Taking stock of the occupational safety and health challenges of nanotechnology: 2000–2015

Engineered nanomaterials significantly entered commerce at the beginning of the 21st century. Concerns about serious potential health effects of nanomaterials were widespread. Now, approximately 15 years later, it is worthwhile to take stock of research and efforts to protect nanomaterial workers from potential risks of adverse health effects. This article provides and examines timelines for major functional areas (toxicology, metrology, exposure assessment, engineering controls and personal protective equipment, risk assessment, risk management, medical surveillance, and epidemiology) to identify significant contributions to worker safety and health. The occupational safety and health field has responded effectively to identify gaps in knowledge and practice, but further research is warranted and is described. There is now a greater, if imperfect, understanding of the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle toxicology, hazards to workers, and appropriate controls for nanomaterials, but unified analytical standards and exposure characterization methods are still lacking. The development of control-banding and similar strategies has compensated for incomplete data on exposure and risk, but it is unknown how widely such approaches are being adopted. Although the importance of epidemiologic studies and medical surveillance is recognized, implementation has been slowed by logistical issues. Responsible development of nanotechnology requires protection of workers at all stages of the technological life cycle. In each of the functional areas assessed, progress has been made, but more is required.     

Visualisation of turbulent spots under the influence of adverse pressure gradients

In this paper, a method of using temperature sensitive liquid crystal to visualize the thermal footprints of turbulent spots is described. It is employed to study the nature and development of artificially created turbulent spots in a laminar boundary layer over a heated surface under the influence of adverse pressure gradients in a water flow experiment. This method not only provides qualitative information about the structures and growth of the spot but also contours of heat flux beneath an entire spot as it propagates downstream. Furthermore, the lateral spreading angle and propagation rate of turbulent spots are obtained by analysing the colour images and heat transfer contours. The results are compared with those obtained by other researchers using different experimental methods. Received: 17 June 1998/Accepted: 7 June 1999     

Allosteric Optical Control of a Class B G‐Protein‐Coupled Receptor

Allosteric regulation promises to open up new therapeutic avenues by increasing drug specificity at G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs). However, drug discovery efforts are at present hampered by an inability to precisely control the allosteric site. Herein, we describe the design, synthesis, and testing of PhotoETP, a light‐activated positive allosteric modulator of the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R), a class B GPCR involved in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis in humans. PhotoETP potentiates Ca²⁺, cAMP, and insulin responses to glucagon‐like peptide‐1 and its metabolites following illumination of cells with blue light. PhotoETP thus provides a blueprint for the production of small‐molecule class B GPCR allosteric photoswitches, and may represent a useful tool for understanding positive cooperativity at the GLP‐1R.     

On-line delta(18)O measurement of organic and inorganic substances

A method for the automated sample conversion and on-line oxygen isotope ratio (delta(18)O) determination for organic and inorganic substances is presented. The samples are pyrolytically decomposed at 1400 degrees C in the presence of nickelized graphite. With the system presented organic as well as inorganic samples such as nitrates, sulphates and phosphates of 50-100 &mgr;g O can be analyzed for their delta(18)O values with a standard deviation usually better than 0.5 per thousand. Additionally, carbon isotope ratios of organic substances and nitrogen isotope ratios of inorganic nitrogenous compounds are available in the same sample run. Data for international and some inter-laboratory reference materials are presented to show the accuracy and reliability of the method. The effect of some additives on the CO yield was checked for substances which do not pyrolyze completely. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The quartz crystal microbalance: a new tool for the investigation of the bioadhesion of diatoms to surfaces of differing surface energies

