Protecting civil society from terrorism: the search for a sustainable strategy

The threat of terrorism is very different from conventional war. Terrorism challenges the structures of national, state, and municipal governments and their relationships. Confronting terrorism requires compromises between maximizing competitiveness in the critical infrastructure industry and restoring the industry’s resilience. Responsibility for addressing these issues is diffuse and poorly specified in American society. But most critical is the development of a strategy to reduce the threat and consequence of catastrophic terrorism while protecting civil liberties—all in a strategy that is sustainable over periods of time when no attacks have occurred. The beginning of such a strategy is proposed.     

How to shift 100,000 products toward sustainability: creating a sustainable assortment at Haberkorn

Haberkorn is Austria’s biggest industrial wholesaler with ~1,000 employees and an annual turnover of about 260 Mill €. The range of goods consists of about 100,000 articles. Their goal: A sustainable assortment. The challenge: Assessing all the products and defining a sustainable product line. Goal and challenge are based on a corporate decision made by the management board: sustainability should meet the core business. As a scientific and implementation partner Haberkorn chose the Austrian Institute of Ecology. It is obvious that Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for 100,000 articles are hardly feasible. Hence, a special screening tool for estimating the sustainability potential on product group level in a quick and efficient way had to be developed. The screening tool consists of three categories to be rated: risks, chances, and strategic impact. Product groups with a high score are chosen for further treatment as “sustainability candidates.” In addition, a questionnaire concerning the sustainability performance, knowledge about the supply chain, and willingness to cooperate was sent to all suppliers, and basic facts concerning environmental, health, safety, and social aspects of the major materials used in the products were compiled (material manual). All product line managers have used the screening to detect the sustainability potential of their product groups, and the coached assessment process on individual product basis has started successfully. The next steps consist of the transformation process of sustainability candidates into a sustainability assortment and the evaluation process of high risk articles. This ought to result in improvement or potential elimination of products which jeopardize the user’s health, generate environmental damages, are produced under poor working conditions, etc.     

Progress toward a precision measurement of the helion magneticmoment in Bohr magnetons

We describe progress on a measurement of the magnetic moment of the helion in units of the Bohr magneton. An apparatus has been constructed which allows the exchange of helium-3 for atomic hydrogen in situ. Both helium-3 NMR and hydrogen atom ESR have been observed at a flux density of 0.6 T     

磁制冷材料中一级磁相变的研究进展

磁制冷技术作为21世纪的新一代制冷技术已经受到了关注。因此近年来具有一级磁相变的磁制冷材料成为全球学术界的一个研究热点,并越来越受到工业界的重视。主要介绍了磁制冷材料中的一级磁相变特点,综述了具有一级磁相变的磁制冷材料的研究进展和应用现状。最后展望了具有一级磁相变的磁制冷材料的发展趋势。     

Examining the driving forces in moving toward a low carbon society: an extended STIRPAT analysis for a fast growing vast economy

Amidst worldwide concern for global warming, this is now a big challenge to move toward low carbon society. Energy efficiency, energy mix and lifestyles are likely to play significant role in this journey. Using an extended STIRPAT model, namely STIRDEFPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on energy demand, energy mix, fossil fuel intensity, population, affluence and technology), this study aims to analyze the environmental impact of affluence and lifestyle changes through decomposition of energy demand, energy mix and fossil fuel intensity in a fast growing economy like India. Data period of this study is 1990–2016. The study employs ridge regression to fit the extended STIRPAT model. Empirical results show that all the impact factors included in the model have significant positive influence on carbon emission. However, the largest contributing factor is affluence having around 24% promoting impact on carbon emission. The positive attitude toward propagation of environmentally sensitive and green choice adaptive behavior along with clean technology and green energy mix is likely to be an effective strategy to restrain adverse impact on the environment.     

Progress at NIST toward absolute frequency standards using stored ions

Experiments directed toward the realization of frequency standards of high accuracy using stored ions are briefly summarized. In one experiment, an RF oscillator is locked to a nuclear spin-flip hyperfine transition (frequency approximately 3.03x10(8) Hz) in (9 )Be(+) ions that are stored in a Penning trap and sympathetically laser-cooled. Stability is better than 3x10(-12)tau(-(1/2)) and uncertainty in Doppler shifts is estimated to be less than 5x10(-15). In a second experiment, a stable laser is used to probe an electric quadrupole transition (frequency approximately 1.07x10(15) Hz) in a single laser-cooled (199)Hg(+) ion stored in a Paul trap. The measured Q value of this transition is approximately 10(13). Future possible experiments are discussed.     

