Surface Roughness and Grain Size Characterization of Annealing Temperature Effect For Growth Gallium and Tantalum Doped Ba0.5 Sr0.5TiO3Thin Film

Thin films 10 % gallium oxide doped barium strontium titanate (BGST) and 10 % tantalum oxide doped barium strontium titanate (BTST) were prepared on p-type Si (100) substrates using chemical solution deposition (CSD) method with 1.00 M precursor. The films were deposited by spin coating method with spinning speed at 3000 rpm for 30 seconds. The post deposition annealing of the films were carried out in a furnace at 200oC, 240oC, 280oC (low temperature) for 1 hour in oxygen gas atmosphere. The surface roughness and grain size analysis of the grown thin films are described by atomic force microscope (AFM) method at 5000 nm x 5000 nm area. The rms surface roughness BGST thin films at 5000 nm x 5000 nm area are 0.632 nm, 0.564 nm, 0.487 nm for temperature 200oC, 240oC, 280oC, respectively, whereas the grain size (mean diameter) are 238.4 nm, 219.0 nm, 185.1 nm for temperature 200oC, 240oC, 280oC, respectively. In fact, to increase annealing temperature from 200oC to 280oC would result in decreasing the rms roughness and grain size. Therefore, rms roughness and grain size would have the strong correlation annealing temperature. Received: 9 November 2008; Revised: 24 August 2009; Accepted: 25 August 200

Short, Multineedle Frequency Domain Reflectometry Sensor Suitable for Measuring Soil Water Content

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is a well-established electromagnetic technique used to measure soil water content. Time domain reflectometry sensors have been combined with heat pulse sensors to produce thermo-TDR sensors. Thermo-TDR sensors are restricted to having relatively short needles to accurately measure soil thermal properties. Short needle lengths, however, can limit the accuracy of the TDR measurement of soil water content. Frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) sensors are an alternative to TDR sensors that can provide an inexpensive measurement of soil water content. The objective of this study was to determine whether short FDR sensors can accurately measure soil water content. We designed and constructed a short FDR sensor. For four soil types across a range of water contents, temperatures, and salt contents, we measured soil dielectric spectra with the short FDR sensor. A vector network analyzer was used to obtain soil dielectric spectra in the 1-MHz to 3-GHz frequency range. The ideal frequency of a short FDR sensor is the frequency at which the permittivity is not altered by changing temperature or salt content. The 47- to 200-MHz range was an ideal frequency range for measuring soil water content, and 70 MHz was the frequency least influenced by temperature and salt content. The short FDR sensor provided quick, continuous, stable, and cheap measurements of soil water content. Because of the promising performance of the short thermo-FDR sensor in laboratory studies, sensors should be evaluated in future field studies

Retracted: Influence of student’s personality on acquired knowledge during internship: rhetoric or reality

This article was withdrawn and retracted by the Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences and has been removed from AJOL at the request of the journal Editor in Chief and the organisers of the conference at which the articles were presented (www.iccmit.net). Please address any queries to [email protected]

Aquachlorido{2-[2-(cyclohexylcarbamothioyl-kappa S)hydrazinylidene-kappa N-1]propanoato(2-)}phenyltin(IV)

In the title organotin compound, [Sn(C6H5)(C10H15N3O2S) Cl(H2O)], the Sn atom is coordinated by the S, O, and imine N atoms of the dinegative tridentate ligand, a chloride ligand, the ipso-C atom of a phenyl ligand and by a water molecule in a distorted octahedral coordination environment. Coordinated water molecules link the organotin molecules by forming O-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds with both carbonyl and carboxylate O atoms, leading to 12-membered {center dot center dot center dot OCO center dot center dot center dot HOH center dot center dot center dot}(2) synthons. This results in the formation of supramolecular chains along the c axis. The chains pack in the ac plane and stack along the b axis with links between layers afforded by N-H center dot center dot center dot Cl hydrogen bonds

