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Groin pain is a widely recognized medical issue among athletes. Groin pain can affect both player and team performance and sometimes can be a career-ending injury. The aim of this study was to assess seasonal groin pain prevalence and the average seasonal time loss from sport for each injury in different team sport athletes. The hip and groin functionality at the beginning of the following season was also investigated.A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 600 team sport athletes (soccer, futsal, basketball, volleyball, and water polo players). The seasonal prevalence of groin pain, level of competition (professional and non-professional), time loss, and concomitant injuries in addition to groin pain were reported and analyzed. The Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) was used to assess hip and groin pain and function related to sport and activity.Among the 506 (84%) players included, 123 players (24.3%) reported groin pain. Overall, soccer players reported the highest groin pain prevalence (32.5%) followed by futsal (25.5%), basketball (25.2%), water polo (17.6%) and volleyball players (13.6%). Professional soccer, futsal and basketball athletes showed higher groin pain prevalence in comparison with non-professional athletes (p = 0.02, p = 0.005 and p = 0.004, respectively). The mean time loss from sport due to groin pain was 60.3 ± 66 days in soccer, 41.1 ± 16.6 days in futsal, 31.5 ± 18 days in water polo, 37.2 ± 14.2 days in basketball and 50.8 ± 24.6 days in volleyball. Significantly lower HAGOS values were found in athletes with groin pain for all sports evaluated compared to athletes with no groin pain history (p = 0.0001). Longer time loss from sport was correlated with lower HAGOS values in soccer (p = 0.002) and futsal (p = 0.002) players with groin pain. Concomitant injuries were correlated with lower HAGOS values in water polo players (p = 0.03).Seasonal groin pain occurs in as many as one in four team sport athletes. Soccer players show the highest groin pain prevalence and the longest time loss from sport. Professional athletes report higher prevalence of groin pain in comparison with non-professional athletes. HAGOS appears to be a valid outcome instrument to measure groin pain, correlating with both time loss from sport and concomitant injuries in athletes.Level IV.

OBJECTIVES To describe injury and concussion rates and mechanisms in female high school rugby players. DESIGN Two-year prospective cohort study. SETTING High school rugby. PARTICIPANTS Participants included 214 female High school rugby players (year 1) and 207 female High school players (year 2) from the Calgary Senior High School Athletics Association 2018 and 2019 rugby competition. INTERVENTION None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Match and training injury and concussion. Injury definition included any injury resulting in time loss, inability to complete a session, and/or requiring medical attention. Details of reported injuries were collected on injury report forms and validated by a certified athletic therapist on a validated online injury surveillance platform. Exposure hours for players were tracked using paper or virtual weekly exposure forms by team designates. RESULTS A match incidence rate (IR) = 93.7 injuries/1000 match hours (95% confidence intervals (CI): 78.6-11.7) and training IR = 5.3 injuries/1000 training hours (95% CI: 4.0-6.9) were estimated. The tackle accounted for 109 (70%) match and 37 (44%) training injuries. Tackling was the most frequent mechanism of injury (IR = 37.5 injuries/1000 match hours, 95% CI: 27.5-51.8 and 1.2 injuries/1000 training hours, 95% CI: 0.7-2.4). Sixty-two match concussions (IR = 37.5 concussions/1000 match hours, 95% CI: 26.8-52.3) and 16 training concussions (IR = 1.0 concussions/1000 training hours, 95% CI: 0.7-1.4) occurred. Of 78 reported concussions, 78% for match and 56% for training were physician diagnosed. Tackling was the most frequent mechanism of concussion in matches (IR = 18.1 concussions/1000 match hours, 95% CI:11.4-28.6). CONCLUSIONS Injury and concussion rates in female high school rugby are high. The tackle accounted for the highest proportion of injuries. Prevention strategies (eg, tackle policy change, tackle-training programs, and neuromuscular training) should be explored to increase sport safety.

Background: Augmented Reality is a favorable and definitive pedagogical approach for integrating formal learning. E-learning combined with Augmented Reality (AR) technology can surpass traditional learning methods if the system is tailored to include components of smart learning and evaluation of knowledge on devices ubiquitously in the absence of tutors. AR is predicted to transform and become the fundamental user interface of the twenty-first century. Augmented reality, instead, generates an interaction between the real environment and virtual objects. The use of augmented reality permits direct visualization bypassing the last transfer step, which means, on a large scale, to avoid data and time loss. Visualization of digital data directly on the patient means the possibility of achieving great advantages in digital procedures. This review briefly summarizes history, definitions, features and components of augmented reality technology and discusses its avenues and applications in orthodontics. Keywords: Cephalometry, Bracket positioning

Background and Objectives. The debonding procedures of brackets in orthodontics cause a different amount of time loss and enamel damage. The current research assesses and equates the time consumption for bracket debonding using four different techniques. Materials and Methods. A total of 80 human premolars were included in this study. The samples were first arranged following a standard protocol for bracketing and then debonded using the ultrasonic scaler (US), debonding plier (DP), ligature cutter (LC), and thermal method (TM). Depending on the technique applied for debonding, the specimens were randomly divided into four groups with 20 samples, each keeping a 1 : 1 ratio. During the debonding process, the time taken for each bracket removal was recorded using a stopwatch. To assess the difference in mean time required for debonding among the four techniques, one-way ANOVA test was applied along with Tukey’s HSD to compare the two methods. Results. The time range and the mean time required for the four techniques analyzed show that the DP method has the highest range of time needed for debonding with 0.97–2.56 seconds, while LC methods have the least time range taking 0.46 to 1.79 seconds. TM’s mean time to debond is the highest at 1.5880 seconds. LC method has the lowest mean debonding time of 0.9880 seconds. The one-way ANOVA test has shown the mean debonding time required by the four techniques to be significantly different ( p < 0.001 ). Tukey’s HSD multiple comparisons also show that the mean time to debond using the LC method is substantially less than the other three methods ( p < 0.001 ). Conclusion. The mean debonding time for the TM was substantially the highest, followed by the US and DP. Debonding with the LC technique required the least time. This study shows some limelight towards the effectiveness of the LC method as it is the least time-consuming technique.

