Anisotropic Vapor HF etching of silicon dioxide for Si microstructure release

Damages are created in a sacrificial layer of silicon dioxide by ion implantation to enhance the etch rate of silicon-dioxide in liquid and vapor phase hydrofluoric acid. The etch rate ratio between implanted and unimplanted silicon dioxide is more than 150 in vapor hydrofluoric acid (VHF). This feature is of interest to greatly reduce the underetch of microelectromechanical systems anchors. Based on the experimentally extracted etch rate of unimplanted and implanted silicon dioxide, the patterning of the sacrificial layer can be predicted by simulation

Physicians' attitudes towards eprescribing: a comparative web survey in Austria and Sweden

Background The eHealth Action Plan required the member states of the European Union (EU) to provide online services such as eprescribing of pharmaceuticals by the end of 2008. So far, implementation activities and efforts of the member states have been uneven. While in Austria pilot projects and feasibility studies have been conducted, Sweden has always been one of the leading countries in the field of eprescribing. Objective To identify potential success factors for the implementation of eprescribing in Sweden, by comparing the attitudes of Austrian and Swedish physicians. Method In a web survey, we asked 1824 Austrian and 427 Swedish physicians within primary care and other disciplines to declare to what extent they agreed with ten statements regarding their attitudes towards eprescribing. We deployed the chi-square test for testing the relationship between the country of residence of physicians and their attitudes towards eprescribing. Results We demonstrated a relationship between the country of residence of physicians and their attitudes towards eprescribing (P<0.001) for all the responses. Of the Swedish physicians, 92% regarded eprescribing as time-saving, 88.1% as being safer and 96.0%as providing a better service for patients. Although less strongly supportive, the attitudes of the Austrian physicians were mainly positive. Conclusion We found that the major potential success factors for the implementation of eprescribing in Sweden were saving of time for the physician, improved safety and better service for patients. The mainly positive attitudes of the Austrian physicians may enable implementation of eprescribing in due course

Vital sign documentation in electronic records: The development of workarounds.

Workarounds are commonplace in healthcare settings. An increase in the use of electronic health records has led to an escalation of workarounds as healthcare professionals cope with systems which are inadequate for their needs. Closely related to this, the documentation of vital signs in electronic health records has been problematic. The accuracy and completeness of vital sign documentation has a direct impact on the recognition of deterioration in a patient's condition. We examined workflow processes to identify workarounds related to vital signs in a 372-bed hospital in Sweden. In three clinical areas, a qualitative study was performed with data collected during observations and interviews and analysed through thematic content analysis. We identified paper workarounds in the form of handwritten notes and a total of eight pre-printed paper observation charts. Our results suggested that nurses created workarounds to allow a smooth workflow and ensure patients safety

Host-plant acceptance on mineral soil and humus by the pine weevil Hylobius abietis (L.)

1 The pine weevil Hylobius abietis (L.) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) is an economically important pest of conifer forest regeneration in Europe and Asia. 2 Soil scarification, which usually exposes mineral soil, is widely used to protect seedlings from weevil attack. However, the mechanism behind this protective effect is not yet fully understood. 3 Field experiments were conducted to determine the pine weevil's responses to visual and odour stimuli from seedlings when moving on mineral soil and on undisturbed humus surface. 4 One experiment measured the number of pine weevils approaching seedlings, with and without added host odour, on mineral soil and undisturbed humus. Seedlings with added host odour attracted more weevils on both soil types. Unexpectedly, somewhat more weevils approached seedlings surrounded by mineral soil. 5 In a similar experiment, feeding attacks on seedlings planted directly in the soil were recorded. Only half as many seedlings were attacked on mineral soil as on undisturbed humus. 6 In the first experiment, the weevils were trapped 2.5 cm from the bases of the seedlings' stems, whereas they could reach the seedlings in the experiment where seedlings were planted directly in the soil. We conclude that the pine weevils' decision on whether or not to feed on a seedling is strongly influenced by the surrounding soil type and that this decision is taken in the close vicinity of the seedling. The presence of pure mineral soil around the seedling strongly reduces the likelihood that an approaching pine weevil will feed on it

Katja Pavlič Škerjanc septuagenaria

Ad multos anno

Mass Spectrometric Identification&apos; of Aldonolactones as Trimethylsilyl Ethers KLAS ANJOU and ERIK von SYDOW

Trimethylsilyl ethers of aldonolactones are useful for the identification of aldonic acids by mass spectrometry. Peaks recorded for the molecule ion (M) and for mass M-I5 give a reliable determination of the molecular weight. Significant differences exist between 1,4-and I,5-lactones. All diastereomers studied can be well distinguished from each other. I on exchange chromatography has been used for the isolation of aldonic acids from sulfite waste liquors,1,2 from hydrolyzates from oxidized cotton,S and from wood pulps.&apos; With these complex mixtures the separations have to be carried out in several steps to achieve a clean-cut separation. An identification of the isolated acid fractions by classical methods is difficult unless rather large amounts of substances are isolated. The separation process must, therefore, be carried out on a fairly large scale, which is a serious complication in all chromatographic separations of compounds with very similar properties. A combination of various chromatographic methods including gas chromatography has been used for identification 5 but the reliability of such identifications can of course be questioned. The purpose of the present work was to study the application of mass spectrometric identification of aldonic acids. The preparation of trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives according to the procedure devised by Sweeley et al.&apos; is a most convenient method for transforming the aldonic acids into volatile compounds suitable for gas-liquid chromatography. Separations of TMSderivatives from various aldonic acids by gas chromatography have also been reported. 6 ,7 As shown in this paper, these derivatives are also suitable for identification by means of mass spectrometry

