DT) observados en otras investigaciones.

Protracted Phonological Development (PPD) features phonological patterns that persist beyond expected during development, decreasing intelligibility (Dubasik & Ingram, 2013). This study aims at describing the phonological patterns in Chilean children (3.0 to 3.11 years of age) with PPD, within the Nonlinear Phonology background. This objective sprung from the need to study the suprasegmental and segmental patterns of Chilean children with PPD, given that no research has been conducted based on the Nonlinear Theory among Chilean children. The sample consisted of 5 Chileanchildren. They had all been diagnosed with PPD and attended kindergartens in Valparaíso, Chile. These children were administered the Spanish Word List, which allowed to obtain a corpus of 500 words. The corpus was later analyzed by means of the suprasegmental measures: i.e.: Whole Word Match (WWM), Word Shape Match (WSM) and segmental measures, expressed in Percentage of Correct Consonants (PCC). Results showed that these children with PPD performed high on accent patterns (99.2%), but at deficit levels on the WWM measures (with 52.2% of correct answers), on the WSM measures (with 73.4%), and on PCC measures (with 89.2%). Consequently, this research provides empirical evidence regarding suprasegmental and segmental alterations in children with PPD, since the values herein obtained are not aligned with the Typical Development (TD) observed in other studies.