Comparing nanoparticle risk perceptions to other known EHS risks

Over the last decade social scientific researchers have examined how the public perceives risks associated with nanotechnology. The body of literature that has emerged has been methodologically diverse. The findings have confirmed that some publics perceive nanotechnology as riskier than others, experts feel nanotechnology is less risky than the public does, and despite risks the public is optimistic about nanotechnology development. However, the extant literature on nanotechnology and risk suffers from sometimes widely divergent findings and has failed to provide a detailed picture of how the public actually feels about nanotechnology risks when compared to other risks. This study addresses the deficiencies in the literature by providing a comparative approach to gauging nanotechnology risks. The findings show that the public does not fear nanotechnology compared to other risks. Out of 24 risks presented to the participants, nanotechnology ranked 19th in terms of overall risk and 20th in terms of “high risk.”     

Feedback localization of freely diffusing fluorescent particles near the optical shot-noise limit

We report near-optimal tracking of freely diffusing fluorescent particles in a quasi-two-dimensional geometry via photon counting and real-time feedback. We present a quantitative statistical model of our feedback network and find excellent agreement with the experiment. We monitor the motion of a single fluorescent particle with a sensitivity of 15 nm/sqrt Hz while collecting fewer than 5000 fluorescence photons/s. Fluorescent microspheres (diffusion coefficient 1.3 microm2/s) are tracked with a root-mean-square tracking error of 170 nm, within a factor of 2 of the theoretical limit set by photon counting shot noise.     

Phospholipid lung surfactant and nanoparticle surface toxicity: Lessons from diesel soots and silicate dusts

Because of their small size, the specific surface areas of nanoparticulate materials (NP), described as particles having at least one dimension smaller than 100 nm, can be large compared with micrometer-sized respirable particles. This high specific surface area or nanostructural surface properties may affect NP toxicity in comparison with micrometer-sized respirable particles of the same overall composition. Respirable particles depositing on the deep lung surfaces of the respiratory bronchioles or alveoli will contact pulmonary surfactants in the surface hypophase. Diesel exhaust ultrafine particles and respirable silicate micrometer-sized insoluble particles can adsorb components of that surfactant onto the particle surfaces, conditioning the particles surfaces and affecting their in vitro expression of cytotoxicity or genotoxicity. Those effects can be particle surface composition-specific. Effects of particle surface conditioning by a primary component of phospholipid pulmonary surfactant, diacyl phosphatidyl choline, are reviewed for in vitro expression of genotoxicity by diesel exhaust particles and of cytotoxicity by respirable quartz and aluminosilicate kaolin clay particles. Those effects suggest methods and cautions for assaying and interpreting NP properties and biological activities.     

Emulator with inverse trend in first-order and second-order polarisation mode dispersion

We design a polarisation mode dispersion (PMD) emulator through subdividing a polarisation maintaining fibre (PMF) of 22 m in length. The aim of this emulator design is to show that first-order and second-order PMD can be inversely proportional to each other. Furthermore, the emulator is also used to show that the magnitude of PMD is independent to whether its statistics approach theoretical distributions or not, of most importance is the degree of mode coupling. The same (as former) applies to its autocorrelation function (ACF). The PMD control mechanism for the emulator is not in real time.     

On the physical interpretation of Heywood and Redhead's algebraic impossibility theorem

