Among 353 healthcare personnel in a longitudinal cohort in four hospitals in Atlanta, GA (May-June 2020), 23 (6.5%) had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Spending >50% of a typical shift at bedside (OR 3.4, 95% CI: 1.2–10.5) and Black race (OR 8.4, 95% CI: 2.7–27.4) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.

The principal aim of this study was to optimize the diagnosis of canine neuroangiostrongyliasis (NA). In total, 92 cases were seen between 2010 and 2020. Dogs were aged from 7 weeks to 14 years (median 5 months), with 73/90 (81%) less than 6 months and 1.7 times as many males as females. The disease became more common over the study period. Most cases (86%) were seen between March and July. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from the cisterna magna in 77 dogs, the lumbar cistern in f5, and both sites in 3. Nucleated cell counts for 84 specimens ranged from 1 to 146 150 cells μL−1 (median 4500). Percentage eosinophils varied from 0 to 98% (median 83%). When both cisternal and lumbar CSF were collected, inflammation was more severe caudally. Seventy-three CSF specimens were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing for antibodies against A. cantonensis; 61 (84%) tested positive, titres ranging from <100 to ⩾12 800 (median 1600). Sixty-one CSF specimens were subjected to real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing using a new protocol targeting a bioinformatically-informed repetitive genetic target; 53/61 samples (87%) tested positive, CT values ranging from 23.4 to 39.5 (median 30.0). For 57 dogs, it was possible to compare CSF ELISA serology and qPCR. ELISA and qPCR were both positive in 40 dogs, in 5 dogs the ELISA was positive while the qPCR was negative, in 9 dogs the qPCR was positive but the ELISA was negative, while in 3 dogs both the ELISA and qPCR were negative. NA is an emerging infectious disease of dogs in Sydney, Australia.

A first product of this European project was a tool for scoring chick quality. A link was established between chick quality and embryonic physiological parameters such as heat production. Eggs from broiler breeders that give rise to rapidly growing broilers have a different embryonic development that may need modified incubation conditions. Within genotypes, better chick quality induces better liveability and faster growth in broiler production. Extensive data on broiler breeder production were generated. Feed restriction was necessary to maintain welfare and reproduction at acceptable levels in standard broiler breeders. The dw-experimental genotype (E) was more tolerant to ad libitum feeding. If an alternative to feed restriction had to be found, the use of a dw genotype with less severe feed restriction could be adopted. Fibre per se, or partial feed restriction during the growing period, only compensated to a small extent for the negative effects of early fast growth on later reproduction. The results of the project on behaviour did not support welfare concerns on feed restriction. They confirmed the hypothesis that environmental pecking is a displacement activity rather than a sign of frustration. Factors other than central control by pituitary hormones seem to be involved in the modulation of the laying rate. The local (intra-ovarian) role of growth factors such as Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs), Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) and leptin are known to modulate the effect of gonadotrophins on ovarian function. For both BMPs and IGFs, feed restriction enhanced the interaction between growth factors and gonadotrophins as well as the proliferation of granulosa cells in vitro. Future genetic selection of broiler breeder production might aim at uncoupling the control of growth factors in the ovary from the selection for rapid growth to maintain or increase the growth rate of chicks without further penalising the already poor reproductive performance of broiler breeders. Putative quantitative trait loci for ovulation rate were identified in the project and may eventually facilitate selection by breeding companies for birds that could be fed enough feed to optimise their welfare.

