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Notes: Abstract Barrett's esophagus (i.e. columnar epithelial metaplasia in the distal esophagus) is an acquired condition that in most patients results from chronic gastroesophageal reflux. It is a disorder of the white male in the Western world with a prevalence of about 1/400 population. Due to the decreased sensitivity of the columnar epithelium to symptoms, Barrett's esophagus remains undiagnosed in the majority of patients. Gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with Barrett's esophagus has a more severe character and is more frequently associated with complications as compared with reflux patients without columnar mucosa. This appears to be due to a combination of a mechanically defective lower esophageal sphincter, inefficient esophageal clearance function, and gastric acid hypersecretion. Excessive reflux of alkaline duodenal contents may be responsible for the development of complications (i.e., stricture, ulcer, and dysplasia). Therapy of benign Barrett's esophagus is directed towards treatment of the underlying reflux disease. Barrett's esophagus is associated with a 30- to 125-fold increased risk for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The reasons for the dramatic rise in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma, which occurred during the past years, are unknown. High grade dysplasia in a patient with columnar mucosa is an ominous sign for malignant degeneration. Whether an esophagectomy should be performed in patients with high grade dysplasia remains controversial. Complete resection of the tumor and its lymphatic drainage is the procedure of choice in all patients with a resectable carcinoma who are fit for surgery. In patients with tumors located in the distal esophagus, this can be achieved by a transhiatal en-bloc esophagectomy and proximal gastrectomy. Early adenocarcinoma can be cured by this approach. The value of multimodality therapy in patients with advanced tumors needs to be shown in randomized prospective trials.

Notes: Abstract The development of miniaturized electronic pressure transducers and portable digital data recorders with large storage capacity has made ambulatory monitoring of esophageal motor function over an entire circadian cycle possible. Broad clinical application of this new technology in a large number of asymptomatic normal volunteers and patients with symptoms suggestive of a primary esophageal motor disorder provides new insights into esophageal motor function under a variety of physiologic conditions in health and disease. These studies suggest that ambulatory esophageal motility monitoring allows for a more precise classification of esophageal motor disorders than standard manometry and can identify abnormal esophageal motor patterns associated with nonobstructive dysphagia or noncardiac chest pain. Ambulatory esophageal motility monitoring performed in combination with pH monitoring is currently the most physiologic way to assess esophageal function and has potential to improve diagnosis and management of patients with esophageal motor disorders. Ambulatory 24-h esophageal motility monitoring should become the gold standard for assessing motor function of the esophageal body.

