Monthly Archives: September 2011

Pixelligent raises $5.1M in funding during difficult economic times

It’s been a big couple of weeks for Pixelligent Technologies LLC. Sept. 13, 2011, there was a news item on Nanotechnology Now about Clayton Teague joining their advisory board. From the Sept. 13, 2011 news item,

Dr. Teague is one of the most highly-respected innovators in the field of nanotechnology and we are honored to have him join our esteemed Advisory Board,” commented Craig Bandies, CEO Pixelligent Technologies. “This is a very exciting time for the company as we are poised for tremendous growth, and we will benefit from Dr. Teague’s years of experience and proven leadership.” Dr. Teague joins Dr. Larry Thompson, Dr. Karen Brown, Hal Shear, and Robert Bertin.
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Dr. Teague acted as Director of the Federal National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) from 2003 – 2011. In this position, he reported to the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the office that advises the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. He has also served as Chair of the American National Standards Institute Technical Advisory Group to the ISO Technical Committee on Nanotechnologies (ISO TC 229), acted as president of the American Society for Precision Engineering, is a fellow of the United Kingdom Institute of Physics, and worked as Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Nanotechnology for ten years.

Today, Sept. 23, 2011, a company news release announces new funding and the move to new facilities,

Pixelligent, LLC, an innovator in manufacturing nanocrystal additives for the electronics, industrial and military markets, announced today that it has closed $5.1 million in funding. The round was six times over-subscribed and the board significantly upsized the round to make room for the increased demand.

This round included participation from both new and existing investors. The new investors include the Abell Foundation, WISE LLC, and a Baltimore-based Angel group. An additional $300,000 came from the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), $200,000 and $100,000 respectively. The funds will be used for purchasing production equipment, installing new systems and hiring employees.

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The funding round comes on the heels of Pixelligent moving into a new 10,500 sq. ft. state-of-the-art pilot manufacturing facility in Baltimore, MD. The new facility will meet Pixelligent’s current production needs, but also offers plenty of room for expansion as the company continues to grow. Pixelligent is actively recruiting for a number of senior manufacturing, sales, and finance roles and a grand opening ceremony is scheduled for early fall.

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Pixelligent has raised nearly $9M in equity and has been awarded more than $9M in Government grant programs during the past 30 months. The Pixelligent nanocrystal additive technology has commercialization potential in many market areas including, electronics, lubricants, energy, transportation, and building and construction.

I have been to the company website, which doesn’t have a great deal of company information. I found this at the bottom of the news release,

Pixelligent Technologies is a leading supplier of nanocrystal additives for the electronics, industrial and military markets. After over a decade of research development, Pixelligent is the first company to supply commercially available quantities of the highest quality Zirconium and Hafnium nanocrystals for numerous mission critical applications.

Given the current international econ0mic gyrations, it’s nice to see a company raise more money than they expected (according to the news release).

A classic public relations ploy and a race only a scientist could love: a race to make measurements

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The first Inter-University Nanotechnology Measurement Championships were held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sept. 21, 2011. From the Sept. 20, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

Hans van der Voorn, Executive Chairman of Izon Science [event host] says, “The nanotech champs is a fun combination of sport and science that will pitch the top Universities against each other. The researcher who is the quickest to accurately measure a complex set of nanoparticles will receive a cup and associated bragging rights. This measurement could not have even been done two years ago so the ability to have a race demonstrates the rapid adoption of new technology in science.”

Contestants included:

Dr. Jim Felton, from the laboratory of Professors Bruce and Barbara Furie, Harvard University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Felton is using Izon’s instrument for studying the role that blood microparticles may have in the formation of blood clots or “thrombi”. The Furie group is a world leader in hematology research, focused on advancing diagnosis and treatment of bleeding and thrombotic disorders.

Iraj Aalaei, a graduate student from the laboratory of Prof. Dhimiter Bello, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing. The group is using Izon’s instruments in nanotoxicology research with interest in the biological significance of exposure, exposure routes, measurement issues and metrics, the relationship between the physical properties of nanoparticles with health outcomes.

Dr. Meredith Mintzer, a Postdoctoral Fellow from the laboratory of Prof. Mark Grinstaff, Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr Mintzer is using Izon’s instruments in research into drug delivery systems. The Grinstaff group pursues highly interdisciplinary research in the areas of biomedical engineering and macromolecular chemistry with the goal of elucidating the underlying fundamental chemistry and engineering principles of drug delivery systems.

