In this article we review the use of near-field photonics for trapping, transport and handling of nanomaterials. While the advantages of traditional optical tweezing are well known at the microscale, direct application of these techniques to the handling of nanoscale materials has proven difficult due to unfavourable scaling of the fundamental physics. Recently a number of research groups have ...

In 2005, we automated a forklift-based Hot Metal Carrier to be capable of typical metal transfer operations around a smelter. The project was highly successful and the vehicle has demonstrated hundreds of hours of live autonomous operations to thousands of people from industry and the public. As a result of the exposure and success of the project, we have expanded its focus to demonstrate how v...

a cross-sectional study to determine whether occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs can cause hematologic changes was performed. blood samples were collected from a group of 24 hematology/oncology nurses who were exposed to antineoplastic drugs during a mean preiod of 5.5 years (standard error =1.1). the control group, matched by sex, and age, consisted of 18 nurses, worked on other sect...

A new approach to assess the risks inherent in the implementation of powders, including nanomaterials, has been developed, based on the OHB (Occupational Hazard Band) method which is widely spread in the chemical industry. Hazard classification has not been modified; only the control of exposure has been worked at. The method applies essentially to the prevention of the exposures to airborne ma...

Large-scale utilization of solar-energy resources will require considerable advances in energy-storage technologies to meet ever-increasing global energy demands. Other than liquid fuels, existing energy-storage materials do not provide the requisite combination of high energy density, high stability, easy handling, transportability and low cost. New hybrid solar thermal fuels, composed of phot...

Nanowires are arguably the most studied nanomaterial model to make functional devices and arrays. Although there is remarkable maturity in the chemical synthesis of complex nanowire structures, their integration and interfacing to macro systems with high yields and repeatability still require elaborate aligning, positioning and interfacing and post-synthesis techniques. Top-down fabrication met...

The sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), is an important pest of packagedconsumer foods, yet little is knownof its behavioral response to foododors.Adults and larvae are not believed to chew holes through packaging materials, but they may invade packaged food by entering through openings caused by improper sealing or handling, throughholes intentionally placed in packages by...