There is a trend toward increased surgical treatment of displaced clavicle fractures in the adolescent population presumably because of extrapolation of adult-derived best practice guidelines. The purpose of this study was to compare return to sport between nonoperative and operative treatment of clavicle fractures in high school athletes.A retrospective review of clavicle fractures sustained in scholastic athletes participating in school-sponsored athletics in the upstate South Carolina was performed from 2015 to 2019. Injury circumstances, demographics, radiographs, treatment, and return to sport data were documented for all patients. Radiographs were evaluated for fracture location, comminution, displacement, shortening, and angulation. Patients were followed until complete return to sport, and results were compared based on sport participation, injury mechanism, fracture morphology, treatment type, and time to return to sport.Forty-seven patients (44 were male; average age 15.6 years) were included who all returned to sport within the original or subsequent season. Thirty-six patients (73%) were managed conservatively (30 middle third fractures, 4 medial third fractures, 2 distal third fractures), whereas 11 were managed surgically (11 middle third fractures). Eighty-one percent of fractures occured in collision athletes (55% in football). There was no difference in time loss based on participating in collision vs. noncontact sports (P = .4). Conservatively managed fractures returned to sport faster (61 ± 38 days vs. 100 ± 49 days; P = .008) compared with surgically managed patients. Fracture displacement ≥100% (100 ± 51 days vs. 54 ± 27 days; P = .001), greater comminution (128 ± 50 days vs. 59 ± 31 days; P = .001), and angulation (86 ± 52 days vs. 54 ± 22 days; P = .001) all were statistically significant for slower return to sport. Athletes presenting with clavicular shortening2 cm returned to sport within a similar time frame as athletes with ≥2 cm (P = 0.1).Our results show that adolescent athletes with clavicular fractures predictably return to athletics, including collision sports. Athletes conservatively managed returned 40% faster than those with surgery. However, this appears to be associated with the severity and complexity of fractures treated surgically. This study provides evidence to counsel adolescent athletes following clavicular fractures on return to sport expectations.

Objective To examine the individual experiences of injury burden in amateur Rugby players across the onset of injury, rehabilitation, and return to play. Design Qualitative. Setting Irish amateur Rugby clubs. Participants Three male and two female Rugby players who sustained a severe injury that resulted in a time loss of at least 28 days. Main outcome measures Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the injury burden experienced during the three phases of injury. Results Hierarchical content analysis revealed 36 codes representing individual injury burden, which were clustered into seven themes across personal (emotional reaction; impact on performance or involvement; lack of knowledge; severity of injury and incapacitation) and situational (exposure to others playing; negative experiences with treatment or rehabilitation; societal burden) dimensions. Conclusions The findings indicate that individual injury experiences can affect a player’s recovery and rehabilitation outcome, potentially extending the injury process and affecting player availability for the team. As such, injury management should focus on alleviating any injury-related burden experienced by players, as well as burden placed on the team, to maximise rehabilitation outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Despite growing participation in circus arts, little is known about associated injuries. Understanding injury patterns is critical for developing interventions to decrease injury risk and guiding rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot prospective cohort study was to describe injury frequency and characteristics in adolescent and adult circus artists using a surveillance method derived from dance. METHODS: Participants included 14 adolescent [mean age 14.7 yrs (1.3); 100% female] and 10 adult circus artists [mean age 30.7 yrs (3.1); 60% female]. Circus training exposure (single session of one circus discipline) and injuries were tracked for 1 year using a dance-derived injury surveillance guideline. A regression analysis was run using total session exposures, age (in years), and years of circus experience as predictor variables for injury rate. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 24 participants completed the study. Forty-seven injuries were reported (53.2% time loss; 46.8% non-time loss). Joint injuries were most common for both groups. The injury rate per 1,000 exposures was 3 (95%CI 0.6–8.7) for adolescents and 13 (95%CI 6.9–22.01) for adults. The overall regression was significant (F(3,13)=6.66, p=0.006). The only significant predictor was age (beta=0.82, p=0.003). Total session exposures and years of circus experience had betas close to 0 (–0.11 and –0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: This pilot study comparing injuries in adolescent and adult circus artists found age but not exposure was predictive of injury risk. Use of a standardized injury surveillance guideline in circus, similar to the one used in this study, will provide greater insight into injury patterns by allowing between-study comparison.

Athletic injuries to the hip flexors and iliopsoas have been described in populations across all levels of competitive sports. Overall estimates of hip flexor pathology have ranged from 5% to 28% of injuries among high-risk sport specific groups. Although most of these injuries are successfully treated with conservative management, and high rates of return to play are observed, significant rehabilitation time can be involved. As the understanding of hip pathology with imaging modalities such as MRI has advanced, greater importance has been placed on accurately diagnosing hip flexor injuries and initiating rehabilitation protocols early to minimize time loss from sport.

ObjectiveWe assessed past-season, pre-season and in-season risk factors to investigate their association with an in-season groin problem in male amateur football players.MethodsPast-season groin-pain information and pre-season short-lever and long-lever adductor squeeze strength were obtained at baseline, together with anthropometrics (weight, lower limb lever length) and player age. In-season hip-related and groin-related sporting function was monitored every 4 weeks using the Sports and Recreation (Sport) subscale from the Hip And Groin Outcome Score questionnaire (HAGOS (Sport)). Groin problems, including time-loss groin injuries and groin pain irrespective of time loss, were collected over a 39-week competitive in-season. We estimated relative risk (RR), and 95% credibility interval (ICr) from logistic regressions fitted in a Bayesian framework.ResultsPlayers (n=245) suffering from groin pain during the past-season had 2.4 times higher risk of experiencing a groin problem in the new season (2.40 RR; 95% ICr 1.5 to 3.7). This risk was reduced by 35% (0.65 RR; 95% ICr 0.42 to 0.99) per unit (N·m/kg) increase in the long-lever adductor squeeze test. Player age, short-lever squeeze test and the HAGOS (Sport) scores were not associated with the risk of a groin problem.ConclusionsPast-season groin pain increased the risk of a groin problem in the new in-season. This risk was reduced by higher pre-season long-lever adductor squeeze strength. Past-season groin-pain information and long-lever adductor squeeze strength can be quickly obtained during pre-season to identify players with an elevated risk of in-season groin problems. This may be key to reduce these problems in the new season.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate injury occurrence sustained by collegiate rodeo athletes during practice and competition. DESIGN Descriptive epidemiology. SETTING Eleven National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association member institutions across the United States. PARTICIPANTS Participants included 264 male and female college rodeo athletes. Athletic trainers (ATs) from each institution reported injury and exposure data using the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program. INTERVENTIONS Institutional ATs reported athlete exposures (AEs) and injuries that occurred from collegiate rodeo practices and competitions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Injury and AEs from practices and competitions for one college rodeo season were analyzed. Injury rates and ratios were calculated for non-time loss (NTL) and time loss (TL) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS Data revealed a higher proportion of TL than NTL injuries [2.47 vs 1.77 per 1000 AE; injury rate ratios (IRRs) = 1.39; 95% CI: 0.93-2.08]. There was a higher injury rate during competition as compared with practice (10.98 vs 3.09 per 1000 AE; IRR = 3.56; 95% CI: 2.36-5.35), but more injuries were reported in practice (62.2%). CONCLUSIONS Although the injury rate during rodeo competition was significantly higher than during practice in this study, a greater number of injuries were reported during practice. This indicates all college rodeo athletes can potentially benefit from available medical care.

