Shoulder shape directly impacts forelimb function by contributing to glenohumeral (GH) range-of-motion (ROM). However, identifying traits that contribute most to ROM and visualizing how they do so remains challenging, ultimately limiting our ability to reconstruct function and behaviour in fossil species. To address these limitations, we developed an in silico proximity-driven model to simulate and visualize three-dimensional (3D) GH rotations in living primate species with diverse locomotor profiles, identify those shapes that are most predictive of ROM using geometric morphometrics, and apply subsequent insights to interpret function and behaviour in the fossil hominin Australopithecus sediba. We found that ROM metrics that incorporated 3D rotations best discriminated locomotor groups, and the magnitude of ROM (mobility) was decoupled from the anatomical location of ROM (e.g. high abduction versus low abduction). Morphological traits that enhanced mobility were decoupled from those that enabled overhead positions, and all non-human apes possessed the latter but not necessarily the former. Model simulation in A. sediba predicted high mobility and a ROM centred at lower abduction levels than in living apes but higher than in modern humans. Together these results identify novel form-to-function relationships in the shoulder and enhance visualization tools to reconstruct past function and behaviour.

The Covid-19 pandemic altered workplaces. For those with ‘office jobs,’ this meant working ‘virtually,’ or remotely, from home. This transition forced organizations and workplaces to exercise flexibility, adapt workflows and rely on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to work remotely. However, Blind and Partially Sighted Individuals (BPSI) face challenges accessing work digitally and remote communications through ICTs. In response, we report on the results of our longitudinal participatory design study investigating the impact of working and training over a distance for BPSI. What emerged is a conceptual model to assist in understanding how ICT interfaces convey spatial-topological cues for the construction of shared intentionality in virtual work environments. The implications of our model could be significant, as it aids understanding of what is lost and gained when transitioning to virtual work environments. This could inform the development of ICTs with cross-sensory interaction and national accessibility policies for the workplace.

While there have been previous studies linking beta-amyloid accumulation in the positive range and cognitive decline, there has yet to be substantial research focusing on the significance of beta-amyloid accumulation in the negative range. The present study aims to replicate the findings of the original paper by Landau et al. 2018 which investigated potential associations between subthreshold levels of beta-amyloid accumulation and decreased executive or memory function. Utilizing data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), longitudinal beta-amyloid accumulation from florbetapir-18 PET scan measurements in cognitively normal individuals and mild cognitively impaired was compared with longitudinal executive and memory function measurements. These findings will provide implications as to whether beta-amyloid accumulation in healthy, cognitively normal individuals may be an earlier indicator of cognitive decline.

To analyze the development and nature of essentialist beliefs about race in earlychildhood, we replicated Mandalaywala and colleagues’ original study on the topic, in which a “switched-at-birth” task was used to test participants’ beliefs about the heritability of skin color and behavioral/psychological traits. We accessed their data through OSF and implemented quasibinomial and linear regression models using RStudio. As an extension to the original study, models were modified to incorporate participant sex as a variable. Overall, children judged skin color to be more heritable when the race of the birth mother was white but neither participant race nor sex was a strong predictor of general beliefs about the heritability of skin color. As expected, greater outgroup exposure was associated with a decrease in racial essentialism. Additionally, we found that Black participants exhibited higher levels of racial essentialism, and both Black participants and female participants displayed greater warmth toward Blacks. Despite children viewing skin color as a highly heritable factor, they do not hold strong causal essentialist beliefs of race, and these beliefs are further affected by the level of outgroup exposure that participants experience. Upon extending this model to compare across participant sexes, the results suggest that emotion-based judgments such as warmth toward Blacks differ more greatly between sexes, while general essentialist beliefs were not as differentiable. Essentialist beliefs may form more on the basis of intellectual development, in which there is a minimal distinction between males and females, rather than emotional experiences. The reason for certain variations across participant sex is hard to pinpoint but all in all, sex was not a significant determining factor in developing essentialist beliefs about race in children.

As the theme of this year’s conference suggests, cognitive diversity among learners and educators is increasingly acknowledged. However, in our societies that increasingly require advanced education, training, and technical skills, the pressure to standardize learning objectives, delivery techniques and delivery tools, especially online, is high. In these situations, learners and educators of diverse cognitive phenotypes and abilities experience learning environments that are a poor match for their abilities, making effective delivery of educational content challenging. In addition to learning about our work developing cross-sensory interaction design principles, workshop participants will share lived experiences of the pandemic-induced experimentation in online learning over the past two years to co-design prototypes that address pain points identified by participants.

Background

Numerous studies have reported an association between rotator cuff injury and two-dimensional measures of scapular morphology. However, the mechanical underpinnings explaining how these shape features affect glenohumeral joint function and lead to injury are poorly understood. We hypothesized that three-dimensional features of scapular morphology differentiate asymptomatic shoulders from those with rotator cuff tears, and that these features would alter the mechanical advantage of the supraspinatus.

Methods

Twenty-four individuals with supraspinatus tears and twenty-seven age-matched controls were recruited. A statistical shape analysis identified scapular features distinguishing symptomatic patients from asymptomatic controls. We examined the effect of injury-associated morphology on mechanics by developing a morphable model driven by six degree-of-freedom biplanar videoradiography data. We used the model to simulate abduction for a range of shapes and computed the supraspinatus moment arm.

Findings

Rotator cuff injury was associated with a cranial orientation of the glenoid and scapular spine (P = .011, d = 0.75) and/or decreased subacromial space (P = .001, d = 0.94). The shape analysis also identified previously undocumented features associated with superior inclination and subacromial narrowing. In our computational model, warping the scapula from a cranial to a lateral orientation increased the supraspinatus moment arm at 20° of abduction and decreased the moment arm at 160° of abduction.

Interpretations

Three-dimensional analysis of scapular morphology indicates a stronger relationship between morphology and cuff tears than two-dimensional measures. Insight into how morphological features affect rotator cuff mechanics may improve patient-specific strategies for prevention and treatment of cuff tears.