Notes: Abstract The Suwałki anorthosite massif, located in extreme northeast Poland beneath more than a kilometer of Phanerozoic cover, hosts major Fe-Ti-V deposits. These deposits, discovered in 1962, are contained in Fe and Ti oxide minerals that coexist with subordinate quantities of Fe, Cu, Ni, and Co sulfides in massif-style anorthosites, norites, and gabbronorites. Accessibility and other considerations preclude development of this natural resource in the present economic climate. Detailed work by Polish geologists during the last 35 years provides a sound geologic framework for this Re-Os study of the age and origin of oxide and sulfide deposits associated with a major, but lesser known anorthosite massif. Rhenium and osmium abundances and Os isotopic compositions were measured for nine sulfides and four titanomagnetites from the Suwałki anorthosite massif. The titanomagnetites are over an order of magnitude lower in Re (0.4–1.5 ppb) and Os (0.036–0.144 ppb) concentrations than co-precipitated pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite that yield consistent concentrations for Re (30–55 ppb) and Os (1–6 ppb). Parallel lines connecting co-existing titanomagnetite and sulfides have slopes of ∼1 on Re versus common Os concentration plots, indicating that both Re and Os behave similarly during crystallization in their high preference for any sulfide phase over magnetite. Samples from three deposits within the anorthosite massif were analyzed. An age of 1559 ± 37 Ma (n=10) with an initial 187Os/188Os of 1.16 ± 0.06 for the Jezioro Okrągłe and Krzemianka deposits is essentially identical to an age of 1556 ± 94 Ma (n=3) for the Udryń deposit. Udryń, however, yielded a marginally lower initial 187Os/188Os of 0.87 ± 0.20. The high initial 187Os/188Os combined with the Proterozoic Re-Os age indicates that the source for Suwałki oxides-sulfides is older crust, and hypothetically, could involve Archean rocks. An average crustal value of 50 for 187Re/188Os yields a 2777 Ma age for Suwałki source rocks. Widespread Phanerozoic cover severely limits knowledge of basement rocks in Poland, however, and no Archean rocks are known in the immediate region. More likely, 187Re/188Os ratios may be higher than average continental crust, reflecting mafic crust in the source, and may move the source age for Suwałki anorthosite and mineral deposits toward younger values that easily include ∼2.0 Ga Proterozoic rocks. This more favorable case also accommodates Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages. Regardless of Archean or Proterozoic source age, the high initial 187Os/188Os ratios derived from the Re-Os isochron indicate that the source for the oxide-sulfide mineral deposits is more likely the crust and not the mantle. Given that these deposits are clearly magmatic, the Re-Os results add a new dimension to the long-standing “origin of anorthosite” problem, implying a crustal source for the anorthosite as well. The 1559 Ma Suwałki age is compatible with a well-exposed east-west band of 1530-1660 Ma rapakivi granite-anorthosite magmatism to the immediate north, transecting western Russia, southern Finland, Estonia and Latvia, and central Sweden. In particular, the age and isotopic character of Suwałki are not unlike those of the well-studied Salmi rapakivi granite-anorthosite batholith in western Russia (Karelia).

Notes: Abstract Seven 187Re-187Os ages were determined for molybdenite and pyrite samples from two well-dated Precambrian intrusions in Fennoscandia to examine the sustainability of the Re-Os chronometer in a metamorphic and metasomatic setting. Using a new 187Re decay constant (1.666 × 10−11y−1) with a much improved uncertainty (±0.31%), we determined replicate Re-Os ages for molybdenite and pyrite from the Kuittila and Kivisuo prospects in easternmost Finland and for molybdenite from the Kabeliai prospect in southernmost Lithuania. These two localities contain some of the oldest and youngest plutonic activity in Fennoscandia and are associated with newly discovered economic Au mineralization (Ilomantsi, Finland) and a Cu-Mo prospect (Kabeliai, Lithuania). Two Re-Os ages for vein-hosted Kabeliai molybdenite average 1486 ± 5 Ma, in excellent agreement with a 1505 ± 11 Ma U-Pb zircon age for the hosting Kabeliai granite pluton. The slightly younger age suggests the introduction of Cu-Mo mineralization by a later phase of the Kabeliai magmatic system. Mean Re-Os ages of 2778 ± 8 Ma and 2781 ± 8 Ma for Kuittila and Kivisuo molybdenites, respectively, are in reasonable agreement with a 2753 ± 5 Ma weighted mean U-Pb zircon age for hosting Kuittila tonalite. These Re-Os ages agree well with less precise ages of 2789 ± 290 Ma for a Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron and 2771 ± 75 Ma for the average of six Sm-Nd TDM model ages for Kuittila tonalite. Three Re-Os analyses of a single pyrite mineral separate, from the same sample of Kuittila pluton that yielded a molybdenite separate, provide individual model ages of 2710 ± 27, 2777 ± 28, and 2830 ± 28 Ma (Re = 17.4, 12.1, and 8.4 ppb, respectively), with a mean value of 2770 ± 120 Ma in agreement with the Kuittila molybdenite age. The Re and 187Os abundances in these three pyrite splits are highly correlated (r = 0.9994), and provide a 187Re-187Os isochron age of 2607 ± 47 Ma with an intercept of 21 ppt 187Os (MSWD = 1.1). It appears that the Re-Os isotopic system in pyrite has been reset on the millimeter scale and that the 21 ppt 187Os intercept reflects the in situ decay of 187Re during the ∼160 to 170 m.y. interval from ∼2778 Ma (time of molybdenite ± pyrite deposition) to ∼2607 Ma (time of pyrite resetting). When the Re-Os data for molybdenites from the nearby Kivisuo prospect are plotted together with the Kuittila molybdenite and pyrite data, a well-constrained five-point isochron with an age of 2780 ± 8 Ma and a 187Os intercept (−2.4 ± 3.8 ppt) of essentially zero results (MSWD = 1.5). We suggest that the pyrite isochron age records a regional metamorphic and/or hydrothermal event, possibly the time of Au mineralization. A proposed Re-Os age of ∼2607 Ma for Au mineralization is in good agreement with radiometric ages by other methods that address the timing of Archean Au mineralization in deposits worldwide (so-called “late Au model”). Molybdenite, in contrast, provides a robust Re-Os chronometer, retaining its original formation age of ∼2780 Ma, despite subsequent metamorphic disturbances in Archean and Proterozoic time.

