Knee stability assessment on anterior cruciate ligament injury: clinical and biomechanical approaches

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is common in knee joint accounting for 40% of sports injury. ACL injury leads to knee instability, therefore, understanding knee stability assessments would be useful for diagnosis of ACL injury, comparison between operation treatments and establishing return-to-sport standard. This article firstly introduces a management model for ACL injury and the contribution of knee stability assessment to the corresponding stages of the model. Secondly, standard clinical examination, intra-operative stability measurement and motion analysis for functional assessment are reviewed. Orthopaedic surgeons and scientists with related background are encouraged to understand knee biomechanics and stability assessment for ACL injury patients

Arthroscopic repair of isolated type II superior labrum anterior–posterior lesion

The effectiveness of arthroscopic repair of type II superior labrum anterior-posterior lesion (SLAP) was unclear as previous studies examined this treatment with patients of combined types of SLAP lesions. To address this research gap, we evaluated the clinical and functional outcomes of arthroscopic repair for 16 patients (mean = 24.2, SD = 6.5) with clinical evidence of isolated type II SLAP lesion. After having arthroscopic stabilizations with Bioknotless suture anchors (Mitek), the patients were offered post-operative rehabilitation programs (e.g., physiotherapy) for 6 months. The symptoms of SLAP lesion and the functions of the shoulder were assessed pre-operatively and 28-month post-operatively by O'Brien test, Speed test, Yergason test, and University of California at Los Angeles rating for pain and function of the shoulder. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test and McNemar test were employed to analyze the difference between assessment in pre-operation and post-operation phases. The result showed that patients' shoulder functions improved (UCLA Shoulder Score), and symptoms of SLAP lesion reduced (O'Brien test, Speed test, and Yergason test) significantly (P < 0.05). Time for returning to play with pre-injury level was in average 9.4 months (range 4-24), and no complication or recurrence was detected. We concluded that arthroscopic repair is an effective operation of type II SLAP lesion with good clinical and functional outcomes; however, athletes with high demand of overhead throwing activities are likely to take longer duration of rehabilitation to attain full recovery

A structural and content‐based analysis for Web filtering

With the proliferation of objectionable materials (e.g. pornography, violence, drugs, etc.) available on the WWW, there is an urgent need for effective countermeasures to protect children and other unsuspecting users from exposure to such materials. Using pornographic Web pages as a case study, this paper presents a thorough analysis of the distinguishing features of such Web pages. The objective of the study is to gain knowledge on the structure and characteristics of typical pornographic Web pages so that effective Web filtering techniques can be developed to filter them automatically. In this paper, we first survey the existing techniques for Web content filtering. A study on the characteristics of pornographic Web pages is then presented. The implementation of a Web content filtering system that combines the use of an artificial neural network and the knowledge gained in the analysis of pornographic Web pages is also given

An intelligent categorization engine for bilingual web content filtering

It is important to protect children and unsuspecting adults from the harmful effects of objectionable materials, such as pornography, violence, and hate messages, which are now prevalent on the World-Wide Web. This calls for effective tools for web content analysis and filtering of objectionable contents. Our study of existing web content filtering systems has identified a number of deficiencies in these systems. Using the analysis of pornographic web pages as a case study, we present an intelligent bilingual web page categorization engine that can determine if an English or Chinese language web page contains pornographic materials. We have implemented the categorization engine to perform offline web page analysis and near-instantaneous online filtering. Performance evaluation of our system has verified its effectiveness

Networking support for neural network-based intelligent web monitoring and filtering

Like any self-regulating environment, the Internet is prone to abuse by individuals who use it for illegal or immoral purposes. The ability to discreetly intercept and analyze Internet traffic has tremendous potential both to protect unsuspecting users from harmful Web materials, and for the fight against organized crime and terrorism. Using the intelligent filtering and monitoring of pornographic Web pages as a case study, we have investigated strategies for monitoring Internet traffic. Based on our analysis, we have developed a Web content filtering system that decouples the monitoring process from Web content analysis process to achieve low latency and high accuracy. In particular, an Online Monitoring Agent performs the monitoring and filtering process, whereas an Offline Classification Agent that employs machine intelligence for classification of Web pages performs Web content analysis. We have implemented and tested the system and found that it consistently outperformed other, commercially available, Web filtering systems

XFighter: an intelligent web content filtering system

Purpose – With the proliferation of objectionable world wide web (WWW or web) materials such as pornography and violence, there is an increasing need for effective web content filtering tools to protect unsuspecting users from the harmful effect of such materials. This paper aims to discuss this issue.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Design/methodology/approach – Using pornographic web materials as a case study, the authors have developed an effective filtering solution that uses machine intelligence to perform offline web page classification into allowed and disallowed web pages.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Findings – The results are stored in a database for fast online retrieval whenever access to a web page is requested.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Practical implications – The separation between offline classification and online filtering ensures fast blocking decisions are made from the user's viewpoint.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Originality/value – There is an urgent and continued need for effective measures against the proliferation of objectionable materials on the web. In this paper, the authors describe a possible solution in the form of a complete working system. Future research will focus on adding appropriate modules to tackle other types of objectionable materials than the type described. The basic framework, however, should be applicable to a wide range of materials.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Effects of Ving Tsun Chinese martial art training on musculoskeletal health, balance performance, and self-efficacy in community-dwelling older adults

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ving Tsun (VT) Chinese martial art training on radial bone strength, upper- and lower-limb muscular strength, shoulder joint mobility, balance performance, and self-efficacy in elderly participants. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve seniors voluntarily joined the VT training group, and twenty-seven seniors voluntarily joined the control group. The VT group received VT training for three months, while the control group received no training. The bone strength of the distal radius was assessed using an ultrasound bone sonometer. Muscular strength in the limbs was evaluated using a Jamar handgrip dynamometer and the five times sit-to-stand test. Shoulder joint mobility was examined using a goniometer. Balance performance and self-efficacy were evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale and the Chinese version of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, respectively. [Results] The results revealed a nonsignificant group-by-time interaction effect, group effect, and time effect for all outcome variables. However, general trends of maintenance or improvement in all outcome parameters were observed to a greater extent in the VT group than in the control group. [Conclusion] VT training might be a potential fall-prevention exercise that can be used to maintain general physique, balance, and confidence in the elderly population. A further randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm this postulation

Effectiveness of Action Observation and Motor Imagery on Relearning Upper Extremity Function After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The effectiveness of action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI) in high-quality studies with less risk of bias is rarely reported together. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of AO and MI on improving upper extremity function among people after stroke by combining evidence of studies with high methodological quality. Randomised controlled trials, with a score of 6 or above in the PEDro Scale, that examined the effects of AO or MI for people with stroke were selected. A narrative analysis and meta-analysis were conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Ten randomised controlled trials from 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analysis showed that AO had a small to moderate statistically significant effect on improving upper extremity motor function (standardized mean difference, SMD = 0.34; confidence interval, CI = 0.08, 0.59; P = 0.35; I2 = 0.00%) and no significant effect on MI (SMD = 0.08; CI = -0.26, 0.42; P = 0.65; I2 = 0.00%) when compared with the control intervention. Evidence was found in support of AO and it is recommended for people with acute or sub-acute stroke