Regrowth-related defect formation and evolution in 1 MeV amorphized (001) Ge

Geimplanted with 1MeV Si⁺ at a dose of 1×10¹⁵cm⁻² creates a buried amorphous layer that, upon regrowth, exhibits several forms of defects–end-of-range (EOR), regrowth-related, and clamshell defects. Unlike Si, no planar {311} defects are observed. The minimal EOR defects are small dotlike defects and are very unstable, dissolving between 450 and 550°C. This is in contrast to Si, where the EOR defects are very stable. The amorphous layer results in both regrowth-related defects and clamshell defects, which were more stable than the EOR damage.This work is supported by Semiconductor Research Corporation Contract No. 00057787

Practice pointer: Using the new UK-WHO growth charts

The new UK growth charts for children aged 0-4 years (designed using data from the new WHO standards) describe the optimal pattern of growth for all children, rather than the prevailing pattern in the UK (as with previous charts). The new charts are suitable for all ethnic groups and set breast feeding as the norm. UK children match the new charts well for length and height, but after age 6 months fewer children will be below the 2nd centile for weight or show weight faltering, and more will be above the 98th centile. The new charts look different: they have a separate preterm section, no lines between 0 and 2 weeks, and the 50th percentile is no longer emphasised. The charts give clear instructions on gestational correction, and there is a new chart for infants born before 32 weeks’ gestation. The instructions advise on when and how to measure and when a measurement or growth pattern is outside the normal range. The charts include a “look-up” tool for determining the body mass index centile from height and weight centiles without calculation and aid for predicting adult height. The charts and supporting educational materials can be downloaded from www.growthcharts.rcpch.ac.u

Assessing Online-form Complexity for the Development of Assistive Technologies for Older Adults

Although cognitive declines occur as a natural product of the ageing process, the majority of online-forms do not cater specifically for the needs of older adult users. As a consequence, online-forms pose significant usability challenges to this target user group. The Delivering Inclusive Access to Disabled and Elderly Members of the community (DIADEM) project aims to develop a plug-in to a web browser that adapts existing online-form content so that it is more accessible and usable for older adults with cognitive decline. In order to identify requirements for developing the DIADEM application, it is necessary to observe users interacting with online-forms, and identify the usability challenges that occur as a result of this. However, the format and functionality of online-form content presented on the web varies greatly. Identifying a representative sample of online-forms that may be presented to users within a trials setting to elicit key usability challenges, has proved to be a non-trivial task. Consequently, we have developed a set of Bespoke Online-form Selection (BOFS) criteria which are used to help identify appropriate and representative candidate online-forms that may be used within the user trials setting to formulate initial requirements for developing the DIADEM application. In the context of the DIADEM project, BOFS has proved to be a valuable tool which has been used to successfully identify online-forms for use in our user trials. This paper presents the BOFS criteria, and shows how these are aligned with cognitive declines that are typically presented by the older adult user group, and demonstrates how BOFS has been of value within the context of the DIADEM project.</p

Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy method and studies of implant damage in single crystal diamond

Few transmission electron microscopy(TEM) studies of single crystaldiamond have been reported, most likely due to the time and difficulty involved in sample preparation. A method is described for creating a TEM cross section of single crystaldiamond using a focused ion beam and in situ lift-out. The method results in samples approximately 10μm long by 3μm deep with an average thickness of 100–300nm. The total time to prepare a cross-sectional TEM sample of diamond is less than 5h. The method also allows for additional thinning to facilitate high resolution TEM imaging, and can be applied to oddly shaped diamond samples. This sample preparation technique has been applied to the study of ion implantation damage in single crystaldiamond and its evolution upon annealing. High-pressure–high-temperature diamonds were implanted with Si+ at an energy of 1MeV and a temperature of 30°C. One sample, with a (110) surface, was implanted with a dose of 1×10¹⁴Sicm−2 and annealed at 950°C for 10 and 40min. No significant defect formation or evolution was discernible by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Another sample, with a (100) orientation, was implanted with 1MeV at 1×10¹⁵Sicm⁻² and annealed at 1050°C for 10min. Prior to annealing, a heavily damaged but still crystalline region was observed. Upon annealing, the sample showed no signs of conversion either to an amorphous form of carbon or to graphite. This is unexpected as the energy and dose are above the previously reported graphitization threshold for diamond. Higher annealing temperatures and possibly a high vacuum will be required for future study of defect formation, evolution, and phase transformations in ion-implanted single crystaldiamond

Imaging of the relative saturation current density and sheet resistance of laser doped regions via photoluminescence

We present an approach to characterize the relative saturation current density (J oe) and sheet resistance (RSH) of laser doped regions on silicon wafers based on rapid photoluminescence (PL) imaging. In the absence of surface passivation layers, the RSH of laser doped regions using a wide range of laser parameters is found to be inversely proportional to the PL intensity (I PL ). We explain the underlying mechanism for this correlation, which reveals that, in principle, I PL is inversely proportional to J oe at any injection level. The validity of this relationship under a wide range of typical experimental conditions is confirmed by numerical simulations. This method allows the optimal laser parameters for achieving low RSH and J oe to be determined from a simple PL image.The authors acknowledge financial support from the Australian Solar Institute (ASI)/Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) under the ANU PV Core project, Postdoctoral Fellowship and Australia-Germany Collaborative Solar Research and Development projects. The authors also acknowledge support from the Australian Government’s NCRIS/EIF funding programs for access to Heavy Ion Accelerator Facilities at the Australian National University

Policy-making and implementation for newborn bloodspot screening in Europe: a comparison between EURORDIS principles and UK practice.

Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) policy is a contentious area in Europe. Variation in the screening panels on offer, in the approach to evidence assessment and in the use of health economic modelling are some of the issues which are debated on the topic. In this paper we focus on a set of patient-driven principles for newborn screening published by EURORDIS and use these as a reference point for exploration and comparison with NBS policy development and screening practice in the UK. In doing so, we share UK practice; we note the UK is generally well aligned with many of the recommended principles, but we also discuss areas of controversy and challenges. Some of these, like 'actionability', will undoubtedly continue to be debated and may never reach consensus. For others, such as patient and public voice participation in newborn screening systems, there are opportunities to continue improving existing processes and developing new mechanisms for stakeholder participation. Screening bodies in other European countries should also compare their policy-making and implementation practices with the EURORDIS principles to stimulate further discussion on the challenges and opportunities of newborn screening and provide a cross-European baseline

Dynamic resolution of functionally related gene sets in response to acute heat stress

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Using a gene clustering strategy we determined intracellular pathway relationships within skeletal myotubes in response to an acute heat stress stimuli. Following heat shock, the transcriptome was analyzed by microarray in a temporal fashion to characterize the dynamic relationship of signaling pathways.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bioinformatics analyses exposed coordination of functionally-related gene sets, depicting mechanism-based responses to heat shock. Protein turnover-related pathways were significantly affected including protein folding, pre-mRNA processing, mRNA splicing, proteolysis and proteasome-related pathways. Many responses were transient, tending to normalize within 24 hours.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In summary, we show that the transcriptional response to acute cell stress is largely transient and proteosome-centric.</p

Measles mimicking HIV seroconversion syndrome: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Measles is on the rise in the United Kingdom and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient presenting with fever and rash. As a highly infectious disease, identified patients must be isolated in the hospital setting.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 28-year-old Polish woman presented ill to the accident and emergency department of a district general hospital. She had painful genital ulceration, oral soreness, fever, and a facial rash. She became hypoxic within 24 hours of presentation and began to tire, thus requiring noninvasive ventilation. Her respiratory symptoms were out of proportion to the findings of her chest radiograph, which remained virtually normal. Human immunodeficiency virus seroconversion syndrome complicated by <it>Pneumocystis carinii </it>pneumonia was high among the differential diagnoses. She was given cotrimoxazole, high-dose steroids, broad spectrum antibiotics, and anti fungal cover.</p> <p>Human immunodeficiency virus polymerase chain reaction came back as negative and her symptoms resolved within 10 days of presentation. She was taken off all treatment and discharged home feeling well. Serological measles was confirmed as part of a viral screen, but its clinical suspicion was low.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The presentation of measles in this patient was unique and atypical. With its incidence rising in the United Kingdom, measles must be increasingly considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with fever and rash.</p

Observational study to estimate the changes in the effectiveness of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination with time since vaccination for preventing tuberculosis in the UK.

Until recently, evidence that protection from the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination lasted beyond 10 years was limited. In the past few years, studies in Brazil and the USA (in Native Americans) have suggested that protection from BCG vaccination against tuberculosis (TB) in childhood can last for several decades. The UK's universal school-age BCG vaccination programme was stopped in 2005 and the programme of selective vaccination of high-risk (usually ethnic minority) infants was enhanced. To assess the duration of protection of infant and school-age BCG vaccination against TB in the UK. Two case-control studies of the duration of protection of BCG vaccination were conducted, the first on minority ethnic groups who were eligible for infant BCG vaccination 0-19 years earlier and the second on white subjects eligible for school-age BCG vaccination 10-29 years earlier. TB cases were selected from notifications to the UK national Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance system from 2003 to 2012. Population-based control subjects, frequency matched for age, were recruited. BCG vaccination status was established from BCG records, scar reading and BCG history. Information on potential confounders was collected using computer-assisted interviews. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated as a function of time since vaccination, using a case-cohort analysis based on Cox regression. In the infant BCG study, vaccination status was determined using vaccination records as recall was poor and concordance between records and scar reading was limited. A protective effect was seen up to 10 years following infant vaccination [&lt; 5 years since vaccination: vaccine effectiveness (VE) 66%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 17% to 86%; 5-10 years since vaccination: VE 75%, 95% CI 43% to 89%], but there was weak evidence of an effect 10-15 years after vaccination (VE 36%, 95% CI negative to 77%; p = 0.396). The analyses of the protective effect of infant BCG vaccination were adjusted for confounders, including birth cohort and ethnicity. For school-aged BCG vaccination, VE was 51% (95% CI 21% to 69%) 10-15 years after vaccination and 57% (95% CI 33% to 72%) 15-20 years after vaccination, beyond which time protection appeared to wane. Ascertainment of vaccination status was based on self-reported history and scar reading. The difficulty in examining vaccination sites in older women in the high-risk minority ethnic study population and the sparsity of vaccine record data in the later time periods precluded robust assessment of protection from infant BCG vaccination &gt; 10 years after vaccination. Infant BCG vaccination in a population at high risk for TB was shown to provide protection for at least 10 years, whereas in the white population school-age vaccination was shown to provide protection for at least 20 years. This evidence may inform TB vaccination programmes (e.g. the timing of administration of improved TB vaccines, if they become available) and cost-effectiveness studies. Methods to deal with missing record data in the infant study could be explored, including the use of scar reading. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme. During the conduct of the study, Jonathan Sterne, Ibrahim Abubakar and Laura C Rodrigues received other funding from NIHR; Ibrahim Abubakar and Laura C Rodrigues have also received funding from the Medical Research Council. Punam Mangtani received funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council