70 research outputs found
Letter to the Editor Concerning Simultaneous, Single-Particle Measurements of Size and Loading Give Insights into the Structure of Drug-Delivery Nanoparticles
The vexing error of excess variance in the sizing of single particles
degrades accuracy in applications ranging from quality control of nanoparticle
products to hazard assessment of nanoplastic byproducts. The particular
importance of lipid nanoparticles for vaccine and medicine delivery motivates
this comment on a publication in ACS Nano. In ref 1, the
benchmark measurements of a nanoparticle standard manifest large errors of the
size distribution that contradict the claim of validation. Such errors can bias
the correlation of fluorescence intensity as an optical proxy for the molecular
loading of lipid nanoparticles and give misleading insights from power-law
models of intensitysize data. Looking forward, measurement error models have
the potential to address this widespread issue.Comment: Peer reviewed and pending acceptance by ACS Nan
Subnanometer traceability of localization microscopy
In localization microscopy, subnanometer precision is possible but supporting
accuracy is challenging, and no study has demonstrated reliable traceability to
the International System of Units (SI). To do so, we measure the positions of
nanoscale apertures in a reference array by traceable atomic-force microscopy,
creating a master standard. We perform correlative measurements of this
standard by optical microscopy, correcting position errors from optical
aberrations by a Zernike calibration. We establish an uncertainty field due to
localization errors and scale uncertainty, with regions of position
traceability to within a 68 % coverage interval of +/- 1.0 nm. These results
enable localization metrology with high throughput, which we apply to measure
working standards, validating the subnanometer accuracy of lithographic pitch
Differing instructional needs for children of similar reading achievement grades two, four, and six
Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit
A lateral nanoflow assay reveals nanoplastic fluorescence heterogeneity
Colloidal nanoplastics present technological opportunities, environmental
concerns, and measurement challenges. To meet these challenges, we develop a
lateral nanoflow assay from sample-in to answer-out. Our measurement system
integrates complex nanofluidic replicas, super-resolution optical microscopy,
and comprehensive statistical analyses to measure polystyrene nanoparticles
that sorb and carry hydrophobic fluorophores. An elegant scaling of surface
forces within our silicone devices hydrodynamically automates the advection and
dominates the diffusion of the nanoparticles. Through steric interaction with
the replica structure, the particle size distribution reciprocally probes the
unknown limits of replica function. Multiple innovations in the integration and
calibration of device and microscope improve the accuracy of identifying single
nanoparticles and quantifying their diameters and fluorescence intensities. A
statistical model of the measurement approaches the information limit of the
system, discriminates size exclusion from surface adsorption, and reduces
nonideal data to return the particle size distribution with nanometer
resolution. A Bayesian statistical analysis of the dimensional and optical
properties of single nanoparticles reveals their fundamental structure-property
relationship. Fluorescence intensity shows a super-volumetric dependence,
scaling with nanoparticle diameter to nearly the fourth power and confounding
basic concepts of chemical sorption. Distributions of fluorescivity - the
product of the number density, absorption cross section, and quantum yield of
an ensemble of fluorophores - are ultrabroad and asymmetric, limiting ensemble
analysis and dimensional or chemical inference from fluorescence intensity.
These results reset expectations for optimizing nanoplastic products,
understanding nanoplastic byproducts, and applying nanoplastic standards
Influence of hybrid organic–inorganic sol–gel matrices on the photophysics of amino-functionalized UV-sensitizers
Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar
Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (bodymass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use
Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar
Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use
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