Nucleation and growth of Pt atomic layer deposition on Al2O3 substrates using (methylcyclopentadienyl)-trimethyl platinum and O2 plasma

The nucleation and growth of Pt atomic layer deposition (ALD) on Al2O3 substrates was studied using (methylcyclopentadienyl)-trimethyl platinum (MeCpPtMe3) and O2 plasma as the reactants. The nucleation of Pt ALD was examined on Al2O3 ALD substrates at 300¿°C using a variety of techniques including spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray reflectivity, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. These techniques revealed that Pt ALD does not nucleate and grow immediately on the Al2O3 ALD substrates. There was negligible Pt ALD during the first 38 ALD cycles. The Pt ALD growth rate then increased substantially during the next 12 ALD cycles. Subsequently, the Pt ALD growth rate reached a steady state linear growth regime for >50 ALD cycles. These measurements suggest that the Pt ALD first forms a number of nanoclusters that grow slowly during the first 38 ALD cycles. These islands then merge during the next 12 cycles and yield a steady state Pt ALD growth rate of ~0.05 nm/cycle for >50 ALD cycles. The Pt ALD film at the onset of the steady state linear growth regime was approximately 2–3 nm in thickness. However, the SEM images of these Pt ALD films appeared corrugated and wormlike. These films also had a density that was only 50–70% of bulk Pt. Film densities that were consistent with bulk Pt were not observed until after >100 ALD cycles when the Pt ALD films appeared much smoother and were 4–5 nm in thickness. The Pt ALD nucleation rate could be enhanced somewhat using different O2 plasma parameters

Virtual Compton Scattering and Neutral Pion Electroproduction in the Resonance Region up to the Deep Inelastic Region at Backward Angles

We have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering (VCS) process via the H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ exclusive reaction in the nucleon resonance region, at backward angles. Results are presented for the $W$-dependence at fixed $Q^2=1$ GeV$^2$, and for the $Q^2$-dependence at fixed $W$ near 1.5 GeV. The VCS data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance regions. The observed $Q^2$-dependence is smooth. The measured ratio of H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ to H$(e,e'p)\pi^0$ cross sections emphasizes the different sensitivity of these two reactions to the various nucleon resonances. Finally, when compared to Real Compton Scattering (RCS) at high energy and large angles, our VCS data at the highest $W$ (1.8-1.9 GeV) show a striking $Q^2$- independence, which may suggest a transition to a perturbative scattering mechanism at the quark level.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.

Dynamics of the 16^{16}O(e,e'p) cross section at high missing energies

We measured the cross section and response functions (R_L, R_T, and R_LT) for the 16O(e,e'p) reaction in quasielastic kinematics for missing energies 25 60 MeV and P_miss > 200 MeV/c, the cross section is relatively constant. Calculations which include contributions from pion exchange currents, isobar currents and short-range correlations account for the shape and the transversity but only for half of the magnitude of the measured cross section

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

14 p.Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Studies of the spin-isospin response of the nuclear continuum using intermediate energy hadrons. Final technical report

The work supported by this grant has had two main thrusts. One involved study of the spin, isospin, and multipole content of the continuum of nuclei, a continuation and completion of work done at LAMPF, Saturne, and TRIUMF. Most of the work has used ({bar p}, {bar p}{prime}) or ({bar d}, {bar d}{prime}) reactions, measuring spin observable to infer properties of the target nuclei. Publications resulting from this work have included seven refereed articles and letters, five abstracts and conference talks, one of which was invited. The second thrust involved preparatory work for experiments at CEBAF. The author was involved in Hall A work and the construction, installation, and initial experiments using the proton focal plane polarimeter. Experiments began in 1997 and no referred publications have yet been completed; ten abstracts and conference talks have been published