Calculating the sample size in scientific studies is one of the critical issues as regards the scientific contribution of the study. The sample size critically affects the hypothesis and the study design, and there is no straightforward way of calculating the effective sample size for reaching an accurate conclusion. Use of a statistically incorrect sample size may lead to inadequate results in both clinical and laboratory studies as well as resulting in time loss, cost, and ethical problems. This review holds two main aims. The first aim is to explain the importance of sample size and its relationship to effect size (ES) and statistical significance. The second aim is to assist researchers planning to perform sample size estimations by suggesting and elucidating available alternative software, guidelines and references that will serve different scientific purposes.

Individual variation in disturbance vulnerability (i.e. the likelihood that disturbance negatively affects an individual's fitness) can affect how disturbance impacts animal populations, as even at low disturbance levels some individuals could be severely affected and die. Individual variation in vulnerability can arise due to different responses to disturbance. We propose a new hypothesis that even when individuals respond similarly to disturbance, time-limited individuals are more at risk that their condition deteriorates since they have limited ability to extend their foraging time to compensate for disturbance. We investigate this ‘time-limitation hypothesis' both empirically and mathematically by studying how individuals that differ in their average foraging time (presumably due to differences in foraging efficiency) are affected by disturbance. We used tracking data of 22 wintering Eurasian oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus to compare time budgets between disturbed and undisturbed tidal periods. In three tidal periods with severe disturbance by transport airplanes, more than a third of the variation in additional flight time and foraging time loss was explained by individual differences. Inefficient individuals that foraged longer in undisturbed tidal periods experienced higher costs in disturbed tidal periods, since they lost more foraging time. We next used an analytical energy balance model to study how time-limited individuals differed in their maximum disturbance thresholds. Both our theoretical model and empirical study suggest that inefficient individuals in a time-limited environment may be unable to increase their foraging time to compensate for the effects of disturbance. Consequently, the magnitude of individual variation in time budgets strongly determines what proportion of the population is at risk that their condition deteriorates due to disturbance. Our hypothesis implies that, when assessing disturbance effects on a population, it is not only important to consider individual variation in disturbance responses, but also variation in time budgets that determine the consequences of disturbance.

To prevent the occurrence of injury in a sport, exact knowledge of injury patterns is needed. To synthesize sport-specific injuries in track and field comparing elite and recreational level athletes, as well as gender. Furthermore, analyze the time loss due to injury and reduction in athletic performance.Injury type-specific frequencies were recorded according to discipline, gender and performance level. Injury severity was assessed by time loss duration and performance reduction.64% of athletes suffered at least one injury. In the top 10 ranking, 83% (n = 524) were located in the lower extremities. A muscle strain of the thigh had the highest prevalence in sprint (34%, n = 41), jump (15%, n = 15) and middle-distance running (16%, n = 6). More injuries occurred during training (75%, n = 165) as compared to competition (25%, n = 56). The longest time loss was documented in throwing with a downtime of 36 weeks after a ligament injury of the elbow and 39 weeks after a muscle injury of the elbow. The injury with the highest number of athletes with a reduced level of performance was the foot ligament injury in sprint athletes at 100%.Assessing time loss and performance reduction in athletics, there are discipline-specific injury patterns. This study points out the high prevalence of training injuries, highlighting the need for future investigations to adapt training management, improve medical care and rehabilitation with respect to every discipline.

Background: High-speed running is commonly implicated in the genesis of hamstring injury. The success of hamstring injury management is typically quantified by the duration of time loss or reinjury rate. These metrics do not consider any loss in performance after returning to play from hamstring injury. It is not known to what extent high-speed running is altered on return to play after such injury. Hypothesis: Match high-speed running distance will change after returning from hamstring injury. Study Design: Non-randomized cohort. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Match high-speed running distance in highest level professional football (soccer, Rugby League, Rugby Union, and Australian Rules) were examined for a minimum of 5 games prior and subsequent to hamstring strain injury for individual differences using a linear regression models approach. A total of 22 injuries in 15 players were available for analysis. Results: Preinjury cumulative high-speed running distances were strongly correlated for each individual ( r2 = 0.92-1.0; P < 0.0001). Pre- and postinjury high-speed running data were available for a median of 15 matches (range, 6-15). Variance from the preinjury high-speed running distance was significantly less ( P = 0.0005) than the post injury values suggesting a suppression of high-speed running distance after returning from injury. On return to play, 7 of the 15 players showed a sustained absolute reduction in preinjury high-speed running distance, 7 showed no change, and 1 player (only) showed an increase. Analysis of subsequent (second and third injury) return to play showed no differences to return from the index injury. Conclusion: Return to play was not associated with return to high-speed running performance for nearly half of the players examined, although the same number showed no difference. Persisting deficits in match high-speed running may exist for many players after hamstring strain injury. Clinical Relevance: Returning to play does not mean returning to (high-speed running) performance for nearly half of the high-level professional football players examined in this study. This suggests that successful return to play metrics should be expanded from simple time taken and recurrence to include performance.

Business operations must effectively utilize real-time information presented by the manufacturing execution system for the identification and analysis of key improvements, finite resources can be p...

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the indirect burden of employed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients initiating disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in the US. Methods DMT-treated MS patients (DMT users) and direct-matched controls without MS (1:3) were captured using the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database and the Health and Productivity Management Database between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2017. DMT users were also stratified by route of administration. Time loss and costs from absenteeism, short-term disability, and long-term disability were assessed for DMT users and matched controls. Results A total of 3022 DMT users were matched to 9066 controls. Compared with injectable DMT users, oral DMT users took twice as long to initiate therapy but had numerically lower absenteeism costs and significantly lower long-term disability costs in the first year after DMT initiation. The mean (standard deviation) indirect costs of absenteeism, short-term disability, and long-term disability were US$6474 (US$6779), US$2368 (US$5777), and US$280 (US$2578), respectively, for DMT users and US$4468 (US$3814), US$328 (US$1950), and US$36 (US$938), respectively, for controls in the first year (all p

Background Hip and groin problems are common in ice hockey but studies on professional female players are sparse. The available literature describes hip and groin problems by reporting incidence of time-loss injuries and may thereby underestimate the scope of these problems, which are often due to overuse and may not lead to absence from ice hockey participation. Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the seasonal prevalence and severity of hip and groin problems in professional female ice hockey players. A further aim was to examine the relation between previous problems and self-reported function in the beginning of the new season. Study design Cross-sectional study. Methods Female ice hockey players from the highest league in Sweden [n=69 (19 goalkeepers, 18 defenders, 30 forwards)], responded to an online survey, retrospectively assessing the prevalence of hip and groin problems (time loss and non-time loss) and their duration during the previous season. Furthermore, players reported current self-reported function on the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS). Results Two thirds of the players experienced hip and groin problems during the previous season [62.3% (N=43)]. A quarter of the players experienced a hip and groin problem leading to time loss [26.1% (N=18)]. The majority of problems were of short (1-2 weeks) or medium (3-5 weeks) duration [29% (N=20) of players, respectively], while longstanding problems ( ≥ 6 weeks) were rare [4,4% (N=3)]. Players that retrospectively reported hip and groin problems during the previous season reported statistically significant impairments on all HAGOS subscales in the beginning of the new season (p ≤ 0.011). Conclusion Hip and groin problems are prevalent in professional female ice hockey players, experienced by 62% during the previous season with resulting time-loss in 26.1%. Reported problems were rarely of longstanding nature, but players who reported problems in the previous season had significantly impaired hip and groin function in the beginning of the new season. Even though results of this study are based on retrospective player reports this may be a first step toward a greater understanding of the true burden of hip and groin players in professional female ice hockey players. Level of evidence 3b.

