Coherent state transfer between itinerant microwave fields and a mechanical oscillator.

Macroscopic mechanical oscillators have been coaxed into a regime of quantum behaviour by direct refrigeration or a combination of refrigeration and laser-like cooling. This result supports the idea that mechanical oscillators may perform useful functions in the processing of quantum information with superconducting circuits, either by serving as a quantum memory for the ephemeral state of a microwave field or by providing a quantum interface between otherwise incompatible systems. As yet, the transfer of an itinerant state or a propagating mode of a microwave field to and from a storage medium has not been demonstrated, owing to the inability to turn on and off the interaction between the microwave field and the medium sufficiently quickly. Here we demonstrate that the state of an itinerant microwave field can be coherently transferred into, stored in and retrieved from a mechanical oscillator with amplitudes at the single-quantum level. Crucially, the time to capture and to retrieve the microwave state is shorter than the quantum state lifetime of the mechanical oscillator. In this quantum regime, the mechanical oscillator can both store quantum information and enable its transfer between otherwise incompatible systems.

Sideband cooling of micromechanical motion to the quantum ground state.

The advent of laser cooling techniques revolutionized the study of many atomic-scale systems, fuelling progress towards quantum computing with trapped ions and generating new states of matter with Bose-Einstein condensates. Analogous cooling techniques can provide a general and flexible method of preparing macroscopic objects in their motional ground state. Cavity optomechanical or electromechanical systems achieve sideband cooling through the strong interaction between light and motion. However, entering the quantum regime--in which a system has less than a single quantum of motion--has been difficult because sideband cooling has not sufficiently overwhelmed the coupling of low-frequency mechanical systems to their hot environments. Here we demonstrate sideband cooling of an approximately 10-MHz micromechanical oscillator to the quantum ground state. This achievement required a large electromechanical interaction, which was obtained by embedding a micromechanical membrane into a superconducting microwave resonant circuit. To verify the cooling of the membrane motion to a phonon occupation of 0.34 ± 0.05 phonons, we perform a near-Heisenberg-limited position measurement within (5.1 ± 0.4)h/2π, where h is Planck's constant. Furthermore, our device exhibits strong coupling, allowing coherent exchange of microwave photons and mechanical phonons. Simultaneously achieving strong coupling, ground state preparation and efficient measurement sets the stage for rapid advances in the control and detection of non-classical states of motion, possibly even testing quantum theory itself in the unexplored region of larger size and mass. Because mechanical oscillators can couple to light of any frequency, they could also serve as a unique intermediary for transferring quantum information between microwave and optical domains.

The Macular Assessment Profile test - a new VDU-based technique for measuring the spatial distribution of the macular pigment, lens density and rapid flicker sensitivity.

The measurement of macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in the eye is often carried out using optical techniques based on heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP). These require the use of two spectrally-narrow beams, one at the wavelength of maximum absorption of the macular pigment (MP) and the other in the long wavelength region of the visible spectrum where MP absorption is negligible. A new technique for the measurement of MPOD spatial profiles has been developed by overcoming the current shortcomings associated with the use of visual displays. The new Macular Assessment Profile (MAP) test makes use of a 'notch' filter and a photometric model to measure and compute the peak MPOD value. Two other useful parameters are also computed from the same measurements. These describe the subject's sensitivity to rapid flicker and the absorption of blue light by the lens. MPOD profiles, lens density, rapid flicker sensitivity, and red/green (RG) and yellow/blue (YB) colour thresholds were measured in 54 normal subjects aged 18-61 years. The results confirm previous findings on ageing effects and demonstrate the complete absence of correlation between MPOD and the subject's YB chromatic thresholds. In contrast, RG chromatic sensitivity improves with higher levels of MPOD.

Arts for the Blues - a new creative psychological therapy for depression: a pilot workshop report.

