Pressure sensing: A novel method for characterizing the processing zone in Vapour Phase Soldering systems

The insertion of implanted venous access systems for children undergoing prolonged courses of chemotherapy has become a common procedure in pediatric surgical oncology. While not permanently implanted, the devices are expected to remain functional until cure of the primary disease is assured. Despite careful patient selection and standardised insertion and access techniques, some devices fail. The most commonly encountered problems are colonisation of the device with bacteria and catheter occlusion. Both of these difficulties relate to the development of a biofilm within the port and catheter. The morphology and evolution of biofilms in indwelling vascular catheters is the subject of ongoing investigation. To date, however, such investigations have been confined to the examination of fragments of biofilm scraped or sonicated from sections of catheter. This report describes a novel method for the extraction of intact biofilms from indwelling catheters.15 children with Wilm’s tumour and who had received venous implants were studied. Catheters were removed because of infection (n=6) or electively at the end of chemotherapy.

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Characterization of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells and quantum wires by chemical lattice imaging

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100171419 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 736-737

Author(s):

A. Carlsson ◽

J.-O. Malm ◽

A. Gustafsson

Keyword(s):

Quantum Well ◽

Quantum Wells ◽

Quantum Wires ◽

Vapour Phase ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Lattice Imaging ◽

Vapour Phase Epitaxy ◽

Metalorganic Vapour Phase Epitaxy ◽

High Resolution Images

In this study a quantum well/quantum wire (QW/QWR) structure grown on a grating of V-grooves has been characterized by a technique related to chemical lattice imaging. This technique makes it possible to extract quantitative information from high resolution images.The QW/QWR structure was grown on a GaAs substrate patterned with a grating of V-grooves. The growth rate was approximately three monolayers per second without growth interruption at the interfaces. On this substrate a barrier of nominally Al0.35 Ga0.65 As was deposited to a thickness of approximately 300 nm using metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy . On top of the Al0.35Ga0.65As barrier a 3.5 nm GaAs quantum well was deposited and to conclude the structure an additional approximate 300 nm Al0.35Ga0.65 As was deposited. The GaAs QW deposited in this manner turns out to be significantly thicker at the bottom of the grooves giving a QWR running along the grooves. During the growth of the barriers an approximately 30 nm wide Ga-rich region is formed at the bottom of the grooves giving a Ga-rich stripe extending from the bottom of each groove to the surface.

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