High brightness inductively coupled plasma source for high current focused ion beam applications

A high brightnessplasmaion source has been developed to address focused ion beam(FIB) applications not satisfied by the liquid metal ion source (LMIS) based FIB. The plasmaFIB described here is capable of satisfying applications requiring high mill rates (>100μm³/s) with non-gallium ions and has demonstrated imaging capabilities with sub- 100-nm resolution. The virtual source size, angular intensity, mass spectra, and energy spread of the source have been determined with argon and xenon. This magnetically enhanced, inductively coupled plasmasource has exhibited a reduced brightness(βr) of 5.4×10³Am⁻²sr⁻¹V⁻¹, with a full width half maximum axial energy spread (ΔE) of 10eV when operated with argon. With xenon, βr=9.1×10³Am⁻²sr⁻¹V⁻¹ and ΔE=7eV. With these source parameters, an optical column with sufficient demagnification is capable of forming a sub-25-nm spot size at 30keV and 1pA. The angular intensity of this source is nominally three orders of magnitude greater than a LMIS making the source more amenable to creating high current focused beams, in the regime where spherical aberration dominates the LMIS-FIB. The source has been operated on a two lens ion column and has demonstrated a current density that exceeds that of the LMIS-FIB for current greater than 50nA. Source lifetime and current stability are excellent with inert and reactive gases. Additionally, it should be possible to improve both the brightness and energy spread of this source, such that the (βr/ΔE₂) figure-of-merit could be within an order of magnitude of a LMIS

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Research works on the manufacture of 120 mm antitank kinetik ammunition rods

W artykule przedstawiono badania nad opracowaniem metody wytwarzania wolframowych stopów ciężkich przeznaczonych na rdzenie pocisków przeciwpancernych kaliber 120mm. Punktem wyjścia były założenia odnośnie do wymiarów oraz własności mechanicznych, jakie powinien spełniać materiał. Opisano sposób wytwarzania stopów i wyniki kolejnych prób, na podstawie których dokonywano wyboru parametrów procesu wytwarzania. W szczególności zamieszczono wyniki badań własności mechanicznych i struktury, otrzymane w poszczególnych etapach pracy.The description of research works on the development of a method for manufacture of heavy tungsten alloys designated for cores of 120 mm antitank kinetic ammunition is presented in the paper. The starting point was the assumption on dimensions and mechanical properties which have to be met by the material. The method for obtaining alloys is presented with the results of consecutive trials which allowed to select suitable characteristics of the manufacture process. The results of mechanical and structural tests obtained at different stages of work are included

Odporność na kruchość wodorową stali nanokrystalicznych

The aim of this study is to determine the susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement in X37CrMoV5-1 steel with two different microstructures: a nanocrystalline carbide-free bainite and tempered martensite. The nanobainitic structure was obtained by austempering at the bainitic transformation zone. It was found, that after hydrogen charging, both kinds of microstructure exhibit increased yield strength and strong decrease in ductility. It has been however shown that the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement of X37CrMoV5-1 steel with nanobainitic structure is higher as compared to the tempered martensite. After hydrogen charging the ductility of austempered steel is slightly higher than in case of quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel. This effect was interpreted as a result of phase composition formed after different heat treatments.Celem pracy było określenie wrażliwości na kruchość wodorową stali X37CrMoV5-1 o dwóch różnych mikrostrukturach: nanokrystalicznego bainitu bezwęglikowego i odpuszczonego martenzytu. Struktura nanobainityczna została otrzymana w wyniku procesu hartowania izotermicznego w zakresie przemiany bainitycznej. Zaobserwowano, że po procesie katodowego nasycania wodorem oba typy mikrostruktury wykazują zwiększenie granicy plastyczności i znaczący spadek plastyczności. Wykazano jednak, że odporność na kruchość wodorową stali X37CrMoV5- 1o strukturze nanobainitycznej jest lepsza w porównaniu do stali o strukturze martenzytu odpuszczonego. Po katodowym nasycaniu wodorem plastyczność stali hartowanej izotermicznie jest nieznacznie wyższa niż w przypadku stali hartowanej i odpuszczanej (Q&T). Zjawisko to zostało zinterpretowane jako wynik składu fazowego wytworzonego podczas różnych obróbek cieplnych

On the possibility of obtaining a physical map of genomes by photoelectron imaging.

Photoelectron imaging provides the possibility of a new method of mapping chromosomes. The basic concept is to cause DNA to emit electrons under the action of UV light. The criteria which must be met to map genomes by photoelectron imaging are set forth and discussed. Forming an image of the DNA by accelerating and focusing the electrons is a necessary but not sufficient condition for genome mapping. Equally important is to identify wavelengths of UV light which will cause selective emission from the base pairs, adenine-thymine and guanine-cytosine. The resulting image would then contain a modulation in the image brightness along the DNA duplex. By examining the photoelectron current from uniform films of homopolymers, a wavelength region is identified where marked differences in emission from base pairs is observed. At 160 nm, for example, the relative electron emission from a film of poly(dGdC) is approximately 5 times greater than for an equivalent film of poly(dAdT). Using the experimental data and known sequences, photoelectron gene maps are calculated for the bacteriophage lambda and for a short interspersed repetitive DNA sequence (an Alu repeat) of the human genome. The results suggest that a 5-nm physical map of chromosomes generated by photoelectron imaging would be informative and useful in mapping human and other large genomes

Biological photocathodes.

Biological surfaces emit electrons when subjected to UV light. This emission is increased greatly after exposure to cesium vapor. Increases from 2 to 3 orders of magnitude are observed, depending on the biochemicals present. Heme and chlorophyll exhibit unusually high photoemission currents, which are increased further after cesiation. Photoemission from proteins and lipids is much less but also is increased by exposure to cesium. The formation of photocathodes with cesium greatly increases the practical magnifications attainable in photoelectron microscopy of organic and biological specimens. Photoelectron micrographs taken at magnifications greater than or equal to X 100,000 of chlorophyll-rich thylakoid membranes and of colloidal gold-labeled cytoskeleton preparations of cultured epithelial cells demonstrate the improvement in magnification. The selectivity and stability of the photocathodes suggest the possibility of detecting chromophore binding proteins in membranes and the design of photoelectron labels for tagging specific sites on biological surfaces

Electron optical benches for in-line and branched systems. A new bench designed for mirror-based aberration correction and low energy electron microscopy

6 pagesA review of electron optical bench literature is presented, and the designs of two optical benches used by the authors are described. One bench was designed for testing individual electrostatic electron lenses and in-line optical systems, for example, emission electron microscopes and transmission electron microscopes. It has been in operation for many years. The second electron optical bench is new. It is a branched system designed for several purposes: to study correction of spherical and chromatic aberration with an electron mirror, and to gain experience with low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) optics. The alignment of the electron optical support structure is independent of the vacuum housing, and the bench is designed to be operated either horizontally or vertically. As a demonstration of the performance of the new bench in the horizontal mode, a test pattern on a silicon surface was imaged with LEEM optics