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sexta-feira, 30 de novembro de 2012

Filling the Knowledge Gaps for Safe Nanotechnology in the Workplace


cover of 2013-101
The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) was established in 2004 to develop, coordinate, and deliver an organized program of research to identify, investigate, and develop science-based solutions to workplace health and safety knowledge gaps in nanotechnology. The NTRC provides overall strategic direction and coordination of the NIOSH nanotechnology cross-sector research program (http://www. cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/). The responsibilities of the NTRC are in accordance with the legislative mandate issued to NIOSH in Section 20(a) (4) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which states:
"...conduct special research, experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and health as are necessary to explore new problems, including those created by new technology in occupational safety and health, which may require ameliorative action beyond that which is otherwise provided for in the operating provisions of this Act."
Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging material science technology that has been identified as a critical U.S. scientific and commercial enterprise with global economic benefits. Concern over the lack of knowledge about the potential health risks associated with the handling of pure, unbound engineered nanomaterials has been expressed by investors, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and public health advocacy groups. Such concerns create potential barriers to the growth of nanotechnology and the commercialization of products and devices that could help address serious global problems concerning energy, transportation, pollution, health, and food. Issues that have been raised about worker health and safety must be addressed to ensure responsible development, societal benefit, and associated economic growth.

Filling the Knowledge Gaps for Safe Nanotechnology in the Workplace


cover of 2013-101


The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) was established in 2004 to develop, coordinate, and deliver an organized program of research to identify, investigate, and develop science-based solutions to workplace health and safety knowledge gaps in nanotechnology. The NTRC provides overall strategic direction and coordination of the NIOSH nanotechnology cross-sector research program (http://www. cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/). The responsibilities of the NTRC are in accordance with the legislative mandate issued to NIOSH in Section 20(a) (4) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which states:
"...conduct special research, experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and health as are necessary to explore new problems, including those created by new technology in occupational safety and health, which may require ameliorative action beyond that which is otherwise provided for in the operating provisions of this Act."
Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging material science technology that has been identified as a critical U.S. scientific and commercial enterprise with global economic benefits. Concern over the lack of knowledge about the potential health risks associated with the handling of pure, unbound engineered nanomaterials has been expressed by investors, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and public health advocacy groups. Such concerns create potential barriers to the growth of nanotechnology and the commercialization of products and devices that could help address serious global problems concerning energy, transportation, pollution, health, and food. Issues that have been raised about worker health and safety must be addressed to ensure responsible development, societal benefit, and associated economic growth.


Fonte: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

quarta-feira, 28 de novembro de 2012

Workshop discute cooperação de Brasil e Canadá em nanotecnologia

Novas possibilidades de colaboração bilateral devem sair do 1º Workshop Brasil-Canadá em Nanotecnologia, de 6 a 7 de dezembro, no Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (Ipen), em São Paulo. 

O evento reúne academia, governo e indústria dos dois países. A organização prevê que surjam oportunidades no âmbito do programa Ciência sem Fronteiras. Estudantes de graduação e pós-graduação não pagam taxa de inscrição. 

Iniciada em 2009, a cooperação lançou um edital conjunto neste ano, por meio de acordo entre o Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq/MCTI) e o programa Parcerias Internacionais do Canadá em Ciência e Tecnologia (ISTPCanada, na sigla em inglês). Um dos temas da chamada abrangia nanotecnologia associada a tecnologias limpas e energias renováveis, para apoiar projetos sobre painéis fotovoltaicos e silício.

Participam do workshop o Instituto para Nanotecnologia de Waterloo (WIN, em inglês), da província de Ontário, no Canadá, e o Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia (LNNano), unidade do Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM) – organização social supervisionada pelo Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (MCTI), com sede em Campinas (SP).

Representante dos Estados Unidos, o Laboratório Nacional de Energia Renovável (NREL, em inglês) comparece como convidado especial. Ao lado do Ipen, organiza o evento a Coordenação-Geral de Micro e Nanotecnologias da Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e Inovação do MCTI (CGNT/Setec). O Ipen é uma autarquia do governo de São Paulo gerenciada pela Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (Cnen/MCTI).

O assessor especial Adalberto Fazzio e o titular da CGNT, Flávio Plentz, representam o MCTI no workshop. Também devem estar presentes o diretor do Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia do Itamaraty, Benedicto Fonseca Filho, o diretor do LNNano, Fernando Galembeck, e os pesquisadores Angelo Mascarenhas, do norte-americano NREL, e Michael Tim, do canadense WIN.

