Quantum Nondemolition Squeezing of a Nanomechanical Resonator

We show that the nanoresonator position can be squeezed significantly below the ground state level by measuring the nanoresonator with a quantum point contact or a single-electron transistor and applying a periodic voltage across the detector. The mechanism of squeezing is basically a generalization of quantum nondemolition measurement of an oscillator to the case of continuous measurement by a weakly coupled detector. The quantum feedback is necessary to prevent the ``heating'' due to measurement back-action. We also discuss a procedure of experimental verification of the squeezed state.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Acoustic propagation over periodic and quasi-periodic rough surfaces

Transport noise is an ever present concern in urban areas affecting the quality of life for millions of people. The traditional noise barrier is not always a convenient method of noise control and can divide communities. Deliberate introduction of small scale (0.3 m high or less) periodic roughness on otherwise acoustically-hard ground has been investigated as a way of reducing noise near to a surface transport corridor. The roughness alters the effective surface impedance of the ground and thereby creates a 'soft' ground effect. Moreover the effectiveness if the rough surface is not reduced significantly if there are pathways through it. However the rough ground also creates surface waves that must be absorbed for the noise reduction to be effective. An alternative way of reducing surface waves may be to alter the periodicity. The effects of altering the periodicity of circular rods placed on a hard surface in the laboratory have been investigated. Predictions of multiple scattering theory and a boundary element code have been compared with the experimental data

The United Kingdom: Local Authority FM in the UK

This paper describes organisation, tasks and functions of local authorities in the United Kingdom. It identifies and describes the public services delivered by different types of authority and introduces key issues related to property and facilities management services. The paper presents research work to investigate the extent to which facilities/property management is an integrated function within local government and assesses the impact of the concept of best value upon facilities managers. The paper describes relevant legislation and standard procedures for public procurement in the United Kingdom. Results of a random sample of local authorities are presented to provide a comparison of contemporary FM sourcing practice in the United Kingdom. The paper provides sources of information for further reference and identifies a number of relevant research projects and government sponsored studies that address property and facilities management issues in the United Kingdom. The results of a recent international study of outsourcing in Government are summarised to promote discussion

The Bleachery Way: a Study of the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company, 1960-2017

The Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company has been a staple in the development of the city of Rock Hill, South Carolina. The textile factory has not been extensively written on apart from newspaper articles and therefore the purpose of this thesis is to identify just how impactful the factory was on the development and people of Rock Hill. From 1929 to 1998 the plant was in full operation and employed countless citizens of the city. The Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company has been neglected despite its lasting history in the city. The concepts of labor relations regarding race, paternalism, community involvement, and other aspects helped to shape the development of not only the city but also the company

Proteins analysed as virtual knots

Long, flexible physical filaments are naturally tangled and knotted, from macroscopic string down to long-chain molecules. The existence of knotting in a filament naturally affects its configuration and properties, and may be very stable or disappear rapidly under manipulation and interaction. Knotting has been previously identified in protein backbone chains, for which these mechanical constraints are of fundamental importance to their molecular functionality, despite their being open curves in which the knots are not mathematically well defined; knotting can only be identified by closing the termini of the chain somehow. We introduce a new method for resolving knotting in open curves using virtual knots, which are a wider class of topological objects that do not require a classical closure and so naturally capture the topological ambiguity inherent in open curves. We describe the results of analysing proteins in the Protein Data Bank by this new scheme, recovering and extending previous knotting results, and identifying topological interest in some new cases. The statistics of virtual knots in protein chains are compared with those of open random walks and Hamiltonian subchains on cubic lattices, identifying a regime of open curves in which the virtual knotting description is likely to be important

Strategies for Enhancing the Analytical Performance and Biocompatibility of Intravascular Amperometric Glucose Sensors.

Ensuring accurate analytical performance that can overcome the body’s response to foreign objects is integral to developing improved in vivo biosensors. Blood contact from intravenous sensor placement causes surface clotting, and blood-born electroactive species obscure desired signal response. In this thesis, amperometric glucose sensor selectivity improvements are combined with surface hemocompatibility augmentation strategies to enhance in vivo analytical performance. Annealing thin films of Nafion causes morphological changes to hydrophilic regions, altering transport properties. A novel annealed Nafion layer on the electrode cavity of needle-type glucose sensors enhances selectivity (<3 % of signal response for 5 mM glucose at typical levels of ascorbic and uric acid in blood) for at least 8 days. The transmembrane CD47 protein is ubiquitously expressed as a "self" marker. A “handshake” interaction with its cognate receptor on inflammatory response cells (SIRPα) suppresses platelet activation. Outer polyurethane coatings of glucose sensors were functionalized with 85.0 ng/cm2 of recombinant human CD47. In vitro calibrations confirm that immobilization has no adverse impact on sensor glucose response properties. Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent antithrombotic molecule, endogenously released by endothelial cells to prevent platelet activation and clot formation. Layers of poly(lactic acid) containing diazeniumdiolated-N,N’-dibutyl-1,6-hexanediamine (DBHD/N2O2) grant thromboresistance to glucose sensor surfaces by mimicking endogenous NO release at a localized flux >0.5×10-10 mol cm-2 min-1 for at least 7 d. Intravascular amperometric glucose sensors prepared with NO release coatings accurately trace modulations of in vivo glucose concentration within rabbit veins for 7h. Preliminary in vivo glucose measurements for 20h porcine veins are also examined, and extensive in vitro investigations conducted to identify sources of significant sensor calibration drift in the porcine model. Finally, a commercial glucose sensor system is configured for transient NO release. Preliminary data and diffusion modeling suggest that silicone rubber catheter sensor housing can be loaded with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP). NO released from the catheter partitions uniformly into the thin outer polyurethane sensor coating at a projected concentration of 6.77x10-5M during a 5 min charging phase, enabling transient NO release >0.5×10-10 mol cm-2 min-1 for >5 min after sensor removal from the NO source, simulating in vivo blood contact.PHDChemistryUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120833/1/akwolf_1.pd