INTRODUCTION: Research over the last decade has identified both strengths and limitations in the use of routinely prescribed psychological therapies for depression. More recently, a focus on how creative art therapies and 'arts on prescription' are developing a growing recognition of their potential additional therapeutic mechanisms for depression. AIM: In an attempt to develop a new therapeutic intervention for depression, this research aligned both the evidence base surrounding the arts on prescription movement, collating these with client-reported helpful factors and preferences for therapeutic interventions. METHODS: We developed a framework for a new pluralistic 'meta-approach' of therapy for depression, based on; an interdisciplinary thematic synthesis of active ingredients, considered specific features implemented in therapy, and client-reported helpful factors considered to be the broad features or experiences in therapy from both talking therapies and creative approaches. This framework contributed to the development of a pilot workshop entitled Arts for the Blues - A New Creative Psychological Therapy for Depression. An outline of, and evaluation from this workshop is presented in this article. Workshop participants were recruited via a voluntary workshop taking place at a North West Higher Education Institution Arts and Health conference ( N = 15). RESULTS: The workshop was evaluated using quantitative measures, with results indicating around a 70% overall satisfaction, followed up with qualitative commentary around areas of good practice and areas for development. These included the positive reflection on the application of creative arts and the multimodal nature of the approach, while others reflected on the potential overwhelming nature of utilising multimodal methods for individuals with depression. CONCLUSION: Overall feedback from the pilot workshop is discussed in relation to prior research, giving credence to the potential for incorporating arts into therapy.

Covariation of human microsomal protein per gram of liver with age: absence of influence of operator and sample storage may justify interlaboratory data pooling.

Scaling of metabolic clearance values from liver microsomal data or recombinantly expressed cytochrome P450 enzymes to predict human hepatic clearance requires knowledge of the amount of microsomal protein per gram of liver (MPPGL). Identification of physiological covariates of MPPGL requires analysis of values from large diverse populations, which necessitates pooling of data from numerous sources. To ensure compatibility between results obtained within and between studies, the impact of interoperator differences and sample storage on values of MPPGL was investigated. With use of triplicate samples from one liver (HL86), no statistically significant difference was detected between values of MPPGL prepared from samples stored at -80 degrees C (23.5 +/- 1.2 mg g(-1)) and those determined using fresh tissue (21.9 +/- 0.3 mg g(-1)). Although there was a significant difference in the yield of microsomal protein obtained from another liver sample (HL43) by three different operators (17 +/- 1, 19 +/- 2, and 24 +/- 1 mg g(-1); p = 0.004, analysis of variance), no difference was observed in the estimated MPPGL after application of appropriate correction factors for each operator (28 +/- 1, 30 +/- 5, and 31 +/- 4 mg g(-1)). The result provided justification for pooling reported values of MPPGL for use in covariate analysis. Investigation of the relationship between age and MPPGL provided preliminary evidence that MPPGL values increase from birth to a maximum of 40 mg g(-1) [95% confidence interval for the geometric mean (95% CI mean(geo)): 37-43 mg g(-1) at approximately 28 years followed by a gradual decrease in older age (mean of 29 mg g(-1) at 65 years; 95% CI mean(geo): 27-32 mg g(-1)). Accordingly, appropriate age-adjusted scaling factors should be used in extrapolating in vitro clearance values to clinical studies.

Sex-related differences in chromatic sensitivity.

Generally women are believed to be more discriminating than men in the use of color names and this is often taken to imply superior color vision. However, if both X-chromosome linked color deficient males (8%) and females (<1%) as well as heterozygote female carriers (15%) are excluded from comparisons, then differences between men and women in red-green (RG) color discrimination have been reported as not being significant (e.g., Pickford, 1944; Hood et al., 2006). We re-examined this question by assessing the performance of 150 males and 150 females on the color assessment and diagnosis (CAD) test (Rodriguez-Carmona et al., 2005). This is a sensitive test that yields small color detection thresholds. The test employs direction-specific, moving, chromatic stimuli embedded in a background of random, dynamic, luminance contrast noise. A four-alternative, forced-choice procedure is employed to measure the subject's thresholds for detection of color signals in 16 directions in color space, while ensuring that the subject cannot make use of any residual luminance contrast signals. In addition, we measured the Rayleigh anomaloscope matches in a subgroup of 111 males and 114 females. All the age-matched males (30.8 +/- 9.7) and females (26.7 +/- 8.8) had normal color vision as diagnosed by a battery of conventional color vision tests. Females with known color deficient relatives were excluded from the study. Comparisons between the male and female groups revealed no significant differences in anomaloscope midpoints (p = 0.709), but a significant difference in matching ranges (p = 0.040); females on average tended to have a larger mean range (4.11) than males (3.75). Females also had significantly higher CAD thresholds than males along the RG (p = 0.0004), but not along the yellow-blue (YB) discrimination axis. The differences between males and females in RG discrimination may be related to the heterozygosity in X-linked cone photo pigment expression common among females.

