Nanotechnology and Nanoscience

Lisa Anderson, vice president of the SEMI Foundation, appeared on Your Life to talk about semi’s High Tech U program for high school students. An alumni of High Tech U also appeared in this interview to give a student perspective. High Tech U is a three-day career exploration program aimed at exciting high school students about the semiconductor industry and how a solid education in math and science can lead them to a high tech career.

When you think of the Caribbean, you might picture a tropical paradise with friendly people and world-class luxury resorts.  It’s a place where you would want to go on your honeymoon or just to escape from city life when it gets on your nerves.  Normally, most people would not consider the Caribbean as a place for doing business; let alone starting one.  Well, that’s all changing at this very moment and now could be the best time to get involved in a new movement while it is still in its formative stages.While immaculate beaches with a view of the vast turquoise sea may be an ideal destination for your next vacation, it’s also become an ideal place for entrepreneurs and existing companies to either start or expand a business.  Many Americans, Canadians and Europeans have come to study in countries like Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Puerto Rico because of programs set up by their governments to attract students from all over the globe, making the Caribbean a breeding ground for the next wave of bright new innovators in science, technology, medicine and business management.  Particular attention has been paid to improving research programs in nanotechnology and ocean energy as investors look for innovative ideas from entrepreneurs who are looking to start new industries that create new opportunities for growth not only within the region, but also internationally.From an investor’s standpoint, having the beach close by is not the only advantage for starting a business in the Caribbean. Some countries have taken steps of attracting companies to the Caribbean by reducing the cost of doing business (such as low or no income and capital gain taxes), which has led to a noticeable increase in foreign investors.   As entrepreneurs begin their efforts to hit upon an opportunity to showcase their ideas, finding independent investors becomes crucial.   Many young entrepreneurs will have a hard time finding venture capital in a region that has not yet established itself as a business centre.  That’s where business angels enter.<a href=”http://www.caribbeaninvestmentnetwork.com”>Angel investors</a> are affluent individuals who are willing to take on the challenge of preparing intelligent yet inexperienced entrepreneurs for the challenge of establishing new companies by not only providing monetary backing, but also sharing their knowledge of the market and how to weather the bumps along the way.    That’s why the Angel Investment Network is such a vital forum for investors and entrepreneurs to meet and realize their common goal: putting the Caribbean on the world economic map.

An excellent glimpse into what the future may be like. I don’t know about any of you, but I can’t wait. (This video is not an original work of the Alliance for Human Progress, but was acquired from www.youtube.com )

The JPK biomat™ workstation is designed for the study of opaque samples combining upright optical microscopy with AFM for surface science and life science. This animation illustrates the design principle.

This demo shows a modified DLP projector making a sample ad appear in about 30 width blue on clear glass. The glass uses the same nanotechnology film as our normal laser projector, converting blu ray and UV light into blue on contact. The point of differentiation with this technology is that is allows one to put animated messaging on completely clear surfaces. Nothing else does that. You can use posters. You can use opaque LCD screens. You can hang a TV in the window. You can frost a window to make it translucent so it catches part but not all of a projected image. But none of the alternatives keep the window clear, so you can use the window for what it is, a transparent barrier, and still see through it. With all alternative technologies, you might as well have a wall instead of a window. As we all know, windows are better and invite customers into the store. Keep your windows. Use them for dynamic messaging with superimagings mediaglass! Please visit pavillionantiques.com for more information about the store or its location, or superimaging.com for further information about our mediaglass projection system.

