Evaluation of Source Geometry Using a Pinhole Camera

A pinhole camera was used to evaluate source geometry of the GCA6700 g-line stepper. To create the camera, a photomask with various pinhole sizes was placed in the stepper, in close proximity to a wafer to generate an image. The images were evaluated to determine the shape and observe the radial intensity of the source. The variation across the source was evaluated because varying intensity across the wafer results and contributes to changes in critical dimension. Dose was varied in order to show how an illumination source might be characterized. As dose increased, the pinhole image became larger. Stacking the images could be used to create a three dimensional image of the source. Additionally, source images were used to verify the numerical aperture of the condenser lens of the illumination system

Conference of Microelectronics Research 2001

https://scholarworks.rit.edu/meec_archive/1010/thumbnail.jp

Outbreak of health care-associated Burkholderia cenocepacia bacteremia and infection attributed to contaminated sterile gel used for central line insertion under ultrasound guidance and other procedures

Background: We report an outbreak of Burkholderia cenocepacia bacteremia and infection in 11 patients predominately in intensive care units caused by contaminated ultrasound gel used in central line insertion and sterile procedures within 4 hospitals across Australia. Methods: Burkholderia cenocepacia was first identified in the blood culture of a patient from the intensive care unit at the Gold Coast University Hospital on March 26, 2017, with 3 subsequent cases identified by April 7, 2017. The outbreak response team commenced investigative measures. Results: The outbreak investigation identified the point source as contaminated gel packaged in sachets for use within the sterile ultrasound probe cover. In total, 11 patient isolates of B cenocepacia with the same multilocus sequence type were identified within 4 hospitals across Australia. This typing was the same as identified in the contaminated gel isolate with single nucleotide polymorphism-based typing, demonstrating that all linked isolates clustered together. Conclusion: Arresting the national point-source outbreak within multiple jurisdictions was critically reliant on a rapid, integrated, and coordinated response and the use of informal professional networks to first identify it. All institutions where the product is used should look back at Burkholderia sp blood culture isolates for speciation to ensure this outbreak is no larger than currently recognized given likely global distribution

A sea-change or a swamp? New spaces for voluntary sector engagement in governance in the UK

In recent years, the emphasis of the New Labour government on partnership and civil renewal has opened up new govemance spaces in the UK. These spaces have provided new opportunities for voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) but also posed new dilemmas. This article draws on research into the role of these organisations in the policy process, exploring how open the new spaces are, who is engaged in them and what scope for influence they offer. It concludes that, while there is room for optimism, operating in these new spaces can be risky and challenging. It welcomes the growing dialogue between North and South and the resource that this offers for negotiating the challenges they pose

Calibrating δ18O in Dromaius novaehollandiae (emu) eggshell calcite as a paleo-aridity proxy for the quaternary of Australia

The large, flightless Australian bird, Dromaius novaehollandiae (emu), breeds at about the same time of year throughout its range, and fragments of its eggshells are commonly preserved in geological and archaeological archives spanning the Late Quaternary. The δ18O of eggshell calcite is set primarily by the δ18O of body water in the days prior to egg calcification. Changes in the δ18O of body water are dominantly determined by the δ18O of ingested water. We provide a calibration dataset of 334 δ18O analyses on late Holocene Dromaius eggshell from 21 sites across a wide range of environmental conditions and climate states. In regions where interannual rainfall variability is high, the average of 20 samples from different years is required to derive a δ18O estimate within ±1‰ of the millennial mean; fewer than 10 different-year samples is sufficient for less variable rainfall regions. Many climate variables in Australia are highly correlated with δ18O in eggshell, but the strongest correlation is with the average site-specific point-potential evapotranspiration (PPET) for February plus March, two summer months prior to egg calcification, which explains 93% of the variance in the mean δ18O of our calibration dataset. Eggshell δ18O can be used as a PPET (paleo-aridity) proxy in older samples providing four assumptions are closely approximated: (1) no difference in season of breeding over time, (2) breeding in most years, (3) little change in δ18O of precipitation over time, and (4) the bird’s source water is exposed to evaporative processes. The reconstructed PPET derived from 150 δ18O measurements in an 80 ka time-series of eggshell from south-central Australia where these assumptions are satisfied is consistent with independent estimates of environmental water balance derived from changes in lake level and dustiness. The tight correlation between eggshell δ18O and PPET indicates that the average δ18O in time-series of Dromaius eggshell is a robust proxy to reconstruct changes in moisture balance through the Late Quaternary of Australia