Ellipsometer nulling: convergence and speed

The process of nulling in ellipsometry is studied by a graphical presentation using the trajectories of two significant polarization states in the complex plane, XPC and XSA. These states are determined by (1) the polarizer and compensator (XPC) and (2) the specimen and the analyzer (XSA) in the polarizer-compensator-specimen-analyzer ellipsometer arrangement. As the azimuth angles of the ellipsometer elements are varied, XPC and XSA move closer to one another in a stepwise fashion until they coincide when a null is reached. Thus, at null, the polarization states are matched, and XPC = XSA. For an isotropic reflector, the trajectory of XSA is a straight line, which simplifies the development of a criterion for achieving the most rapid nulling for two nulling procedures

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Ellipsometer nulling: convergence and speed

The process of nulling in ellipsometry is studied by a graphical presentation using the trajectories of two significant polarization states in the complex plane, XPC and XSA. These states are determined by (1) the polarizer and compensator (XPC) and (2) the specimen and the analyzer (XSA) in the polarizer-compensator-specimen-analyzer ellipsometer arrangement. As the azimuth angles of the ellipsometer elements are varied, XPC and XSA move closer to one another in a stepwise fashion until they coincide when a null is reached. Thus, at null, the polarization states are matched, and XPC = XSA. For an isotropic reflector, the trajectory of XSA is a straight line, which simplifies the development of a criterion for achieving the most rapid nulling for two nulling procedures

Pasteurella haemolytica antigens associated with resistance to pneumonic pasteurellosis

Antigens associated with whole Pasteurella haemolytica biotype A serotype 1, a capsular arbohydrateprotein extract of the organism, and P. haemolytica leukotoxin were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Antigens of the electrophoresed preparations were detected by Western blotting (immunoblotting) with sera from cattle which were either nonvaccinated or vaccinated with live or killed P. haemolytica vaccines and had variable degrees of resistance to experimental pneumonic pasteurellosis. Distinct, easily recognizable antigens of these preparations were identified, and the antibody responses to these antigens were quantified by densitometry. To determine their importance to disease resistance, we then compared antibody responses with experimental lesion scores. Antibody reactivity to surface antigens which were significantly correlated with resistance and present in two or more of the preparations were detected at 86, 66, 51, 49, 34, 31, and 16 kilodaltons (kDa). Of these, antibody responses to antigens at 86, 49, and 31 kDa appeared most important based on their concentration and significance levels. Antibody reactivity to leukotoxin antigens which were significantly correlated with resistance and common with important surface antigens were detected at 86, 66, and 49 kDa. Antibody responses to unique leukotoxin antigens which were significantly correlated with resistance were present at 92 and 58 kDa.Peer reviewedVeterinary Patholog

Implementation of a mentored professional development programme in laboratory leadership and management in the Middle East and North Africa.

Laboratories need leaders who can effectively utilize the laboratories' resources, maximize the laboratories'capacity to detect disease, and advocate for laboratories in a fluctuating health care environment. To address this need, the University of Washington, USA, created the Certificate Program in Laboratory Leadership and Management in partnership with WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, and implemented it with 17 participants and 11 mentors from clinical and public health laboratories in 10 countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen) in 2014. Designed to teach leadership and management skills to laboratory supervisors, the programme enabled participants to improve laboratory testing quality and operations. The programme was successful overall, with 80% of participants completing it and making impactful changes in their laboratories. This success is encouraging and could serve as a model to further strengthen laboratory capacity in the Region

Effects of dietary energy and starch concentrations for newly received feedlot calves: I. Growth performance and health

Crossbred calves (n = 572; initial BW = 186 +/= 27 kg) purchased from northern Texas, Arkansas, and southeast Oklahoma auction markets were delivered to the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center, Stillwater, OK, and used to study the effects of dietary energy and starch concentrations on performance and health of newly received feedlot calves during a 42-d receiving period. On arrival, calves were assigned randomly to one of two dietary energy levels (0.85 or 1.07 Mcal NEg/kg DM) and one of two dietary starch levels (34 or 48% of ME from starch) in a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Cattle were weighed and serum samples were collected on d 0, 7, 14, 28, and 42. Individual animal records of morbidity were kept for all cases of respiratory and other disease. Nasal swabs were collected from each morbid animal and cultured for upper-respiratory pathogens. There were no energy x starch level interactions for performance or health response variables. Daily gain (1.14 kg/d) and gain efficiency (ADG:DMI = 0.179) were not affected by increasing dietary energy or starch concentrations. Calves fed low-energy diets consumed (P < 0.05) more DM. No difference (P = 0.54) was detected in morbidity for calves fed high-energy (62.4% calves treated) compared with low-energy (65.8% calves treated) diets; however, calves fed the high-starch diets had numerically (P = 0.11) greater morbidity than calves fed low-starch diets (68.8 vs. 59.4% calves treated, respectively). There were no energy or starch effects on Mannheimia haemolytica or Pasteurella multocida antibody titers; however, day effects (P < 0.02) occurred. On d 7, 14, and 28, calves had antibody titers for P. multocida that were greater (P < 0.05) than titers on d 0. In addition, calves had greater antibody titers to M. haemolytica on d 7 and 14 than on d 0. Nasal swabs revealed that calves fed the high-energy diets tended (P = 0.06) to have a lower percentage of morbid calves with P. multocida during the first antimicrobial treatment and a lower percentage of Haemophilus somnus isolates during the first (P = 0.01) and second (P = 0.06) antimicrobial treatments than calves fed the low-energy diets. Although animal performance was not influenced, the present data suggest that feeding the high-energy diet decreased the percentage of P. multocida and H. somnus pathogens in calves that received one or more antimicrobial treatments.Peer reviewedAnimal ScienceVeterinary PathobiologyVeterinary Medicine Outreac