Texto: Rodrigo PdGuerra – Ascom do MCTI

MCTI investirá R$ 110 milhões em nanotecnologia


Clique para ver todas as fotos de MCTI investirá R$ 110 milhões em nanotecnologiaO Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (MCTI) deverá investir, nos próximos três anos, R$ 110 milhões na área de nanotecnologia, com o objetivo de apoiar empresas e laboratórios que atuam no setor. O anúncio foi feito, na terça-feira (27), pelo secretário substituto de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e Inovação, Adalberto Fazzio, durante o Seminário Regulação, Inovação e Desenvolvimento da Nanotecnologia, promovido pela Agência Brasileira de Desenvolvimento Industrial (ABDI), em Brasília.

Cerca de R$ 80 milhões serão direcionados a áreas específicas de interesse do Plano Brasil Maior, do governo federal, e da Estratégia Nacional de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Encti 2012-2015), em especial, no apoio a laboratórios das unidades de pesquisa do MCTI e a departamentos de pesquisa de universidades que integram o Sistema Nacional de Laboratórios em Nanotecnologias (SisNANO). Os R$ 30 milhões restantes se destinarão à subvenção econômica para inovação nas empresas, por meio da Agência Brasileira da Inovação (Finep/MCTI).

“Esse investimento representa um aumento substancial em relação aos anos anteriores”, comentou o representante do MCTI. Segundo ele, a área de nanotecnologia ganhou novo impulso após a criação, este ano, do Comitê Interministerial de Nanotecnologia (CIN), formado por oito ministérios.
Sobre a necessidade de regulação da nanotecnologia, Fazzio afirmou que "obviamente, qualquer mudança tecnológica traz muitos benefícios à sociedade, mas  precisamos saber onde estão os riscos”, sustentou Fazzio.

Segundo ele, o ministério já possui seis redes de nanotoxicologia que atuam com aproximadamente 180 pesquisadores, além de projetos desenvolvidos por institutos nacionais de ciência e tecnologia (INCTs). “O conhecimento científico é essencial para a regulação desse setor tecnológico, que vem sendo debatida na Europa, nos Estados Unidos e no Japão. Agora é a vez do Brasil trabalhar com o tema”, reforçou, ao destacar a importância da articulação entre os vários setores envolvidos na iniciativa.

Na avaliação do secretário sustituto, o Brasil tem avançado no que se refere a publicações científicas. Ele também destacou as novas perspectivas de desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico do país, a partir da criação, no ano passado, do programa federal Ciência sem Fronteiras, que concede bolsas a estudantes e pesquisadores brasileiros nas melhores instituições de ensino do mundo. 

Para Fazzio, aproximar a academia do setor produtivo é um dos grandes desafios da inovação. “Do ponto de vista acadêmico, estamos muito bem, e esse conhecimento começa a ser incorporado pelas empresas. No Brasil, cerca de 130 delas atuam em pesquisa e desenvolvimento”, afirmou.

Cenário
O seminário da ABDI reuniu mais de 50 especialistas e representantes de órgãos públicos e de empresas, entre eles, o secretário de Inovação do Ministério do Desenvolvimento Indústria e Comércio Exterior (MDIC), Nelson Fujimoto. Além de integrarem grupos de trabalho, os participantes puderam acompanhar a apresentação de relatórios sobre o atual cenário da nanotecnologia no Brasil e no mundo, bem como participaram do debate sobre segurança e regulação. Eles foram apresentados pela diretora geral da Associação das Indústrias de Nanotecnologia do Reino Unido, Steffi Friedrichs, por videoconferência, e pelas pesquisadoras Sílvia Guterres e Adriana Pohlann, da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).
Texto: Denise Coelho – Ascom do MCTI