Progress toward Understanding the Interactions between DNA Nanostructures and the Cell

Advances in DNA nanotechnology empower the programmable assembly of DNA building blocks (oligonucleotides and plasmids) into DNA nanostructures with precise architectural control. As DNA nanostructures are biocompatible and can naturally enter mammalian cells without the aid of transfection agents, they have found numerous biological or biomedical applications as delivery carriers of therapeutic and imaging cargoes into mammalian cells for at least a decade. Nevertheless, mechanistic studies on how DNA nanostructures interact with cells have remained limited and incomprehensive until 2–3 years ago. This Review presents the recent progress in elucidating the “cell–nano” interactions of DNA nanostructures, with an emphasis on three key classes of structures commonly utilized in intracellular applications: tile‐based structures, origami‐based structures, and nanoparticle‐templated structures. Structural parameters of DNA nanostructures and strategies of biochemical modification for promoting intracellular delivery are discussed. Biological mechanisms for cellular uptake, including specific pathways and receptors involved, are outlined. Routes of intracellular trafficking and degradation, together with strategies for re‐directing their trafficking, are delineated. This Review concludes with several aspects of the “bio–nano” interactions of DNA nanostructures that warrant future investigations.     

Macro-engineering projects in a free society

In a free society, there are important dimensions beyond engineering involved in carrying out a macro-engineering project. The author contrasts construction of the Hanford Works phase of the World War II Manhattan Project—a massive effort to produce plutonium weapons—with an ongoing macro-engineering project to developed mined geologic repositories for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The first project illustrates macro-engineering conducted in a wartime, controlled society where there is little regard for public and individual concerns. The second is illustrative of contemporary ones carried out in a free society where a public consensus is essential to the success of the project. The author describes how a consensus is achieved, and what happens if it is not. The leadership attributes in successful projects are discussed, including the commitment of a top leader and the person designated to manage the project.     

Steps toward a model nanotopography

A natural lithography technique is employed to create an irregular, submonolayer colloidal topography. Epitenon cells were cultured on these colloidal surfaces, and cell morphology investigations using scanning electron microscopy were conducted. Preliminary experiments brought into question the stability of the colloidal nanotopography, and it was unsure if the surface was presented to cells as a static structure. Investigations using secondary electron and backscattered electron imaging, and also X-ray microanalysis, indicated that the colloidal structure was in fact stable, and cells were capable of direct interactions at the peripheral membrane with the colloids.     

Epitope Imprinting Technology: Progress,Applications, and Perspectives toward Artificial Antibodies

Epitope imprinting is a promising tool to generate antibody‐like specific recognition sites. Recently, because of the ease of obtaining templates, the flexibility in selecting monomers, their resistance to harsh environments, and the high specificity toward targets, epitope‐imprinted materials have attracted much attention in various fields, such as bioanalysis, clinical therapy, and pharmacy. Here, the discussion is focused on the current representative epitope imprinting technologies, including epitope bulk imprinting and epitope surface imprinting. Moreover, the application of epitope‐imprinted materials to the recognition of peptides, proteins, and cells is reviewed. Finally, the remaining challenges arising from the intrinsic properties of epitope imprinting are discussed, and future development in the field is prospected.     

Micro‐/Nanomotors toward Biomedical Applications: The Recent Progress in Biocompatibility

Inspired by the highly versatile natural motors, artificial micro‐/nanomotors that can convert surrounding energies into mechanical motion and accomplish multiple tasks are devised. In the past few years, micro‐/nanomotors have demonstrated significant potential in biomedicine. However, the practical biomedical applications of these small‐scale devices are still at an infant stage. For successful bench‐to‐bed translation, biocompatibility of micro‐/nanomotor systems is the central issue to be considered. Herein, the recent progress in micro‐/nanomotors in biocompatibility is reviewed, with a special focus on their biomedical applications. Through close collaboration between researches in the nanoengineering, material chemistry, and biomedical fields, it is expected that a promising real‐world application platform based on micro‐/nanomotors will emerge in the near future.     

建立节约型社会标准化能做什么

一、我国节能存在的误区 最近，国务院发出了《关于做好建设节约型社会近期重点工作的通知》，这是总结我国现代化建设经验，从我国的实际国情出发所做出的一项重大战略决策。