Background: Sports injury is critical for elite athletes, especially those in combat sports, which have high injury risk as the athletes attack their opponents' bodies to win. The purpose of this study was to examine the injury frequency according to the injured area and injury rate on two occasions (training and competitions) by age and sports in male combat athletes.Methods: The subjects in this study comprised 1,263 athletes who were registered as athletes in middle school, high school, university, and professional levels in men's combat sports (boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling) at the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee. An online-based survey was conducted. We carried out a frequency analysis using the R statistics program, and calculated a 95% confidence interval.Results: The highest injury experience rates were in boxing (59.3%) and taekwondo (72.7%) for professional level, in judo (60.5%) and wrestling (57.7%) for university level, and in fencing (54.8%) for high school level. The results of the analysis showed that injury occurred least frequently in the following body parts: the head in fencing (19.1%) and judo (18.0%), torso in taekwondo (14.1%) and wrestling (18.1%), and lower extremities in boxing (13.7%). The most frequently injured body parts werethelowerextremitiesinfencing(33.1%)andtaekwondo(38.9%), upperextremitiesinjudo(30.5%)andwrestling(31.9%), and head in boxing (37.4%). The injury incidence rates during competitions, by age, were 0.03, 0.11, 0.14, and 0.14 for the middle school, high school, university, and professional levels, respectively. The injury incidence rates during competitions, by sports, were 0.06, 0.07, 0.14, 0.15, and 0.16 in judo, wrestling, taekwondo, boxing, and fencing, respectively. The injury incidence rates during training, by age, were 1.33, 1.46, 1.71, and 1.75 for the middle school, high school, university, and professional levels, respectively. The injury incidence rates during training, by sports, were 1.25, 1.36, 1.57, 1.79, and 1.86 in judo, wrestling, fencing, taekwondo, and boxing, respectively. The overall analysis of injury incidence rate is 0.10 during competitions, and 1.52 during training, irrespective of age and sports type.Conclusion: The area of injury and proportion vary according to the type of sports. However, in accordance with the definition of time loss, the injury incidence rate during training was tenfold compared to the IR during competitions, and the injury incidence rate in striking sports was higher than in grappling sports during both training and competitions.

Summary Cricket is now among the most followed sport all around the globe. It is played mainly in three formats, each of which is entirely different from the other especially in terms of match workload. Similar to other sports, injuries are not uncommon among the cricketers, most of them being “overuse injuries” and are non-contact in nature. It is seen that bowlers are the most vulnerable group in this regard. The quick change in workload has a profound effect on the development of these injuries. The intensity of the workload is estimated mainly by means of two variables; external training loads (i.e. physical workload) and internal training loads (i.e. physiological or perceptual response of workload). The impact of workload varies from player to player and is dependent on individual factors like age, physical capacity, and injury history. Lack of rest, the intensity of workload, workload spikes (sudden increase or decrease in workload), and acute: chronic workload ratio are the factors that play a cardinal role in injury development in cricketers especially among bowlers that ultimately lead to the playing time loss. As fast bowlers are the rare breed, it is therefore important to look up to the method for preventing these injuries and use the aforementioned factors to control and minimize the risk of sustaining injuries.

The velocity of moving stimuli has been linked to their experienced duration. This effect was extended to instances of self-motion, where one’s own movement affects the subjective length of time. However, the experimental evidence for this extension is scarce and the effect of self-motion has not been investigated using a reproduction paradigm. Therefore, we designed a virtual reality scenario that controls for attention and eliminates the confounding effect of velocity and acceleration. The scenario consisted of a virtual road on which participants (n = 26) moved along in a car for six different durations and with six different velocities. We measured the subjective duration of the movement with reproduction and direct numerical estimation. We also assessed levels of presence in the virtual world. Our results show that higher velocity was connected to longer subjective time for both forms of measurement. However, the effect showed deviations from linearity. Presence was not associated with subjective time and did not improve performance on the task. We interpreted the effect of velocity as corroborating previous work using stimulus motion, which showed the same positive association between velocity of movement and subjective time. The absence of an effect of presence was explained in terms of a lacking dependency of time on characteristics of the virtual environment. We suggest applying our findings to the design of virtual experiences intended for inducing time loss.

In order to better understand the possible relationships between the application of training loads and the risk of injury in professional women's basketball, four parameters from a professional women's basketball team (N = 11) were analysed: exposure time, number of injuries, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and workload (sRPE). A total of 3182 h of exposure were registered, 2774 were training hours, and 408 were game hours with a total of 9 time loss injuries. The data obtained from each player was related to the exposure time, injury risk, perception of effort, and workload. Several differences were observed between the injury risk values and the morning RPE (F = 5.0811; p = .032), the sRPE of the morning practices (F = 7.3585; p = .010) and the total time of exposure (F = 3.5055; p = .064). There is also a significant negative relationship between total training time and the number of time-loss (TL) injuries (rho = −.797; p = .003), as well as a possible association between exposure time and a lower risk of TL injury (R2 = .645). These findings suggest that an increase in specific exposure time could be associated with a decrease in the risk of time-loss injuries.

The time loss bias describes overestimation of time lost after speed decreases from high speeds and underestimations after decreases from low driving speeds. Participants judged the speed decrease ...

To determine the prevalence and impact of non-time loss injuries in semi-professional football. 218 players completed the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) Questionnaire on Health Problems...

