137 research outputs found
Labyrinthine Island Growth during Pd/Ru(0001) Heteroepitaxy
Using low energy electron microscopy we observe that Pd deposited on Ru only
attaches to small sections of the atomic step edges surrounding Pd islands.
This causes a novel epitaxial growth mode in which islands advance in a
snakelike motion, giving rise to labyrinthine patterns. Based on density
functional theory together with scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy
electron microscopy we propose that this growth mode is caused by a surface
alloy forming around growing islands. This alloy gradually reduces step
attachment rates, resulting in an instability that favors adatom attachment at
fast advancing step sections
Complete Genome Sequences of Three Clinical Listeria monocytogenes Sequence Type 8 Strains from Recent German Listeriosis Outbreaks
We report here the closed genome sequences of three clinical Listeria monocytogenes strains of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) sequence type 8 (ST8). These strains are representatives of three separate listeriosis outbreak clusters (Alpha1, Pi4, and Sigma1) that affected Germany between 2012 and 2020.Peer Reviewe
Fast coarsening in unstable epitaxy with desorption
Homoepitaxial growth is unstable towards the formation of pyramidal mounds
when interlayer transport is reduced due to activation barriers to hopping at
step edges. Simulations of a lattice model and a continuum equation show that a
small amount of desorption dramatically speeds up the coarsening of the mound
array, leading to coarsening exponents between 1/3 and 1/2. The underlying
mechanism is the faster growth of larger mounds due to their lower evaporation
rate.Comment: 4 pages, 4 PostScript figure
Atomic step motion during the dewetting of ultra-thin films
We report on three key processes involving atomic step motion during the
dewetting of thin solid films: (i) the growth of an isolated island nucleated
far from a hole, (ii) the spreading of a monolayer rim, and (iii) the zipping
of a monolayer island along a straight dewetting front. Kinetic Monte Carlo
results are in good agreement with simple analytical models assuming
diffusion-limited dynamics.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
How to survive pig farming: Mechanism of SCCmec element deletion and metabolic stress adaptation in livestock-associated MRSA
Previous research on methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) belonging to livestock-associated (LA-) sequence type (ST) 398, isolated from pigs and their local surroundings, indicated that differences between these MSSA and their methicillin resistant predecessors (MRSA) are often limited to the absence of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and few single nucleotide polymorphisms. So far, our understanding on how LA-MRSA endure the environmental conditions associated with pig-farming as well as the putative impact of this particular environment on the mobilisation of SCCmec elements is limited. Thus, we performed in-depth genomic and transcriptomic analyses using the LA-MRSA ST398 strain IMT38951 and its methicillin susceptible descendant. We identified a mosaic-structured SCCmec region including a putative replicative SCCmecVc which is absent from the MSSA chromosome through homologous recombination. Based on our data, such events occur between short repetitive sequences identified within and adjacent to two distinct alleles of the large cassette recombinase genes C (ccrC). We further evaluated the global transcriptomic response of MRSA ST398 to particular pig-farm associated conditions, i.e., contact with host proteins (porcine serum) and a high ammonia concentration. Differential expression of global regulators involved in stress response control were identified, i.e., ammonia-induced alternative sigma factor B-depending activation of genes for the alkaline shock protein 23, the heat shock response and the accessory gene regulator (agr)-controlled transcription of virulence factors. Exposure to serum transiently induced the transcription of distinct virulence factor encoding genes. Transcription of genes reported for mediating the loss of methicillin resistance, especially ccrC, was not significantly different compared to the unchallenged controls. We concluded that, from an evolutionary perspective, bacteria may save energy by incidentally dismissing a fully replicative SCCmec element in contrast to the induction of ccr genes on a population scale. Since the genomic SCCmec integration site is a hot-spot of recombination, occasional losses of elements of 16 kb size may restore capacities for the uptake of foreign genetic material. Subsequent spread of resistance, on the other hand, might depend on the autonomous replication machinery of the deleted SCCmec elements that probably enhance chances for reintegration of SCCmec into susceptible genomes by mere multiplication
Coarsening Dynamics of Crystalline Thin Films
The formation of pyramid-like structures in thin-film growth on substrates
with a quadratic symmetry, e.g., {001} surfaces, is shown to exhibit
anisotropic scaling as there exist two length scales with different time
dependences. Analytical and numerical results indicate that for most
realizations coarsening of mounds is described by an exponent n=0.2357.