A study of unusual Rayleigh matches in deutan deficiency.

Rayleigh match data were modeled with the aim of explaining the locations of match midpoints and matching ranges, both in normal trichromats and in subjects with congenital color deficiency. Model parameters included the wavelength of peak sensitivity of cone photopigments, the effective photopigment optical density, and the noise amplitude in the red-green color channel. In order to avoid the suprathreshold, perceptual effects of extreme L:M cone ratios on color vision, selective post-receptoral amplification of cone signals is needed. The associated noise is also amplified and this causes corresponding changes in red-green threshold sensitivity. We propose that the noise amplitude and hence the size of the matching range in normal trichromats relates to the known inter-subject variation in the relative numbers of L and M cones. If this hypothesis can be shown to account for the extremes of the red-green matching range measured in normal trichromats, it is of interest to establish the extent to which it also predicts the unexpected, small matching ranges that are observed in some subjects with red-green color deficiency. A subset of subjects with deutan deficiency that exhibited less common Nagel matches were selected for genetic analysis of their cone pigment genes in order to confirm the type of deficiency, and to predict the corresponding peak wavelength separation (delta lambda(max)) of their two, long-wavelength cone pigments. The Rayleigh match model predicted accurately the midpoint and the range for the spectral differences specified by the genes. The prediction also required plausible selection of effective optical density of the cone pigments and noise. The noise needed varied, but the estimates were confined to lie within the limits established from the matching ranges measured in normal trichromats. The model predicts correctly the small matching ranges measured in some deuteranomalous subjects, principally accounted for by a low estimate of noise level in the red-green channel. The model also predicts the "normal" matches made by some subjects that rely on two hybrid genes and therefore exhibit red-green thresholds outside the normal range, typical of mild deuteranomaly.

Characterising mesopic spectral sensitivity from reaction times.

The spectral sensitivity of the eye was investigated using reaction times to broadband chromatic stimuli over a range of background luminances. Relative sensitivity was determined from the nonlinear reaction time curve by converting reaction times to a linear measure that was independent of spectral sensitivity. Two models for mesopic spectral sensitivity were compared. The first was a linear combination of V(lambda) and V'(lambda), and the second included input from the L-M colour-opponent mechanism and the S-cones. The second model produced a significantly better fit to the data. The chromatic mechanisms appear to contribute to reaction time when there is an appreciable chromatic signal but luminance contrast is low.

Characterizing the output settings of dental curing lights.

OBJECTIVES: For improved inter-study reproducibility and ultimately improved patient care, researchers and dentists need to know what electromagnetic radiation (light) is emitted from the light-curing unit (LCU) they are using and what is received by the resin. This information cannot be obtained from a dental radiometer, even though many studies have used a dental radiometer. METHODS: The light outputs from six LCUs (two QTH and four broad-spectrum LED units) were collected in real-time using an integrating sphere connected to a fiberoptic spectrometer during different light exposures. RESULTS: It was found that the spectral emissions were unique to each LCU, and there was no standardization in what was emitted on the various ramp (soft-start) settings. Relative to the normal use setting, using the ramp setting reduced the radiant energy (J) delivered from each LCU. For one of the four broad-spectrum LED LCUs, the spectral emissions in the violet range did not increase when the overall radiant power output was increased. In addition, this broad-spectrum LED LCU emitted no light from the violet LED chip for the first 5s and only emitted violet light when the ramp phase finished. CONCLUSIONS: A single irradiance value derived from a dental radiometer or from a laboratory grade power meter cannot adequately describe the output from the LCU. Manufacturers should provide more information about the light output from their LCUs. Ideally, future assessments and research publications that include resin photopolymerization should report the spectral radiant power delivered from the LCU throughout the entire exposure cycle.

Transmission of violet and blue light through conventional (layered) and bulk cured resin-based composites.