Purpose Proper definition of level of development (LOD) is one of the significant issues in building information modeling (BIM) applications; however, it is still not adequately addressed during BIM implementations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and describe the current practice in defining the LOD in large-scale BIM-based projects and identify the challenges and solutions that were provided. Design/methodology/approach Four case studies were performed at four different types of large-scale projects to depict the current practice in determining the LOD and the required properties of elements that are going to be included in a BIM model. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were performed to collect information from six professionals from four international firms. Findings The findings of the case studies revealed that defining LOD is an ambiguous process and requires high-cumulated experience. The results provide the challenges, adopted solutions and lessons learned. It was highlighted that the cost of including an element or related information in the model should be compared to the benefit of having that information in the model from the perspective of defined BIM uses. Research limitations/implications The findings are based on the projects that were performed in three developing countries. However, the main contractors were international companies and the construction management firms were well-known companies in the USA. In the future, additional case studies can be performed in other countries to identify similarities and regional differences. Practical implications The results of this study can be used to highlight the current needs in determining the LOD and guide the efforts for developing standards and policies in the AEC sector to streamline BIM adoption process in practice. The practitioners can utilize the findings of this study to increase their efficiency in adopting BIM and to decrease the time loss and cost overruns. Originality/value Most of the previous studies investigated the benefits and challenges when adopting BIM, and few of them considered LOD definition as a core part of this process. This study specifically investigated the current practice in determining the LOD and the required properties of elements that are going to be included in a BIM model. It also described the applied solutions and lessons learned in the case studies.

Inventory control of supplies in radiology is a major contributor of time loss with potential negative effect on patient care in interventional radiology. Using Lean principles, we evaluated an outdated process and instituted an inventory control system with good results, saving time and money.

METHODS Fifty-four male athletes from two different teams were involved. Accidents and injuries were recorded immediately after the incident by a team physician present at every race. Exposure, location, type and cause of injury have been recorded. Incidence was calculated. Severity was measured as a cumulative severity score and burden depicted in a risk matrix. RESULTS Total time of exposure was 12537 hours over 3524 athlete days and 544002 kilometers of racing. 98 accidents were recorded, with 83 leading to injury. The total number of recorded injuries was 193. Injury incidence for all injuries was 54,8 (±SD 47,7-62,8) /1000 athlete days, 15,4 (±SD 13,4-17,7) /1000 athlete hours and 35,5 (±SD 30,8-40,8) /100.000 km raced. By far the most frequent types of injury were hematomas, contusions and bruising (n = 141, 73%) followed by lacerations (n = 22; 11,4%). Most injuries affected the arm and elbow (n = 34, 17,6%) followed by the shoulder and clavicle (n = 28, 14,5%) and occurred with contact (79%). Fractures pose a high injury burden due to long time loss, whereas hematomas, contusions and bruising showed the highest incidence numbers but comparably less time loss. CONCLUSION Road cyclists' injuries have been underestimated in previous studies. Hematomas, contusions and bruising pose the highest number of injuries with a broad degree of severity and range of injury burden. Fractures are less common but show the highest injury burden. The upper extremities are involved the most.

Background Top-level football referees make decisions during strenuous physical activity and often under great mental pressure. Despite their central role in a football match, little is known about referees’ health problems, particularly female referees. Objective To investigate the prevalence and burden of health problems in female and male top-level football referees. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Female and male referees from the Norwegian female and male top divisions. Patients (or Participants) All top-level referees (n=55) were included in this study. Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) Referees reported health problems (injuries and illnesses) through text messages for 49 weeks using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H2). Main Outcome Measurements Prevalence of all health problems. Results On average, 34% (95% CI 31–36%) of referees reported at least one health problem each week, and 20% (95% CI 19–22%) reported substantial health problems. The compliance was 98.1%. The injury incidence was 3 injuries per athlete-year (95% CI 2.5 to 3.5) and 12 injuries per 1000 match hours (95% CI 7 to 19). Gradual-onset injuries were most prevalent, with an average weekly prevalence of 23%, and caused the greatest absence from training and matches (60% of total time loss). Of the 156 reported injuries, 36% were related to the lower-leg and foot. Illnesses represented a small portion of the overall burden of health problems. Female referees reported more health problems than male referees, and on-field referees reported more health problems than assistant referees. Conclusions Top- level referees reported a high prevalence of health problems during one full season. Gradual onset injuries to the lower-leg and foot represented the highest injury burden, especially in female referees.

Defects on fabric surface, which greatly affects product quality, is an important issue under investigation for engineers, researchers, and organizations working in respective sectoral industry or academia. Increasing demand and growing supply capacity cause problems such as time and labor during and after the production phase. In addition, the limited nature of the human causes time loss and low quality of the fabric. The loss rate in fabric quality observations based on human control has been shown to be 40%. In order to reduce this rate, automated systems should be activated in fabric quality inspection. In recent years, many studies have been carried for this purpose. With the developing technology, correct fabric defect detection is about 100% success rate. Especially though the use of new trend approaches (mostly learning based algorithms), the correct detection of defect has been moved to a very advanced level. In the present paper, VGG19 is applied to classify defects correctly. VGG19 produced high performance outputs.

For urban signalized intersections, existing connected and automated vehicle-based urban traffic control (UTC) systems still have some issues to overcome, including few efforts on turning ratios, and compatibility and efficiency concerns to high levels of vehicle automation. In this paper, an automated vehicle (AV)-assisted signal control integrating standardized planning messages is proposed to resolve turning ratio uncertainty and standard compatibility concerns efficiently. First, an extended planning-assisted turning ratio method is proposed to extract the turning ratios from the trajectory planning data. Then, a movement-wise max pressure (MP) control is developed to improve mobility performances. The simulation results of typical traffic scenarios in real-life urban areas show that the AV trajectory planning helps accurately extract the turning ratios for each movement. Furthermore, the AV-assisted movement-wise MP control further improves the mobility performances of the urban network performances as large as 20.64% for time loss reduction and 6.48% for the vehicle speed improvement.

In recent years, several studies proposed different Reinforcement Learning (RL) methods and formulations for the Traffic Signal Control problem, presenting promising results and flexible traffic light solutions. These studies generally decide for optimizing travel time as the objective. However, travel time has some crucial shortcomings: it is not easily decomposable into rewards; it hinders analysis at any simulation time but the very end; it produces unrealistic results for deadlock and starvation situations. In this paper, we propose two versions of objectives based on time loss, namely instant time loss per driver and consolidated time loss per driver, to address travel time shortcomings. We also show that improving time loss implies improving travel time and that there is a direct relationship between the time loss objective and the agents' reward. Our experimental results point out that our time loss-based RL formulation improves the time savings by 6% when compared to other commonly-adopted state-of-the-art formulations.

Tight sandstone reservoir is very important in oil and gas exploration in China. Tight reservoirs classification and evaluation are a frontier research field. There are many indexes involved in reservoirs classification, and it is necessary to judge the reservoir type according to personal experience, which consumes lots of time and manpower. Therefore, a new classification method of tight reservoirs using random forest is proposed. Firstly, the high pressure mercury injection curves of tight sandstone reservoirs of He 8 member of Lower Shihezi Formation in eastern Yan'an Gas Field are selected as the research data. Four characteristics for classification are obtained by principal component analysis. Secondly, the random forest using CART is used to classify and obtain the results of reservoir classification. Finally, classification results are verified and parameters of the random forest are optimized. Experimental results show that the proposed reservoirs classification method has high accuracy and low calculation cost. It can effectively reduce time loss and save manpower, and has good generalization.