However, depending on material parameters, n may lie between 0 (logarithmic
coarsening) and 1/3. In contrast, growth on substrates with triangular
symmetries ({111} surfaces) is dominated by a single length scale and an
exponent n=1/3.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 3 figure
Numerical test of the damping time of layer-by-layer growth on stochastic models
We perform Monte Carlo simulations on stochastic models such as the
Wolf-Villain (WV) model and the Family model in a modified version to measure
mean separation between islands in submonolayer regime and damping time
of layer-by-layer growth oscillations on one dimension. The
stochastic models are modified, allowing diffusion within interval upon
deposited. It is found numerically that the mean separation and the damping
time depend on the diffusion interval , leading to that the damping time is
related to the mean separation as for the WV model
and for the Family model. The numerical results are in
excellent agreement with recent theoretical predictions.Comment: 4 pages, source LaTeX file and 5 PS figure
Coarsening of Surface Structures in Unstable Epitaxial Growth
We study unstable epitaxy on singular surfaces using continuum equations with
a prescribed slope-dependent surface current. We derive scaling relations for
the late stage of growth, where power law coarsening of the mound morphology is
observed. For the lateral size of mounds we obtain with . An analytic treatment within a self-consistent mean-field
approximation predicts multiscaling of the height-height correlation function,
while the direct numerical solution of the continuum equation shows
conventional scaling with z=4, independent of the shape of the surface current.Comment: 15 pages, Latex. Submitted to PR
How metal films de-wet substrates - identifying the kinetic pathways and energetic driving forces
We study how single-crystal chromium films of uniform thickness on W(110)
substrates are converted to arrays of three-dimensional (3D) Cr islands during
annealing. We use low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) to directly observe a
kinetic pathway that produces trenches that expose the wetting layer. Adjacent
film steps move simultaneously uphill and downhill relative to the staircase of
atomic steps on the substrate. This step motion thickens the film regions where
steps advance. Where film steps retract, the film thins, eventually exposing
the stable wetting layer. Since our analysis shows that thick Cr films have a
lattice constant close to bulk Cr, we propose that surface and interface stress
provide a possible driving force for the observed morphological instability.
Atomistic simulations and analytic elastic models show that surface and
interface stress can cause a dependence of film energy on thickness that leads
to an instability to simultaneous thinning and thickening. We observe that
de-wetting is also initiated at bunches of substrate steps in two other
systems, Ag/W(110) and Ag/Ru(0001). We additionally describe how Cr films are
converted into patterns of unidirectional stripes as the trenches that expose
the wetting layer lengthen along the W[001] direction. Finally, we observe how
3D Cr islands form directly during film growth at elevated temperature. The Cr
mesas (wedges) form as Cr film steps advance down the staircase of substrate
steps, another example of the critical role that substrate steps play in 3D
island formation
Combined Clinical, Epidemiological, and Genome-Based Analysis Identified a Nationwide Outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia Complex Infections Caused by Contaminated Mouthwash Solutions
Background:
In September 2018, Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) infections in 3 patients associated with exposure to a mouthwash solution (MWS) were reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). As the product was still on the market and the scale of the outbreak was unclear, a nation-wide investigation was initiated.
Methods:
We aimed to investigate BCC infections/colonizations associated with MWS. Hospitals, laboratories, and public health services were informed that BCC isolates should be sent to the RKI. These isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) including development of an ad hoc core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme.
Results:
In total, 36 patients from 6 hospitals met the case definition, the last patient in November 2018. Twenty-nine isolates from 26 of these patients were available for typing. WGS analysis revealed 2 distinct cgMLST clusters. Cluster 1 (Burkholderia arboris) contained isolates from patients and MWS obtained from 4 hospitals and isolates provided by the manufacturer. Patient and MWS isolates from another hospital were assigned to cluster 2 (B. cepacia).
Conclusions:
The combined clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological investigation, including whole-genome analysis, allowed for uncovering a supraregional BCC outbreak in health care settings. Strains of B. arboris and B. cepacia were identified as contaminating species of MWS bottles and subsequent colonization and putative infection of patients in several hospitals. Despite a recall of the product by the manufacturer in August 2018, the outbreak lasted until December 2018. Reporting of contaminated medical products and recalls should be optimized to protect patients.Peer Reviewe
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