R & D articles from April 2005

R & D archives from April 2005

Opportunities lost.(Editorial)(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... OV-103, the Space Shuttle Discovery, is scheduled for a "return to flight" launch in less than a month--no earlier than May 15 as of this writing. This mission, STS-114, is the 114th flight of the Space Shuttle fleet. More than $1 billion has...

Innovative Micro Technology.(Corporate Profile)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) was formed in 2000, specifically to produce MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) devices. Its 130,000 sq ft facility contains a 30,000 sq ft clean room/fab, the largest and best-equipped independent MEMS fab...

China sets first nanotech standards.(R&D[TM] ASIA)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... On April 1st, China became the first country in the world to establish national standards for nano-scale materials. Seven standards were to be issued--four standards for nanoscale nickel powders, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and calcium...

China forecasts growing R&D base.(R&D[TM] ASIA)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A recent report by China's Ministry of Commerce reveals that more than 60% of the multinational companies already based within China plan to increase their investments in R&D through mergers and acquisitions over the next two years. Most...

India-Alcatel agreement.(R&D[TM] ASIA)(broadband)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Center for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), Delhi, India, and French telecom giant Alcatel, Paris, have signed an agreement to set up a global R&D center for new broadband access technologies in Chennai, on the southeastern coast of...

Tibetan medicine databank.(R&D[TM] ASIA)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The government of China has developed its first databank on traditional Tibetan medicine. Built by ESIC, the Northwest China Nationality Univ., and the plateau organism research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the databank...

Japan-China Linux alliance.(R&D[TM] ASIA)
April 1, 2005... Sun Wah kinux in Nanjing, China, and VA Linux Systems Japan, Tokyo, have agreed to create a strategic technology alliance for telecom and enterprise systems markets. The alliance will jointly develop a universal Debian GNU/Linux infrastructure...

Concept car illustrates responsiveness.(MATERIALS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... During this year's Geneva Motor Show, engineers from Swiss automotive design firm Rinspeed, along with their counterparts at Bayer Material Science, Pittsburgh, Pa., and engineering firm, Esoro, Fallenden, Switzerland, offered a glimpse into...

Extending optical microscopy in nanotech.(MICROSCOPY)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Teams from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., are currently investigating methods for extending the use of optical microscopes in nanotechnology applications. Presently, the use of UV-Vis light in...

Turning plants into power.(LABORATORY DESIGN)(biomass research)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, Colo., has expanded its efforts into biomass research with the recent dedication of a new $2.85 million Biomass Surface Characterization Lab. The new lab, housed within the Field Test...

Mathematica outreach.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2005... The makers of Mathematica, Wolfram Research, Champaign, Ill., have launched a newly expanded resource, the Wolfram Teacher Network, for high school math and science teachers. The free program allows educators to work with "Mathematica mentors"...

Patent law draws fire.(PHARMACEUTICAL)(generic drugs law)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... In late March, the Indian Parliament passed legislation that will make it illegal for its domestic companies to manufacture generic copies of patented drugs, a business totaling $5 billion/yr. The new law's passage will now require generic...

Outlining the nano-based drug delivery market.(MICRO/NANO TECHNOLOGY)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... According to a newly released report from industry consulting firm NanoMarkets, Sterling, Va., nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery systems will generate over $1.7 billion in 2009 and over $4.8 billion in 2012. Among the conclusions drawn were:...

Simplifying mass spec with DART.(ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS)
April 1, 2005... Researchers from JEOL USA, Peabody, Mass., have garnered this year's PITTCON Gold Editor's Choice Award for their new ion source, Direct Analysis in Real-Time or DART system. The new platform, designed by Robert Cody, mass spec product manager...

BIO 2005 approaching.(Upcoming Conferences & Events)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... The Biotechnology Industry Organization, also known as BIO, will be holding its annual international convention during the week of June 19-22, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia. For more info, visit www.bio.org/events/2005 or...

A new breed of laser.(LASERS & OPTICS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Scientists from Harvard Univ., Cambridge, Mass., Texas A&M Univ., College Station, and Bell Labs, Somerset, N.J., have laid the foundations for a new type of "plug-and-play" laser--the Raman injection laser. Raman lasers have been used for a...

Mendel's Law questioned.(LIFE SCIENCE)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Mendel's Law of inheritance has stood the test of time for nearly 150 years. But now biologists from Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, Ind., are offering evidence that the law may, in fact, not be absolute. Experimenting with the plant,...