An evaluation of the Riksbank´s crisis handling : Theory versus practice

När den amerikanska investmentbanken Lehman Brothers ansökte om konkurs den 15 september 2008 ökade oron på den globala finansiella marknaden. Detta ledde till svårigheter för finansiella aktörer i Sverige att finansiera sin verksamhet eftersom det blev dyrare att ta upp lån internationellt samtidigt som misstänksamheten gentemot andra aktörer pressade upp riskpremierna. Vid denna tidpunkt var inflationsnivån i Sverige den högsta på 15 år vilket fick Riksbanken att höja styrräntan dagarna innan konkursansökan. När den amerikanska investmentbanken Lehman Brothers ansökte om konkurs den 15 september 2008 ökade oron på den globala finansiella marknaden. Detta ledde till svårigheter för finansiella aktörer i Sverige att finansiera sin verksamhet eftersom det blev dyrare att ta upp lån internationellt samtidigt som misstänksamheten gentemot andra aktörer pressade upp riskpremierna. Vid denna tidpunkt var inflationsnivån i Sverige den högsta på 15 år vilket fick Riksbanken att höja styrräntan dagarna innan konkursansökan. Uppsatsens undersökning har till stor del bestått av en litteraturstudie. Utöver detta har även en intervju genomförts med riksbankschefen Stefan Ingves. Materialet som har använts har främst tagits från Riksbanken. Riksbanken vidtog ett flertal åtgärder för att stärka den svenska finansmarknadens motståndskraft. Åtgärderna var under krisens gång en kombination av penningpolitik och finansiella stabiliseringsåtgärder. Utöver räntejusteringar erbjöds bland annat obegränsade lånemöjligheter till Riksbankens motparter, vilket enligt Stefan Ingves även var den viktigaste åtgärden. Detta syftade främst till att sänka den allmänna räntenivån och återskapa förtroendet på den svenska finansiella marknaden. Till följd av Riksbankens åtgärder föll den allmänna räntenivån. Vilka effekter Riksbankens åtgärder hade på inflations och BNP utvecklingen är dock svårt att fastställa då utvecklingen av dessa berodde på flera olika faktorer. Riksbankens agerande under finanskrisen stämmer väl överens med vad teorierna förespråkar. Problemet med de penningpolitiska teorierna är att handlingsutrymmet begränsas när styrräntan närmar sig nollgränsen samtidigt som konjunkturnedgången är ihållande. Trots att Riksbanken agerade i enlighet med de penningpolitiska teorierna kan händelseförloppet inte enbart förklaras av dessa. Riksbanken agerande som en Lender of Last Resort är teorienlig förutom att en alldeles för låg straffränta togs ut

Farm accounting information system SUDAT

Bakalaura darbā ir aprakstīta Saimniecību uzskaites datu tīkla (SUDAT) informācijas sistēmas izstrāde, kas tika izstrādāta pēc Latvijas Valsts Agrārā ekonomikas institūta (LVAEI) pasūtījuma. Konkrētās sistēmas realizācijā piedalījās piecu cilvēku grupa. Izstrādātā sistēma apkopo informāciju par saimniecībām, to ražošanas rādītājiem, ieņēmumiem, izmaksām un informāciju par saimnieciskās darbības rezultātiem. Uzkrājot šos datus par vairākiem gadiem, sistēma nodrošina iespēju novērtēt saimniecību produktivitātes un ienākuma līmeņa attīstības tendences. Darba gaitā tiek apskatīti SUDAT datu vākšanas, apstrādes un biznesa procesi. Tiek analizētas iespējamās izstrādes vides konkrētajai sistēmai, kā arī konkrētās sistēmas realizācija.The bachelor paper is devoted to Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN) information system which was created for the commission of Latvian State Institute of Agrarian Economics. In the realization of the system a group of five people took part. The developed system summarizes the information about farms, their data of production, income, expenses and the results of their economic activity. Storing the information for several years, the system provides with the possibility to evaluate the tendencies of the productivity of farms and income level. In the course of research, data gathering, processing and business processes were explored. The possible development environments for the system were analyzed, as well as the realization of the system

Malariaprofylax ger många resenärer biverkningar

There is still uncertainty about the frequency of side effects associated with the use of malaria prophylaxis. The biggest concern has been that of meflokin. The aim of the study was to compare different symptoms in travellers taking different prophylactic malaria drugs with a control group travelling to the same area. Travellers seeking advice at a vaccination clinic in the south of Sweden were asked to fill in questionnaires before and after returning from their travel. 303 participants returned both questionnaires, a response rate of 62%. The results showed that a greater proportion of the travellers taking malaria prophylaxis reported symptoms in comparison with that of the control group (59% vs. 41%). Also, in comparison to the control group, travellers taking chemoprophylaxis more often felt that their trip had been negatively affected by the reported symptoms. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were most common in the group taking meflokin although no significant difference between the different regimes was found. These symptoms were very rare in the control group. Gastrointestinal symptoms were most frequent in the group taking chloroquine and proguanil. A low proportion of those symptoms were connected to the chemoprofylaxis according to the travellers. Travellers taking meflokin more frequently associated their symptoms with the drug. The travellers, being most worried about taking malaria prophylaxis prior to the trip, reported symptoms more often than those not feeling any anxiety