Effects of RF Magnetron Sputtering Power on the Mechanical Behavior of Zr-Cu-Based Metallic Glass Thin Films.

Zirconium-based metallic glass films are promising materials for nanoelectronic and biomedical applications, but their mechanical behavior under different conditions is not well understood. This study investigates the effects of radio frequency (RF) power and test temperature on the nanostructure, morphology, and creep behavior of Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 metallic glass films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and microscopy, and their mechanical properties were measured by a bulge test system. The results show that the films were amorphous and exhibited a transition from noncolumnar to columnar morphology as the RF power increased from 75 W to 125 W. The columnar morphology reduced the creep resistance, Young's modulus, residual stress, and hardness of the films. The creep behavior of the films was also influenced by the test temperature, with higher temperature leading to higher creep strain and lower creep stress. The findings of this study provide insights into the optimization of the sputtering parameters and the design of zirconium-based metallic glass films for various applications.

TRAFFICVIS: Visualizing Organized Activity and Spatio-Temporal Patterns for Detecting and Labeling Human Trafficking.

Law enforcement and domain experts can detect human trafficking (HT) in online escort websites by analyzing suspicious clusters of connected ads. How can we explain clustering results intuitively and interactively, visualizing potential evidence for experts to analyze? We present TRAFFICVIS, the first interface for cluster-level HT detection and labeling. Developed through months of participatory design with domain experts, TRAFFICVIS provides coordinated views in conjunction with carefully chosen backend algorithms to effectively show spatio-temporal and text patterns to a wide variety of anti-HT stakeholders. We build upon state-of-the-art text clustering algorithms by incorporating shared metadata as a signal of connected and possibly suspicious activity, then visualize the results. Domain experts can use TRAFFICVIS to label clusters as HT, or other, suspicious, but non-HT activity such as spam and scam, quickly creating labeled datasets to enable further HT research. Through domain expert feedback and a usage scenario, we demonstrate TRAFFICVIS's efficacy. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with repeated high praises for the usability and explainability of our tool, the latter being vital for indicting possible criminals.

Endoscopic ultrasound avoids adverse events in high probability choledocholithiasis patients with a negative computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The current guideline recommends patients who meet high probability criteria for choledocholithiasis to receive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). However, adverse events can occur during ERCP. Our goal is to determine whether endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) before ERCP can avoid unnecessary ERCP complications, especially in patients with a negative CT scan. METHODS: A total of 604 patients with high probability of choledocholithiasis were screened and 104 patients were prospectively enrolled. Patients with malignant biliary obstruction, altered GI anatomy, and choledocholithiasis on CT scan were excluded. Among them, 44 patients received EUS first, and ERCP if choledocholithiasis present (EUS-first group). The other 60 patients received ERCP directly (ERCP-first group). The baseline characteristics, presence of choledocholithiasis, and complications were compared between groups. All patients were followed for 3 months to determine the difference in recurrent biliary event rate. Cost-effectiveness was compared between the two strategies. RESULTS: There was no marked difference in age, sex, laboratory data, presenting with pancreatitis, and risk factors for choledocholithiasis. Overall, 51 patients (49.0%) had choledocholithiasis, which did not justify the risk of direct ERCP. In the EUS-first group, 27 (61.4%) ERCP procedures were prevented. The overall complication rate was significantly lower in the EUS-first group compared to the ERCP-fist group (6.8% vs. 21.7%, P = 0.04). The number-needed-to-treat to avoid one unnecessary adverse event was 6.71. After a 3-month follow-up, the cumulative recurrence biliary event rates were similar (13.6% vs. 15.0%, P = 0.803). EUS-first strategy was more cost-effective than the ERCP-first strategy (mean cost 2322.89$ vs. 3175.63$, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In high-probability choledocholithiasis patients with a negative CT, the EUS-first strategy is cost-effective, which can prevent unnecessary ERCP procedures and their complications.

Effect of heat treatments on the essential oils of kumquat (Fortunella margarita Swingle).

Kumquats (Fortunella margarita Swingle) cultivated in Taiwan are eaten raw or made into candied fruit or fruit tea. For the experiments described in this paper, essential oils were obtained from kumquat peels or whole fruit by cold pressing, steam distillation or heating in water at 90°C for 15 min followed by steam distillation. The volatile components contained in the essential oils were identified by direct injection (DI) or headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography (GC). A total of 43 compounds were identified, of which 37 were verified by DI/GC and 31 by HS-SPME/GC. Hot water heating increased the yields of essential oils from both peels and whole fruit. The principal constituents of the oils were similar except for the minor compounds, including linalool, terpinen-4-ol and α-terpineol, the levels of which increased after steam distillation. The whole fruit also contained higher levels of terpene alcohols.

Differential factors that influence applicant selection of a prosthodontic residency program.

PURPOSE: The main objectives of this study were to identify current prosthodontic resident demographics and to analyze factors that may influence applicants in selecting prosthodontics as a career, as well as a specific prosthodontic program. We also investigated the influence of age, gender, relationship status, and year in program on applicant decisions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two questionnaires were mailed to all prosthodontic residents (N = 304) registered with the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) Central Office. Part I assessed resident demographics and factors influencing choice of specialty. Part II assessed factors influencing the selection of a specific prosthodontic program. RESULTS: Completed surveys were obtained from 193 of 304 (63.4%) of all prosthodontic residents registered at the ACP Central Office. The completed surveys represented approximately 48% of the total population of prosthodontic residents in the United States. Demographic data revealed that 37% and 62% of the respondents were female and male, respectively (1% did not report gender). The mean age of the respondents was 30.3 years. More residents reported being married than either single or in a relationship. Most residents were accepted to their top choice program. Part I of the survey revealed that the complexity and challenge of treatment planning/treatment, ability to lead multidisciplinary cases, possession of skills/talents suited to the specialty, enjoyment of clinical work, and the intellectual content of the specialty were reported to be the five most influential factors in choosing prosthodontics as a career. Part II demonstrated that applicants place a high emphasis on clinical education, their impression of the program director, advice from predoctoral mentors, their impression of resident satisfaction and happiness, and the opportunity to place dental implants. The factors of least importance are climate and opportunities to moonlight, teach, and conduct research. CONCLUSIONS: Dental students consider the complexity and challenge of treatment planning and execution of prosthodontic treatment to be the most important factors in the decision to specialize in prosthodontics. Mentors and predoctoral instructors also strongly influence students. Applicants consider clinical education to be the most important determinant in program selection, but are also influenced by their impression of the program director and his/her philosophy of training. Faculty board certification and the opportunity to place dental implants are also important factors. Relationship status can significantly affect an applicant's choice of program. Teaching and research opportunities appear to be of minor importance to applicants. These findings can be used by the ACP and/or program directors to understand which factors are important to students, enabling them to assess the compatibility of their programs with applicants and modify existing curricula to make their programs more attractive to top candidates.