segunda-feira, 26 de novembro de 2012

Scientists eye nanotechnologies to boost crop yields


Nanotechnologies that deliver fertilisers to plants offer promising ways of improving farm productivity while reducing the risk of water contamination. But the scientists behind a new Swiss-funded study caution that while the technology is still evolving, potential risks must be considered.
The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme proposes heavy investment in developing materials and machines that are built from an atomic or molecular scale, with the European Commission proposing some €6 billion in financing for nano and other advanced technologies.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization conference held earlier this year in Rome identified nanotechnology as potentially having “significant benefits” for food security in a world facing a population rise from 7 billion now to 9 billion in 2050.
Clemens Breisinger, a German agricultural economist and senior researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), says the growth in consumption in the emerging world’s middle class also creates pressure for more production.
“As incomes grow, people tend to eat richer food, more meat,” Breisinger said.
“The only way to meet the demand is to significantly increase global food production,” Breisinger told EurActiv in a telephone interview. “The big question now is can this be done through productivity gains, or do we need more land.”
The Washington-based IFPRI has called for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, administered by the World Bank, to support more research on ways nanotechnology can improve farm production and water safety, especially for the world’s most impoverished people.
Urging caution
But the scientists behind a new Swiss-funded study caution that while the technology is still evolving, potential risks must be considered.
Researchers at Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (ART) in Zurich and the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture in Berne say that direct application of plant protection products and fertilisers containing nanosubstances may pose potential hazards to microorganisms that flourish beneath the Earth’s surface.
The scientists contend there is only limited research into the effects of man-made nanomaterials on soil health, and point out that “the potential improvement of plant protection products and fertilisers through nanomaterials is offset by their significantly higher flux into soils if nanomaterials are used.”
Fragile microorganisms like bacteria and fungi are natural suppliers of nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients to crops, and are paramount for soil fertility and plant health.
“We cannot afford to jeopardise these essential ecosystem services” explained Thomas D. Bucheli of the Agroscope ART, and an author of the report funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. “These symbiontic communities are key for a sustainable agriculture and deserve our special attention.”
“With nanotechnology-related markets growing at an enormous speed, there is an urgent need to regulate products with nano content,” the researchers argue in their study published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
“This need for regulation is, however, in general but also specifically for agriculture adversely accompanied by a lack of knowledge on the current state.”
The study points out that while Swiss companies are required to declare any nanomaterials contained in new pesticide products, international guidelines for nano risk assessment are still at the development stage.

EFSA guidelines
Last year, the European Food Safety Authority published guidelines for the risk assessment of engineered nanomaterial in food and animal feed. Though it covers pesticides and food additives, the document does not deal with fertilisers.
Still, Bucheli said regulators have learned from past consequences of embracing technology without weighing the potential risks.
For instance, the pesticide DDT became a weapon of choice against malaria and typhus starting in the 1940s. Yet DDT, or dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, was later linked to cancer and birth defects in humans, and to disappearing wildlife, leading to restrictions on its use.
“On a very general level, regulators in the EU and in Switzerland and worldwide are doing a pretty good job right now given that this [nanotechnology] is really an evolving field of development,” Bucheli told EurActiv. “I think we are pretty much on time with our activities, both as researchers and regulators.”
Small is big
Both the advanced and emerging countries see enormous potential in nano developments.
German chemical company BASF and Syngenta have developed applications at the nano-level for crop protection. The United States is using nanosensors linked to global position systems to monitor soil conditions.
Researchers in China used nanomaterials to detect contamination in dairy products in 2008, when the melamine contamination of milk caused thousands of people be become sick.
The Fraunhofer Institute in Germany is working on using nanotechnologies to improve water safety, purification and wastewater treatment, leading to reduced energy and chemical consumption.
Last year, European researchers led by Britain’s Cranfield University developed a sophisticated way of conducting field tests that can detect pathogens in water using strands of DNA to trigger warnings.
Such developments could have major health implications for global health. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.7 million people, most of them in developing countries, die every year from diseases related to contaminated water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

BACKGROUND: 
The EU and United States have recognised the potential for applications at the microscopic level.
Research into nanotechnology has strong support from the European Union, including €3.5 billion through the EU’s seventh framework programme to support research, while the US Department of Agriculture has been able to boost research funding while most other US government programmes have endured cuts.
The European Commission adopted a

Countries including India and Iran also see nanotechnology potential for agriculture by launching their own research programmes.

POSITIONS: 
In a report on using agricultural and food technologies to help the poor, the International Food Policy Research Institute has called for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
“Potential nanotechnology applications currently in the R&D pipeline have the potential to make agriculture more efficient, increase yields and product quality, and thereby increase nutritional benefits. Devel­oped countries are using or testing nanosensors and nanoagricultural chemicals, nanoparticles for soil cleaning and nanopore filters, nanoc­eramic devices, and nanoparticles. An increasing number of applica­tions are expected for food and agriculture uses, including nanosensors, potentially capable of detecting chemical contaminants, viruses, and bacteria; nano–delivery systems, which could precisely deliver drugs or micronutrients at the right time and to the right part of the body; as well as nanocoatings and films, nanoparticles, and quantum dots.”
Thomas D. Bucheli of the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station in Zurich sees promise in nanotech and efforts to ensure they are used safely in agricultural practices.
“We are pretty close - researchers, the developers and the regulators – to in a timely manner to really observe what’s going on. And I think that’s a big step forward … and I see that regulators and scientists and some of the producers of nanomaterials are even interacting with each other and exchanging their knowledge. In that respect, I am basically confident that this will work out well.”
Timothy Spence


Fonte: EurActiv

segunda-feira, 19 de novembro de 2012

Livro 'Pulmão de Aço' de Eliana Zagui e as "ofertas" nanotecnológicas

Por: André Luiz Aguiar*


Pulmão de Aço

Uma Vida no Maior 
Hospital do Brasil
 1a. edição, 2012

Terminei de ler um livro recentemente cujo título encontra-se acima referido na chamada, mas que não custa repetir: Pulmão de Aço: Uma vida no maior hospital do Brasilautora Eliana Zagui.

