A survey of hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs was performed to validate core element achievement data from the National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Patient Safety Component Annual Survey. In total, 89% of hospitals met all 7 core elements, compared to only 68% according to the NHSN survey.

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of 3-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (fluometuron) and 2,4-bis(isopropylamino)-6-methylmercapto-s-triazine (prometryne) on oxygen consumption by mitochondria isolated from the hypocotyls of soybean (Glycine max L., var. Lee) seedlings. Prometryne caused a decrease in second state 3 oxidation of both malate and succinate, but the decrease was overcome by 2,4-dinitrophenol (hereinafter referred to as DNP), indicating a response similar to that of oligomycin. Fluometuron caused an increase in second state 4 oxidation of both malate and succinate and overcame the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation caused by oligomycin, indicating an uncoupling response similar to DNP. Fluometuron was also shown to reverse the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation caused by prometryne. Concentrations of prometryne causing the 50% inhibitory response were somewhat higher than those reported for s-triazines on other tissues, while those for fluometuron were well within the inhibitory range reported for other substituted ureas.

Low-spatial resolution satellite imagery from the NOAA-10 polar-orbiting meteorological satellite was analyzed to determine if central New Mexico grasslands infested by broom snakeweed could be discriminated from unaffected areas. Distinctive phenological characteristics of broom snakeweed, including an early season growth flush and late season flowering, enable moderate to heavily infested areas to be separated from grasslands having few or no weeds present. The procedure used shows promise as a tool for locating and monitoring brown snakeweed and other weeds growing on shortgrass prairie.

Ternary Fe-Co-Si B20 phase structure was formed by implanting Fe and Co ions consecutively into Si(100) substrate at 50 keV energy, each with a fluence of 1.0 × 1017 atoms/cm2 and post-thermal vacuum annealing at 500 oC for 60 minutes. An in-situ magnetic field was used to enhance the formation of the ternary phase in the Si substrate during the implantation process. The magnetic field of 0.05 T was applied perpendicular to the incoming ion beam direction and parallel to the substrate surface to form elongated clusters in the transverse direction of the sample. Prior to the implantation of ions, the implant ions depth profiles were simulated using a dynamic ion-solid interaction code (TRIDYN). The TRIDYN simulation predicted a saturation in the peak concentration of the Fe and Co ions at a fluence of 1.0 × 1017 atoms/cm2. XPS measurement at the peak concentration depth (40 nm) showed the presence of Fe (23 %) and Co (32 %) in the Si matrix. XRD characterization confirmed the presence of stable Fe-Co-Si B20 phase structure in the annealed samples implanted with the in-situ magnetic field.

This work reports the growth of crystalline SrHf x Ti1−x O3 (SHTO) films on Ge (001) substrates by atomic layer deposition. Samples were prepared with different Hf content x to explore if strain, from tensile (x = 0) to compressive (x = 1), affected film crystallization temperature and how composition affected properties. Amorphous films grew at 225 °C and crystallized into epitaxial layers at annealing temperatures that varied monotonically with composition from ~530 °C (x = 0) to ~660 °C (x = 1). Transmission electron microscopy revealed abrupt interfaces. Electrical measurements revealed 0.1 A/cm2 leakage current at 1 MV/cm for x = 0.55.

Increasingly, archaeological research in Amazonia is revealing complex precolonial occupation in areas around riverine confluences. In 2014, the first site-based archaeological investigations were undertaken in Gurupá, Pará, Brazil, a municipality that spans the region of the Xingu-Amazon confluence. The Portuguese controlled access to Amazonia from 1623 onward through a network of settlements organized around Gurupá. Results from extensive excavations of terra preta sites, landscape archaeology, and analysis of ceramic evidence suggest that this was also a precolonial crossroads. Carrazedo, once a booming historical town (Arapijó), sits atop a significantly larger terra preta site. Excavations in historical and precolonial sectors of Carrazedo found well-preserved remains, including a precolonial house terrace complex. The extent of terra preta and earthworks at Carrazedo indicate that the precolonial occupation was more intensive than the colonial-historical period occupation. Regional survey revealed colonial-historical period sites consistently overlying expansive precolonial sites, the density and extent of which suggest a major precolonial center at the Xingu-Amazon confluence. Overall, ecological and landscape modifications appear to have been more intense in the precolonial past than during later periods. Short- and long-distance settlement networks also differed during the two periods. This as-of-yet understudied region promises to shed new light on deep-time human-environment interactions and spatial organization in the humid tropics of Amazonia.