OBJECTIVES: This study measured the transmission of light in the 'violet' (350≤λ≤425nm) and 'blue' (425<λ≤550nm) spectral ranges from a polywave(®) LED curing light through different thicknesses of four commercial, resin-based composites (RBCs). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Samples of conventional layered RBCs (Tetric EvoCeram A2, Filtek Supreme Ultra A2B), and bulk-curing resins (Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill IVA, and SureFil SDR Flow U) were prepared. Three samples of each RBC were made at thicknesses of 0.1, 0.7, 1, 2, and 4-mm. The uncured RBC specimens were affixed at the entrance aperture of a 6-inch integrating sphere and light-cured once for 20s using a polywave(®) LED curing light (Bluephase G2) on its high power setting. The spectral radiant power transmitted through each RBC in the 'violet' and 'blue' regions was measured using a fiberoptic spectrometer. RESULTS: As RBC thickness increased, an exponential attenuation of transmitted light was measured (R(2)>0.98). Attenuation was greater for the 'violet' than for the 'blue' spectral regions. At the light tip, the violet light component represented 15.4% of the light output. After passing through 4-mm of RBC, the violet light represented only between 1.2-3.1% of the transmitted light depending on the RBC. Depending on RBC, approximately 100mW from the Bluephase G2 was transmitted through 0.1-mm of RBC in the 'violet' range, falling at most to 11mW after passing through 2-mm of RBC, and to only 2mW at 4-mm depth. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing RBC thickness results in an exponential decrease in light transmission. This attenuation is RBC-dependent with shorter wavelengths (violet) attenuated to a greater extent than longer wavelengths (blue). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Despite the increased translucency of bulk curing RBCs, spectral radiant power shorter than 425nm from a curing light is unlikely to be effective at a depth of 4-mm or more.

Emission Characteristics and Effect of Battery Drain in "Budget" Curing Lights.

Recently, "budget" dental light-emitting diode (LED)-based light-curing units (LCUs) have become available over the Internet. These LCUs claim equal features and performance compared to LCUs from major manufacturers, but at a lower cost. This study examined radiant power, spectral emission, beam irradiance profiles, effective emission ratios, and the ability of LCUs to provide sustained output values during the lifetime of a single, fully charged battery. Three examples of each budget LCU were purchased over the Internet (KY-L029A and KY-L036A, Foshan Keyuan Medical Equipment Co, and the Woodpecker LED.B, Guilin Woodpecker Medical Instrument Co). Major dental manufacturers provided three models: Elipar S10 and Paradigm (3M ESPE) and the Bluephase G2 (Ivoclar Vivadent). Radiant power emissions were measured using a laboratory-grade thermopile system, and the spectral emission was captured using a spectroradiometer system. Irradiance profiles at the tip end were measured using a modified laser beam profiler, and the proportion of optical tip area that delivered in excess of 400 mW/cm(2) (termed the effective emission ratio) was displayed using calibrated beam profile images. Emitted power was monitored over sequential exposures from each LCU starting at a fully charged battery state. The results indicated that there was less than a 100-mW/cm(2) difference between manufacturer-stated average tip end irradiance and the measured output. All the budget lights had smaller optical tip areas, and two demonstrated lower effective emission ratios than did the units from the major manufacturers. The budget lights showed discontinuous values of irradiance over their tip ends. One unit delivered extremely high output levels near the center of the light tip. Two of the budget lights were unable to maintain sustained and stable light output as the battery charge decreased with use, whereas those lights from the major manufacturers all provided a sustained light output for at least 100 exposures as well as visual and audible indications that the units required recharging.

In-vitro analysis of the contribution of CYP2D6.35 to ultra-rapid metabolism.

From 10 to 30% of CYP2D6 ultra-rapid metabolizers of Caucasian origin harbor alleles with duplicated or amplified functional CYP2D6 genes. Recently, the CYP2D6*35 allele has been reported to be more frequent in ultra-rapid metabolizing subjects than in extensive metabolizers, suggesting a possible role of this variant in CYP2D6 duplication-negative ultra-rapid metabolizing subjects. In this study, we examined the functional consequences of the Val11Met, Arg296Cys and Ser486Thr amino acid substitutions associated with the CYP2D6*35 on the expression and catalytic activity of the variant enzyme, heterologously expressed in yeast. Our results indicate that the functional activity and level of expression of recombinant CYP2D6.35 are comparable with those of the wild-type enzyme, thus precluding the hypothesis that the high level of enzyme activity in CYP2D6 duplication-negative ultra-rapid metabolizing subjects is a consequence of the expression of a more catalytically effective CYP2D6.35 enzyme.

