Cutis marmorata in decompression sickness is associated with a patent foramen ovale.

A 39-year-old male commercial diver developed cutis marmorata after a dive. He had a full recovery after therapy in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed an atrial septal aneurysm and a large shunt during normal respirations. This form of decompression sickness may progress to type II DCS, thus is important to identify and treat. Cutis marmorata as a result of diving is highly associated with an atrial septal defect or a large patent foramen ovale. It is particularly important to assess these patients for a right-to-left shunt as part of a medical evaluation prior to returning to diving.

An in situ USAXS-SAXS-WAXS study of precipitate size distribution evolution in a model Ni-based alloy.

Intermetallic γ' precipitates typically strengthen nickel-based superalloys. The shape, size and spatial distribution of strengthening precipitates critically influence alloy strength, while their temporal evolution characteristics determine the high-temperature alloy stability. Combined ultra-small-, small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS-SAXS-WAXS) analysis can be used to evaluate the temporal evolution of an alloy's precipitate size distribution (PSD) and phase structure during in situ heat treatment. Analysis of PSDs from USAXS-SAXS data employs either least-squares fitting of a preordained PSD model or a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approach, the latter avoiding a priori definition of a functional form of the PSD. However, strong low-q scattering from grain boundaries and/or structure factor effects inhibit MaxEnt analysis of typical alloys. This work describes the extension of Bayesian-MaxEnt analysis methods to data exhibiting structure factor effects and low-q power law slopes and demonstrates their use in an in situ study of precipitate size evolution during heat treatment of a model Ni-Al-Si alloy.

Direct measurement of hydrogen dislocation pipe diffusion in deformed polycrystalline Pd using quasielastic neutron scattering.

The temperature-dependent diffusivity D(T) of hydrogen solute atoms trapped at dislocations-dislocation pipe diffusion of hydrogen-in deformed polycrystalline PdH(x) (x∼10(-3) [H]/[Pd]) has been quantified with quasielastic neutron scattering between 150 and 400 K. We observe diffusion coefficients for trapped hydrogen elevated by one to two orders of magnitude above bulk diffusion. Arrhenius diffusion behavior has been observed for dislocation pipe diffusion and regular bulk diffusion, the latter in well-annealed polycrystalline Pd. For regular bulk diffusion of hydrogen in Pd we find D(T)=D(0)exp(-E(a)/kT)=0.005exp(-0.23 eV/kT) cm(2)/s, in agreement with the known diffusivity of hydrogen in Pd. For hydrogen dislocation pipe diffusion we find D(T)≃10(-5)exp(-E(a)/kT) cm(2)/s, where E(a)=0.042 and 0.083 eV for concentrations of 0.52×10(-3) and 1.13×10(-3)[H]/[Pd], respectively. Ab initio computations provide a physical basis for the pipe diffusion pathway and confirm the reduced barrier height.