Nano

Technology
Nanotechnology is a field of research and innovation
concerned with building 'things' - generally, materials
and devices - on the scale of atoms and molecules. A
nanometre is one-billionth of a metre: ten times the
diameter of a hydrogen atom. The diameter of a human
hair is, on average, 80,000 nanometres. At such scales,
the ordinary rules of physics and chemistry no longer
apply. For instance, materials' characteristics, such as
their colour, strength, conductivity and reactivity, can
differ substantially between the nanoscale and the
macro. Carbon 'nanotubes' are 100 times stronger than
steel but six times lighter.
 Nanotech Meets Contact
Lenses and Virtual Reality

Nanotech could end up providing a solution to the need for bulky headsets in virtual
reality environments, and the answer involves contact lenses.

nanotechnology based contact lensesBellevue, WA-based Innovega with its iOptik

platform embedded a center filter and display lens at the center of a contact lens.
The optical elements are smaller than the eye's pupil and therefore do not interfere
with vision. A projector can hit those tiny optical elements, which guide images to
the retina. But the retina is still getting the overall normal vision provided through
the entire pupil, so the brain ends up viewing the projected images and the overall
normal field of vision as one.

The company said its iOptik platform provides wearers a "virtual canvas" on which
any media can be viewed or application run. The prototypes will feature up to six
times the number of pixels and 46 times the screen size of mobile products that rely
on designs limited by conventional optics. Those optics are said to deliver games,
simulator environments, and movies that are truly "immersive" and "mimic IMAX
performance," the company said.

The electronics are built into a stylish pair of glasses without the bulk or weight of
traditional approaches to video and VR eyewear. The setup can also display a multi-
tasking dashboard that incorporates five or more typical screens, all while
simultaneously providing the wearer a safe and clear view of their environment.

The iOptik will be regulated in the United States as a Class II medical device, as
normal contact lenses are.
 Dragonfly-Inspired
Black Silicon Fights
Off Bacteria

Wandering Percher dragonflyAn array of antibiotic surfaces can be

found in the natural world, inspiring scientists to develop man-
made versions of them. A recent example of this trend can be
found in research from Australian and Spanish scientists who have
developed a nanomaterial out of black silicon with tiny spikes on
its surface. The surface geometry of the material is similar to that
of the wings of an Australian dragonfly known as the "wandering
percher," whose wings have tiny spikes that inhibit bacterial
growth.

In the lab, the scientists confirmed that the black silicon material
proved to be effective against an array of Gram-negative and
Gram-positive bacteria as well as endospores. The researchers
report that the breakthrough is the first "physical bactericidal
activity of [black silicon] or indeed for any hydrophilic surface."
 Tiny 3-D Printed Batteries

Researchers at Harvard University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

announced last year that they have figured out how to 3-D print miniature batteries
about 1 mm across.

The researchers, led by Jennifer A. Lewis, PhD, Harvard School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, created and tested materials, or "inks," able to function as
electrochemically active materials. The materials also had to harden into layers in just
the right way so they could be stacked up in layers during the 3-D printing--creating
working anodes and cathodes.

The recipe includes ink for the anode with nanoparticles of one lithium metal oxide
compound, and an ink for the cathode from "nanoparticles of another." The printer
lays the ink onto the teeth of two gold combs to create a tightly interlaced stack of
anodes and cathodes. The whole setup gets packaged into a tiny container and filled it
with an electrolyte solution to complete the battery.

Tiny batteries could be game-changing for the medical device industry, finding use in
applications such as biomedical sensors and skin-based monitoring devices. In
addition, they could be embedded into plastic housing of devices such as hearing aids.

Narayan says that he and his team are exploring the limits of 3-D printing. "Using a 3-D
printing technique known as two-photon polymerization, we have created small-scale
medical devices such as drug delivery devices and biosensors." They have also
developed a biocompatible riboflavin-containing photoinitiator for two-photon
polymerization of tissue engineering scaffolds.