Além do meu contentamento e incentivo para que você leia o que Eliana tem para nos contar, ressalto algo que parece muitas vezes desapercebido quando nos deparamos com um livro: como este autor escreveu isto?

A pergunta é literal mesmo; de que forma aquelas palavras contidas no livro apresentaram?

E aqui está a maravilha desta espetacular biografia: cada letra, vírgula, acento, palavra foi realizada com a BOCA.

Isto mesmo, Eliana Zagui escreveu seu livro com a BOCA.

O inusitado não advém de um interesse mercadológico ou qualquer coisa semelhante, mas por uma condição física que a acomete desde tenra idade.



Eliana Zagui
Fonte: 
www.apbp.com.br/elianazagui/fotos.htm
Por volta dos dois anos de idade contraíra poliomielite (paralisia infantil); surto que avassalara o Brasil nas décadas de 1970 e 1980 e que a levou a ficar toda a sua vida no leito de um dos maiores hospitais do Brasil, o Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, especificadamente no Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia - IOT. Vale lembrar que em 31 de julho passado o  IOT completou 59 anos, quando tinha por função precípua a de receber pacientes com Poliomielite Anterior Aguda, em fase de comprometimento respiratório. 


Paulo H.M.
E até hoje, aos 38 anos de idade, Eliana continua no leito deste hospital -- paralisada do pescoço para baixo, vivendo 24 horas por dia por meio de um respirador artificial, isto é,  ela está mais da metade do tempo da existência do referido instituto. Olhando para cima -- com os olhos para o Alto --, juntamente com seu amigo Paulo Henrique Machado, o qual acabou se tornando seu grande irmão.


Atualmente ela escreve, pinta, tecla no computador e colori, tudo com a boca; às vezes a tela de um quadro ou alguns artesanatos, mas muitas vezes dá matizes à nossa vida.

Mesmo "presa" à cama hospitalar, sonha alto, com desejos e aspirações que virão a se concretizar brevemente.
Hospital Rancho Los Amigos Respiratory Center, o maior centro de tratamento respiratório para casos de pólio do mundo na década de 1950, próximo a Los Angeles: pulmões de aço resultaram na criação das UTIs
Centro de tratamento respiratório para casos 
de pólio do mundo na década de 1950
Fonte: Folha SP:
Saiba o que é um pulmão de aço

A sua condição excepcional é acrescida de uma raridade que a poliomielite lhe vindicou, uma vez que a sua vida já era para ter sido encerrada há anos, haja vista que a doença debilitou sua musculatura, destruindo os neurônios motores e provocando paralisia flácida nos membros inferiores. Assim, ela teve afetado, além dos pés até o pescoço, também o diafragma. O que acabou prejudicando drasticamente sua capacidade respiratória. Teve de passar pelo Pulmão de aço, aparelho  que tem a função de expansão da caixa torácica a fim de permitir a entrada do ar, muito usado para tratar insuficiência respiratória severa. Foi criado por Philip Drinker na década de 1920.

O tal Pulmão de aço não surtiu os efeitos esperados em Eliana, a qual teve de viver diariamente num respirador artificial -- traqueostomizada. 

Por ser oriunda do interior de São Paulo, da cidade de Guariba, nascida em 23/03/1974, não havia recursos nos hospitais da região, tendo, portanto, que "residir" no HC de São Paulo, pois ele era um dos únicos na época a ter capacidade de tratá-la e dar suporte necessário. 

Foi lá no HC que ela passou -- e ainda passa -- a sua vida. Vendo amigos da época chegarem e partirem, vendo enfermeiros, residentes, médicos e demais transeuntes. Alguns marcaram positivamente sua vida, outros não. Muitos deixaram marcas que foram balizando e transformando sua vida . Dentre estas, uma que possivelmente a "adotará" e que fora responsável por um dos passeios que ela pôde fazer para desbravar o mundo fora do hospital.