Dr. Steven Biller, a Postdoctoral Associate from the laboratory of Prof. Penny Chisholm, MIT, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Marine biologist Dr. Biller is currently researching marine cyanobaterium Prochlorococcus, the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism on the planet. While each Prochlorococcus cell is less than 1µm in diameter, the total oceanic population is responsible for a significant fraction of global oxygen production.

I’ll put you out of your suspense, Dr. Meredith Mintzer won the race. From the Sept. 23, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

Dr. Mintzer uses Izon’s instruments in her research into drug delivery systems. The Grinstaff group pursues highly interdisciplinary research in the areas of biomedical engineering and macromolecular chemistry with the goal of elucidating the underlying fundamental chemistry and engineering principles of drug delivery systems.

This was a classic public relations (PR) ploy: create a contest to drum up interest in your product or, in this case, the launch of your new US headquarters. From the Sept. 23, 2011 news item,

The Inter-University Nanoparticle Measurement Championships was held at an opening function for Izon Science’s new office and laboratory in Cambridge, MA which will serve as the company’s new US headquarters.

I wish they had followed through on the initial premise that this was a sporting event and had reported on the kinds of details traditionally associated with them. Unfortunately, the Sept. 23 news item doesn’t offer any colour commentary or details about the race, e.g., the contestant’s times, any interesting tidbits about the race itself, etc.

For anyone deeply curious about Izon, here’s what the Sept. 20, 2011 news item has to offer,

Izon Science is the developer of the qNano and qViro instruments with unique size-tunable nanopores. The instruments offer significant improvements in accuracy and precision over previously available techniques and are helping to advance research in a number of fields including drug delivery, hematology, biomedical diagnostics, and vaccine development. Instruments have been sold in 23 countries.

Challenge yourself for Covenant House

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I received this news release from longtime friend and colleague, Doug Setter of 2nd Wind Body Science. He is asking people to raise awareness about Covenant House, an organization, located in Vancouver, Canada, which provides shelter and other services for homeless kids, by participating in a 6-week fitness programme that he will lead.

Challenge yourself for those who face challenges every day.

On October 11, a group of selected people will be competing to raise awareness for Covenant House. The competition? Get through 12 sessions with Doug Setter’s boot camp. Setter is a former real life army boot camp instructor who has trained hundreds of both civillian and military recruits since 1984. “The idea is not to break people’s spirits,” says 53 year old Setter, who also instructs Pilates, kick-boxing and yoga. “We want to teach them to believe in themselves and their buddies. They often have no idea what they are really capable of.”

Setter, in co-operation with Convenant House, wants to raise awareness of young people’s daily struggles on the streets of Vancouver. “If you think a few crunches are a challenge,” comments Setter. “Try scrounging food and shelter while dodging muggers and sexual predators.”

Convenant House’s development officer, Mark Savard reports that for the past 13 years they have provided over 14000 young people with shelter, food, clothing, counseling or just a safe night’s sleep. “90% of our funding comes from private donations,” states Savard.

Logistics and details:

Six weeks (Oct. 11 through to Nov. 17, 2011 inVancouver.

Up to 30 people. Tuesdays and Thursdays 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

$50 for t-shirt, prizes and donation to Convenant House. That is 12 sessions.

The twice-a-week event is outside, rain or shine.

LocationTo Be Confirmed. (Kitsilano Beach, Alexander Park or Jericho Beach)

Training is Cardio Kick-Boxing (by former welter weight competitor), Pilates and military team building. It is safe, effective, fun and guaranteed to increase posture, strength, stamina, flexibility and trim in those problem areas. Greater flexibility after the first class almost always occurs for the participants.

Prizes include Spa Treatments and restaurant gift certificates for the most improved and top students.

Details from Doug Setter, BSc. at 778-837-3528 and e-mail: dougsetter@gmail.com

Doug Setter has studied Food and Nutrition, Behavioral Psychology and Eating Disorders. His training has included, weights, aerobic dance, martial arts, yoga, pilates and outdoor survival. He’s the author of three books: Stomach Flattening, Reduce Your Alcohol Craving and One Less Victim: A Personal Protection Guide.

Sept. 26, 2011 Note: In the sentence directly after it is first mentioned, I removed a second reference to Doug’s BSc .

Step closer to integrating electronics into the body

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The Sept. 20, 2011 news item (Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things) on Nanowerk features a rather interesting development,

Human devices, from light bulbs to iPods, send information using electrons. Human bodies and all other living things, on the other hand, send signals and perform work using ions or protons.

Materials scientists at the University of Washington have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things.

