Anatomic reconstruction or temporary screw stabilization of chronic symptomatic anterolateral proximal tibiofibular joint instability

The paper describes the new concept Tensairity which can be used to significantly improve the load bearing capacity of inflatable wings. The basic principle of Tensairity is to use an inflatable structure to stabilize conventional compression and tension elements. So far, Tensairity has been mainly used in civil engineering application like roof structures and bridges. In this work, considerations to apply Tensairity to wing structures are given and the construction of two wing-like Tensairity kite prototypes is described. Test results on the Tensairity structure used in these kites are presented and compared to purely air inflated structures. Finally, the advantages of Tensairity wings are discussed and some application areas of these wings are suggested.Aerospace Design, Integration and OperationsAerospace Engineerin

A law of large numbers approximation for Markov population processes with countably many types

When modelling metapopulation dynamics, the influence of a single patch on the metapopulation depends on the number of individuals in the patch. Since the population size has no natural upper limit, this leads to systems in which there are countably infinitely many possible types of individual. Analogous considerations apply in the transmission of parasitic diseases. In this paper, we prove a law of large numbers for rather general systems of this kind, together with a rather sharp bound on the rate of convergence in an appropriately chosen weighted $\ell_1$ norm.Comment: revised version in response to referee comments, 34 page

Mediterranean Diet and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) may protect from Alzheimer disease (AD), but its association with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been explored. Objective: To investigate the association between the MeDi and MCI. Design, Setting, and Patients: In a multiethnic community study in New York, we used Cox proportional hazards to investigate the association between adherence to the MeDi (0-9 scale; higher scores indicate higher adherence) and (1) the incidence of MCI and (2) the progression from MCI to AD. All of the models were adjusted for cohort, age, sex, ethnicity, education, APOE genotype, caloric intake, body mass index, and duration between baseline dietary assessment and baseline diagnosis. Main Outcome Measures: Incidence of MCI and progression from MCI to AD. Results: There were 1393 cognitively normal participants, 275 of whom developed MCI during a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.5 (2.7) years (range, 0.9-16.4 years). Compared with subjects in the lowest MeDi adherence tertile, subjects in the middle tertile had 17% less risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-1.12; P = .24) of developing MCI and those in the highest tertile had 28% less risk (HR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52-1.00; P = .05) of developing MCI (trend HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.72-1.00; P for trend = .05). There were 482 subjects with MCI, 106 of whom developed AD during a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.3 (2.7) years (range, 1.0-13.8 years). Compared with subjects in the lowest MeDi adherence tertile, subjects in the middle tertile had 45% less risk (HR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34-0.90; P = .01) of developing AD and those in the highest tertile had 48% less risk (HR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30-0.91; P = .02) of developing AD (trend HR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53-0.95; P for trend = .02). Conclusions: Higher adherence to the MeDi is associated with a trend for reduced risk of developing MCI and with reduced risk of MCI conversion to AD

Mediterranean Diet and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) may protect from Alzheimer disease (AD), but its association with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been explored. Objective: To investigate the association between the MeDi and MCI. Design, Setting, and Patients: In a multiethnic community study in New York, we used Cox proportional hazards to investigate the association between adherence to the MeDi (0-9 scale; higher scores indicate higher adherence) and (1) the incidence of MCI and (2) the progression from MCI to AD. All of the models were adjusted for cohort, age, sex, ethnicity, education, APOE genotype, caloric intake, body mass index, and duration between baseline dietary assessment and baseline diagnosis. Main Outcome Measures: Incidence of MCI and progression from MCI to AD. Results: There were 1393 cognitively normal participants, 275 of whom developed MCI during a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.5 (2.7) years (range, 0.9-16.4 years). Compared with subjects in the lowest MeDi adherence tertile, subjects in the middle tertile had 17% less risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-1.12; P = .24) of developing MCI and those in the highest tertile had 28% less risk (HR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52-1.00; P = .05) of developing MCI (trend HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.72-1.00; P for trend = .05). There were 482 subjects with MCI, 106 of whom developed AD during a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.3 (2.7) years (range, 1.0-13.8 years). Compared with subjects in the lowest MeDi adherence tertile, subjects in the middle tertile had 45% less risk (HR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34-0.90; P = .01) of developing AD and those in the highest tertile had 48% less risk (HR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30-0.91; P = .02) of developing AD (trend HR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53-0.95; P for trend = .02). Conclusions: Higher adherence to the MeDi is associated with a trend for reduced risk of developing MCI and with reduced risk of MCI conversion to AD