Todos estes detalhes eu deixo para que você leia diretamente da fonte -- da boca de Eliana, literalmente.
Eliana, nos anos 70, maquiada para a festa junina do hospital e Eliana, hoje, aos 38 anos, após concluir o livro sobre a vida passada numa UTI (Foto: Arquivo Pessoal e Belaletra Editora / Divulgação)
Eliana, nos anos 70, maquiada para a festa junina do hospital e Eliana, hoje, aos 38 anos, após concluir o livro sobre a vida passada numa UTI
(Foto: Arquivo pessoal e Belaletra Editora / Divulgação)
Fonte: Época

Uma das coisas que mais marca uma pessoa que fica tanto tempo num leito -- e que fora um dos motivos que me motivou a escrever esse texto e relacioná-lo à nanotecnologia -- são as visitas: de parentes, de amigos, de conhecidos, de amigo de amigos, de famoso, de desconhecidos, etc.

Eliana relata que os pacientes ficam tão suscetíveis que se apegam a qualquer um que os visitem e que demonstre o mínimo de carinho. 
E é aqui que reside o percalço, pois os visitantes muitas vezes retornam uma ou duas vezes, sobretudo parentes, mas a maioria os esquece. Eles vem, passam, deixam marcas, criam esperanças, expectativas, anseios, sonhos, mas depois somem, desaparecem.

Numa mesma intensidade de amor oferecido é a saudade que acabam deixando. E aí o sentimento de desamparo, desânimo e depressão avassalam os acamados.

A autora presencia muitos destes ambivalentes sentimentos, todavia, se apega aos que a torna especial e que a faz olhar adiante -- para cima.

A partir deste ponto é que penso na nanotecnologia e correlaciono àqueles que estão nos hospitais, asilos, manicômios, orfanatos e afins e faço o seguinte questionamento: até que ponto a chamada Era Nanotecnológica e suas "ofertas" será capaz de suprir estes desvalidos e esquecidos?

Cada dia mais eu venho publicando no blog os mais variados produtos nanotecnológicos. Na área médica são muitos: nanovacinas; nanocápsulas que carregam medicamentos por meio de uma pílula diretamente ao local da doença; nanotecidos para uso hospitalar; roupas com nanoprata para evitar contaminações; leitos com nanopartículas para facilitar a limpeza e combater as possíveis escaras; bancadas com nano para impedir infecções; e por aí vai...

São centenas e centenas de nanoprodutos no mercado. Pululam as prateleiras aos mil. Prometem curas e milagres à filme de ficção científica. Ensejam expectativas mil e cura das mazelas humanas. Porém, destas ofertas nanotecnológicas quais delas efetivamente chegou para Eliana Zagui e/ou para tantos outros enfermos e excluídos?

Ainda que tenha chegado para o HC de SP os mais modernos engendramentos da nanomedicina -- incluo vacinas, aparelhos, metodologias, técnicas, recursos humanos, nanocápsulas, nanofiltros, nanopratas e outros nanodesenvolvimentos -- quais desdes puderam suplantar as carências de amor nos infindos dias e noites acostados num leito hospitalar?

Costumo dizer que a nanotecnologia poderia ser a primeira desenvolvida no seio do capitalismo e que visasse o social e que desse condições iguais a todos -- de acesso, custos e facilidades --, entretanto, não é o que vemos. Além de não ser todos os que de fato se beneficiarão da Era Nano, qual é a nanotecnologia que poderá acalentar na cama hospitalar em que residem Eliana Zagui, Paulo, Marias e Joões?

Qual nanotecnologia poderá substituir o amor?

Talvez Eliana quisesse trocar a sua condição física atual por uma outra pessoa "normal", ou mesmo que a nanotecnologia curasse as suas enfermidades. Mas creio que ela jamais trocaria o amor recebido por pessoas que a marcaram por essa revolução nanotecnológica. Afinal, nano não ama nem pode amar a ninguém, pois quem os faz são as pessoas.

Pode a nanotecnologia contar histórias para as pequenas Elianas ninarem enquanto esperam a próxima injeção medicamentosa em seus leitos? Pode ela acariciar a mão de uma colega de quarto quando a tristeza aperta o coração? Pode acalmar a alma dos que sozinhos varam as noites sem ter alguém para conversar, rir e chorar? Pode conquistar amigos e torná-los irmãos?

Em síntese: pode a nanotecnologia amar e se lembrar dos desamparados?

Se Eliana Zagui estivesse lendo e pudesse responder, creio que seria negativa a resposta.

Necessitamos de cautela nestes dias onde a ciência quer prometer curas maravilhosas e muitas vezes desejadas. Ela, a ciência, esquece que pessoas vivem e precisam de amor, além de suas engenhosidades.

