Two independent temporal-spatial clusters of hospital-onset Rhizopus infections were evaluated using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that isolates within each cluster were unrelated despite epidemiological suspicion of outbreaks. The ITS1 region alone was insufficient for accurate analysis. WGS has utility for rapid rule-out of suspected nosocomial Rhizopus outbreaks.

Previous studies have shown that fish protein, as well as marine n-3 PUFA, may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk profile. The objectives of this study were to investigate the combined effects of fish gelatine (FG) and n-3 PUFA supplementation on (1) energy intake and body weight, (2) lipid profile and (3) inflammatory and CVD markers in free-living insulin-resistant males and females. Subjects were asked to consume, in a crossover study design with two experimental periods of 8 weeks each, an n-3 PUFA supplement and n-3 PUFA supplement plus FG (n-3 PUFA + FG). n-3 PUFA + FG led to an increase in protein intake and a decrease in carbohydrate intake compared with n-3 PUFA (P < 0·02) in males and females. Sex–treatment interactions were observed for TAG (P = 0·03) and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (P = 0·001) levels. In females, n-3 PUFA reduced plasma TAG by 8 % and n-3 PUFA + FG by 23 %, whereas in males, n-3 PUFA reduced plasma TAG by 25 % and n-3 PUFA + FG by 11 %. n-3 PUFA increased serum hsCRP by 13 % and n-3 PUFA + FG strongly reduced hsCRP by 40 % in males, whereas in females, n-3 PUFA reduced serum hsCRP by 6 % and n-3 PUFA + FG increased hsCRP by 20 %. In conclusion, supplementation with FG may enhance the lipid-lowering effect of marine n-3 PUFA in females and beneficially counteract the effect of n-3 PUFA on serum hsCRP in males. Further studies are needed to identify the sex-dependent mechanisms responsible for the divergent effects of FG on TAG and hsCRP levels in females and males, respectively.

In this work, we present the first successful fabrication of an etched grooved GaN-based permeable-base transistor structure. Growth of the device structures was done by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on thick HVPE GaN quasi-substrates. The fabrication process took advantage of isolations pads via He implantation and SiN deposition, as well as submicron ICP etching of collector fingers patterned via e-beam lithography. SEM of the finished devices shows smooth etched finger structures and base layer surface with finger sidewall angles of ∼85° for 1:1 and 1:3 finger spacing. Specific contact resistivities of ∼ 3 × 10-6 Ω•cm2 for the ohmic contacts were achieved with Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization scheme. Preliminary DC testing of the devices show a collector current IC = 140 mA/mm at VCE of 5V and VBE of +0.5V. The maximum transconductance gm is ∼111 mS/mm in the measured collector-emitter bias range. These values are comparable, within the measurement tolerance, to physics-based modeling results.

We have successfully used hydrophobic direct wafer bonding along with hydrogen-induced layer splitting of germanium to transfer 700 nm thick, single-crystal germanium (100) films to silicon (100) substrates without using a metallic bonding layer. The metal-free nature of the bond makes the bonded wafers suitable for subsequent epitaxial growth of layered solar cells at high temperatures without concern about metal contamination of the device active region. Contact mode atomic force microscopy images of the transferred germanium surface generated by the formation of micro-bubbles and micro-cracks along the hydrogen-induced layer-splitting interface reveals minimum rms surface roughness of between 10 nm and 23 nm. Electrical measurements indicated ohmic I-V characteristics for germanium layers bonded to silicon substrates with ∼400 Ω cm−2 resistance at the interface. Triple-junction solar cell structures grown on these Ge/Si heterostructure templates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition show comparable photoluminescence intensity and minority carrier lifetime to a control structure grown on bulk Ge. The use of a molecular beam epitaxy Ge buffer layer to smooth the cleaved surface of the Ge heterostructure has been shown to smooth the rms surface roughness from ∼11 nm to as low as 1.5 nm with a mesa-like morphology that has a top surface roughness of under 1.0 nm giving a promising surface for improved solar cell growth on solar cell structures.

Metallization of plastic devices is of interest to newer non-silicon based MEMS which are being developed for biomedical and other applications. The electrical properties of the metallization will depend, in part, on the material on which they are patterned, and the method of deposition. Of interest are the electrical characterizations during usage which must be studied to allow plastic MEMS designs to proceed wisely. Flexible microdevices may develop open circuits or shorts after excessive bending; joule heating may adversely affect the plastic substrates, leading to failure. We present some experimental studies on electrical characterization of metallized plastics as it relates to various processing conditons and usage scenarios.

Characterization of the flow properties in microfluidic channels is important for designing and building biomedical microdevices, many of which depend on precise fluid flow for their operation. Similarly, in complex fluidic systems, it is important to identify flaws in processing which will potentially restrict, or short circuit the flow of the device. We explore the characterization of flow in plastic microfluidic systems through various test devices..

SU-8 has become a popular material for micromachining high aspect ratio structures. Typically, SU-8 is spun on a polished silicon wafer for processing. After patterning, the SU-8 is used for micromachined structures directly (such as fluidic channels) or as a mold for electroforming. Non-silicon substrates offer the possibility of cheaper processing, improved mold designs, and multi-material devices. Successful SU-8 processing depends strongly on surface properties of the substrate itself as well as environmental conditions during the processing. We explore the issues involved in transferring SU-8 technology to non-silicon substrates such as glass, plastics and metals. Issues such as wettability, adhesion, and surface tension are explored in this study. The findings indicate the merits of non-spinning approaches, such as dipping, spraying, and brushing and point to new SU-8 processes.

Unsupported different atomic ratios of platinum-ruthenium bulk alloys were prepared. The alloys were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These alloys were also tested as anodes for methanol electro-oxidation in sulfuric acid over a range of temperatures. Ruthenium is inactive for methanol electro-oxidation at 25 °C, but becomes active at higher temperatures. When a comparison is made on the basis of “true” (hydrogen adsorption) surface area, a 30 atomic percent Ru electrocatalyst provides the highest activity for methanol electro-oxidation as measured at either 0.4 or 0.5V vs. RHE at both 25 and 60 °C.

Reactive ion etching of features down to 100 nm in linewidth in tungsten has been studied using an SF6 based chemistry. The studies were carried out in a PlasmaTherm 500 etcher operated at low pressure (2 mTorr) and power (100 mWatts/cm2). Key processing parameters have been identified to achieve the resolution and aspect ratio required for high contrast x-ray masks. The critical parameters include sample temperature, gas dilution and end point detection. However, even with all of these parameters optimized, additional sidewall passivation is required to obtain the necessary 6.5:1 aspect ratio. A novel method of achieving such passivation based on an intermittent etching process is described.