Here’s a diagram from the University of Washington Sept. 20, 2011 article about the proton transistor by Hannah Hickey,

: On the left is a colored photo of the UW device overlaid on a graphic of the other components. On the right is a magnified image of the chitosan fibers. The white scale bar is 200 nanometers. (Marco Rolandi, UW)

Here’s a little more about the proton transistor (from the Hickey article),

In the body, protons activate “on” and “off” switches and are key players in biological energy transfer. Ions open and close channels in the cell membrane to pump things in and out of the cell. Animals including humans use ions to flex their muscles and transmit brain signals. A machine that was compatible with a living system in this way could, in the short term, monitor such processes. Someday it could generate proton currents to control certain functions directly.

A first step toward this type of control is a transistor that can send pulses of proton current. The prototype device is a field-effect transistor, a basic type of transistor that includes a gate, a drain and a source terminal for the current. The UW prototype is the first such device to use protons. It measures about 5 microns wide, roughly a twentieth the width of a human hair.

As for the device (from the Hickey article),

The device uses a modified form of the compound chitosan originally extracted from squid pen, a structure that survives from when squids had shells. The material is compatible with living things, is easily manufactured, and can be recycled from crab shells and squid pen discarded by the food industry.

There is a minor Canadian connection,

Computer models of charge transport developed by co-authors M.P. Anantram, a UW professor of electrical engineering, and Anita Fadavi Roudsari at Canada’s University of Waterloo, were a good match for the experimental results.

If I understand this correctly, the computer models were confirmed by the experimental results, which means the computer models can be used (to augment the use of expensive experiments) with a fair degree of confidence.

I am finding this integration of electronics into the body both fascinating and disturbing as per my paper, Whose electric brain? More about that when I have more time.

Brain injuries in fish and nanoparticles?

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I would have liked more details about the fish and how nanoparticles cause brain injuries. Here’s an excerpt from the Sept.19, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

Scientists at the University of Plymouth have shown, for the first time in an animal, that nanoparticles have a detrimental effect on the brain and other parts of the central nervous system.

They subjected rainbow trout to titanium oxide [or titanium dioxide as it’s sometimes called] nanoparticles which are widely used as a whitening agent in many products including paints, some personal care products, and with applications being considered for the food industry. They found that the particles caused vacuoles (holes) to form in parts of the brain and for nerve cells in the brain to die. Although some effects of nanoparticles have been shown previously in cell cultures and other in vitro systems this is the first time it has been confirmed in a live vertebrate.

I have a number of questions after reading this (and the rest of the news item).

The statement is that nanoparticles cause brain injury in fish but the researchers mention titanium di/oxide nanoparticles only. Did they test other nanoparticles as well?
How did they conduct the tests?
Did the fish ingest titanium di/oxide from the water? From their food? From both?
What concentrations were they exposed to?
Were they in an environment similar to what they’d experience naturally? Or were they in special tanks?

Apparently the results are being presented in London at the “6th International meeting on the Environmental Effects on Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials” (21st – 23rd September [2011]) at the Royal Society.

Using an incendiary headline (Nanoparticles cause brain injury in fish) for your news release is certainly an attention getter. I trust the research team (led by Professor Richard Handy of the Plymouth University Ecotoxicology Research and Innovation Centre’s Environmenal nanoscience and nanotoxicology team) can back up this statement with data and that it will be made available to a broader audience than the meeting attendees.

Why asbestos and carbon nanotubes are so dangerous to cells

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Sphere or spear? Apparently cells can’t tell that an asbestos fibre or long carbon nanotube are spears due to their rounded tips according to researchers at Brown University. From the Sept. 18, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

Through molecular simulations and experiments, the team reports in Nature Nanotechnology that certain nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, enter cells tip-first and almost always at a 90-degree angle. The orientation ends up fooling the cell; by taking in the rounded tip first, the cell mistakes the particle for a sphere, rather than a long cylinder. By the time the cell realizes the material is too long to be fully ingested, it’s too late.

Here’s a representation of what the scientists mean,

Something perpendicular this way comes Cells ingest things by engulfing them. When a long perpendicular fiber comes near, the cell senses only its tip, mistakes it for a sphere, and begins engulfing something too long to handle. Credit: Gao Lab/Brown University

Here’s what happens when a cell encounters a carbon nanotube, asbestos fibre, gold nanowires, and other materials that are long and perpendicular with rounded tips,

Like asbestos fibers, commercially available carbon nanotubes and gold nanowires have rounded tips that often range from 10 to 100 nanometers in diameter. Size is important here; the diameter fits well within the cell’s parameters for what it can handle. Brushing up against the nanotube, special proteins called receptors on the cell spring into action, clustering and bending the membrane wall to wrap the cell around the nanotube tip in a sequence that the authors call “tip recognition.” As this occurs, the nanotube is tipped to a 90-degree angle, which reduces the amount of energy needed for the cell to engulf the particle.