Dedico este texto a você Eliana Zagui pela persistência, coragem, ousadia e amor com que leva sua vida -- na horizontal. Saiba que seu livro me entusiasmou e inspirou. Creio que para aqueles que tiverem acesso ao seu livro e história não será diferente.
Parabéns e obrigado por sonhar alto, o que possibilitou que seu livro fosse escrito e que muitos saiam das tristezas da vida e passem a amar uns aos outros.

Eliana Zagui
Fonte: Folha SP

 




* André Luiz Aguiar: advogado formado pela
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do
Paraná (PUC-PR), pesquisador e consultor
em Nanotecnologias e regulamentação

NanoLei sempre no ar



Por: André Luiz Aguiar*

Para aqueles que me acompanham aqui no NanoLei, gostaria de comentar que ele está no ar e presente, ainda que eu não tenha veiculado muitas coisas recentemente.


NANOLEI
Este pequena pausa de meses foi para poder me atualizar e organizar certas pendências em todas as áreas da vida.

Volto com a publicação de um texto que fiz após ler o livro de Eliana Zagui, Pulmão de Aço, também um outro texto que está disputando um concurso em um jornal local (que poderá ser exposto apenas em meados de dezembro), bem como um outro artigo sobre picotecnologia, claytronics, drones, nanoágua, nanolixões, problemas jurídicos, agrotóxicos, regulamentações, enfim. Segue o NanoLei na pesquisa do desenvolvimento nanotecnológico.

Uma abraço a todos e continuem acompanhando o NanoLei, também no Facebook e em breve no Twiter.





 André Luiz Aguiar , consultor jurídico, advogado 
formado pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do 
Paraná (PUC-PR), pesquisador e consultor 
em Nanotecnologias e regulamentação

quarta-feira, 14 de novembro de 2012

Update: Full steam ahead for BASF project on nanomaterial safety


After the launch of its latest research project into the safety of nanomaterials earlier in the year, the global chemicals giant has been pushing ahead, so much so that it reveals the first phase of results will be available by early 2013.

segunda-feira, 5 de novembro de 2012

Nanotechnology in New York, USA: Market Report


Topics Covered

Have we missed you? Are you a company, organisation or research group operating in this region and feel you warrant inclusion on this page? Also please feel free to help us keep this page up to date with the latest news or research from your organisation or suggest general edits. Shoot through an email and one of our editorial team will get back to you.

Introduction

The state of New York is located in the Northeastern part of the United States of America. It is the third most populated state in the United States with a population of 19,465,197 people as of July 1, 2011. The state covers a total area of 141,300 km2 and shares an international border with Canada. There are 62 cities in the state with the largest and most populous one being New York City. Its capital is Albany.
New York experiences a humid continental climate. The economy of the state is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. In 2010, the Gross State Product was $1.16 trillion, making it the third highest in the U.S.
New York’s hi-tech industry sector is very strong, featuring a multitude of partnerships between academia and industry, good access to funding for new ventures, and a high level of education. Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing field in the area - New York recently ranked second in the USA for nanotechnology research, and fourth in nanotechnology development in a survey by Small Times Magazine.

Nanotechnology Organisations

New York has many world-leading organisations and networks committed to promoting nanoscience as well as exploring the challenges and future of nanotechnology.
A brief introduction to the key nanotechnology-related organisations in New York is given below:
U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) - has created a partnership between SEMATECH and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at University of Albany, and the University of Central Florida. The consortium links more than 80 companies, universities, and high tech laboratories to provide a major boost to the photovoltaic manufacturing industry in the U.S.
NY Loves Nanotech - This initiative was organized by the Center for Economic Growth (CEG) with sponsorship support from Empire State Development, National Grid and NYSTAR. Its goal is to develop a solutions-based economic development approach to the semiconductor/nanotechnology industry in New York.
Center for Analysis of Structures and Interfaces (CASI) was established in 1988 through a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). CASI has two goals: to conduct exemplary research and to increase the number of minority scientists trained to conduct high-level scientific research.
Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) - CFN is located at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It provides state-of-the-art facilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials with a primary focus on atomic-level tailoring to achieve desired properties and functions.
SEMATECH – This organization’s history goes back to 1986. It was started to enhance industry-government cooperation and strengthen the semiconductor industry in the U.S. A consortium was later formed and named SEmiconductor MAnufacturing TECHnology- SEMATECH, which consisted of 14 U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturers and the U.S. government. They have a branch office in Albany, NY.