Risk of Dementia Associated with Elevated Plasma Homocysteine in a Latin American Population

The relationship between total homocysteine (tHcy) and dementia risk remains controversial, as the association varies among populations and dementia subtypes. We studied a Venezuelan population that has high prevalence of both elevated tHcy and dementia. We tested the hypotheses that (1) elevated tHcy is associated with increased dementia risk, (2) the risk is greater for vascular dementia (VaD) than for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and (3) a history of stroke may partly explain this association. 2100 participants (≥55 years old) of the Maracaibo Aging Study underwent standardized neurological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular assessments. Elevated tHcy was significantly associated with dementia, primarily VaD. When history of stroke and other confounding factors were taken into account, elevated tHcy remained a significant risk factor in older (>66 years), but not in younger (55–66 years) subjects. Ongoing studies of this population may provide insight into the mechanism by which tHcy increases risk for dementia

MANAGING COMMON NIGHTHAWKS AT MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KANSAS, TO REDUCE AIRCRAFT STRIKES

McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) experiences a unique bird/aircraft hazard problem with migrating common nighthawks from August to October. Nighthawks are the most commonly struck species at McConnell AFB, representing about 38% of reported bird/aircraft strikes. During August and September, nighthawks represented 82% of the bird strikes found on the airfield. Approaches for managing nighthawks on and around airfields are limited because of the night environment, logistics and an incomplete understanding of nighthawk behavior. We determined the number of nighthawks using McConnell AFB and associated foraging, loafing and roosting areas, analyzed their food habits, and developed a translocation management strategy to reduce hazards to aircraft. During 1998, 1999 and 2000, we observed 600, 540 and 920 nighthawks, respectively, on the airfield. The greatest activity on the airfield occurred from September 27-30 in 1998, September 9- 14 in 1999, and September 6-8 in 2000. The peak number of nighthawks observed using the airfield during these periods was 142, 90 and 118, respectively. Nighthawks foraged around the airfield mainly between 1800 and 2200 and usually roosted on the airfield about 1800 with a peak between 2200 and 0200. During one 2-hour survey period in 1999 and 2000, 37 and 59 nighthawks, respectively, were flushed from the airfield. Thirty-seven nighthawks collected during the study consumed mostly corn earworm moths (Noctuidae) and beetles (Scarabaeidae). Management of nighthawks on McConnell AFB has been difficult because commonly used hazing techniques seem to be ineffective; these birds usually return to the same roosting location after being flushed, which can present an even greater risk to aircraft. We developed and evaluated a unique technique for capturing and translocating nighthawks from the airfield. Only 1 of 214 nighthawks translocated 88 km from McConnell AFB returned. Nighthawk/aircraft strikes at McConnell AFB declined from 9 in 1998, when no translocation was conducted, to 0 in 1999 and 3 in 2000

