Welcome to QualityNano

Welcome to QualityNano: the European Union-funded infrastructure for Quality in nanomaterials safety testing. This four year project integrates 28 top European analytical & experimental facilities in nanotechnology, medicine and natural sciences with the goal of developing and implementing best practice and quality in all aspects of nanosafety assessment.

QualityNano Final Conference

Meeting on Current Status and Future Plans in NanoSafety Research and Implementation.

The EU Infrastructure on Nanosafety, QualityNano, is concluding its activity with a meeting in 15th to 17th July 2015 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. The opportunity and organization is being used by a variety of groupings, projects, and activities to meet together to discuss the 'Current Status and Future Plans of Nanosafety Research and Implementation', with the concrete emphasis of characterization, reproducibility in nanosafety research.

Besides the effort on characterization, and reproducibility, we will have a broad and thorough discussion of the overall status of the effort in the whole arena of Nanosafety, with many different inputs. We are also encouraging the airing of all views, and thoughts about the current status, and future plans.

Given the close alignment of interests, and the fact that various interested parties are already attending, we are designating this as a CoR meeting in that arena, and are hopeful that you will be able to attend.

Evolution of the Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies were introduced as a result of the backdrop of the financial crisis of 2008 coupled with the growing complexity of the internet. This made Satoshi Nakamato launch the first cryptocurrency - Bitcoin in 2009. Though he remained Pseudonymous, Nakamoto advocates the creation of a decentralised currency with a finite currency of 21 million tokens. 

In the year 2009, people began to make use of cryptocurrency when its implementation was released as an open-source software. Since then, it evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. On the rise has been a global interest in the currency.

Bitcoin is the first and most purchased cryptocurrency. It is dubbed the King of cryptocurrencies. Before the creation of Bitcoin, however, several attempts had been made at creating digital currencies using ledger secured encryptions. Scott Stornetta and Stuart Haber invented blockchain in 1991. It’s the platform on which bitcoin was built. Official mining of the coin began in 2009. Mining is a system for tracking and recording the transactions of cryptocurrencies.

As a result of increasing investments in venture capital, the demand for the currency has surged, hence leading to the growth of the currency. Much more, the increasing fame of digital properties such as Litecoin and Bitcoin is prone to quicken the market in upcoming times. In furtherance, it has been studied that cryptocurrency is also utilised in the integration of blockchain technology to be decentralised and manage efficient trades. Hence, benefits like these motivate people to approve cryptocurrency.

The impact of the pandemic situation was adverse on the global economy. However, the connection between the equity market and bitcoin spread during this period. For instance, in March 2020, the rate of BTC waned and went below USD 4,000 after a fall in the S&P index in the U.S. Hence, as the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market wrecked, blockchain organisations are arising as main alternative to boost investment capital.

Remarkably, cryptocurrencies have helped reduce the enormous cost associated with financial intermediaries such as banks and finance institutions. This is because it makes use of a Peer-to-Peer transaction, being a decentralised currency. Also, most of the problems associated with fiat currency have been eradicated. Digital currency has effectively addressed the issue of double spending and duplication.

Although, cryptocurrencies are weak in the sense that they could be easily hacked into. Once the tokens of a cryptocurrency is lost as a result, it is almost impossible to recover. Most of the newly  founded cryptocurrencies have new features and functions. However, they maintain the similar principle to those that established bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies are not controlled or regulated by a central financial institution. It operates via a decentralized system and can’t be regulated by an individual. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are encrypted by computer codes known as cryptography. The management and trading of these cryptocurrencies are enabled by digital/blockchain wallets.