Synthesis, spectral characterization and crystal structure of a noveltrinuclear di-n-butyltin(IV) complex with pyruvic acid-N(4)-cyclohexylthiosemicarbazone (H2PACT)

A new trinuclear di-n-butyltin(IV) complex with pyruvic acid-N(4)-cyclohexylthiosemicarbazone (H2PACT) ligand was synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductivity, UV–Vis, FT-IR, 1H, 119Sn NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray study. Single crystal X-ray diffraction data revealed that this complex was trinuclear cyclic fashion with the pyruvic acid-N(4)-cyclohexylthiosemicarbazone ligand. In the trinuclear di-n-butyltin(IV) complex, the ligand (H2PACT) is coordinated to the central tin(IV) atoms via the carboxylato-O, the azomethine-N and the thiolato-S atoms. The trinuclear tin system is formed by the bridges through the carbonyl oxygen atom of the carboxylate moieties and making the tin atom of seven coordinated in distorted pentagonal bipyramidal geometry. Single crystal X-ray data indicates that the complex (1) crystallized in cubic system with space group I-43d, a = b = c = 30.3273(17) Å, α = β = γ = 90°, Z = 16, μ(MoKα) = 1.209 mm−1, F(000) = 12,144, and final R1 = 0.0390, wR2 = 0.0843 for observed reflections 4582(I > 2σ(I))

Sintering temperature dependence on evolving microstructure and magnetic characteristics of cobalt ferrites

This paper focuses on the effect of sintering temperature on the structural, microstructural and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite (CF). CF with sintering temperatures of 600 ℃ to 1400 ℃, was synthesized using the oxide mixture route technique. The structural and microstructural development of the samples were investigated using X-Ray Diffractometer, Transmission Electron Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope, while the magnetic dynamic properties of the samples were analyzed using Impedance/ Material Analyzer over 1 MHz to 1 GHz. The results show that the complex permeability which include the real permeability and loss factor of the samples at 10 MHz have shown an increase in their values through increasing the sintering temperature. As sintering temperature acted as a temporary agent for structural and microstructural development, the improvement of crystallization and microstructure by heat treatment, contributed to a single CF phase formation and grain growth, resulting in the removal of porosity and microstrain in the samples. This in turn enhanced the superexchange interactions between magnetic moments via elimination of domain wall pinning point, thus contributes to the improvement of magnetic characteristics of the samples

The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery: defining a model for antimicrobial stewardship-results from an international cross-sectional survey

Contains fulltext : 177987.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) have been promoted to optimize antimicrobial usage and patient outcomes, and to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. However, the best strategies for an ASP are not definitively established and are likely to vary based on local culture, policy, and routine clinical practice, and probably limited resources in middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate structures and resources of antimicrobial stewardship teams (ASTs) in surgical departments from different regions of the world. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in 2016 on 173 physicians who participated in the AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections) project and on 658 international experts in the fields of ASPs, infection control, and infections in surgery. RESULTS: The response rate was 19.4%. One hundred fifty-six (98.7%) participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary AST. The median number of physicians working inside the team was five [interquartile range 4-6]. An infectious disease specialist, a microbiologist and an infection control specialist were, respectively, present in 80.1, 76.3, and 67.9% of the ASTs. A surgeon was a component in 59.0% of cases and was significantly more likely to be present in university hospitals (89.5%, p < 0.05) compared to community teaching (83.3%) and community hospitals (66.7%). Protocols for pre-operative prophylaxis and for antimicrobial treatment of surgical infections were respectively implemented in 96.2 and 82.3% of the hospitals. The majority of the surgical departments implemented both persuasive and restrictive interventions (72.8%). The most common types of interventions in surgical departments were dissemination of educational materials (62.5%), expert approval (61.0%), audit and feedback (55.1%), educational outreach (53.7%), and compulsory order forms (51.5%). CONCLUSION: The survey showed a heterogeneous organization of ASPs worldwide, demonstrating the necessity of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in the battle against antimicrobial resistance in surgical infections, and the importance of educational efforts towards this goal