The integration of dissimilar materials is highly desirable for many different types of device applications but often challenging to achieve in practice. The unrivalled imaging capabilities of the aberration-corrected electron microscope enable enhanced insights to be gained into the atomic arrangements across heterostructured interfaces. This paper provides an overview of our recent observations of oxide-semiconductor heterostructures using aberration-corrected high-angle annular-dark-field and large-angle bright-field imaging modes. The perovskite oxides studied include strontium titanate, barium titanate, and strontium hafnate, which were grown on Si(001) and/or Ge(001) substrates using the techniques of molecular-beam epitaxy or atomic-layer deposition. The oxide layers displayed excellent crystallinity and sharp, abrupt interfaces were observed with no sign of any amorphous interfacial layers. The Ge(001) substrate surfaces invariably showed both 1× and 2× periodicity consistent with preservation of the 2 × 1 surface reconstruction following oxide growth. Overall, the results augur well for the future development of functional oxide-based devices integrated on semiconductor substrates.

Human salmonellosis linked to contact with live poultry is an increasing public health concern. In 2012, eight unrelated outbreaks of human salmonellosis linked to live poultry contact resulted in 517 illnesses. In July 2012, PulseNet, a national molecular surveillance network, reported a multistate cluster of a rare strain of Salmonella Braenderup infections which we investigated. We defined a case as infection with the outbreak strain, determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, with illness onset from 25 July 2012–27 February 2013. Ill persons and mail-order hatchery (MOH) owners were interviewed using standardized questionnaires. Traceback and environmental investigations were conducted. We identified 48 cases in 24 states. Twenty-six (81%) of 32 ill persons reported live poultry contact in the week before illness; case-patients named 12 different MOHs from eight states. The investigation identified hatchery D as the ultimate poultry source. Sampling at hatchery D yielded the outbreak strain. Hatchery D improved sanitation procedures and pest control; subsequent sampling failed to yield Salmonella. This outbreak highlights the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment and the importance of industry knowledge and involvement in solving complex outbreaks. Preventing these infections requires a ‘One Health’ approach that leverages expertise in human, animal, and environmental health.

Inertial confinement fusion using light ion beams requires fast rise time, high power drivers. One technique to enhance a conventional pulsed power generator is to use a plasma erosion opening switch (PEOS) between the generator and the ion diode. Ideally, the PEOS conducts current until a current threshold is reached, then rapidly opens and delivers the inductively stored energy to the load on a short time scale. Experiments at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) used a PEOS to improve the Gamble II current rise time from 60 ns to 10 ns at 1 MA. Load voltages over 4 MV have been obtained (>2× the matched load voltage).

Based on these experiments and theoretical predictions, a PEOS system has been incorporated into the PBFA II experiment at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The PEOS on PBFA II is ultimately to provide a 6 to 8-MA, 30-MV pulse with 10-ns rise time into an “applied B” ion diode. This is a large extrapolation of present experiments. The PEOS system on PBFA II is described here and theoretical predictions are given.

Low energy (55 KeV) Osmium ( Os− ) negative ion beam was used to implant (5×1016 atoms/cm2 ) into p-type-Si (100). The implantation was performed with the ion source of a National Electrostatic Corp. 3 MV Tandem accelerator. The implanted sample was subsequently annealed at 650 °C in a gas mixture that was 4% H2 + 96% Ar. Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (RBS) analysis with 1.5 MeV Alpha particles was used to monitor the precipitate formation. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were also performed to study possible applications of silicides in light emission. Cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscopy (X-SEM) was performed for topographic image of the implanted region. RBS along with PL measurements indicate that the presence of osmium silicide (Os2Si3) phase for light emission in the implanted region of the sample.

The deposition and post-treatment processes involved in the production of porous organosilicate glasses (OSGs) by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with ultraviolet light (UV) treatment are investigated through the use of a deuterated organic porogen precursor using infrared spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Infrared analysis provides evidence for hydrogen-deuterium scrambling between the chemical species during the deposition process, which is exacerbated by the UV treatment process. Analysis of 13C cross-polarized magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) NMR suggests that the porogen exists in domains relatively isolated from the network, in agreement with short UV treatment time morphological data that indicates the pore size is relatively constant from the early stages of UV treatment process. The chemical and morphological information provides further support for a deposition controlled morphology and has implications towards enhanced chemical processing of porous organosilicate glass (OSG) films for back-end-of-line integrated circuit manufacturing.