Histamine inhibition of mixed function oxidase activity in rat and human liver microsomes and in the isolated perfused rat liver.

The imidazole ring is a common structural feature of some xenobiotics that inhibit cytochrome P-450-catalysed reactions. Histamine is a 4-substituted imidazole and a preliminary study has shown it to be an inhibitor of rat liver microsomal drug oxidation. This work has now been extended. Histamine appears to be a competitive inhibitor of the alpha-hydroxylation (HM) (Ki = 164 microM; IC50 at 20 microM = 308 microM) and O-demethylation (ODM) (Ki = 243 microns; IC50 at 20 microM = 400 microM) of metoprolol in rat liver microsomes. Of the metabolites of histamine only N-acetylhistamine showed comparable inhibitory potency to that of the parent compound. Histamine impaired the disappearance of lignocaine when incubated with rat liver microsomes. This was accompanied by a corresponding inhibition of 3-hydroxy-lignocaine appearance. Histamine produced a type II spectral interaction with rat liver microsomes (lambda max = 432 nm, lambda min = 408 nm; Ks = 0.11 mM). When histamine was incubated alone with rat liver microsomes no loss of substrate was observed. The oxidation of metoprolol by human liver microsomes was impaired by histamine (IC50 values for ODM appearance at 25 microM: liver HL1 greater than 10, HL3 = 3.8 and HL4 = 3.7 mM). In comparison, cimetidine had an IC50 value of 1.5 mM using microsomes from liver HL3. Addition of histamine impaired the elimination of metoprolol by the isolated perfused rat liver in a dose-dependent manner (P less than 0.001, one-way analysis of variance). These data demonstrate that histamine can enter hepatocytes, interact with cytochrome P-450 and inhibit some drug oxidation reactions. The physiological relevance of inhibition of drug metabolism by histamine remains to be determined.

Comparison of pupil responses to luminance and colour in severe optic neuritis.

OBJECTIVE: The pupil response to light flux increments is abnormal in severe optic neuritis, but little is known about the effects of this condition on the pupil colour response. The aim of this study was to examine how optic neuritis affects pupil responses to light flux and colour modulation and the extent to which such pupil responses mirror the loss and recovery of vision. METHODS: A new pupil examination technique that makes use of sinusoidal modulation of either luminance contrast or chromatic saturation was employed. This technique enables the automatic extraction of both pupil response amplitude and latency and achieves a high signal to noise ratio with fewer averages. RESULTS: The study reveals a greater loss of pupil response amplitude and significantly longer latencies to chromatic modulation (i.e. approximately 80 ms). Stimulation of the unaffected eye in the optic neuritis group results in smaller response amplitudes when compared to the normal group for both light flux and colour modulation. CONCLUSIONS: Pupil response components can be affected differently in optic neuritis. These findings suggest that the pupil colour response, in particular, may provide a useful, objective estimator to judge the extent of damage and recovery in diseases of the optic nerve.

Ambulatory practice variation in Maryland: implications for Medicaid cost management.

Simulation modeling with data from the Maryland Medicaid Management Information System has provided an opportunity to examine policy options and assess their likely impact on savings before program decisions were made. Analysis of a large sample of the Maryland Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Medicaid subpopulation confirms that a significant difference in utilization and cost to Medicaid exists between usual sources of care for AFDC clients even after controlling for patient demographics and case-mix differences. Findings indicate that savings from reduced use of hospital outpatient departments may offset increases of as much as 40-50 percent in physician fees under certain assumptions.

New test to assess pilot's vision following refractive surgery.

BACKGROUND: All forms of corneal refractive surgery can sometimes cause an increase in optical aberrations and scattered light, which can affect visual performance. The purpose of this study was to develop a suitable test that was sensitive to retinal image degradation in subjects who have undergone excimer laser refractive surgery and that was also relevant to visual demands in commercial aviation. METHODS: Assessment of the visual environment and the tasks involved in piloting a commercial aircraft formed the basis for the selection of the test parameters. The new contrast acuity assessment (CAA) test covers a functional visual field of +/-5 degrees and is based on minimum spatial vision requirements for commercial pilots. RESULTS: Data measured in 100 normal subjects were used to define the 'standard normal observer' and the range of variation for the parameters of the test. This approach makes it possible to quickly establish whether a given subject's performance falls within the range of the standard normal observer. The test is also administered under low ambient illumination since flying at night involves mesopic levels of light adaptation when the pupil size is large and the effects of aberrations and scattered light are therefore more pronounced. CONCLUSION: The results of the test are simple to interpret and reveal visual performance that falls outside the normal range as a result of either significant degradation of retinal image quality (caused by increased aberrations and scattered light) or abnormal processing of visual information in the retina and/or the visual pathway.