MANAGING COMMON NIGHTHAWKS AT MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KANSAS, TO REDUCE AIRCRAFT STRIKES

McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) experiences a unique bird/aircraft hazard problem with migrating common nighthawks from August to October. Nighthawks are the most commonly struck species at McConnell AFB, representing about 38% of reported bird/aircraft strikes. During August and September, nighthawks represented 82% of the bird strikes found on the airfield. Approaches for managing nighthawks on and around airfields are limited because of the night environment, logistics and an incomplete understanding of nighthawk behavior. We determined the number of nighthawks using McConnell AFB and associated foraging, loafing and roosting areas, analyzed their food habits, and developed a translocation management strategy to reduce hazards to aircraft. During 1998, 1999 and 2000, we observed 600, 540 and 920 nighthawks, respectively, on the airfield. The greatest activity on the airfield occurred from September 27-30 in 1998, September 9- 14 in 1999, and September 6-8 in 2000. The peak number of nighthawks observed using the airfield during these periods was 142, 90 and 118, respectively. Nighthawks foraged around the airfield mainly between 1800 and 2200 and usually roosted on the airfield about 1800 with a peak between 2200 and 0200. During one 2-hour survey period in 1999 and 2000, 37 and 59 nighthawks, respectively, were flushed from the airfield. Thirty-seven nighthawks collected during the study consumed mostly corn earworm moths (Noctuidae) and beetles (Scarabaeidae). Management of nighthawks on McConnell AFB has been difficult because commonly used hazing techniques seem to be ineffective; these birds usually return to the same roosting location after being flushed, which can present an even greater risk to aircraft. We developed and evaluated a unique technique for capturing and translocating nighthawks from the airfield. Only 1 of 214 nighthawks translocated 88 km from McConnell AFB returned. Nighthawk/aircraft strikes at McConnell AFB declined from 9 in 1998, when no translocation was conducted, to 0 in 1999 and 3 in 2000

Olive oil and prevention of chronic diseases: summary of an International conference

Olive oil is the foremost source of fat in the Mediterranean area and, among other features, sets the Mediterranean diet apart from other dietary regimens. In January 2018, the International Olive Council convened several worldwide experts at the Robert Mondavi Institute (Davis, CA), to discuss and summarize the available data on the effects of olive oil consumption on human health. In this paper, we critically provide a synthesis of the main reported findings, which underscore how and why consuming this oil as part of a balanced diet and healthful lifestyle improves prognosis and extends life- and health-spans

Muonium as a hydrogen analogue in silicon and germanium; quantum effects and hyperfine parameters

We report a first-principles theoretical study of hyperfine interactions, zero-point effects and defect energetics of muonium and hydrogen impurities in silicon and germanium. The spin-polarized density functional method is used, with the crystalline orbitals expanded in all-electron Gaussian basis sets. The behaviour of hydrogen and muonium impurities at both the tetrahedral and bond-centred sites is investigated within a supercell approximation. To describe the zero-point motion of the impurities, a double adiabatic approximation is employed in which the electron, muon/proton and host lattice degrees of freedom are decoupled. Within this approximation the relaxation of the atoms of the host lattice may differ for the muon and proton, although in practice the difference is found to be slight. With the inclusion of zero-point motion the tetrahedral site is energetically preferred over the bond-centred site in both silicon and germanium. The hyperfine and superhyperfine parameters, calculated as averages over the motion of the muon, agree reasonably well with the available data from muon spin resonance experiments.Comment: 20 pages, including 9 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

White Matter Hyperintensities and Cognition: Testing the Reserve Hypothesis

OBJECTIVE: White matter hyperintensities (WMH), visualized on T2-weighted MRI, are thought to reflect small-vessel vascular disease. Much like other markers of brain disease, the association between WMH and cognition is imperfect. The concept of reserve may account for this imperfect relationship. The purpose of this study was to test the reserve hypothesis in the association between WMH severity and cognition. We hypothesized that individuals with higher amounts of reserve would be able to tolerate greater amounts of pathology than those with lower reserve. METHODS: Neurologically healthy older adults (n=717) from a community-based study received structural MRI, neuropsychological assessment, and evaluation of reserve. WMH volume was quantified algorithmically. We derived latent constructs representing four neuropsychological domains, a measure of cognitive reserve, and a measure of brain reserve. Measures of cognitive and brain reserve consisted of psychosocial (e.g., education) and anthropometric (e.g., craniometry) variables, respectively. RESULTS: Increased WMH volume was associated with poorer cognition and higher cognitive and brain reserve were associated with better cognition. Controlling for speed/executive function or for language function, those with higher estimates of cognitive reserve had significantly greater degrees of WMH volume, particularly among women. Controlling for cognitive functioning across all domains, individuals with higher estimates of brain reserve had significantly greater WMH volume. CONCLUSIONS: For any given level of cognitive function, those with higher reserve had more pathology in the form of WMH, suggesting that they are better able to cope with pathology than those with lower reserve. Both brain reserve and cognitive reserve appear to mitigate the impact of pathology on cognition