Enhancing Effects of Olaparib by Alpha- and Beta-Emitting Radionuclides, X-Rays, and Ultraviolet A Light in Combination with Ortho-IodoHoechst in a Prostate Cancer Cell Model.

New therapeutic strategies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have been developed in the past to achieve the best response rates. Most recently, the use of combination therapies has been explored to optimize patient outcomes. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) may help to treat mCRPC more effectively.

Investigation of Photodynamic Therapy Promoted by Cherenkov Light Activated Photosensitizers-New Aspects and Revelations.

This work investigates the proposed enhanced efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) by activating photosensitizers (PSs) with Cherenkov light (CL). The approaches of Yoon et al. to test the effect of CL with external radiation were taken up and refined.

Feasibility and acceptability of conducting a partially randomised controlled trial examining interventions to improve psychological health after discharge from the intensive care unit.

Background: Interventions to support psychological recovery after critical illness, including information provision via an intensive care unit (ICU) diary or discharge summary, have been widely adopted in some regions, albeit without strong empirical evidence.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability, for patients, family members, and clinicians, of information provision via an ICU diary or discharge summary to support psychological recovery for critical illness survivors.

Methods: This was a pilot, partially randomised patient preference study in a mixed ICU in a tertiary hospital in Australia.

The needs of families of trauma intensive care patients: A mixed methods study.

Objective: To identify the needs of families of trauma patients in the Intensive Care Unit and to assess nurses' perceptions of those needs.

Methodology: A sequential mixed-methods study was utilised combining survey data and semi-structured interviews.

Setting: A tertiary Intensive Care Unit in Australia.

The needs of families of ICU trauma patients: an integrative review.

Background: The sudden, devastating, nature of traumatic injuries has a profound effect on patients and their families. When family needs are appropriately met in the intensive care units (ICU), families are empowered to support their injured relative (Blom et al., 2013).

Intensive care bereavement practices across New Zealand and Australian intensive care units: a qualitative content analysis.

Background: End-of-life and bereavement care is an important consideration in intensive care. This study describes the type of bereavement care provided in intensive care units across Australia and New Zealand.

Design: Inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted on free-text responses to a web-based survey exploring unit-based bereavement practice distributed to nurse managers in 229 intensive care units in New Zealand and Australia.

The provision of family-centred intensive care bereavement support in Australia and New Zealand: Results of a cross sectional explorative descriptive survey.

Background: Caring for the bereaved is an intrinsic part of intensive care practice with family bereavement support an important aspect of the nursing role at end of life. However, reporting on provision of intensive care family bereavement support at a national level has not been well reported since an Australian paper published ten years ago.

Objectives: The objective was to investigate provision of family bereavement support in intensive care units (ICU) across New Zealand (NZ) and Australia.

Sleep assessment by patients and nurses in the intensive care: An exploratory descriptive study.

Background: Sleep disruption is common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, with reports indicating reduced quality and quantity of sleep in many patients. There is growing evidence that sleep in this setting may be improved.

Aim: To describe ICU patients' self-report assessment of sleep, examine the relationship between patients' self-reported sleep and their reported sleep by the bedside nurse, and describe the strategies suggested by patients to promote sleep.

DC- and RF-GD-OES measurements of adsorbed organic monolayers on copper.

Our direct current (DC)- and radiofrequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (RF-GD-OES) measurements of adsorbed organic monolayers were inspired by the work of Shimizu et al., who presented the first example of depth profile analysis of an adsorbed monolayer by RF-GD-OES in 2004. The great potential of RF-GD-OES for analyses of layers with thicknesses in the subnanometer range was surprising.

Mn valency at La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3/SrTiO 3 (0 0 1) thin film interfaces.

This article presents a (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of Mn valency and its structural origin at La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3/SrTiO3(0 0 1) thin film interfaces.

Application of FTIR spectra for evaluating interfacial reactions in metal matrix composites.

Manufacturing of Saffil/MgLi metal matrix composites by the melt infiltration process is accompanied by extensive interfacial redox reaction between delta-Al(2)O(3) fibers (Saffil) and lithium. The present paper deals with the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy examination of Saffil fibers isolated from Mg-8 wt% Li alloy by the bromine/methylacetate agent focusing on the insertion of Li(+) ions into delta-Al(2)O(3) and their influence on water adsorption. Insertion of Li(+) into delta-Al(2)O(3) is monitored by gradual change of Al-O stretching bands (400-900 cm(-1)) towards more simple patterns of a spinel-like product assigned as delta(Li) which transforms to LiAl(5)O(8) during subsequent annealing.

Structure and giant magnetoresistance behaviour of Co-Cu/Cu multilayers electrodeposited under various deposition conditions.

Electrodeposited Co-Cu/Cu multilayers were prepared under a variety of deposition conditions on either a polycrystalline Ti foil or on a silicon wafer covered by a Ta buffer and a Cu seed layer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a strong (111) texture for all multilayers with clear satellite peaks for the multilayers on Si/Ta/Cu substrates, in some cases for up to three reflections. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy investigations indicated a much more uniform multilayer structure on the Si/Ta/Cu substrates.