Background: Several studies have investigated risk factors for injury in different sports. However, little scientific information is available in relation to futsal injuries. Objectives: This study prospectively analyzed the influence of physical fitness parameters on the occurrence of futsal injuries in Iranian national teams. Methods: Prior to the season, all 55 players of 3 Iranian national futsal teams took part in a series of tests for physical fitness parameters such as cardio-respiratory fitness, muscle strength, body composition, flexibility, agility, and speed. Team physicians recorded all injuries, medical attention, and time loss due to the injury throughout the match and training sessions. Results: During 18 months, 54 futsal injuries were sustained by 32 players. Injured players had poorer performance at baseline in agility, speed, and vertical jump than players who did not incur an injury during the season. Lower maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) values were associated with a higher injury risk. No differences between injured and uninjured players were observed in age, anthropometric data, flexibility, and lower extremity strength. Conclusions: Some physical fitness parameters were associated with the risk of injuries in futsal. Therefore, improving physical fitness might help to reduce the number of futsal injuries.

Data with respect to collegiate fencing injuries are very limited. We performed a prospective cohort study of a college fencing team to analyze the rates and types of injuries that occurred to this team over the course of a year. We noted that the injury rate was low, with 2.43 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures. We also noted that 75% of those injured had a time loss of less than 2 wk. A large percentage of our injuries (88%) were musculoskeletal in nature. There were equal numbers of acute and chronic injuries. Men and women had a similar rate of injury. In our study population, we noted that most of the injuries occurred in practice over competition (87.5% vs 12.5%, respectively). We compared the data from a small subset population with the current evidence published with respect to fencing injuries. We noted some similarities and also some differences when comparing certain populations.

Bu çalışmada; trim yapılacak farklı gövdelerin modellerine göre operatör müdahalesi olmadan tam otomatik şekilde değişmesine imkân sağlayan mekanizmanın modellenmesi ve üretimi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmanın tamamlanmasıyla zaman kaybı yaşanmadan ve operatör müdahalesi olmadan değişime imkân sağlanmıştır. Hata ve zaman kaybı ortadan kaldırılmıştır. Otomasyonlu sistemle programlanan modele uygun dişi plaka ve erkek zımbaların operatör müdahalesi olmaksızın değişmesi, yanlış model dişi erkek eşleşmelerini ortadan kaldırmaktadır. Birim sürede işlenen gövde iç plastiği adedinin sayısı ve kalitesi arttırılmıştır. Proses sırasında kalıp değişimi işlemi için gerekli olan personelin iş sağlığı ve güvenliğini tehdit edecek dezavantajlı durumu en düşük seviyeye indirilmiştir.

Lack of security is the main concern of citizens in the region. Crime and violence distort the allocation of resources by governments and businesses and alter citizens’ routines. This is particularly the case for women. This paper measures women’s perceptions of insecurity and victimization on public transport in the Asuncion (Paraguay) and Lima (Peru) metropolitan areas and analyzes their influence on mobility patterns. An innovative methodology, which considers both users and nonusers of public transport in a representative sample from those metropolitan areas, is used. The paper concludes that both women’s perceptions and experiences of insecurity when using public transport, especially in the Lima metropolitan area, are among the worst in Latin America. This is associated with lower public transportation use; therefore, it limits women’s transport options, directly affecting their mobility and causing economic and time loss. About 30% of women in Lima and 6% of women in Asuncion area reported being victims of crime on public transport systems, while 79% in Lima and 24% in Asuncion have witnessed episodes of violence against women on public transport in the past 12 months. More than one third of women have suffered sexual offenses on public transport at some point in their lives. More than 80% of women do not report these crimes. Policies to enhance women’s security on public transport are analyzed as they are key to promoting gender equality.

The Felbertauern landslide of May 2013 caused the total destruction of approximately 100 m of road including an avalanche gallery, generating traffic disruption and several direct and indirect impacts on the regional economy. The Felbertauern road, an important traffic artery for the entire NUTS-3 region East-Tyrol (Austria), was totally blocked for several weeks. Shortly after the event, regional decision makers sought to estimate the regional-economic impacts of the road blockage, in order to determine whether building an alternative route as a mid-term solution would be economically feasible. This economic analysis was carried out using incomplete information available two weeks after the incident. The analysis is based on a three-month interruption scenario, though the road blockage eventually lasted two months. Due to the fact that, shortly after the event, no up-to-date data on the regional economy were available, we calculated the impact on tourism by analysing overnight stays and on local companies by assessing additional transportation costs and time loss. Using these numbers, a cost-benefit-analysis was then carried out for a planned 1.5-kilometre detour as a mid-term alternative to the destroyed road. Finally, the impact on the local companies was severe, due to additional transportation costs of approximately € 760,000–1.4 million. The impact on regional tourism was calculated at about € 9–10 million. This study demonstrates the strong impact of traffic disruption on a regional economy and describes the importance of cost-benefit analysis for policy making in order to have rapid decisions and prevent large economic loss.

Introduction: Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are the third most common musculoskeletal injury among military members, resulting in considerable time loss and a substantial rehabilitation workload. The operational relevance of these consequences to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) should be minimized using evidence-based practices. The purpose of this research project was to use a comprehensive knowledge translation (KT) implementation strategy tailored for CAF physiotherapists to improve their knowledge and use of the rehabilitation interventions and outcome measures recommended in the management of LAS. Methods: All CAF physiotherapists were sent an email invitation to complete an online questionnaire investigating their knowledge and use of rehabilitation interventions and outcome measures recommended in the management of LAS. We then used a distance learning platform to facilitate a 3-hour active, multi-component KT intervention that included summarized research, practice tools, and guided interaction. The primary outcome was the median change reported on the online questionnaire prior to, and 3 months following the intervention. Results: Response rate to the online questionnaire was 75% ( n = 67/89). Respondents reported a change from very good to excellent knowledge and use of rehabilitation interventions recommended in LAS management between baseline and 3 months. Respondents reported a change from poor to good/excellent knowledge and use of outcome measures recommended in LAS management between baseline and 3 months. Respondents reported a KT intervention preference for summarized research. Discussion: Our findings suggest that a KT implementation strategy tailored for CAF physiotherapists can improve their self-reported knowledge and use of outcome measures recommended in LAS management.

