High temperature thermal stability of the HfO2/Ge (100) interface as a function of surface preparation studied by synchrotron radiation core level photo emission

High resolution soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (SXPS) have been used to study the high temperature thermal stability of ultra-thin atomic layer deposited (ALD) HfO2 layers (∼1 nm) on sulphur passivated and hydrofluoric acid (HF) treated germanium surfaces. The interfacial oxides which are detected for both surface preparations following HfO2 deposition can be effectively removed by annealing upto 700 °C without any evidence of chemical interaction at the HfO2/Ge interface. The estimated valence and conduction band offsets for the HfO2/Ge abrupt interface indicated that effective barriers exist to inhibit carrier injection.

"Things I did not know”: Retrospectives on a Canadian rural male youth suicide using an instrumental photo voice case study

In Canada, it is young rural based men who are at the greatest risk for suicide. While there is no consensus on the reasons for this, evidence points to contextual social factors including isolation, lack of confidential services and pressure to uphold restrictive norms of rural masculinity. In this article we share findings drawn from an instrumental photo voice case study to distil factors contributing to the suicide of a young Canadian rural based man. Integrating photo voice methods and in-depth qualitative we conducted interviews with 7 family members and close friends of the deceased. The interviews and image data were analyzed using constant comparative methods to discern themes related to participants’ reflections on and perceptions about rural male suicide. Three inductively derived themes, “Missing the signs”, “Living up to his public image” and “Down in Rural Canada ” reflect the challenges that survivors and young rural men can experience in attempting to be comply with restrictive dominant ideals of masculinity. We conclude that community based suicide prevention efforts would benefit from gender-sensitive and place specific approaches to advancing men’s mental health by making tangibly available and affirming an array of masculinities to foster the well-being of young rural based men.