Nanotechnology Companies

Nanotechnology finds applications in a myriad of industries. The list below contains nanotech companies based in New York State, as well as some global nanotech players who either originated in New York or who have a major presence there:
Applied Materials, Inc. - Applied Materials is the global leader in providing innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Their technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world. At Applied Materials, they turn today’s innovations into the industries of tomorrow. They have branch offices in Albany, NY and Hopewell Junction, NY.
ASML - ASML is the world's leading provider of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry, manufacturing complex machines that are critical to the production of integrated circuits or chips. They are headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. ASML is a world leader in the manufacture of advanced technology systems for the semiconductor industry. They have a branch office in Ballston Lake, NY.
DuPont - For more than 200 years, DuPont has brought world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace through innovative products, materials and services. Their market-driven innovation introduces thousands of new products and patent applications every year, serving markets as diverse as agriculture, nutrition, electronics and communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.
They have branch offices in Buffalo, NY (principal products available there are Corian® solid surfaces and Tedlar® PVF film), Niagara Falls, NY (principal products available there are sodium and lithium), and Rochester, NY (principal products available there are ink jet inks).
IBM Research Nanoscale Science Department - The IBM research group based in Armonk, NY, uses scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) as structural probes, and, along with electron beam lithography, as tools for the modification of materials at the atomic and nanometer scales and the fabrication and study of nano-electronic devices.
Bluestone Global Tech - Founded in 2011 and based in New York, Bluestone Global Tech is aiming at becoming the leader in the emerging graphene industry, introducing this advanced material to technological applications and bringing greatness to life. Graphene is a highly adaptable and flexible material with an infinite number of disruptive technological applications, most of which have yet to be imagined. BGT’s game-changing technology allows the most innovative minds of our generation to reimagine and reshape the products that enhance our everyday lives. With the production of this unparalleled breakthrough material, BGT is quite literally redefining everything.
Corning - As the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, Corning invents, makes, and sells keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications, and life sciences. With a track record of more than 160 years and a sustained investment in R&D, Corning’s life-enhancing innovations deliver extraordinary benefits to everyday products. Corning is constantly driving the next wave of cutting-edge technologies, across their five business segments (Display Technologies, Environmental Technologies, Telecommunications, Life Sciences, and Specialty Materials) around the globe.
General Electric - GE has a strong set of global businesses in infrastructure and finance aligned to meet today’s needs, including the demand for global infrastructure; growing and changing demographics that need access to healthcare, finance and information; and environmental technologies. At GE, research has been the cornerstone of innovation for over a century. Today, GE has approximately 36,000 technologists working across our businesses and global research centers at the intersection of technology and industry to solve some of the world's toughest problems. GE was founded in Schenectady, NY.
Graphene Laboratories, Inc. is focused on developing methods and processes that allow graphene, a novel nanomaterial with unique combination of electrical, thermal, chemical, and structural properties, to be employed in a variety of practical applications, such as next generation solar batteries, flexible electronics, gas storage, energy storage, electronics, biosciences, solar energy harvesting, and composites and ultrafiltration.
Harrick Plasma - Harrick Plasma, formerly a division of Harrick Scientific Corp., is a leading supplier of plasma equipment to the research community. We have been providing quality, low-cost, tabletop plasma devices specifically designed for laboratory, R&D and office use for over 30 years.
Integrated Nano-Technologies LLC (INT) – INT is bringing to market a novel system to detect and identify small quantities of biological material. This system is rapid and can be integrated into a field or point-of-care device making it ideal for a variety of applications including: medical, forensics and environmental diagnostics.
INT’s Palladium System is a portable diagnostic system that identifies biological material based upon its nucleic acid sequences.
Starfire Systems - Based in Schenectady, New York, Starfire Systems was founded in 1988 as a small company that provided advanced technologies in ceramics polymer chemistry. By 1991, the company had licensed a silicon carbide forming polymer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that would form the basis for its own silicon carbide polymer, dubbed Starfire SMP-10. As Starfire Systems grew, their product line diversified into a range of polymers, and the company became a leader in Polymer-to-Ceramic® technology. Starfire Systems contracted with Alliant Techsystems (ATK) for NASA in 2004, supplying the polymer material for NOAX™ (Non-Oxide Adhesive Experimental) that would fly on all subsequent space shuttle missions.
Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. - a world leader in high-performance electronics packaging solutions,  design, manufacture, test, and deliver printed circuit board fabrication, semiconductor packaging fabrication, and complex assembly solutions. Their technology can be found in the world's fastest supercomputers, life-saving medical devices, complex imaging systems, mission-critical defense applications and thousands of other products, throughout the world.
NaturalNano, Inc. - Founded in 2004 in Rochester, New York, NaturalNano, Inc. develops unique and proprietary processes for refining naturally occurring nanotubes and other nanomaterials that add competitive properties to a range of applications.
NaturalNano, Inc. is a nanomaterials company developing proprietary technologies and processes to provide novel properties for a wide range of applications. Such applications include industrial polymers, plastics and composites; and additives to cosmetics, agricultural, and household products. NaturalNano holds over twenty issued or pending patents and proprietary know-how for extraction and separation processes, of halloysite and other nanotubes, in combination with other materials.
Owlstone Nanotech - Using leading-edge micro- and nano-fabrication techniques, Owlstone has created a complete chemical detection system that is one hundred times smaller and one thousand times cheaper than existing technology's. There are numerous applications - across industries from security and defense to automotive and healthcare - that depend on the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of chemical compounds. Owlstone works with market leaders within these applications to integrate its detector into next generation chemical sensing products and solutions. The Owlstone detector is a revolutionary dime-sized device that can be programmed to detect a wide range of chemical agents that may be present in extremely small quantities.