Transportation accounts for about 30% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. To reduce GHG emissions, significant changes in the transportation fleet have been considered, with electric vehicles as one of the alternatives that could potentially reduce GHG emissions. This paper presents a comprehensive lifecycle emission and cost comparison among electric vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), full battery electric vehicles (EVs), hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are compared with gasoline vehicle as the base case. Since the selection among these electric vehicles depends on several factors, external costs of emission, fuel, time loss, charging time loss and maintenance cost are considered. The results show that the most environmentally benign vehicles in terms of GHG emission are FCEV and full EVs, which is approximately half of the emission by Internal combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. The results also show that both FCVs and EVs have better air quality related emission reduction compared to ICE vehicle which results in approximately accounts for 84% reduction. The lifecycle cost results show that HEVs have the lowest lifecycle cost among all the selected vehicles, with the cost of $0.38 per mile. In addition, the effect of Carbon damage cost on total lifecycle cost is investigated. The results show that an increase in Carbon damage cost results in the penetration of HEVs and EVs to the market share.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most frequent orthopaedic injuries and reasons for time loss in sports and carries significant implications, including posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Instability associated with ACL injury has been linked to the development of secondary meniscal tears (defined as tears that develop after the initial ACL injury). To date, no study has examined secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and their effect on OA and arthroplasty risk. Purpose: To describe the rates and natural history of secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and to determine the effect of meniscal tear treatment on the development of OA and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A geographic database of >500,000 patients was reviewed to identify patients with primary ACL injuries between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2005. Information was collected with regard to ACL injury treatment, rates/characteristics of the secondary meniscal tears, and outcomes, including development of OA and conversion to TKA. Kaplan-Meier and adjusted multivariate survival analyses were performed to test for the effect of meniscal treatment on survivorship free of OA and TKA. Results: Of 1398 primary ACL injuries, the overall rate of secondary meniscal tears was 16%. Significantly lower rates of secondary meniscal tears were noted among patients undergoing acute ACL reconstruction within 6 months (7%) as compared with patients with delayed ACL reconstruction (33%, P < .01) and nonoperative ACL management (19%, P < .01). Of the 235 secondary meniscal tears identified (196 patients), 11.5% underwent repair, 73% partial meniscectomy, and 16% were treated nonoperatively. Tears were most often medial in location (77%) and complex in morphology (56% of medial tears, 54% of lateral tears). At the time of final follow-up, no patient undergoing repair of a secondary meniscal tear (0%) underwent TKA, as opposed to 10.9% undergoing meniscectomy and 6.1% receiving nonoperative treatment ( P = .28). Conclusion: Secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury are most common among patients undergoing delayed surgical or nonoperative treatment of their primary ACL injuries. Secondary tears often present as complex tears of the medial meniscus and result in high rates of partial meniscectomy.

Overuse injuries in dance are extremely common and often difficult to treat. High training load and dancing with pain are frequently regarded as risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in professional dancers. The aims of this study were to assess for: 1. any association between training load (TL) and symptoms of overuse injury in professional dancers, and 2. any difference between the number of "time-loss" injuries and injuries causing significant symptoms not leading to decreased performance time. Twenty-one dancers from a professional contemporary dance company were followed for 7 weeks. They completed the dance-specific Self-Estimated Functional Inability because of Pain (SEFIP) questionnaire on a weekly basis to quantify musculoskeletal pain. Their TL was calculated by multiplying the Ratings of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE Borg CR10) by the daily training time. Associations between TL and SEFIP scores, recorded on a weekly basis, were evaluated using a mixed linear model with repeated measurements. No significant association was found between TL and severity of musculoskeletal pain. However, the TL of the dancers with no symptoms of overuse-injury, SEFIP = 0, was significantly lower compared to the dancers with symptoms, SEFIP > 0; p = 0.02. No time loss because of injury was reported during the study period. There were 251 symptoms of overuse injury reported, and 67% of the recorded time was danced with pain. It is concluded that dancers without musculoskeletal pain had lower TLs. While no time-loss injuries were found, two-third of the participants danced with pain during this 7-week period.

In this work, analgorithm is developed to prevent time losses that occur during the calculationof Root Mean Square (RMS) of the vibration signals. Vibration signals areobtained during cutting of super alloy material Inconel 718 on a CNC lathemachine with a cutting speed of 50 meters per minute, 0.15 mm progress perrevolution and 2.5 mm cutting depth. The data is loaded to the computer via thevibration sensor (353B31 from PCB Piezotronic) and the digital-analog convertercard (DAQ 6062E) and then mathematical expressions are created in Matlabenvironment. RMS is one of the most important evaluation parameters in theevaluation of this data. Running the classical algorithm, it is observed thatthere was excessive time loss in the RMS calculation of total 120 million data about60 tests, each test lasted about eight hours. So a new algorithm has been developedthat can do operations much faster. The results of the new algorithm arecompared with the results of the classic algorithm and it is determined thatthe new algorithm produces 100% correct results. 99% of the time loss isavoided with this new algorithm., Bu çalışmada; titreşim sinyallerinin kare ortalamalarının karekökü(RMS) hesaplanması sırasında meydana gelen zaman kayıplarının önüne geçilmesineyönelik bir algoritma geliştirilmiştir. Titreşim sinyal verisi; Inconel 718adlı süper alaşım malzemenin, CNC Torna tezgâhında; 50 metre/dak kesme hızı, 0,15 mm/devir ilerleme hızı, 2,5 mm kesme derinliğindekikesimi sırasında elde edilmiştir. Veriler titreşim sensörü (PCB Piezotronic’eait 353B31) ve dijital-analog çevirici(DAQ 6062E) kartı ile bilgisayara alınmışve Matlab ortamında matematiksel ifadeler oluşturulmuştur. RMS ise bu verilerindeğerlendirilmesinde önemli değerlendirme parametrelerden bir tanesidir. Klasik algoritmada, yaklaşık 60testlik toplam 120 milyon verinin işlendiğiRMS hesaplamasında aşırı zaman kaybı olduğu gözlemlenmiş; her bir test yaklaşıksekiz saat sürmüştür. Bundan dolayı işlemleri çok daha hızlı yapabilen yeni bir algoritma geliştirilmiştir.Yeni algoritma ile klasik algoritmanın sonuçlarıkarşılaştırılmış ve yenialgoritmanın %100 doğru sonuçlar ürettiği tespit edilmiştir. Yeni algoritma ile zamankaybının %99 oranında önüne geçilmiştir.

Optimizing a complex system/problem under real working conditions with optimization methods means ensuring that they operate more efficiently, economical, and eco-friendly. For this purpose, in order to maximize the exergy efficiency of a thermodynamic model of a real operated geothermal power plant (GPP), two optimization methods, namely Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), have been comparatively evaluated in this study. The selected thermodynamic model is a problem that is highly complex, non-linear and unsolvable through mathematical methods. In order to solve the problem, 17 optimization parameters have been selected on the model. In addition, the selected parameters have been divided into 11 groups according to the system equipment specifications to reduce time loss. The results of the study reported that GSA and ABC maximized the exergy efficiency of the real system from 14.52% to 26.31% and 23.92% respectively. The effects of the optimized parameters on the model are observed, and it has been verified by GPP operators, engineers and researchers that no contrariety to logic and engineering discipline existed. Hence, the results of GSA method for the engineering problem addressed in this study are better than those of ABC method and they responded in a much shorter time. The most effective group in both methods is the G3 group related to the turbines. Besides, the most effective optimization parameters on the system performance are the pressure differences in evaporators and mass flow of the geothermal fluid.

