In 21 antimicrobial stewardship programs in critical-access hospitals in Nebraska and Iowa that self-reported nonadherence to a CDC Core Element or Elements, in-depth program assessment and feedback revealed that accountability and education most needed improvement. Recommendations included providing physician and pharmacist training, tracking interventions, and providing education. Program barriers included lack of time and/or personnel and antimicrobial stewardship and/or infectious diseases expertise.

Owing to their ultra-high accelerating gradients, combined with injection inside micrometer-scale accelerating wakefield buckets, plasma-based accelerators hold great potential to drive a new generation of free-electron lasers (FELs). Indeed, the first demonstration of plasma-driven FEL gain was reported recently, representing a major milestone for the field. Several groups around the world are pursuing these novel light sources, with methodology varying in the use of wakefield driver (laser-driven or beam-driven), plasma structure, phase-space manipulation, beamline design, and undulator technology, among others. This paper presents our best attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the global community efforts towards plasma-based FEL research and development.

We measured the parameter reproducibility and radial electron density profile of capillary discharge waveguides with diameters of 650 $\mathrm{\mu} \mathrm{m}$ to 2 mm and lengths of 9 to 40 cm. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, 40 cm is the longest discharge capillary plasma waveguide to date. This length is important for $\ge$10 GeV electron energy gain in a single laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration stage. Evaluation of waveguide parameter variations showed that their focusing strength was stable and reproducible to $<0.2$% and their average on-axis plasma electron density to $<1$%. These variations explain only a small fraction of laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration electron bunch variations observed in experiments to date. Measurements of laser pulse centroid oscillations revealed that the radial channel profile rises faster than parabolic and is in excellent agreement with magnetohydrodynamic simulation results. We show that the effects of non-parabolic contributions on Gaussian pulse propagation were negligible when the pulse was approximately matched to the channel. However, they affected pulse propagation for a non-matched configuration in which the waveguide was used as a plasma telescope to change the focused laser pulse spot size.

A new optimized quasi-helically symmetric configuration is described that has the desirable properties of improved energetic particle confinement, reduced turbulent transport by three-dimensional shaping and non-resonant divertor capabilities. The configuration presented in this paper is explicitly optimized for quasi-helical symmetry, energetic particle confinement, neoclassical confinement and stability near the axis. Post optimization, the configuration was evaluated for its performance with regard to energetic particle transport, ideal magnetohydrodynamic stability at various values of plasma pressure and ion temperature gradient instability induced turbulent transport. The effects of discrete coils on various confinement figures of merit, including energetic particle confinement, are determined by generating single-filament coils for the configuration. Preliminary divertor analysis shows that coils can be created that do not interfere with expansion of the vessel volume near the regions of outgoing heat flux, thus demonstrating the possibility of operating a non-resonant divertor.

The plasma channel formation in the focus of a knife-like nanosecond laser pulse irradiating a gas target is studied theoretically, and in gas-dynamics computer simulations. The distribution of the electromagnetic field in the focus region, obtained analytically, is used to calculate the energy deposition in the plasma, which then is implemented in the magnetohydrodynamic computer code. The modelling of the channel evolution shows that the plasma profile, which can guide the laser pulse, is formed by the tightly focused short knife-like lasers. The results of the simulations show that a proper choice of the convergence angle of a knife-like laser beam (determined by the focal length of the last cylindrical lens), and laser pulse duration may provide a sufficient degree of azimuthal symmetry of the formed plasma channel.

Solubilizing alkyl chains play a crucial role in the design of semiconducting polymers because they define the materials solubility and processability as well as both the crystallinity and solid-state microstructure. In this paper, we present a scarcely explored design approach by attaching the alkyl side chains on one side (cis-) or on both sides (trans-) of the conjugated backbone. We further investigate the effects of this structural modification on the solid-state properties of the polymers and on the charge-carrier mobilities in organic thin-film transistors.

The crystallization process of SrxBiyTa2O5+x+3y/2 thin films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition was investigated. Phase formation and crystal growth is greatly affected by the film composition and crystallization temperature. Phase diagrams for varying Sr or Bi contents were determined as a function of the crystallization temperature. The higher the Sr or Bi content in the film, the lower the phase transition temperature from the amorphous to the fluorite-type phase and from the fluorite-type to the Bi-layered Aurivillius phase. Low Sr and Bi contents support pyrochlore-type phase formation as a second phase. During annealing, excess Bi is not lost due to evaporation, but due to migration to the bottom electrode. Contrary to the fluorite-type phase, the Aurivillius phase is not able to incorporate the excess of Bi atoms. Decreasing grain size and pyrochlore-type phase formation entail decreasing remanent polarization.

We report on ways to develop device quality microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) intrinsic layer with high growth rate by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). With combine approach of controlling impurities and moderate H-dilution [H2/SiH4 ͌ 2.5], we developed, for the first time, highly photosensitive (103 μc-Si:Hfilms with high growth rate (>1 nm/s); the microstructure of the film is found to be close to amorphous phase (fc ͌ 46 ̻± 5%). The photosensitivity systematically decreases with fc and saturates to 10 for fc> 70%. On application of these materials in non-optimized pin [.proportional]c-Si:H solar cell structure yields 700 mV open-circuit voltage however, surprisingly low fill factor and short circuit current. The importance of reduction of oxygen impurities [O], adequate passivation of grain boundary (GB) as well as presence of inactive GB of (220) orientation to achieve efficient [.proportional]c-Si:H solar cells are discussed.