Notes: Abstract Both stratiform/stratabound and granite-related models have been used to explain the genesis of W(Mo) deposits in the Okiep copper district in western Namaqualand, South Africa. Apparently, stratabound mineralization (Fe-rich wolframite with accessory molybdenite) occurs in foliation-parallel quartz veins in high-grade (∼750 °C, 5–6 kbar) metapelites of the Wolfram Formation, and less commonly in small bodies of silicified leucogranites and pegmatites. Six Re–Os ages for molybdenites from four deposits (Nababeep Tungsten Far West, Kliphoog, Narrap, Tweedam) range between 1000 ± 4 and 1026 ± 5 Ma. These molybdenites define a well-constrained 187Re–187Os isochron with an age of 1019 ± 6 Ma, which is interpreted as the age of W(Mo) mineralization. This age is significantly younger than Proterozoic protolith ages for supracrustal rocks and the emplacement ages for the main intrusive suites, but geologic evidence requires overlap with a period of high-grade metamorphism. We suggest that W(Mo) mineralization is genetically linked to intra-crustal magmatic processes at ∼1020 Ma, thereby precluding the ∼1060 Ma Concordia granite as the source for mineralizing fluids. A narrow range of positive δ34S compositions (+3.6 to +4.5‰) for eight molybdenites from five W(Mo) mines is consistent with a SO2-rich fluid and a granite-related genetic model. Post-peak metamorphic deformation and metamorphism of W(Mo) ores is most likely related to the retrograde stage of the Namaquan orogeny, which overlaps emplacement of late-orogenic, evolved granites and pegmatites, and the formation of W(Mo) deposits in western Namaqualand. Therefore, the effects of retrograde Namaquan metamorphism extend at least to ∼1020 Ma or, alternatively, these W(Mo) veins were affected by a poorly constrained later event (e.g. early Pan-African).

Notes: The formation and annihilation behaviors of thermal donors in 16O+-, 18O+-, or 16O++12C+-implanted float-zone silicon have been investigated with secondary ion mass spectrometry, spreading resistance probe, Hall effect, and transmission electron microscopy. Various oxygen or carbon+oxygen-implanted samples were laser annealed to remove implant damage and subjected to furnace annealing at 450 °C for up to 100 h to activate oxygen-related thermal donors. Oxygen concentrations at the peak of the implanted profiles exceed the maximum for Czochralski Si by an order of magnitude. It is found that the third to fourth power dependence of thermal donor formation on oxygen generally observed for Czochralski Si does not hold for the higher oxygen concentration in the implanted layer. Annihilation characteristics of thermal donors formed in the oxygen implanted layers were investigated by the rapid thermal annealing technique. A rapid thermal anneal at 1150 °C for 30 s was required to remove all the thermal donors. Based upon the annihilation kinetics data, it is tentatively concluded that both old and new thermal donors exist in the oxygen-implanted layer. For carbon+oxygen-coimplanted samples, the data have shown that carbon greatly increases the new thermal donor concentration in the implanted layer. Finally, precipitate morphologies for both oxygen-only- and carbon+oxygen-coimplanted samples after a 450 °C furnace annealing were investigated by high resolution electron microscopy. In the case of oxygen-implant-only samples, predominant precipitate morphologies are needlelike while platelet defects predominate for carbon+oxygen-coimplanted samples. Since carbon increases the formation rate of new thermal donors, it is unlikely that they are distinctly related to needlelike precipitates as claimed in previous studies.