Diatoms are a major component of the biofoul layer found on modern low-surface-energy, 'foul release' coatings. While diatoms adhere more strongly to hydrophobic, as opposed to hydrophilic, surfaces, surprisingly little is known of the chemical composition of their adhesives. Even less is known about the underlying processes that characterize the interaction between the adhesive and a given surface, including those of differing wettability. Using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), we examined differences in the viscoelastic properties of the extracellular adhesives produced by the marine diatoms Amphora coffeaeformis Cleve and Craspedostauros australis Cox interacting with surfaces of differing wettability; 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) that is hydrophilic and 1-undecanethiol (UDT) that is hydrophobic. While the overall delta f/delta D ratios were slightly different, the trends were the same for both diatom species, with the layer secreted upon UDT to be more viscoelastic and far more consistent over several experiments, compared to that on MUA which was less viscoelastic and demonstrated far more variability between experiments. While the nature of the parameter shifts for C. australis were the same for both surfaces, A. coffeaeformis cells settling upon UDT illustrated significant positive f and D shifts during the initial stages of cell settlement and adhesion to the surface. Further experiments revealed the parameter shifts to occur only during the initial adhesion of cells upon the pristine virgin UDT surface. The mechanism behind these parameter responses was isolated to the actin-myosin/adhesion complex (AC), using the myosin inhibitor 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime (BDM) to remove the cells ability to 'pull' on adhesive strands emanating from the cell raphe. The observations made herein have revealed that adhesives secreted by fouling diatoms differ significantly in their interaction with surfaces depending on their wettability, as well as illustrating the unique mechanics behind the adhesion of A. coffeaeformis upon hydrophobic surfaces, a mechanism that may contribute significantly to the cells success in colonizing hydrophobic surfaces.     

A Microcomputer Based Solution to a Practical Scheduling Problem

This paper presents a scheduling problem with constraints imposed on the waiting time between stages. The process in which it occurs involves the preparation, cooking and chilling of meals. A maximum of 30 min is permitted for waiting between the completion of the cooking stage and the start of chilling down to temperature of <3°C. If this is not achieved, then the food has to be discarded. Clearly the scheduling of the final cooking stage and chilling facilities is crucial in this context. The development of a procedure to do this scheduling, using a microcomputer, is described and some typical results presented. Further uses of the model are briefly outlined.     

Supraicosahedral and icosahedral nickelacarbaboranes bearing exopolyhedral metal fragments

Treatment of the isomeric 12-vertex nickelacarbaborane salts [NEt(4)][3-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-closo-3,1,2-NiC(2)B(9)H(11)] and [NEt(4)][2-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-closo-2,1,7-NiC(2)B(9)H(11)] with [CuCl(PPh(3))](4) and Tl[PF(6)] affords the zwitterionic bimetallic species [3-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-3,4,8-[Cu(PPh(3))]-4,8-(mu-H)(2)-closo-3,1,2-NiC(2)B(9)H(9)] and [2-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-2,6,11-(Cu(PPh(3)))-6,11-(mu-H)(2)-closo-2,1,7-NiC(2)B(9)H(9)], respectively. Similarly, the 13-vertex nickelacarbaborane [NEt(4)][4-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-closo-4,1,6-NiC(2)B(10)H(12)] reacts with sources of mono-cationic metal fragments to form [4-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-7,8,13-(Cu(PPh(3)))-7,8,13-(mu-H)(3)-4,1,6-closo-NiC(2)B(10)H(9)], [4-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-3,8-(Rh(PPh(3))(2))-3,8-(mu-H)(2)-4,1,6-closo-NiC(2)B(10)H(10)] and [4-(eta3)-C(3)H(5))-3,7,8-(RuCl(PPh(3))(2))-3,7,8-(mu-H)(3)-4,1,6-closo-NiC(2)B(10)H(9)]. The molecular structures of these five new bimetallic compounds were determined by X-ray diffraction studies, confirming that exopolyhedral Cu, Rh and Ru fragments are attached to the cluster via B-H[right harpoon up]M agostic-type interactions and, in the case of the (NiC(2)B(9)) species, by a metal-metal bond.     

Novel affinity chromatographic system for the single-step purification of glycosaminoglycans from complex systems using volatile buffers

A new system for the isolation and purification of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and related molecules from complex systems such as plasma is described. Affinity chromatography which exploits the very high affinity between the polymeric base Polybrene and sulphated polysaccharides was used. A novel volatile buffer system composed of ammonium formate and formic acid, which allows the complete recovery of samples, was developed, and elution conditions were optimised for the separation and purification of GAGs of different charge densities. Using this system the losses associated with dialysis and desalting, frequently necessary preliminaries to further analysis, are avoided.