Prior to wide adoption, a product must find social approval, which is especially true for near-body products as they are considered part of the human body. Based on a theoretical foundation, this study aims to provide an overview of methods to assess natural behaviour towards users of visible near-body products in uncontrolled environments, i.e. in the wild. Approaching the matter from a product design perspective, this article is primarily intended for designers of near-body products who wish to gain insights into the social behaviour of people towards users wearing their design proposals.

In July 2013, a Belgian couple were admitted to hospital because of pneumonia. Medical history revealed contact with birds. Eleven days earlier, they had purchased a lovebird in a pet shop in The Netherlands. The bird became ill, with respiratory symptoms. The couple's daughter who accompanied them to the pet shop, reported similar symptoms, but was travelling abroad. On the suspicion of psittacosis, pharyngeal swabs from the couple were taken and sent to the Belgian reference laboratory for psittacosis. Culture and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were positive for the presence of Chlamydia psittaci, and ompA genotyping indicated genotype A in both patients. The patients were treated with doxycycline and the daughter started quinolone therapy; all three recovered promptly. Psittacosis is a notifiable disease in Belgium and therefore local healthcare authorities were informed. They contacted their Dutch colleagues, who visited the pet shop. Seven pooled faecal samples were taken and analysed using PCR by the Dutch national reference laboratory for notifiable animal diseases for the presence of Chlamydia psittaci. Four (57%) samples tested positive, genotyping revealed genotype A. Enquiring about exposure to pet birds is essential when patients present with pneumonia. Reporting to health authorities, even across borders, is warranted to prevent further spread.

Radio-caesium is an important radionuclide released considering food and feed products. In aquatic environments caesium tends to accumulate in fish, both through its diet and its gills. This presentation discusses the caesium accumulation in fish living in estuaries. The aim of this work is to conclude on the importance of potential uptake routes: via the gills, diet or ingested with water. It is suggested that the magnitude of caesium accumulation in fish is related to waterborne potassium concentrations. Based on this theory, fish living in seawater should show a suppressed caesium accumulation compared to fish that stays in freshwater. However, to compensate for water losses, seawater fish are constantly drinking, adding an alternative route of entry for caesium. Apart from these two possible uptake routes of waterborne caesium, fish may take up caesium via their diet. Separate uptake-and-elimination studies were performed to measure the waterborne and dietary caesium uptake and elimination rate constants in fully acclimated Sea Bass at six different salinities (ranging from 1‰ to 35‰). Short-term uptake studies were performed as well to evaluate the effect of the waterborne potassium concentration. A toxicokinetic model evaluated several scenarios to conclude on the importance of each uptake route.

The growth of FexNy thin films on GaAs, In0.2Ga0.8As, and Si02/Si substrates using an ultra high-vacuum (UHV) deposition chamber equipped with electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma source is presented. The structural properties of the deposited films have been measured using various techniques as x-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of XRD measurements show that the films consist of a combination of α-Fe, α'-Fe, γ-Fe4N, and α”- Fe16N2 phases. The depth profiles, calculated from the Auger peak intensities, show a uniform nitrogen concentration through the films. The TEM reveals a columnar structure of these films. The properties of the different Fe-N layers have been exploited in the fabrication of Fe(N) / FexNy / Fe trilayer structures, where Fe(N) means a slightly nitrogen doped Fe film. The magneto-transport properties of this trilayer structure grown on In0.2Ga0.8As substrates are presented.

We have studied the magnetic and structural properties of thin electrodeposited Co and Cu layers grown directly onto (100) n-GaAs and have investigated the influence of a buffer layer. A dominant fourfold anisotropy with a uniaxial contribution is observed in 10 nm Co electrodeposited films on GaAs. An easy axis is observed in the [001] GaAs direction with two hard axes of differing coercivities parallel to the [011] and [011] directions. For thicker films the easy axes in the [001] direction becomes less pronounced and the fourfold anisotropy becomes less dominant. Co films of similar thicknesses deposited onto an electrodeposited Cu buffer layer were nearly isotropic. From X-ray diffraction 21 nm Co layers on GaAs were found to be hcp with the c-axis tending to be in the plane of the film. The anisotropy is ascribed to the Co/GaAs interface and is held responsible for the unique spin-valve properties seen recently in electrodeposited Co/Cu films.

The growth of FexNy thin films on GaAs, In0.2Ga0.8As, and SiO2/Si substrates using an ultra high-vacuum (UHV) deposition chamber equipped with electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma source is presented. The structural properties of the deposited films have been measured using various techniques as x-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of XRD measurements show that the films consist of a combination of α-Fe, α'-Fe, y-Fe4N, and α”- Fe16N2 phases. The depth profiles, calculated from the Auger peak intensities, show a uniform nitrogen concentration through the films. The TEM reveals a columnar structure of these films. The properties of the different Fe-N layers have been exploited in the fabrication of Fe(N) / FexNy / Fe trilayer structures, where Fe(N) means a slightly nitrogen doped Fe film. The magneto-transport properties of this trilayer structure grown on In0.2Ga0.8As substrates are presented.