Notes: [Auszug] Several lines of geological and geochemical evidence indicate that the level of atmospheric oxygen was extremely low before 2.45 billion years (Gyr) ago, and that it had reached considerable levels by 2.22 Gyr ago. Here we present evidence that the rise of atmospheric oxygen had occurred by ...

Notes: Plasma hydrogenation of Czochralski Si has been performed to investigate the introduction of Si–O stretch modes and their correlation with thermal donor formation. Plasma hydrogenation at 275 °C introduces a well-resolved vibrational absorption band at 1005 cm−1, while absorption due to electronic excitations for thermal donors remains weak. We attribute this band to a Si–O precursor center for thermal donor formation, and suggest it is the oxygen dimer center discussed in other studies of oxygen in Si. Vibrational modes introduced at 990 and 1000 cm−1 during post-hydrogenation furnace annealing at 400 °C correlate with thermal donors TD2 and TD3, respectively. Stretch frequencies for Si–O in thermal donor centers are compared to those for oxygen aggregates in oxygen-implanted and electron-irradiated Si.

Notes: We have studied the thermal stability of Si1−yCy/Si (y=0.007 and 0.014) heterostructures formed by solid phase epitaxial regrowth of C implanted layers. The loss of substitutional C was monitored over a temperature range of 810–925 °C using Fourier transform infrared absorbance spectroscopy. Concurrent strain measurements were performed using rocking curve x-ray diffraction to correlate strain relaxation with the loss of substitutional C from the lattice. Loss of C from the lattice was initiated immediately without an incubation period, indicative of a low barrier to C clustering. The activation energy as calculated from a time to 50% completion analysis (3.3±5 eV) is near the activation energy for the diffusion of C in Si. Over the entire temperature range studied, annealing to complete loss of substitutional C resulted in the precipitation of C into β-SiC. The precipitates are nearly spherical with diameters of 2–4 nm. These precipitates have the same crystallographic orientation as the Si matrix but the interfaces between the Si and β-SiC precipitates are incoherent. During the initial stages of precipitation, however, C-rich clusters form which maintain coherency with the Si matrix so the biaxial strain in the heterostructure is partially retained.

Notes: Chemical bonding of H to displacement defects and internal surfaces in Si has been investigated by infrared-absorption and nuclear reaction analysis techniques. A He implantation/anneal sequence was used to produce faceted voids which are retained to at least 800 °C in a buried layer as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Hydrogen was injected into void layers by three different methods: ion implantation, plasma exposure, and H2 gas exposure. Infrared absorption by Si-H stretch modes with frequencies characteristic of monohydrides on (100) and (111) surfaces are observed for all methods of H injection, consistent with bonding on faceted void surfaces. Thermal stability of Si-H is higher on void surfaces than on other trapping sites. Displacement defects produced by H-ion implantation trap H but release it upon annealing for retrapping on voids. The Si-H absorption bands with frequencies characteristic of monohydrides on (100) and (111) surfaces anneal in parallel between 600 and 800 °C and in coincidence with the loss of total H measured by nuclear reaction analysis. Moreover, densities comparable to the total H density are estimated for void surface states and for Si—H bonds on void surfaces. It is inferred from these results that bonding of H on the void surfaces is energetically favored over H2 formation in the voids, and it is concluded that the 2.5±0.2 eV determined in a separate study of H release from buried voids is the Si—H bond energy descriptive of both (111) and (100) surfaces.