Practical methods for directly patterning hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films have been developed. Direct patterning involves selectively oxidizing the hydrogen passivated aSi:H surface, with the oxide then serving as an etch mask for subsequent hydrogen plasma removal of the unoxidized regions. Photo induced oxidation has been extensively studied using both far field projected patterns and near field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) for direct write patterning. Examination of the threshold dose for pattern generation for excitation wavelengths from 248 to 633nm provides indirect evidence for involvement of electron-hole recombination in optically induced oxidation. Optical exposure of a-Si:H in vacuum demonstrated that oxygen must be present in the ambient atmosphere during exposure for successful pattern generation. This suggests that oxidation of the surface may not involve removal of hydrogen, but rather breaking of Si-Si backbonds and insertion of oxygen. An additional mechanism for oxide generation was observed whereby pattern generation resulted from simple proximity of an NSOM probe within ∼30nm from the sample surface. The probe dither amplitude was found to greatly affect the line width and height of patterns generated without light. Line widths of approximately 100nm, comparable to the probe diameter, were obtained.

Gas phase chemistry is believed to play an important role in hot-wire CVD of amorphous silicon, serving to convert the highly-reactive atomic Si produced at the wire into a less-reactive species by reaction with ambient SiH4. In this paper, we use quantum chemistry computations (B3LYP/cc-pvTZ) to examine the energetics and rates of possible gas-phase reactions between Si and SiH4. The results indicate that formation of disilyne (Si2H2) is energetically favorable. Unlike other products of this reaction, Si2H2 does not require collisional stabilization, and thus this species is the most likely candidate for a benevolent precursor that participates in the growth of high-quality Si films.

Absorption of 14C-imazaquin by leaves of field-grown flue-cured tobacco was similar when applied to young seedlings immediately after transplanting or to plants 3 wk after transplanting. The distribution of 14C in treated leaves indicated that 40% was absorbed, 54% remained in water extracts of leaf surfaces, and 6% was found in the epicuticular wax layer 8 d after treatment. Translocation of the herbicide from treated leaves to roots was very low (4 to 5%). In contrast, soil applications of imazaquin and subsequent uptake by roots resulted in retention of 40 to 53% in roots and translocation of 47 to 60% to shoots after 8 d. Analyses of methanol-soluble extracts of 14C indicated that more than 77% of the foliar-applied herbicide was metabolized in roots and upper shoots after 2 d. Similarly, 64% or more of the imazaquin was degraded in roots and shoots 2 d after root absorption.

Imazaquin {2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid} was evaluated in the field for weed control in flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) during 1983 and 1984. The 75 DG formulation of imazaquin was used at 0.28 and 0.42 kg ai/ha. Methods of application were: preplant incorporated, over the top immediately after transplanting, postbed incorporated, and early postemergence. Imazaquin controlled 90%, or better, of common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L. # CHEAL), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. # AMBEL), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L. # AMARE), spiny amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus L. # AMASP), ivyleaf morningglory [Ipomoea hederacea (L.) Jacq. # IPOHE], sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia L. # CASOB), and prickly sida (Sida spinosa L. # SIDSP) with all application methods except early postemergence. It controlled 80 to 89% of large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L. # DIGSA) by the soil-applied methods. Postemergence applications of imazaquin controlled common ragweed, pigweed spp., ivyleaf morningglory, prickly sida, and sicklepod. Imazaquin was less effective postemergence on lambsquarters and large crabgrass. Tobacco tolerated use of imazaquin by all methods of application except preplant incorporation.

Latchup free lateral CMOS transistors with PMOS devices in the laser recrystallized silicon and the NMOS devices in the bulk silicon were fabricated. One micron thick field oxide isolates the PMOS devices in the recrystallized silicon from the NMOS devices in the bulk wafer. The seed area for recrystallization was used for the fabrication of the NMOS devices. An oxide layer of 0.1um thickness was used to protect the channel region of the NMOS devices during the laser recrystallization. The effect of this channel protect-oxide is discussed and the characteristics of the NMOS devices with and without the channel protect oxide are compared.

When a Mach number dependent parameter σ ≠ 0 is accounted forin an expansive free interaction analogous to that of Stewartson [7], the solution terminates in a singularity with a finite pressure, but with a pressure gradient varying as the inverse three-fifths power of the distance from the singularity, apart from a subtle logarithmic modification.