Atomic hydrogen cleaning of GaSb(001) surfaces

We show that the (001) surface of GaSb can be cleaned efficiently by exposure to atomic hydrogen at substrate temperatures in the range 400–470 °C. This treatment removes carbon and oxygen contamination, leaving a clean, ordered surface with a symmetric (1 × 3) reconstruction after a total H2 dose of approximately 150 kL. An ordered but partially oxidized surface is generated during cleaning, and the removal of this residual oxide is the most difficult part of the process. Auger electron spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction were used to monitor the chemical cleanliness and the ordering of the surface during the cleaning process, whereas high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy was used to probe the electronic structure in the near-surface region. The results obtained indicates that this cleaning procedure leaves no residual electronic damage in the near-surface region of the Te-doped (n ~ 5 × 1017 cm – 3) samples of GaSb(001) studied

Forecast accuracy and monetary policy

An examination of GNP forecasts and their implications for monetary policy, showing that although such forecasts have lessened uncertainty about the economy's future course, the errors are still too large to justify basing monetary policy on the near-term GNP outlook alone.Monetary policy ; Forecasting

Comparing inflation expectations of households and economists: is a little knowledge a dangerous thing?

A comparison of the performance of forecasts by economists (the Livingston survey), households (the Michigan Survey of Consumer Finances), and a time series model (ARIMA).Rational expectations (Economic theory) ; Inflation (Finance) ; Forecasting

Attitudes and reported practice of paediatricians and child psychiatrists regarding the assessment and treatment of ADHD in Ireland

Objectives. This mixed-method national survey has obtained original data on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) attitudes, assessment and treatment regimes reported by paediatricians and child psychiatrists; and has compared their clinics. It has examined the extent of involvement of Irish paediatricians in the management of ADHD. Methods. A questionnaire was designed, based on a review of literature and ADHD guidelines, and piloted by expert clinicians. Universal recruitment was conducted among Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) consultants (n = 71) and community/general paediatric consultants (n = 72). Quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analysed. Results. There was an overall response rate of 43%. A dedicated ADHD clinic is offered in 79% of CAMHS services, but only in one paediatric service. Participants reported that the assessment of ADHD involves multidisciplinary work and this was only established in CAMHS clinics. Medication is initiated by 82% of child psychiatrists and only 22% of paediatricians. Conclusions. This first national study of ADHD attitudes and practices presents comprehensive data regarding the management of children with ADHD in CAMHS and paediatric settings in Ireland. Paediatricians reported a minor role in managing ADHD. Study limitations are related to subjective reporting rather than case note audit, and a moderate response rate for the paediatricians’ participants

Accumulation layer profiles at InAs polar surfaces

High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, dielectric theory simulations, and charge profile calculations have been used to study the accumulation layer and surface plasmon excitations at the In-terminated (001)-(4 × 1) and (111)A-(2 × 2) surfaces of InAs. For the (001) surface, the surface state density is 4.0 ± 2.0 × 1011 cm – 2, while for the (111)A surface it is 7.5 ± 2.0 × 1011 cm – 2, these values being independent of the surface preparation procedure, bulk doping level, and substrate temperature. Changes of the bulk Fermi level with temperature and bulk doping level do, however, alter the position of the surface Fermi level. Ion bombardment and annealing of the surface affect the accumulation layer only through changes in the effective bulk doping level and the bulk momentum scattering rate, with no discernible changes in the surface charge density

Unconscionability Found: A Look at Pre-Dispute Mandatory Arbitration Agreements 10 Years after Doctor\u27s Associates, Inc. v. Casarotto

This Article first explores the Supreme Court\u27s initially reluctant application of the FAA\u27s contract approach to enforceability of arbitration agreements which lasted well into the early 1980s. It then examines federal preemption of state law and the evolution of the arbitration contract as we know it today. Finally, it looks at the application of defenses that exist “at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract” as applied over the past ten years following the Court\u27s decision in Doctor\u27s Associates, Inc. v. Casarotto. This author examines a decade of decisional law and finds a new doctrine of arbitration jurisprudence developing under the FAA that is sensitive to the unique concerns raised by adhesion arbitration agreements. Whether the courts are inappropriately stretching the unconscionability defense is matter of speculation

In vitro and in vivo effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function in acute lung injury

Background: Intravenous salbutamol (albuterol) reduces lung water in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Experimental data show that it also reduces pulmonary neutrophil accumulation or activation and inflammation in ARDS. Aim: To investigate the effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function. Methods: The in vitro effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function were determined. Blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were collected from 35 patients with acute lung injury (ALI)/ARDS, 14 patients at risk from ARDS and 7 ventilated controls at baseline and after 4 days’ treatment with placebo or salbutamol (ALI/ARDS group). Alveolar–capillary permeability was measured in vivo by thermodilution (PiCCO). Neutrophil activation, adhesion molecule expression and inflammatory cytokines were measured. Results: In vitro, physiological concentrations of salbutamol had no effect on neutrophil chemotaxis, viability or apoptosis. Patients with ALI/ARDS showed increased neutrophil activation and adhesion molecule expression compared with at risk-patients and ventilated controls. There were associations between alveolar– capillary permeability and BAL myeloperoxidase (r = 0.4, p = 0.038) and BAL interleukin 8 (r = 0.38, p = 0.033). In patients with ALI/ARDS, salbutamol increased numbers of circulating neutrophils but had no effect on alveolar neutrophils. Conclusion: At the onset of ALI/ARDS, there is increased neutrophil recruitment and activation. Physiological concentrations of salbutamol did not alter neutrophil chemotaxis, viability or apoptosis in vitro. In vivo, salbutamol increased circulating neutrophils, but had no effect on alveolar neutrophils or on neutrophil activation. These data suggest that the beneficial effects of salbutamol in reducing lung water are unrelated to modulation of neutrophil-dependent inflammatory pathways

Bayesian inferencing for wind resource characterisation

The growing role of wind power in power systems has motivated R&D on methodologies to characterise the wind resource at sites for which no wind speed data is available. Applications such as feasibility assessment of prospective installations and system integration analysis of future scenarios, amongst others, can greatly benefit from such methodologies. This paper focuses on the inference of wind speeds for such potential sites using a Bayesian approach to characterise the spatial distribution of the resource. To test the approach, one year of wind speed data from four weather stations was modelled and used to derive inferences for a fifth site. The methodology used is described together with the model employed and simulation results are presented and compared to the data available for the fifth site. The results obtained indicate that Bayesian inference can be a useful tool in spatial characterisation of wind