Once the engulfing — endocytosis — begins, there is no turning back. Within minutes, the cell senses it can’t fully engulf the nanostructure and essentially dials 911. “At this stage, it’s too late,” Gao [Huajian Gao] said. “It’s in trouble and calls for help, triggering an immune response that can cause repeated inflammation.”

I gather this is the starting point for mesothelioma. Here’s a description of the process (from the Brown University Sept. 18, 2011 news release,

“We thought the tube was going to lie on the cell membrane to obtain more binding sites. However, our simulations revealed the tube steadily rotating to a high-entry degree, with its tip being fully wrapped,” said Xinghua Shi, first author on the paper who earned his doctorate at Brown and is at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. “It is counter-intuitive and is mainly due to the bending energy release as the membrane is wrapping the tube.”

Here’s a video from Brown illustrating the process,

Cells bite off more than they can chew from Brown PAUR on Vimeo.

The whole thing has me wondering about long vs. short carbon nanotubes. Does this mean that short carbon nanotubes can be ingested successfully? If so, at what point does short become too long to ingest? It doesn’t seem like my questions are going to be answered too soon since the team would like to go in this direction (from the Brown news release),

The team would like to study whether nanotubes without rounded tips — or less rigid nanomaterials such as nanoribbons — pose the same dilemma for cells.

“Interestingly, if the rounded tip of a carbon nanotube is cut off (meaning the tube is open and hollow), the tube lies on the cell membrane, instead of entering the cell at a high-degree-angle,” Shi said.

US-Mexico transnational view of nanotechnology and other issues

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The University of Texas at Dallas has announced its 11th annual series of lectures from the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies starting tonight (Sept. 22, 2011) and occurring intermittently until March 2012. Of special interest to me are the lectures on nanotechnology. More information can be found on the lecture series page,

“The Nanotechnology Business Incubator of Nuevo Leon”
Dr. Francisco Servando Aguirre-Tostado

The University of Texas at Dallas,
Natural Science and Engineering Research Lab (RL) 3.204
Nov. 4, 10.30 a.m.

F. Servando Aguirre-Tostado is director of the Nanotechnology Incubator of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and professor at CIMAV-Monterrey. After his postdoctoral training with the Electronic Materials Group at UT Dallas, he occupied a research scientist position to develop more stable and efficient semiconductor interfaces for next generation integrated circuits. Servando Aguirre is author and co-author of more than 30 research papers and is participating in more than 20 projects related to nanotechnology product development.

“Nanotechnology Applications in Nano, Micro and Macro-electronic Devices” Dr. Manuel Quevedo

Research Center for Advanced Materials (CIMAV), Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Nov. 24

Hermosillo, Sonora, Dec. 16

Manuel Quevedo-Lopez received his doctorate in Materials Science from the University of North Texas. In 2002, he joined the Texas Instruments Silicon Technology Development Group as a Member of Technical Staff (MTS). In 2007, he joined UT Dallas as a senior research scientist, and in 2008 he was appointed research professor at the Materials Science and Engineering Department in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. His interests include materials and integration issues for flexible electronics, including organic and inorganic-based devices

It’s very gutsy of the institutions and the academics to do this in light of the professors in Mexico who were injured in bombing incidents that took place in early August 2011 (my Nanotechnology terrorism in Mexico? posting).

Arts residency collides with CERN and Ars Electronica

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Prix Ars Electronica Collide@CERN Artists Residency Prize is inviting submissions. CERN, for anyone unfamiliar with the institution, is the European Laboratory for Particle Physics which is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). From the Arts@CERN page describing the residency in Geneva (Switzerland),

CERN’s latest experiment colliding the minds of scientists with the imagination of artists opens with the Prix Ars Electronica Collide@CERN prize in digital arts. This is the first prize to be announced as part of the new Collide@CERN Artists Residency 3 year programme initiated by the laboratory.

This new prize marks a 3 year science/arts cultural partnership and creative collaboration between CERN and Ars Electronica – which originated with CERN’s cooperation with Origin – the Ars Electronica Festival in 2011.

We are looking for digital artists who will be truly inspired by CERN, showing their wish to engage with the ideas and/or technology of particle physics or with CERN as a place of scientific collaboration, using them as springboards of the imagination which dare to go beyond the paradigm. You might be a choreographer, performer, visual artist, film maker or a composer – what you all have in common is that you use the digital as the means of making your work and/or the way of presenting it.

You need to register (here) to make a submission. Multiple submissions can be made by either the artist(s) or other interested party.