Applied nanofluorescence, LLC President, Dr. R. Bruce Weisman talks about his award-winning nanotechnology instrumentation company

Cancer rates have been rising steadily since the 1940s. But this is mostly true in Western life-style societies. By understanding how this happened, we can all learn to protect ourselves better. A Cancer Epidemic Started in 1940 Cancer rates have been climbing steadily since 1940. This is not due simply to the increase use of screening tests or the aging of our population: cancer has been rising in children and adolescents at a rate of 1% per year in the past 25 years. And cancers that have no screening test (lymphomas, pancreatic and testicular cancers for example) have been increasing as fast or faster than those that do (breast, colon, prostate). The most common cancers in the west are rare in some other countries. In certain regions of rural China in the 1980s, for example, WHO researchers using the same screening tests we use in the west were not able to find any cases of breast cancers. They were told by local physicians “it’s a disease of rich women! You’ll find it in Hong Kong, but not here.” When Chinese women immigrate to the US, their risk of breast cancer becomes that of American women within one or two generations. The same is true for Japanese men and prostate cancer. Asians are not protected by their genes, but by their life-style. A Watershed in 1940: Five causes of a cancer epidemic Five major aspects of our life-style have changed since 1940 and contribute to the progression of cancer: 1. The massive increase of sugar consumption We went from 12 lbs of refined sugar per person per year in the 1800s to 154 lbs per person per year in 2000. Cancer cells feed primarily on sugar. To detect where a tumor may be present in the body, we use PET scans that simply measure where radioactive sugar accumulates. 2. The change in the way we feed animals that feed us Animals used to feed on grass and seeds rich in omega-3 fatty acids that slow the growth of cancer. Hence, meat, milk, cheese, butter, and eggs were all rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Now that animals are fed in feed-lots with corn and soy, omega-3s have practically disappeared from our common foods. Eggs my grandmother used to feed me on the farm I was raised on were a genuine “health food”, filled with the omega-3 DHA necessary for the growth of a child’s brain. Today’s supermarket eggs have practically no DHA and it has been replaced with the pro-inflammatory omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA). A diet rich in omega-6 fatty acids is associated with a markedly increased risk of breast cancer. As omega-6s stimulate inflammation in the body, they are likely to feed the growth of many other types of cancer too. Trans-fats, introduced widely in the 1960’s, are now present in almost all industrial foods (pizza, cookies, French fries etc.). They  are thought to increase the risk of breast cancer by a factor of 2. A Dutch government report of 2007 estimates that that the number of deaths due to trans-fats in that country exceeds that due to motor vehicle accidents. 3. The introduction of chemicals in all aspects of life DDT was invented just before WWII. Many common herbicides and pesticides mimic the effects of estrogen hormones in the body. They can stimulate the growth of an existing tumor. In 2005 the CDC found 149 toxic chemicals in the blood and urine of American of all ages that were tested. In 2003 the University of Seattle tested pre-schoolers who eat conventional (non-organic) foods. The level of pesticide residue in their urine was high. For some of them, it exceeded by a factor of 4 the limit recommended by the Environment Protection Agency. Children eating organic diets (70% organic or better) had practically none. 4. The massive reduction in our physical activity Do you know anyone whose grand-parents did not walk to school? How many children do you know today who walk more than 10 minutes to go to school? Something powerful has happened to our relation to physical activity. We are the most sedentary humans that ever existed. The risk of a relapse from breast cancer is 50% less in women who walk 30 minutes six times a week. Physical activity is a highly effective protector from cancer that we have eliminated from our lives. 5. The disorganization of our social support networks We Americans now move on average every 5 years. This means that we change neighbors, often friends, and get further and further away from our aunts and uncles, our parents, and our siblings. In times of major stress, the most effective protection from adverse psychological and physical effects on our body comes from the strength of our intimate relationships. How strong are they today when we no longer live near each other? Twenty-five percent of us say that we have no one in whom we can confide. One Australian study found that women with a major stressor in their life and no intimate support had 9.5 times more chances of developing breast cancer. The encouraging part in this sad picture of an epidemic is that each one of us can start to reverse these societal changes in our own life. We can decide to nourish balance, to stimulate health, in us and around us. We can opt for a new way of life. And in doing so, we simultaneously help prevent cancer if we are cancer free, and strengthen our bodies if we already have it.

©2008 David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD