Papers by Laurence Doemeny
The ultimate purpose in studying ethics is not as it is in other inquiries, the attainment of the... more The ultimate purpose in studying ethics is not as it is in other inquiries, the attainment of theoretical knowledge; we are not conducting this inquiry in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good…" ~ Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2, Chapter 2 (1) To become good throughout one's career, and indeed throughout one's life, is not a journey with a defined end point, but a continuous process that requires integrity, honesty, and frequent self-reflection. In the field of scientific research, both innovation and accurate reporting of information are critical to society, and society implicitly trusts scientists and researchers to be ethical and honest in their work. The need for data reliability has become even more profound as technology advances at an ever increasing rate. Indeed, the tools of "big data," with its advances in statistical applications, have made it easier than ever to detect unethical behavior. Once an individual is associated with such behavior-once the implicit trust in their scientific integrity is broken-it becomes almost impossible to recover that reputation. When beginning the educational process, one's reputation is unvarnished, and during advancement into and through the workplace, this reputation for honesty and integrity should likewise progress. Without a doubt, this integrity is critical to find employment, to obtain research grants, to disseminate important findings, and generally to be a successful and respected scientific professional. Unethical behavior has occurred for centuries and has been perpetrated by famous scientists, including Isaac Newton, John Dalton, and Robert Millikan (2; 3). The offenses are often revealed in data that were "too good," lacking even a hint of random-and perfectly acceptable-error or variation. Even today, statistical rigor and proper experimental design are lacking in many studies. Yet not all misconduct involves data falsification ("cleaning of the data") or data fabrication ("making up the data"). Plagiarism and misappropriation of contribution are forms of theft that intrude on proper acknowledgment of the original work, which cost the true owner time, effort, and, in many cases, money. For the individual committing such a theft, there could be gratification and recognition in the short term… until the offense is discovered. Despite the risks and unethical nature of such behavior, studies have shown that plagiarism occurs more often than commonly appreciated (4). This document serves as an introduction to the importance of ethical behavior in scientific research, beginning with some well-known examples of unethical conduct and their severe consequences. For additional examples, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Research Integrity lists case studies of misconduct dating back to 2008 (5). Many of these cases involve data fabrication or falsification in scientific publications, poster sessions, and grant applications. Like DHHS, the National Science Foundation maintains a compendium of misconduct investigations available to the public (6). Cases can be searched by the type of misconduct in 32 categories, such as plagiarism, data tampering, data falsification, sabotage, and intellectual theft. This database also identifies the repercussions in these cases; a brief scan reveals that punishments can be severe, possibly involving job loss, revoked academic degrees, and even criminal charges.
Report of the Instrumentation Panel on future research needs
This report outlines the recommendations of the Instrumentation Panel for future instrumentation ... more This report outlines the recommendations of the Instrumentation Panel for future instrumentation research needs in an Occupational Health Research (OHR) Program for synfuel technology. Current monitoring technology is inadequate to evaluate the occupational health impacts associated with new energy technologies, particularly synthetic fuels. Of the many possible areas of potentially fruitful research, this Panel has identified five major research areas that are essential to provide adequate tools for assessing the exposure and protecting the health of workers in synfuel facilities. These are: (1) development of monitoring tools for polynuclear aromatic compounds; (2) development of skin contamination monitors; (3) development of biological monitors; (4) development of aerosol/particulate monitors and sampling instrumentation; and (5) sensor technology development. (ACR)
Acs Symposium Series, 2016
Acs Symposium Series, 2016
Nanotechnology : delivering on the promise
Nanotechnology can be defined as the science of manipulating matter at the nanometer scale in ord... more Nanotechnology can be defined as the science of manipulating matter at the nanometer scale in order to discover new properties and possibly produce new products. This book contains a wealth of information on research, product development, commercialization, and regulatory issues related to nanotechnology.
American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 1978
Evaluation of coal mine dust personal sampler performance. Final report
The performance and accuracy of the coal mine dust personal sampler was evaluated. Mechanical pro... more The performance and accuracy of the coal mine dust personal sampler was evaluated. Mechanical properties of the sampler, such as battery life and pump flow meter accuracy, were kept constant. Penetration curves were obtained using monodisperse aerosols of several diameters for three sampling flow rates and three pulsation rates at each flow rate. The effects of particle charge, sampler orientation, air velocity, and mass loading were evaluated using polydisperse coal dust. Results were compared to the respirable mass dust criterion of the Los Alamos (LASL) Atomic Energy Commission, the British Medical council respirable (BMRC) coal dust criterion, and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) criterion.
Nanotechnology : delivering on the promise
Nanotechnology can be defined as the science of manipulating matter at the nanometer scale in ord... more Nanotechnology can be defined as the science of manipulating matter at the nanometer scale in order to discover new properties and possibly produce new products. This book contains a wealth of information on research, product development, commercialization, and regulatory issues related to nanotechnology.
Intramultiplet conversion in crossed molecular beams: Hg (63P2) + M → Hg(63P1) + M
Chemical Physics Letters, 1969
Abstract Observation of fluorescence from crossed molecular beams has been used to measure the re... more Abstract Observation of fluorescence from crossed molecular beams has been used to measure the relative cross sections for the quenching process Hg(63P2) + M → Hg(63P1 + M with Co, N2, H2, D2, Ch4 and CD4.
ACS Symposium Series, 2016
ACS Symposium Series, 2016
Relative Cross Sections for the Intramultiplet Quenching of Hg(63P2) to Hg(63P1)
The Journal of Chemical Physics, 1972
Relative intramultiplet quenching cross sections for the transition Hg(63P2)→ Hg(63P1) have been ... more Relative intramultiplet quenching cross sections for the transition Hg(63P2)→ Hg(63P1) have been obtained for a variety of collision partners by using crossed molecular beams and monitoring the phosphorescence of Hg(63P1) from the cross beam interaction region. Energy resonance with vibrational states does not appear to be a major factor in determining the magnitude of the intramultiplet cross sections for this process. The results with He and Xe indicate that internal degrees of freedom are required for significant cross sections when the quencher lacks excited electronic states below Hg(63P2). In general the large differences in cross sections observed with molecules are best explained in terms of competitive processes, e.g., highly reactive molecules tend to have small intramultiplet cross sections. The present data are compared with total and intramultiplet cross sections for Hg(63P1) which have been obtained by optical excitation in bulb experiments.
Nanotechnology Overview: Opportunities and Challenges
ACS Symposium Series, 2016
A modified impinger for personal sampling
Amer Ind Hyg Assn J, 1979
The performance of a modified impinger is described. Laboratory and limited field studies found t... more The performance of a modified impinger is described. Laboratory and limited field studies found that the modification made the device relatively spill-proof. In addition, the collection efficiency of the spill-proof impinger was compared to the standard midget impinger. For particles larger than 0.8 micrometer equivalent aerodynamic diameter, the impaction efficiencies of the two devices were found to be identical. However, the capture efficiencies of the two devices were not always found to be equivalent. In three tests, the modified impinger collected proportionately more material than the midget impinger. In three other tests, the capture efficiencies of the two devices were found to be equivalent.
U.S. Approach for Air Sampling of Workplace Contaminants: Current Basis and Future Options
Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 1993
... 20. Busch, KA; Taylor, DG: Statistical Protocol for the NIOSH Vali-dation Tests. In: Chemical... more ... 20. Busch, KA; Taylor, DG: Statistical Protocol for the NIOSH Vali-dation Tests. In: Chemical Hazards in the Workplace, pp. 503-517. Gangadhar Choudhary, Ed. ACS Symposium Series 149. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC (1981). 21. ...
Deconvolution of fluorescence and phosphorescence decay curves. Least-squares method
The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1973
ABSTRACT
Corrections to the target and critical values for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health validation tests
American Industrial Hygiene Association journal, 1996
In 1974 the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Sa... more In 1974 the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration joined to complete exposure standards promulgated by federal regulations. In that effort NIOSH scientists developed an accuracy criterion (AC) and a statistical protocol for evaluating its fulfillment. That AC and those procedures have been widely used ever since. This article presents corrections to the target and critical coefficients of variation published as part of the statistical protocol.
Critique of 1985 ACGIH report on particle size-selective sampling in the workplace
American Industrial Hygiene Association journal, 1986
The criteria recently proposed by ACGIH for judging the acceptability of respirable and other dus... more The criteria recently proposed by ACGIH for judging the acceptability of respirable and other dust fraction samplers are analyzed. Implications on the sampling of workplace aerosol are determined. With the consideration of both bias and imprecision, the overall accuracy limited by the criteria is estimated for the sampling of coal mine dust as characterized by various researchers. The accuracy limits thus found appear to be excessively broad. As an example with actual workplace dust distributions in the sampling of a single aerosol (mass median diameter = 18.6 micrometers and geometric standard deviation = 2.3) with respirable dust concentration near 2 mg/m3, two samplers acceptable according to the proposed criteria could be found giving respirable dust measurements equal to 0.71 mg/m3 and 4.3 mg/m3 (even after excluding 5% of the low and high measurements from each sampler, respectively). Large variation in samplers acceptable according to the criteria is found for many other dist...
Monitoring the performance of occupational health laboratories
American Industrial Hygiene Association journal, 1991
To monitor the performance of occupational health laboratories analyzing workplace air, the Ameri... more To monitor the performance of occupational health laboratories analyzing workplace air, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), with assistance from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, has established four national quality assurance programs. They are the Proficiency Analytical Testing (PAT) Program, the AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Program, the Asbestos Analysts Registry, and the Bulk Quality Assurance Program. This paper focuses on the PAT program, a quality audit program that provides samples of asbestos, silica, metals, and solvents to laboratories quarterly. PAT data for asbestos, silica, and lead were examined for trends in precision. Simple graphs of coefficient of variation during the 18-yr history of the program provide evidence of improved agreement among laboratories performing these analyses. The improvement took place in spite of growth in the number of laboratories and decreases in the levels being analyzed. The improvement is attrib...
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Papers by Laurence Doemeny