Bulletin of the American Physical Society
15th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Section of the APS
Volume 59, Number 6
Thursday–Saturday, May 1–3, 2014; Seattle, Washington
Session F1: Plenary Session II |
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Chair: Jo-Anne Brown, University of Calgary Room: Alder Commons 104 (Auditorium) |
Saturday, May 3, 2014 8:20AM - 8:30AM |
F1.00001: Announcements |
Saturday, May 3, 2014 8:30AM - 9:05AM |
F1.00002: Single molecule nanopore sequencing of DNA Invited Speaker: Jens Gundlach Nanopores are a new tool to study single bio molecules. We have developed the biologic pore Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA) for nanopore sequencing of DNA. A single molecule of DNA is drawn into the pore by a voltage applied across the pore, while an ionic current passing through the pore reveals the DNA's composition, its interactions with the pore and its dynamics. A polymerase is used to control the translocation velocity through the pore. We will demonstrate how this technique leads to a simple and fast electronic DNA reader. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 3, 2014 9:05AM - 9:40AM |
F1.00003: Physics of Earthquakes and Tsunamis: Implications for the Pacific Northwest Invited Speaker: Anne Trehu We are all familiar with the iconic volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest, which are a product of the Cascadia subduction zone, where the Juan de Fuca plate descends into the mantle beneath the North American plate. Earthquakes and tsunamis are another product of this subduction zone, and other subduction zones around the world, although no very large subduction zone earthquakes have occurred in Cascadia since the advent of seismic recording networks. The longer geologic record, however, indicates that large earthquake have occurred in the past, most recently on January 26, 1700. Several very large subduction earthquakes, however, have occurred elsewhere during the past decade, including the 2004 and 2005 Sumatra earthquakes, the 2010 Chile earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan. Modern networks of seismometers and GPS stations provide detailed information on the strain accumulation prior to and the rupture history during these events, and on the impact of the rupture history on the characteristics of the resulting tsunami. These three events were quite different in terms of the area of rupture, distribution and amount of slip on the rupture plane, and relationship between rupture in the earthquake and existing geologic structure. Studies of these earthquakes, coupled with studies of crustal structure and deformation in Cascadia, may provide some further clues about what we should expect in a future Cascadia subduction earthquake. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 3, 2014 9:40AM - 10:15AM |
F1.00004: Electron-Proton Parity Violation {\&} the Qweak Experiment Invited Speaker: Larry Lee The ``weak charge'' of the proton ($Q^{P}_{weak}$) is the neutral current (weak interaction) analog of the proton's electric charge. It is both precisely predicted and suppressed in the Standard Model, making this an ideal observable to use in searches for ``new physics,'' beyond the Standard Model. By measuring parity violation in the scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from liquid hydrogen, the Qweak experiment can measure the weak charge of the proton, as ``seen'' by the Z-boson. This measured weak charge is ``screened'' by clouds of virtual particles in the vacuum, so by taking into account all ``known'' particles, Standard Model calculations attempt to make firm predictions for what our result should be. Nature, on the other hand, will use all particles, including ones not yet discovered, so a discrepancy between our measurement and the Standard Model prediction would be a sign of new physics. At our predicted accuracy, a $\pm$ 4{\%} measurement of $Q^{P}_{weak}$, we could see the effects of new physics at the TeV scale. The Qweak experiment, which was carried out in Hall C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, has completed data-taking and is currently in the analysis phase. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 3, 2014 10:15AM - 10:45AM |
F1.00005: Break
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Saturday, May 3, 2014 10:45AM - 11:20AM |
F1.00006: Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy - a Decade of Development Invited Speaker: Nicolas Loebel For every human cell in our bodies, approximately 9 microbes live within us, colonizing our digestive tracts, our eyes, teeth, skin and hair. We co-evolved with specific microbes--on the order of 1,000 different species--in order to provide us with a host of symbiotic advantages. However, the delicate balance between human and microbe can be upset by injury, stress, disease or even normal aging. When that happens, commensal microbes can turn into killers. As we learn more about normal and dysbiotic microbiomes, our ability to wipe out marauding microbes is paradoxically waning fast, as antibiotic resistance rises from rampant overuse. At Ondine, we've been developing a novel approach to infection control, by capitalizing on the ability of certain dyes to selectively stain microbes over human cells, and produce a potent killing flux of oxygen-derived free radicals (OFDR) when illuminated by light. Efficient ODFR generation from this system depends on the existence of a long-lived triplet state in the dye, spin-matched to the ground state of molecular oxygen. One such dye is methylene blue. In my talk, I will describe a decade of product development based on methylene blue, and the numerous applications of the approach to human and animal infection control. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 3, 2014 11:20AM - 11:55AM |
F1.00007: Physics and Sustainable Buildings Invited Speaker: Robert Knapp Buildings account for roughly 40{\%} of energy use and large fractions of water, materials and other dimensions of the national and global sustainability challenge. Physics imposes limits and creates opportunities for reducing resource demands and impacts while maintaining high performance. Using measured energy flows in instrumented buildings as a guide, this talk will highlight key physics aspects of the critical thermal, optical, fluid and electrical processes used in the current generation of high-performing buildings such as the Packard Foundation's and Bullitt Foundation's new ``net zero'' office buildings. Topics will include heat engines and heat exchangers, infra-red radiation, reflection and absorption spectra, and solar geometry. [Preview Abstract] |
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