Sports-related injuries increase healthcare cost burden, and in some instances have harmful long term physical and psychological implications. There is currently a lack of comprehensive data on temporal injury trends across professional North American sports. The purpose of this study was to compare temporal trends, according to incidence and time-loss injuries, by body part in professional baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey. Public injury data from Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League from 2007 to December 2019 were extracted and used. A mean of 62.49 injuries per 100 players per season was recorded for all professional sports. The groin/hip/thigh reported the greatest season proportional injury incidence for baseball, football, and ice hockey, with the groin/hip/thigh as the third highest injury incidence in basketball. When stratifying by more specific body part groupings, the knee demonstrated the greatest injury proportional incidence for basketball, football, and ice hockey, with the knee as the third highest proportional injury incidence for baseball. There was an increased in basketball ankle injuries following 2011–2012 season. Football and ice hockey reported the greatest concussion proportion incidence, with football demonstrating an increase in concussions over time, and a substantial increase in concussions from the 2014 to 2015 season. These publicly extracted data and findings can be used as a shared resource for professional baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey for future individual and across sport collaborations concerning resource allocation and decision making in order to improve player health.

Cycling races contain a multitude of motorcycles for various activities including television broadcasting. During parts of the race, these motorcycles can ride in close proximity of cyclists. Earlier studies focused on the impact of a nearby motorcycle on cyclist drag for in-line arrangements. It was shown that not only a motorcycle in front of a cyclist but also a motorcycle closely behind a cyclist can substantially reduce cyclist drag. However, there appears to be no information in the scientific literature about the impact of the motorcycle on cyclist drag for parallel and staggered arrangements. This paper presents wind tunnel measurements of cyclist drag for 32 different parallel and staggered cyclist-motorcycle arrangements. It is shown that the parallel arrangement leads to a drag increase for the cyclist, in the range of 5 to about 10% for a lateral distance of 2 to 1 m. The staggered arrangement can lead to either a drag increase or a drag decrease, where the latter is about 2% for most positions analyzed. For one of the parallel arrangements, computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed to provide insight into the reasons for the drag increase. A cyclist power model was used to convert the drag changes into potential time gains or losses. Compared to a lone cyclist riding at a speed of 46.8 km/h (13 m/s) on level road in calm weather, the time loss by a drag increase of 10%, 4% and − 2% was 2.16, 0.76 s and − 0.80 s per km, respectively. These time differences are large enough to influence the outcome of cycling races.

Traffic signals at a junction play an essential role in granting the right to proceed to different collections of non-conflicting vehicular movements according to different periods. Well-timed traffic signals are critical in providing smooth traffic flow. In this study, the ability of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) in the optimization of the traffic signal plan is investigated. The GA is implemented using Python Programming Language. Also, SUMO, a traffic simulation package is used to simulate the traffic scenario of the solution to calculate the mean time loss. The investigation on the efficiency of GA suggests that the selection fraction of 0.8 and the mutation rate of 0.75 are more efficient. Using these figures, GA is employed in finding the traffic signal plan for low, moderate and high levels of traffic demand. The results are compared with the algorithm based on Webster’s formula. GA outperforms the traditional method based on Webster’s formula. Also, GA performs the best at high level of traffic demand with 38.46% lower in mean time loss, followed by 37.41% lower and 3.48% lower at low and moderate traffic levels respectively.

Background Video analysis is one of the most commonly applied methods for analysing football injuries. Purpose The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of video analysis for recording head injuries in professional football from official matches in the four highest men’s professional football leagues in Germany. Methods In this cohort study, head injuries detected by means of video analysis of all official matches over one season (2017–18) were compared to head injuries registered with the German statutory accident insurance. Results Our video analysis yielded 359 head injuries of 287 players. The comparison of head injuries found in our video analysis to those registered with the accident insurance only yielded a match in 23.1% (n = 83), which presents a rather low verification rate. The verification rates varied between the leagues (7.0–30.8%). All injuries documented in the accident insurance registry were found in the video analysis (100%). The types of head injury most often verified by the accident insurance registry (n = 83) were contusion (43.4%), bone fractures (19.3%) and skin lacerations (18.1%). Only 66 of the 359 head injuries (18.4%) resulted in absence from at least one training session and involved a mean time loss of 18.5 days (1–87 days). Conclusion The mismatch between the number of head injuries found in the video analysis and head injuries registered with the accident insurance is an important methodological issue in scientific research. The low verification rate seems to be due to the unclear correlation between injury severity and clinical consequences of head injuries detected by means of video analysis and the failure of football clubs to register minor head injuries with the accident insurance.

The engineering sectors have a considerable contribution toward a nation’s economy. These industries are amid the principle-focused industries around the globe. Hence, appropriate utilization of available resources as well as equipment is a high priority in task list of every industry. Since many of these industries are dealing with hurdles to keep all the activities, operations, and synchronized use of equipment with a considerable reduction of time losses. These time losses (so called Six Big Losses) have a set of analyzing factors, which affect the overall performance. Six Big Losses (SBL) are now becoming the real cause of focus to attain world class manufacturing standards in association with strategic tool such as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). To cover the wide-ranging and dynamic time loss analysis, the corrective measure is OEE. The aim of implementation of OEE is to enhance and acquire the equipment’s effectiveness by removing all the potential losses of the industry. This paper discloses the importance of the extensive literature for analysis of these losses systematically. This study also covers a powerful organized strategy, i.e., OEE and the actual time losses in the industries to bring transformation in the attitude of management, managers and workers. This paper tunes up the literature related to SBL to find the potential errors through optimized approach to improve decision-making.

This paper describes various challenges faced by rescue vehicles like ambulance and fire station van during high traffic zones and peak hour management. Recent studies have revealed that there is increased rate of mortality due to time loss in these high traffic regions like urban development areas. India is a growing country and requires attention given to the traffic management which has been a major pressing issue in many other developed countries. In order to reduce these losses, researchers have proposed installment of smart traffic management system that could assist in ease flow of these rescue vehicles during high traffic areas. In this paper, we have introduced a novel methodology that could provide assistance by clear traffic in path dedicated by rescue vans. Additional properties are also introduced that could provide ease movement by clear few public areas like toll gates. Further modifications can be done, so that we can deploy the device in real-time environment. We can implement it in even mobile devices so that could reduce equipment maintenance. We shall evaluate the above ideas using a circuit model comprising Arduino device components, Bluetooth-oriented circuit components, and light-related circuit components.