Determination of manganese valency in La1-xSrxMnO3 using ELNES in the (S)TEM.

In this article several experimentally identified Mn valence-sensitive ELNES quantities for the La1-xSrxMnO3 compound class are presented, namely the energy separations between Mn-L3 and O-Ka, between O-Kb and O-Ka edges, the Mn-L2,3 white line intensity ratio, and the Mn-L3 line width. Valence sensitivities of these quantities are evaluated, and possible additional influences on them are considered. At high signal-to-noise ratio the two energy separations display most sensitively changes of the Mn valency.

Reactive species generated during wet chemical etching of silicon in HF/HNO3 mixtures.

The role of intermediate species generated during wet chemical etching of silicon in a HF-rich HF/HNO3 mixture was studied by spectroscopic and analytical methods at 1 degrees C. The intermediate N2O3 was identified by its cobalt blue color and the characteristic features in its UV-vis and Raman spectra. Furthermore, a complex N(III) species (3NO+.

Extraction of EELS white-line intensities of manganese compounds: methods, accuracy, and valence sensitivity.

This article evaluates the valence sensitivity and accuracy of selected EELS white-line extraction methods based on the white-line intensity ratio in case of manganese oxides, predominantly in the valency range [Mn3+ ; Mn4+]. For this purpose Mn-L2,3 ionization edges of several Mn oxides were measured and four different methods were applied to extract the intensities. The obtained ratios have been analyzed in terms of their errors, their scatter, and their sensitivity on manganese valency.

Investigation of high power effects on Ti/Al and Ta-Si-N/Cu/Ta-Si-N electrodes for SAW devices.

Damage behavior of two different metallization systems (Ti/Al bilayer and Ta-Si-N/Cu/Ta-Si-N multilayer) as finger electrodes in surface acoustic waves (SAW) devices was investigated. A special test structure was developed for this reason. The samples were loaded with traveling SAWs varying input power and loading time.

Radio frequency glow discharge source with integrated voltage and current probes used for sputtering rate and emission yield measurements at insulating samples.

Radio frequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (RF-GD-OES) is routinely used for the chemical analysis of solid samples. Two independent electrical signals from the discharge are required for quantification. When sputtering insulating samples, the voltage over the discharge is not directly measurable.

Nanometer-size cluster formation in alkali-metal-doped fullerene layers.

Kinetic Monte Carlo methods have been used to simulate structural transformations in fullerene layers during electrochemical intercalation with alkali-metal ions (A). Special attention is paid to the thermodynamic stability of the A(x)C(60) phases. The calculations point out a phase separation in the doped fullerene layer into alkali-metal-rich and alkali-metal-depleted areas at room temperature.

Microstructure and composition of annealed Al/Ti-metallization layers.

Al/Ti multilayers with columnar grains were deposited by electron-beam evaporation on piezoelectric LiNbO(3) substrates. After annealing in air and under vacuum conditions dissolution of the Ti interlayer was observed for all samples. The original Ti interlayer dissolved completely and globular Al(3)Ti grains were formed within an Al matrix.

Comparison of the annealing behavior of thin Ta films deposited onto Si and SiO2 substrates.

Structural changes at annealing temperatures (T(an)) of 500-1,100 degrees C were investigated for thin Ta films which were sputter-deposited onto pure Si substrates and onto thermally oxidized Si. In the as-deposited state, the Ta layers predominantly consist of metastable tetragonal beta-Ta, whereby the [001] texture is independent of the substrate material. At lower annealing temperatures, the microstructural evolution is essentially the same for both Ta films.

Specific properties of fine SnO2 powders connected with surface segregation.

The effect of surface segregation in Sb- and In-doped SnO2 fine-grained powders has been analyzed in comparison with single-crystalline samples. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the Sb and In segregation processes were studied as a function of annealing temperature by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) after annealing in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Significant differences between diffusion and segregation were revealed for doped powders and single crystals, obviously because of simultaneous diffusion and particle-growth processes proceeding during annealing of powders.

XPS investigations of thin tantalum films on a silicon surface.

Ultra thin tantalum-based diffusion barriers are of great interest in copper metallisation technology. Even the smallest amounts of copper that diffuse into the active silicon regions on a microprocessor will alter their semiconducting properties thus leading to failure of the device. In the present work Ta films were deposited on silicon by electron beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering.

AES and SIMS investigation of diffusion barriers for copper metallization in power-SAW devices.

Barrier layers for Cu-metallization in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices were investigated by AES and SIMS depth profiles. Two layered systems on LiNbO(3) substrate have been analyzed after annealing in air up to 400 degrees C. The investigated systems were (A) Ta(20 nm)/Cu(150 nm)/Ti(30 nm), deposited by electron beam evaporation, and (B) Ta(30)Si(18)N(52)(50 nm)/Cu(150 nm)/Ta(30)Si(18)N(52)(50 nm) deposited by magnetron sputtering.