A unique process of fabricating a strained layer GexSi1−x on insulator is demonstrated. Such strained heterostructures are useful in the fabrication of high-mobility transistors. This technique incorporates well-established silicon processing technology e.g., ion implantation and thermal oxidation. A dilute GeSi layer is initially formed by implanting Ge+ into a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Thermal oxidation segregates the Ge at the growing oxide interface to form a distinct GexSi1−x thin-film with a composition that can be tailored by controlling the oxidation parameters (e.g. temperature and oxidation ambient). In addition, the film thickness can be controlled by the implantation fluence, which is important since the film forms pseudomorphically below 2×1016 Ge/cm2. Continued oxidation consumes the underlying Si leaving the strained GeSi film encapsulated by the two oxide layers, i.e. the top thermal oxide and the buried oxide. Removal of the thermal oxide by a dilute HF etch completes the process. Strain relaxation can be achieved by either of two methods. One involves vacancy injection by ion implantation to introduce sufficient open volume within the film to compensate for the compressive strain. The other involves spontaneous relaxation of the film, which may depend, in part, upon the formation of GeO. If Ge is oxidized in the absence of Si, it evaporates as GeO(gas). Conditions under which this occurs will be discussed.

The mean size of dome clusters grown by molecular beam epitaxy of pure Ge onto Si(100) at substrate temperatures, T, of 550°C and 650°C is deposition rate dependent. For samples with nominal Ge coverages near 8 ML (1 ML = 6.78 ×1014 atoms/cm2) and deposition rates between 1.4 and 17.5 ML/min, higher deposition rates decreased the mean dome diameter and increased the dome areal density. Additionally, the critical volume for the pyramid-to-dome transition decreases with increasing deposition rate for islands grown between T = 550°C and 650°C. By this measure, the Ge content of the dome clusters rises with increasing deposition rate. Quantitative, nm-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) measurements taken in a scanning transmission electron microscope confirm these results. For domes grown at T = 650°C with rates of 1.4 ML/min and 17.5 ML/min, EELS indicates 59% and 70% Ge compositions, respectively. These results show that dome cluster composition may be kinetically controlled by varying the Ge deposition rate.

Pulsed-laser ablation was used to deposit YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films on LaAlO3 and metallic substrates in an effort to understand and develop the processing of coated conductors with enhanced properties. Doping of YBCO films with Nd was utilized as an approach for increasing their flux pinning properties. Separate targets of Nd2O3 and YBCO were used instead of a pre-mixed Nd2O3-YBCO target. The critical current density (Jc) of the films was measured by whole body dc transport measurements and the transition temperature (Tc) by ac susceptibility. The composition vs. depth profiles of the films were obtained by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The critical current of a 5000 Å thick Nd-doped YBCO film on a LaAlO3 substrate was measured at 77 K and found to be 57 A (Jc = 1.1×106 A/cm2).

Stimulated emission in InAs/InGaSb/InAs/AlSb type-II quantum-well (QW) lasers was observed up to room temperature at 4.5 μm, optically pumped by a pulsed 2-μm Tm:YAG laser. The absorbed threshold peak pump intensity was only 1.1 kW/cm2 at 300 K, with a characteristic temperature T0 of 61.6 K for temperatures up to 300 K. We will also study the effects of internal loss on the efficiency and output power for type-II QW lasers via optical pumping. Using a 0.98-μm InGaAs linear diode array, the devices exhibited an internal quantum efficiency of 67% at temperatures up to 190 K, and was capable of < 1. 1-W peak output power per facet in 6-μs pulses at 85 K. The internal loss of the devices exhibited an increase from 18 cm−1 near 70 K to ∼ 60–100 cm−1 near 180 K, which was possibly due to inter-valence band free carrier absorption.

Photovoltage images of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells taken using near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) show reduction of photoresponse along grain boundaries. Two factors might be responsible for this contrast. The first is that the topographic changes associated with the grains could cause the NSOM tip to move further from the sample, resulting in a reduction in photoresponse. The second possibility is that the contrast is due to real physical properties of the sample, e.g. higher recombination velocities near grain boundaries. We show convincing evidence that the major contribution to the contrast in the photovoltage images is due to the latter.