Preparation of n-type semiconductor SnO2 thin films

We studied fluorine-doped tin oxide on a glass substrate at 350℃using an ultrasonic spray technique. Tin（Ⅱ） chloride dehydrate,ammonium fluoride dehydrate,ethanol and NaOH were used as the starting material, dopant source,solvent and stabilizer,respectively.The SnO₂:F thin films were deposited at 350℃and a pending time of 60 and 90 s.The as-grown films exhibit a hexagonal wurtzite structure and have（101） orientation.The G = 31.82 nm value of the grain size is attained from SnO₂:F film grown at 90 s,and the transmittance is greater than 80%in the visible region.The optical gap energy is found to measure 4.05 eV for the film prepared at 90 s, and the increase in the electrical conductivity of the film with the temperature of the sample is up to a maximum value of 265.58（Ω·cm）^-1,with the maximum activation energy value of the films being found to measure 22.85 meV,indicating that the films exhibit an n-type semiconducting nature.     

Coxiella burnetti infectious endocarditis. Apropos of a case

Chronic forms of Q fever (endocarditis) are rare, but are responsible for severe and desperately recurrent infections, resulting in multiple valve replacements with a reserved prognosis. The authors report the case of a 35-year-old patient with a known history of rheumatic fever, who developed blood culture negative infectious endocarditis on a mitral bioprosthesis. The diagnosis of Q fever was based on serological arguments. Despite long-term antibiotic therapy, serology remained strongly positive and was associated with repeated mitral valve disinsertion. The patient died immediately after the fourth operation in a context of haemodynamic failure. This clinical case emphasizes the importance of performing Q fever serology in any case of culture negative endocarditis and the therapeutic difficulties encountered in chronic recurrent endocarditis.     

Class restriction of cephalosporin use to control total cephalosporin resistance in nosocomial Klebsiella

CONTEXT: Resistance to most or all cephalosporin antibiotics in Klebsiella species has developed in many European and North American hospitals during the past 2 decades. OBJECTIVE: To determine if restriction of use of the cephalosporin class of antibiotics would reduce the incidence of patient infection or colonization by cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella. DESIGN: A before-after comparative 2-year trial. SETTING: A 500-bed, university-affiliated community hospital in Queens, NY. PATIENTS: All adult medical and surgical hospital inpatients. INTERVENTION: A new antibiotic guideline excluded the use of cephalosporins except for pediatric infection, single-dose surgical prophylaxis, acute bacterial meningitis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and outpatient gonococcal infection. All other cephalosporin use required prior approval by the infectious disease section. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incidence of patient infection or colonization by ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella during 1995 (control period) compared with 1996 (intervention period). RESULTS: An 80.1% reduction in hospital-wide cephalosporin use occurred in 1996 compared with 1995. This was accompanied by a 44.0% reduction in the incidence of ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella infection and colonization throughout the medical center (P<.01), a 70.9% reduction within all intensive care units (P<.001), and an 87.5% reduction within the surgical intensive care unit (P<.001). A concomitant 68.7% increase in the incidence of imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa occurred throughout the medical center (P<.01). All such isolates except one were susceptible to other antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Extensive cephalosporin class restriction significantly reduced nosocomial, plasmid-mediated, cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella infection and colonization. This occurred at the price of increased imipenem resistance in P aeruginosa, which remained susceptible to other agents. Thus, an overall reduction in multiply-resistant pathogens was achieved within 1 year.     

Cases 1, 2, and 3

A quantitative analysis of amino acids in microsamples of dried blood spots by chemical ionization mass spectrometry has been developed. Isotope ratio determination was used as the quantitating technique via multiple labelled internal standards. This procedure yields excellent precision and accuracy as demonstrated by the analysis of known amino acid mixtures and of phenylalanine in the blood from newborns.     

Inhibition of Steel Corrosion in Nitric Acid by Sulfur Containing Compounds

The inhibitive mechanism, thermodynamics, and adsorptive properties of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and thiourea (TU) on the corrosion of mild steel in 0.5 M HNO₃ solution have been investigated using potentiodynamic, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques, and quantum chemical calculations. Both inhibitors showed good inhibition efficiency in nitric acid solution. TU was the most effective inhibitor and its inhibition efficiency increases with increasing concentration to attain 99% at 6 × 10^?3 mol · L^?1 at 30°C. Theoretical fitting of different isotherms, Langmuir, Flory–Huggins, Temkin, and the kinetic-thermodynamic models were tested to clarify the nature of inhibitors adsorption on mild steel surface. The obtained experimental data fitted all the applied adsorption isotherms except Langmuir. The thermodynamic activation parameters were determined to provide evidence of the inhibitory effect of TBA and TU. To determine the surface charge at the steel surface in nitric acid solution the potential of zero charge was measured using AC measurements at different potentials. Quantum chemical parameters were calculated and explained. The data clarified that the inhibition of steel in nitric acid by TU or TBA takes place through physicochemical adsorption mechanism.     

Behavior Study of the Nanostructured Zn1-xCdxO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) Semiconductor Thin Films Deposited onto Silicon Substrate by Dip-Coating Method

Silicon - The specimens of nanostructured semiconductor of Zn1-xCdxO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) thin films were grown on silicon substrate using a dip-coating method. The...     

Pressure and temperature dependence of the structural properties of the molecular semiconducting salt: α′-(BEDT-TTF)2Ag(CN)2

The temperature and pressure dependence of the electrical conductivity of the α′-(BEDT-TTF)₂Ag(CN)₂ salt shows a transition between two semiconducting phases at a critical temperature depending on pressure. This transition is crystallographically characterized by the appearance of a superstructure corresponding to the doubling of the b parameter. We present and discuss here the parameters evolution at decreasing temperature and increasing pressure and the structural evolution under constraints.     

A nosocomial epidemic of Salmonella mbandaka which produces various broad spectrum beta-lactamases: preliminary results

1. Since plasma renin activity is increased in cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced hypertension in the rat, the role of the vascular renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in CsA-induced hypertension was investigated in rat mesenteric resistance vessels. 2. Female Wistar rats received CsA (10 mg/kg per day, s.c.) or vehicle for 30 days. CsA treatment increased tail-cuff systolic blood pressure (CsA treated 135 +/- 3 mmHg vs control 125 +/- 1 mmHg, P < 0.0001). 3. Mesenteric resistance arteries (200-300 microns) were isolated and mounted in a microvessel myograph. Concentration-response curves to tetradecapeptide renin substrate (10(-11)-10(-6) mol/L), angiotensin I (10(-11)-10(-6) mol/L) and angiotensin II (10(-12)-10(-6) mol/L) showed no differences between CsA-treated and control groups. 4. Mesenteric vascular angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) characteristics were determined by radioligand binding. There were no differences in the content or affinity of ACE between CsA-treated and control rats. 5. These results suggest that the mesenteric vascular RAS does not play a major role in CsA-induced hypertension in the rat.