Two-photon polymerization uses lasers shining two different-wavelength beams on a

sensitive material. Where the beams intersect, the material is polymerized. Then
residual material can be washed out. Narayan continues, "I think that more
biocompatible materials for 3-D printing, particularly for processes like
stereolithography, microstereolithography, and two-photon polymerization, will
facilitate wider use of these technologies for commercial production of medical
devices."
 BT- Corn

The Bt corn brings "positive impacts to growers, including organic producers,"

according to the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Bt corn suppresses pests regionally, with declines expanding beyond the planted Bt
crops into other non-Bt crop fields," the study says. "We show that widespread Bt field
corn adoption is strongly associated with marked decreases in the number of
recommended insecticidal applications, insecticides applied, and damage to vegetable
crops in the United States."
• Transgenetic refers to genetically modified organism, or GMOs, which have been
given genetic traits to protect them from pests, give them tolerance to pesticides or
improve their quality.
• Bt corn is a type of GMO. The list of GMO field crops include Bt corn, Roundup Ready
soybeans and Roundup Ready corn.
• Bacillus thuringiensis is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces proteins
toxic to insects. It's widely used commercially to control insects important to
agriculture.
According to information from the University of Maryland, Bt corn, which now
accounts for more than 90 percent of corn grown nationwide, was first introduced and
adopted in the United States in 1996. The study evaluates data from the 20 years before
1996 and and the 20 years after it.
"Safety of Bt corn and other GMOs has been tested and proven extensively, but this
study is about effectiveness of Bt corn as a pest management strategy, particularly for
offsite crops or different crops in different areas than the Bt corn itself," Dilip
Venugopal, a University of Maryland scientist involved in the study, said in published
comments.
"These benefits have never before been documented and showcase Bt corn as a
powerful tool to combat pesticide resistance and advance the agricultural industry,"
he said.
Venugopal cautioned, however, that Bt corn should be treated "as one of many tools in
an integrated pest management tool box."
Galen Dively, another University of Maryland scientist involved in the project, said the
study "ultimately shows the importance of evaluating GMO crops beyond the field that
is being planted."
Non-Gmo Corn

The difference between conventional and non-GMO

corn is simply a higher level of trait-free purity. This
is achieved by seed production practices, farmer
production practices and marketing strategy. Similar
to conventional corn, non-GMO corn seed does not
contain any intentionally added GM material. When
the term non-GMO is used, typically the farmer is
growing un-traited corn with the intent to market the
crop for a premium. There are often additional
segregation and handling steps that must be taken to
meet contract specifications to get a premium on
non-GMO corn. They may also include seed testing
and grain testing. Some contracts require a farmer to
have grain with a 98 percent or better purity from GM
events. The details in various contracts can be quite
different; always review your contract closely to
understand the purity that must be delivered to meet
contract requirements.
Golden Rice

Golden rice is a genetically modified, biofortified crop. Biofortification

increases the nutritional value in crops. Golden rice is genetically modified in
order to produce beta carotene, which is not normally produced in rice. Beta
carotene is convereted into Vitamin A when metabolized by the human body.
We need Vitamin A for healthier skin, immune systems, and vision.

The Golden Rice Project was first introduced in 1999, when two professors Ingo
Potrykus and Peter Beyer, proposed their project to Rockefeller Foundation to
genetically engineer rice to increase its nutrients. Rockefeller Foundation
supported their goal to provide a sustainable biofortification approach to
combat vitamin A deficiencies in developing countries. Vitamin A deficiency
(VAD) is prevalent in developing countries whose diets are dependent on rice
or other micronutrient-poor carbohydrate foods, which do not contain vitamin
A. The World Health Organization estimates that about 250 million preschool
children are affected by VAD and about 2.7 million children die because of the
deficiency. VAD can have numerous negative health effects such as dryness of
the eye that can lead to blindness if untreated; reduced immune system
response, and an increase in the severity and mortality risk of infections. VAD
is one of the main causes of preventable blindness of young children from
developing countries.

The Golden Rice Project began as a proposed solution for VAD; however,
despite the establishment of a Humanitarian Board and abiding by national
and international regulations governing GMOs, opposition to the project has
blocked the roll-out of the Golden Rice Project in developing countries.
 White Rice

White rice is the name given to milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and
germ removed. This alters the flavour, texture and appearance of the rice and
helps prevent spoilage and extend its storage life. After milling, the rice is
polished, resulting in a seed with a bright, white, shiny appearance. The milling
and polishing processes both remove important nutrients. A diet based on
unenriched white rice leaves people vulnerable to the neurological disease
beriberi, due to a deficiency of thiamine. White rice is often enriched with
some of the nutrients stripped from it during its processing. Enrichment of
white rice with B1, B3, and iron is required by law in the United States,
although these nutrients are only a small portion of what has been removed. At
various times, starting in the 19th century, brown rice and wild rice have been
advocated as healthier alternatives. The bran in brown rice contains significant
dietary fiber and the germ contains many vitamins and minerals. As with all
natural foods, the precise nutritional composition of rice varies slightly
depending on the variety, soil conditions, environmental conditions and types
of fertilizers.