Nanotechnology Education

New York is home to a number of world-leading universities that offer research and educational opportunities in nanotechnology. Given below is a list of universities and academic institutions in New York and the academic courses or research opportunities offered by them in various aspects of nanotechnology.
  • University of Albany
    • Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology (CENN) - It is a $5 billion investment involved in promoting the State’s important academic nanotechnology development efforts.
    • College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) – It is the first college in the world that is exclusively devoted to the research, development and deployment of innovative nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience and nanoeconomic concepts. The CNSE is a fully-integrated research, development, prototyping, and educational facility that provides important support via outreach, technology acceleration, business incubation, pilot prototyping, and test-based integration support for onsite corporate partners including Applied Materials, IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, TSMC, Samsung, Toshiba, Tokyo Electron, ASML and Novellus Systems.
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
    • Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS) - This center aims to educate and guide students at the undergraduate and graduate level in nanoscale science and engineering, and to assist K-12 institutions in their science education programs.
    • Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF) - This is a national user facility that supports nanoscale science and technology projects by providing state-of-the-art resources coupled with expert staff support. They offers research opportunities in Nanotechnology; Biology, Chemistry, MEMS, Characterization, Materials, Electronics, Life Sciences, and Computation.
    • Nanobiotechnology Center – At this Center, researchers learn from biology to create new micro- and nanoscale devices to better understand life processes at the nanoscale. The Center promotes interdisciplinary research by offering equipment, capabilities and training.
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
    • RIT is among a handful of universities in the United States developing coursework in nanotechnology education to train students in this emerging technology. The university won a $100,000 grant from the NSF in 2003 to create an interdisciplinary pilot concentration to gauge the implications of the new world of nanotechnology. RIT offers the only Microelectronic Engineering BS in the country, along with an MS in Microelectronics Manufacturing.
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
    • Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS) - CATS employees almost 50 faculty members across 9 departments and 3 schools, plus full- time, dedicated research staff, to help its partner companies develop system-level solutions for high-impact, advanced-manufacturing challenges across a broad array of industries — from biotech and renewable energy to aerospace and nanoscale manufacturing — following a proven university-industry collaboration model to deliver technology-based economic development.
  • City University of New York
    • Center for Analysis of Structures and Interfaces (CASI) - It was founded in 1988 via a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). CASI aims to perform exemplary research and to increase the number of minority scientists trained to conduct high-level scientific research.

Recent Developments

Recent reports suggest that New York’s Tech Valley has come to be internationally recognized as a hub of nanotech research and development. A team of regional leaders from the Center for Economic Growth’s (CEG) ‘NY Loves Nanotech’ initiative were in San Francisco this July 2012 to promote New York City and Tech Valley as the place for high-tech business to locate and invest.
The Utica Catholic high school, NY will be offering a new course for students next fall entitled ‘Introduction to Nanotechnology’. The course materials have been designed to focus on how nanotechnology manipulates matter at the atomic and molecular level. About 900 new jobs are to be generated via the planned nanotechnology complex at State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT), which should be completely developed over the next two years and then provide another 400 plus jobs.
The Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, or NanoCollege, at the University of Albany, has been extremely active in promoting nanotechnology as well as in research. During 2012, the NanoCollege hosted more than 6,000 students and 60,000 community members for nanotechnology outreach activities, and received $5 million in funding in December 2012 from Governor Cuomo's Regional Economic Development Council Initiative, to design a zero energy nanotechnology building, and to rennovate Kiernan Plaza in Albany as a hub for research, education and training around "smart cities" technology.
The government has invested about $28 million to turn a former General Electric Co. laboratory in Salina into a nanotechnology research and development facility aimed to employ up to 250 people. Work on this facility is still underway. New York’s nano sector is thriving and will likely continue to grow and attract more investment and businesses in the next few years.

Fonte: Azonano