Frequency of day residue in dreams of young adults.

The percentage of dreams with day residue that could be identified by the dreamer, without free associating to the dream, was observed for a sample of 44 men and 44 women college students. The men identified day residue in 46.6% of their dreams and the women identified day residue in 48.9% of their dreams. The results were discussed in the context of Freud's idea that, while every dream likely has day residue, only some dreams have residue that can be identified without first free associating to the dream.

Review: norovirus prevalence in Belgian, Canadian and French fresh produce: a threat to human health?

Foodborne viruses, especially noroviruses (NoV), are increasingly reported as the cause of foodborne outbreaks. NoV outbreaks have been reported linked to fresh soft red fruits and leafy greens. Belgium, Canada and France were the first countries to provide data about the prevalence of NoV on fresh produce. In total, 867 samples of leafy greens, 180 samples of fresh soft red fruits and 57 samples of other types of fresh produce (tomatoes, cucumber and fruit salads) were analyzed. Firstly, the NoV detection methodology, including virus and RNA extraction, real-time RT-PCR and quality controls were compared among the three countries. In addition, confirmation and genotyping of the NoV strains was attempted for a subset of NoV positive samples using conventional RT-PCR targeting an alternative region followed by sequencing. Analysis of the process control showed that 653, 179 and 18 samples of the leafy greens, soft red fruits and other fresh produce types were valid for analysis based on the recovery of the process control. NoV was detected by real-time RT-PCR in 28.2% (N=641), 33.3% (N=6) and 50% (N=6) of leafy greens tested in Canada, Belgium and France, respectively. Soft red fruits were found positive by real-time RT-PCR in 34.5% (N=29) and 6.7% (N=150) of the samples tested in Belgium and France, respectively. 55.5% (N=18) of the other fresh produce types, analyzed in Belgium, were found NoV positive by real-time RT-PCR. Conventional RT-PCR resulted in an amplicon of the expected size in 19.5% (52/266) of the NoV positive samples where this assay was attempted. Subsequent sequencing was only successful in 34.6% (18/52) of the suspected amplicons obtained by conventional RT-PCR. From this study, using the described methodology, NoV genomes were frequently detected in fresh produce however sequence confirmation was not successful for the majority of the samples tested. Infection or outbreaks were rarely or not known to be related to the NoV positive samples. With the increase in sensitivity of the detection methodology, there is an increasing concern about the interpretation of positive NoV results by real-time amplification. Strategies to confirm the results by real-time RT-PCR should be developed in analogy with the detection of microbial pathogens in foods. Detection might indicate contact with NoV in the fresh produce chain. Consequently, a potential risk for infection cannot be excluded but the actual risk from RT-PCR NoV positive produce is still unknown. Studies should be designed determining the probability of infection related to the presence or levels of NoV genomic copies.

Nanomechanical motion measured with an imprecision below that at the standard quantum limit.

Nanomechanical oscillators are at the heart of ultrasensitive detectors of force, mass and motion. As these detectors progress to even better sensitivity, they will encounter measurement limits imposed by the laws of quantum mechanics. If the imprecision of a measurement of the displacement of an oscillator is pushed below a scale set by the standard quantum limit, the measurement must perturb the motion of the oscillator by an amount larger than that scale. Here we show a displacement measurement with an imprecision below the standard quantum limit scale. We achieve this imprecision by measuring the motion of a nanomechanical oscillator with a nearly shot-noise limited microwave interferometer. As the interferometer is naturally operated at cryogenic temperatures, the thermal motion of the oscillator is minimized, yielding an excellent force detector with a sensitivity of 0.51 aN Hz(-1/2). This measurement is a critical step towards observing quantum behaviour in a mechanical object.