Full details can be found at the Ars Electronica ‘CERN artists residency’ page,

The aim of the Prix Ars Electronica Collide@CERN prize is to take digital creativity to new dimensions by colliding the minds of scientists with the imaginations of artists. In this way, we seek to accelerate innovation across culture in the 21st century – creating new dimensions in digital arts, inspired by the ideas, engineering and science generated at CERN, and produced by the winning artist in collaboration with the transdisciplinary expertise of the FutureLab team at Ars Electronica.

The residency is in two parts – with an initial two months at CERN, where the winning artist will have a specially dedicated science mentor from the world famous science lab to inspire him/her and his/her work. The second part will be a month with the Futurelab team and mentor at Ars Electronica Linz with whom the winner will develop and make new work inspired by the CERN residency. From the first meeting between the artists, their CERN and Futurelab mentors, they will all participate in a dialogue which will be a public blog of their creative process until the final work is produced and maybe beyond. In this way, the public will be able to join in the conversation.

This final work will be showcased both at the Globe of Science and Innovation at CERN, in Geneva and at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz. It will also be presented in the Prix Ars Electronica’s “CyberArts” catalogue.

It’s a pretty exciting opportunity that includes a prize of 10,000 Euros plus accommodation and travel.

We are looking for digital artists who will be truly inspired by CERN, showing their wish to engage with the ideas and/or technology of particle physics and with CERN as a place of scientific collaboration, using them as springboards of the imagination which dare to go beyond the paradigm. You might be a choreographer, performer, visual artist, film maker or a composer – what you all have in common is that you use the digital as the means of making your work and/or the way of presenting it.

Here’s a checklist for the submission(s),

A personal testimony video which introduces the artist who describes why and how this residency will inspire new work (Up to 5 min.)

An outline of a possible concept/idea which the artist wishes to pursue at CERN and Futurelab

A draft production plan with costings and timeline

A selected portfolio of work which showcases work the artist is proud of

The submission platform was opened Sept. 15, 2011 and will close on October 31, 2011. For anyone working up till the last second to make a submission, you may want to keep in mind the timezones. I assume the submission platform is being operated out of Switzerland. Good luck!

Rickert’s six signposts to success at the Nanomanufacturing Summit 2011 & 10th Annual NanoBusiness Conference

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Dr. Scott Rickert, president and Chief Executive Office (CEO) of Nanofilm, is scheduled to present at the Nanomanufacturing Summit 2011 & 10th Annual NanoBusiness Conference (two conferences in one), Sept. 25-27, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. From the Sept. 21, 2011 news item on Digital Journal,

His topic is “Welcome to the Nano Age: Six Signposts to Success”. [sic]

Drawing on his 26 years as a successful nanotechnology business owner, Dr. Rickert’s presentation will discuss how nanotechnology will transform American industry and the U.S. economy. The presentation will explore key trends in nanotechnology research, product commercialization, government relations, manufacturing strength and environmental issues.

I know this is a wild guess but I’m assuming he’s covering similar material to an article he wrote earlier this year for Industry Week, Six Ways I Know Nanotechnology is Here to Stay. I’ve no doubt he’s developed these ideas since he first wrote this in July 2011 but if you want a preview or a summary of what he’s likely discussing you might want to check out the article. To whet your appetite, here is a listing of the six points he made in the article,

The government is investing 10x as much in nano research as regulation.

The federal EHS research is taking a responsible stance, not a radical one.

Nanotechnology works. And works. And works.

Nanomaterials have been around for millions of years.

It’s a nanotech world — and growing.

If they’re shooting at you, you must be doing something right.

I don’t always agree with Rickert’s ideas but he always provides a worthwhile read.

FrogHeart’s 1000th post

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I am astonished to realize that this is blog is approximately 3.5 years old. Thank you for dropping by to read, leave comments, and send emails to me directly.

I have no idea what the statistics were in the early days (i.e, April 2008 – January 2009) as I didn’t activate the software packages (AWstats and Webalizer) until after.

In February 2009 I had a total of 708 unique visitors. The next month (March 2009) I suffered a computer meltdown which meant being offline for weeks and losing a big chunk of my audience. I finally managed to reach 730 unique visitors for the month of May 2009. In May 2011 there were 12, 751 unique visitors to this blog.

The Canadian science blogging scene has expanded since I first started. (It’s possible that I’m doing a better job of finding my colleagues.) I will be updating my blog roll with more Canadian science bloggers soon. I hope one day we’ll have a network of Canadian science bloggers. In the meantime, I’m happy to have gotten to 1000 posts. Thank you all.