Our objective was to conduct a scoping review which summarizes the growing body of literature using wearable inertial sensors for gait analysis in lower limb osteoarthritis. We searched six databases using predetermined search terms which highlighted the broad areas of inertial sensors, gait, and osteoarthritis. Two authors independently conducted title and abstract reviews, followed by two authors independently completing full-text screenings. Study quality was also assessed by two independent raters and data were extracted by one reviewer in areas such as study design, osteoarthritis sample, protocols, and inertial sensor outcomes. A total of 72 articles were included, which studied the gait of 2159 adults with osteoarthritis (OA) using inertial sensors. The most common location of OA studied was the knee (n = 46), followed by the hip (n = 22), and the ankle (n = 7). The back (n = 41) and the shank (n = 40) were the most common placements for inertial sensors. The three most prevalent biomechanical outcomes studied were: mean spatiotemporal parameters (n = 45), segment or joint angles (n = 33), and linear acceleration magnitudes (n = 22). Our findings demonstrate exceptional growth in this field in the last 5 years. Nevertheless, there remains a need for more longitudinal study designs, patient-specific models, free-living assessments, and a push for “Code Reuse” to maximize the unique capabilities of these devices and ultimately improve how we diagnose and treat this debilitating disease.

Jump-based asymmetry is often used as an indicator of sport performance and may be used to discern injury susceptibility. Due to task specificity, however, countermovement jump asymmetry may not be representative of on-court asymmetry. As such, we assessed the association between countermovement jump asymmetry and on-court impact asymmetry metrics (n=3, and n=4, respectively) using linear regressions (α=0.05). Fifteen female basketball athletes completed countermovement jump and on-court sessions across a competitive season. A significant negative association was found between peak landing force asymmetry and both overall and medium acceleration on-court asymmetry (b=–0.1, R2=0.08, p<0.001; b=–0.1, R2 =0.11, p<0.001, respectively), as well as between peak propulsive force asymmetry and on-court medium acceleration asymmetry (b=–0.24, R2=0.04, p=0.01). Alternatively, both peak landing and peak propulsive force asymmetry were significantly positively associated with on-court high acceleration asymmetry (b=0.17, R2 =0.08, p<0.001; b=0.35, R2=0.02, p=0.04, respectively). While some overlap may exist, countermovement jump and on-court impact asymmetry appear to be independent. Thus, sport-specific monitoring may be necessary to adequately monitor injury susceptibility using asymmetry.

The paper deals with chipping and breakage of carbide tools and it is based on a combination of turning tests, examination of fracture surfaces, and analysis of stresses in the tool as produced by the cutting force. Thermal stresses are so far not considered. It is concluded that chipping is a ductile failure due to high shear stresses at the cutting edge and breakage is brittle fracture originating at the rake face at a local maximum of tensile stress. For the finite element stress analysis, a new method of successively refining mesh while diminishing the analyzed area is introduced which is rather effective and economical in that all computation except for the final field is done once only for various loading cases.

Background Pilot studies are essential in determining if a larger study is feasible. This is especially true when targeting populations that experience stigma and may be difficult to include in research, such as people with HIV. We sought to describe how pilot studies have been used to inform HIV clinical trials. Methods We conducted a methodological study of pilot studies of interventions in people living with HIV published until November 25, 2020, using Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL). We extracted data on their nomenclature, primary objective, use of progression criteria, sample size, use of qualitative methods, and other contextual information (region, income, level, type of intervention, study design). Results Our search retrieved 10,597 studies, of which 248 were eligible. The number of pilot studies increased steadily over time. We found that 179 studies (72.2%) used the terms “pilot” or “feasibility” in their title, 65.3% tested feasibility as a primary objective, only 2% used progression criteria, 23.9% provided a sample size estimation and only 30.2% used qualitative methods. Conclusions Pilot studies are increasingly being used to inform HIV research. However, the titles and objectives are not always consistent with piloting. The design and reporting of pilot studies in HIV could be improved.

BackgroundLower limb biomechanics, including asymmetry, are frequently monitored to determine sport performance level and injury risk. However, contributing factors extend beyond biomechanical and asymmetry measures to include psychological, sociological, and environmental factors. Unfortunately, inadequate research has been conducted using holistic biopsychosocial models to characterize sport performance and injury risk. Therefore, this scoping review summarized the research landscape of studies concurrently assessing measures of lower limb biomechanics, asymmetry, and introspective psychological state (e.g., pain, fatigue, perceived exertion, stress, etc.) in healthy, competitive athletes.MethodsA systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science Core Collections was designed and conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Fifty‐one articles were included in this review.ResultsSignificant relationships between biomechanics (k = 22 studies) or asymmetry (k = 20 studies) and introspective state were found. Increased self‐reported pain was associated with decreased range of motion, strength, and increased lower limb asymmetry. Higher ratings of perceived exertion were related to increased lower limb asymmetry, self‐reported muscle soreness, and worse jump performance. Few studies (k = 4) monitored athletes longitudinally throughout one or more competitive season(s).ConclusionThis review highlights the need for concurrent analysis of introspective, psychological state, and biomechanical asymmetry measures along with longitudinal research to understand the contributing factors to sport performance and injury risk from biopsychosocial modeling. In doing so, this framework of biopsychosocial preventive and prognostic patient‐centered practices may provide an actionable means of optimizing health, well‐being, and sport performance in competitive athletes.