Heywood and Redhead's 1983 algebraic (Kochen-Specker type) impossibility proof, which establishes the inconsistency of a broad class of contextualized local realistic theories, assumes two locality conditions and two auxiliary assumptions. One of those auxiliary conditions, FUNC^*, has been called a physically unmotivated,ad hoc formal constraint.In this paper, we derive Heywood and Redhead's auxiliary conditions from physical assumptions. This allows us to analyze which classes of hidden-variables theories escape the Heywood-Redhead contradiction. By doing so, we hope to clarify the physical and philosophical ramifications of the Heywood-Redhead proof. Most current hidden-variables theories, it turns out, violate Heywood and Redhead's auxiliary conditions.1. See Redhead [1], pp. 133–136, for a complete discussion.2. Arthur Fine first pointed out the implicit reliance on FUNC^*, and proved FUNC^* to be both consistent with and independent of the Value Rule.3. LetA=_ia_i P _i andB=_jb_j P_j be spectral resolutions ofA andB. Then <A,B> is the observable associated with maximal operatorR=_ijf_ij P _iP_j, where f_ij=F(a_i,b_j), and where function F is 1:1.4. Heywood and Redhead's versions of these conditions employ equivalence-class notation to specify the ontological context. {<D,E>}={R} refers to the equivalence class of all possible <D,E> formed by using different F functions (cf. Footnote 3). Clearly, such notation assumes that ifR andR are two distinct commuting maximal operators formed as described in Fn. 3 fromD andE using two different F(d_i,e_j) functions, then [Q]^t _(R)(R)=[Q]^t _(R)(R), so that [Q]^t _{R}(R) is uniquely defined.Heywood and Redhead never rely upon this assumption in their proof, however. It is easily checked that a Heywood-Redhead contradiction follows from my non-equivalence class versions of OLOC, ELOC, VR, and FUNC^*. Therefore, I will not use equivalence class notation.5. Here I denote by µ_R the composite state of all the apparatuses needed to measure R. So µ_R may represent the state of more than one device.6 This is because in a hidden-variables framework, quantum mechanical probabilities are a weighted average of the underlying hidden-variables probabilities.7. This argument resembles a proof given by Fine [8].8. Recall from theorem 1 that ifQ=f(R), then for all quantum states , P_(t)(Qf(r), R=r)=0.     

Low temperature solid-state NMR experiments of half-integer quadrupolar nuclides: caveats and data analysis

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of half-integer quadrupolar nuclides has received a lot of interest recently with the advent of new methodologies and higher magnetic fields. We present here the extension of our previous low temperature method to an 18.8T system. This new probe entailed a total redesign including a cross coil and variable capacitors that are operational at cryogenic temperatures. The limitations to sensitivity are also discussed; including a new diode network, the utilization of a cryogenic band pass filter, and the consequences of the RF profiles of the coil. Further, details of the spectroscopy of quadrupolar nuclei in a protein are discussed, such as the observation of the outer transitions and how to distinguish them from the desired +/-1/2 transition.     

Distortion-free single point imaging of multi-layered composite sandwich panel structures

The results of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigation concerning the effects of an aluminum honeycomb sandwich panel on the B1 and B0 fields and on subsequent image quality are presented. Although the sandwich panel structure, representative of an aircraft composite material, distorts B0 and attenuates B1, distortion-free imaging is possible using single point (constant time) imaging techniques. A new expression is derived for the error caused by gradient field distortion due to the heterogeneous magnetic susceptibility within a sample and this error is shown not to cause geometric distortion in the image. The origin of the B0 distortion in the sample under investigation was also examined. The graphite-epoxy 'skin' of the panel is the principal source of the B0 distortion. Successful imaging of these structures sets the stage for the development of methods for detecting moisture ingress and degradation within composite sandwich structures.     

Protein recognition using synthetic surface-targeted agents

The design of synthetic agents to disrupt protein-protein interactions has received relatively little attention in recent years. In this review we describe strategies for targeting different types of protein surfaces using mimetics of protein secondary or tertiary structure. In this way strong and selective binding to a protein surface has be achieved and disruption of clinically important protein-protein interactions has been demonstrated in models of human disease.     

400-photon-per-pulse ultrashort pulse autocorrelation measurement with aperiodically poled lithium niobate waveguides at 1.55 microm

We demonstrate ultrasensitive intensity autocorrelation measurements of subpicosecond optical pulses in the telecommunication band by using aperiodically poled lithium niobate (A-PPLN) waveguides. The tightly confined optical beam in the waveguides and the chirped poling period facilitate simultaneous high second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency and broad phase-matching (PM) bandwidth. The resulting measurement sensitivity is 3.2 x 10(-7) mW2, approximately 500 times better than the previous record for intensity autocorrelations. We also show that chirped A-PPLN waveguides retain nearly the same SHG efficiency as the unchirped guide as long as the PM bandwidth is not significantly broader than the input spectrum.