Nanomechanical bending responses of SiCN thin coatings on glass

Si-C-N coatings deposited on glass substrates were subject to nanoindentation and scratch tests to study the damage tolerant nature useful for wavelength selective optical coatings. Nanoindentation showed an early substrate effect while the features observed in scratch tests and corresponding finite element modeling (FEM) analysis were explained based on the stress distribution beneath the indentation. The effect of bend torus and bend indent were seen which were explained based on Boussinesq and Blister stress beneath the indentation

Effect of loading rate and coating thickness on wear and adhesion during sliding indents of Si–C–N/glass coatings useful for automotive applications

Automotive components involving glass are coated with hard materials for protection against, UV glaze, EM interference, abrasion, and thermal shock. Thermally resistant nanocomposite hard Si–C–N coatings deposited on glass for that purpose, where subject to scratch testing to check the damage tolerance and wearability. The change in loading rate and coating thickness showed variation in adhesion strength and wear, The Boussinesq, Hans and Blister stress distribution beneath the indenter had on effect of the failure processes. Elastic recovery was prevalent in coatings of higher thickness and higher rate of loading. The increased loading rate although caused early failure but resulted in less wear. A transition between tensile and compressive nature of stress confined strictly to the coating was found using finite element modelling (FEM)

A Robust Electrochemical Sensor Based on Butterfly-shaped Silver Nanostructure for Concurrent Quantification of Heavy Metals in Water Samples

Heavy metals in drinking water have become a severe threat to human health. Detection of heavy metals has been achieved by electrochemical sensors that are modified with complex nanocomposites; however, reproducibility of these sensors is still a big challenge when applied in commercial settings. Here, a simple, very robust, and sensitive electrochemical sensor based on a screen-printed carbon electrode modified with butterfly-shaped silver nanostructure (AgNS/SPCE) has been developed for the concurrent determination of cadmium (II), lead (II), copper (II), and mercury (II) in water samples. The electrochemical behavior of the modified electrodes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The AgNS/SPCE showed distinct peak potentials and a significant increase in the peak currents for all heavy metals, attributed to the high electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity of the synthesized butterfly-shaped AgNS. Moreover, the excellent stability and sensitivity towards simultaneous quantification of heavy metals have been obtained with detection limits of 0.4 ppb, 2.5 ppb, 7.3 ppb, and 0.7 ppb for Cd (II), Pb (II), Cu (II), and Hg (II), respectively. Besides, the constructed sensor was successfully applied to simultaneously quantify target heavy metals in spiked water samples. Owing to excellent sensitivity, high robustness, affordability, and fast response, the presented electrochemical sensor could be incorporated into a portable and miniaturized potentiostat device, making it a promising method for on-site water analysis

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium report, data summary of 50 countries for 2010-2015: Device-associated module

•We report INICC device-associated module data of 50 countries from 2010-2015.•We collected prospective data from 861,284 patients in 703 ICUs for 3,506,562 days.•DA-HAI rates and bacterial resistance were higher in the INICC ICUs than in CDC-NHSN's.•Device utilization ratio in the INICC ICUs was similar to CDC-NHSN's. Background: We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2010-December 2015 in 703 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific. Methods: During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 861,284 patients hospitalized in INICC hospital ICUs for an aggregate of 3,506,562 days. Results: Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the INICC medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection, 4.1 per 1,000 central line-days, was nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.8 per 1,000 central line-days reported from comparable US ICUs, the overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher, 13.1 versus 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days, as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, 5.07 versus 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days. From blood cultures samples, frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (29.87% vs 10%) and to imipenem (44.3% vs 26.1%), and of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (73.2% vs 28.8%) and to imipenem (43.27% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC ICUs compared with CDC-NHSN ICUs. Conclusions: Although DA-HAIs in INICC ICU patients continue to be higher than the rates reported in CDC-NSHN ICUs representing the developed world, we have observed a significant trend toward the reduction of DA-HAI rates in INICC ICUs as shown in each international report. It is INICC's main goal to continue facilitating education, training, and basic and cost-effective tools and resources, such as standardized forms and an online platform, to tackle this problem effectively and systematically

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortiu (INICC) report, data summary of 43 countries for 2007-2012. Device-associated module

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2007-December 2012 in 503 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care–associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 605,310 patients hospitalized in the INICC's ICUs for an aggregate of 3,338,396 days. Although device utilization in the INICC's ICUs was similar to that reported from ICUs in the U.S. in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line–associated bloodstream infection in the INICC's ICUs, 4.9 per 1,000 central line days, is nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.9 per 1,000 central line days reported from comparable U.S. ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher (16.8 vs 1.1 per 1,000 ventilator days) as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.5 vs 1.3 per 1,000 catheter days). Frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (42.8% vs 10%) and imipenem (42.4% vs 26.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (71.2% vs 28.8%) and imipenem (19.6% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC's ICUs compared with the ICUs of the CDC's NHSN