An observational study of skier compliance with posted "slow" signs and ski patrollers.

Objectives: To examine the efficacy of "slow" signs and patroller presence at "slow" signs to reduce speeds of snowsports participants, compared to a condition where no sign or patroller are present, independent of other factors that may contribute to skier slowing (such as prior knowledge, trail convergence, etc.).

Design And Methods: Snowsports participant speeds were measured on "more difficult" trails using a radar gun at two ski areas with: (1) no-sign - the usual condition for the trail, and (2) slow-sign - a large "slow" sign was posted in the middle of the trail.

Method to examine how geometry affects the release and retention of alpine touring boot-binding systems.

Objectives: Develop a method to examine the effects of component geometry and force-deflection on the release process of Tech/Pin alpine touring (AT) ski boots and bindings.

Design And Methods: For seven AT boots, we measured the critical geometric dimensions of the metal inserts at the toe region of the boots. Binding geometry (including the pins and rocker arms) and the force-angular deflection curves of typical AT bindings were measured.

Examining ski area padding for head and neck injury mitigation.

Objectives: The injury mitigation capabilities of foam, ski-area padding was examined for headfirst impacts.

Design And Methods: A custom-made pendulum impactor system was constructed using an instrumented, partial 50th-percentile-male Hybrid-III anthropomorphic testing device (ATD). For each test, the ATD was raised 1.

Thin film nitinol covered stents: design and animal testing.

Interventionalists in many specialties have the need for improved, low profile covered stents. Thin films of nitinol (<5-10 microns) could be used to improve current covered stent technology. A "hot target" sputter deposition technique was used to create thin films of nitinol for this study.

A thin film nitinol heart valve.

In order to create a less thrombogenic heart valve with improved longevity, a prosthetic heart valve was developed using thin film nitinol (NiTi). A "butterfly" valve was constructed using a single, elliptical piece of thin film NiTi and a scaffold made from Teflon tubing and NiTi wire. Flow tests and pressure readings across the valve were performed in vitro in a pulsatile flow loop.

Use of a covered stent modification to produce a transcatheter valve: laboratory and animal testing.

Stent-based transcatheter valves continue to require large sheaths inappropriate for deployment in children. Low-profile covered stent valves (CSVs) were constructed by removing triangular sections from two sides of partially expanded Palmaz P308 stents before covering the stents with 0.1 mm polytetrafluoroethylene.