Ga1-xMnxAs is a new III-V diluted magnetic semiconductor that can be grown by MBE with Mn concentrations up to x ∼ 0.09. Below a critical temperature Tc, determined by the Mn concentration (about 50 K for x = 0.05) the material becomes ferromagnetic. This is attributed to the magnetic long-range order of Mn-hole complexes, the latter being the result of the strong antiferromagnetic interaction between the holes and Mn 3d spins. Transport and magnetic properties of the Ga1-xMnxAs system are strongly correlated. Above Tc, all samples show transport behaviour characteristic for materials near the metal insulator transition. Below Tc, resistivity decreases as the magnetic ordering sets in. When the magnetisation has reached its saturation value (below ∼ 20 K), variable range hopping is the main transport mechanism. Also, a negative magnetoresistance is observed below Tc.

τ MnAl / Co superlattices are grown epitaxially on GaAs (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. High angle XRD spectra are analysed and indicate that good structural quality is achieved. The behaviour of the superlattice upon annealing is described and compared with inplane and out of plane magnetization data. Extraordinary hall effect measurements show low field switching comparable to MnAl thin films. Arguments on how structural properties are affecting the magnetic properties are discussed.

We have successfully grown thermodynamically stable ferromagnetic MnxGa1-x (x=0.55∼0.60) thin films with thicknesses ranging from 3 nm to 60 nm on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The c-axis of the tetragonal structure of the MnGa film is shown to be aligned perpendicular to the substrate. Both Magnetization Measurements and extraordinary Hall effect measurements indicate perpendicular magnetization of the MnGa films, exhibiting squarelike hysteresis characteristics. Furthermore, we have investigated the effect of Ni additions as a substitution for mn in (Mn60-yNiy) Ga40 alloy thin films with y=0 – 30 at% Ni. With increasing Ni, the perpendicular component of the magnetization becomes smaller up to y=18 where the magnetization is in-plane. At y=30, the magnetization is again perpendicular.

GaAs is grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on composite GaAs-SiO2 nucleation layers fabricated on Si substrates. The composite surface (CS) is formed by an initial deposition of GaAs islands by MBE, followed by oxidation of the bare Si regions surrounding the islands. The oxidation is performed at 265°C in the afterglow of a microwave induced plasma. The fabrication of the composite GaAs-SiO2 nucleation layer is compatible with the epitaxy process. GaAs growth on CS's is performed to study the seeded lateral overgrowth of GaAs on the SiO2. We find single crystal GaAs on SiO2 regions up to 50 nm wide. On the SiO2 a large density of twins is present. The GaAs seeds are not pseudomorphic and misfit dislocation segments constitute a source of threading defects. The potential of the technique for GaAs-on-Si improvement is discussed.

InAs and InAs0.85Sb0.15p-“i”-n structures were grown on InAs, GaAs and Si substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. The structural quality of the layers is discussed using Transmission Electron Microscopy and Rutherford Back Scattering. The influence of the material quality on the 77 K current-voltage measurements is explained. The spectral response of the devices was measured demonstrating peak responsivities of 2.1 A/W at 3.5μm wavelength for InAs0.85Sb0.15 detectors with a 4.3 μm cut-off wavelength.

The behavior of Si and Be impurities in InAsx Sb1−x (0.05<x<0.45) heteroepitaxial layers grown on GaAs-coated Si by MBE is characterised. Siis found to act as an n-type dopant for the growth conditions used. The calibration of the Si n-type doping as a function of the Sisource temperature is obtained by infrared absorption spectrometry, stripping Hall and SIMS depth profiling. At high doping levels the amphoterical characterof the Si impurities becomes evident. SIMS is used to investigate the dopant incorporation and the formation of diode structures. The influence of the mismatched epitaxy on the transport properties is investigated by stripping Hall measurements. In order to establish the correlation between crystalline properties of the epilayers and the ability to fabricate diodes, we compare the defect structure of InAs and In(As)Sb p-'i'-n diodes.

GaAs is grown embedded in pre-etched wells in the Si substrate. HNO3:HF, KOH:H2O and a dry etch technique are used as alternatives to form the wells. Cross-sectional SEM views of AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures reveal the growth front and facet formation for the different sidewall geometries. Transmission electron microscopy is used to study epilayer degradation in relation to the substrate damage and the presence of edge induced defects in the GaAs. Cathodoluminescence reveals the uniformity of strain present in the GaAs layer embedded in the wet etched well. The impact of the different etching techniques on device integration is briefly discussed.