Philips reports on new memory.(VACUUM & THIN FILMS)
April 1, 2005... Philips Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is reporting on a new non-volatile memory cell based on an antimony/tellurium phase-changing material. "Unlike existing memory technologies, such as Flash memory, the performance of this new memory...

Measuring ultra-fast waveforms.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Researchers at the Univ. of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have, for the first time, been successfully able to capture and digitize electrical signals at the rate of one trillion times/sec. "To make equipment more robust and shield it from...

Model predicts surgical outcomes.(Data Management & Analysis)
April 1, 2005... Any cardiovascular surgical procedure, no matter how small, has associated risks. Even with educated guesses, it is still difficult to predict how an individual will respond to such medical interventions. Attempting to eliminate this guesswork...

Software aids in anti-terrorism planning.(Data Management & Analysis)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Anti-terrorism planners charged with allocating resources in the event of terrorist attacks are being served by a new software suite created by researchers at Pennsylvania State Univ. (PSU), University Park. The software "is designed to guide...

Nano-drug market soars.(Data Management & Analysis)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Revenues of nano-enabled drug discovery solutions are forecast to reach $2.5 billion in 2012, rising from $1.3 billion in 2009. This growth will be mainly due to arrays and labs-on-a chip, followed by nanoparticulate-based solutions. The...

Rising PV shipments.(Data Management & Analysis)(photovoltaic modules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The global shipments of photovoltaic (PV) modules are expected to expand at a 23.4% average annual growth rate and reach 2,783 MW by 2009. The value of these shipments will generate $8.2 billion by 2009. The value of module materials, which was...

Bringing a classic up to date.(Data Management & Analysis)(Statistics for Experimenters: Design, Innovation, and Discovery, 2nd Edition)(Book Review)
April 1, 2005... Knowledge is power." That's the opening line of the recently released (April 2005) 2nd Edition of Statistics for Experimenters: Design, Innovation, and Discovery by George Box, J. Stuart Hunter, and William Hunter. The 1st Edition of this book...

Researchers seek to harness the power of stem cells: scientists strive to understand and exploit the power of stem cells in the hope of advancing regenerative medicine and developing next-generation therapeutics.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... Ask scientists in the field of stem cell (SC) research why they are interested in this type of work, and the I answer is always "the potential of SCs." Indeed, the capacity of these unspecialized cells to divide and generate copies of...

Thin-disk lasers position themselves in industry: still considered a relatively new breed of laser technology, thin-disk lasers are making their mark in industry and moving toward their next evolution.
April 1, 2005... In 1996, Adolf Giesen, now manager of Laser Development and Laser Optics at the Univ. of Stuttgart's Institute for Laser Research, Germany, challenged the realm of industrial laser designs with his idea--the thin-disk laser. Fast forward to...

Cryo-electron tomography shapes structural biology: three-dimensional reconstruction of cellular structures with the use of electron microscopes has become the leading technique for visualizing molecular architectures.
April 1, 2005... As proteomics, cellular biology, and nanotechnology take up more of researchers interests, there has been increasing discussion in the use of three-dimensional tomography as a means to visualize objects of interest within these fields. While...

Understanding the effects of air exposure: all vacuum systems are subject to the buildup of water vapor on surfaces during air exposure. It is now possible to quantify and compare the amount of water buildup under varying conditions of exposure.
April 1, 2005... Every high vacuum practitioner has had to fight the battle of the drydown zone where the water vapor molecules are slowly desorbing from the system's internal surfaces and totally dominating the makeup of the system's residual gases. As the...

Tech vendors address compliancy.(Regulatory Update)(data protection)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Consider this situation: a financial institution based in the U.S. with offices in the UK is required to comply with both U.S. data regulations and UK data laws. Under U.S. law, companies must retain all records, including customer data, for...

Patent process streamlined.(Regulatory Update)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... At a town-hall meeting held this past March, Jon Dudas, Under Secretary and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) identified three new agency initiatives aimed on speeding patent prosecution and possibly saving applicants $30...

Find govt. standards online.(Regulatory Update)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Searching far and wide online for government-applied technical standards may soon be a thing of the past. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md., has launched a new Web site, Standards.Gov, which provides a direct...

Landmark Clean Air rule.(Regulatory Update)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The EPA has recently approved the new Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). When fully implemented, CAIR will reduce S[O.sub.2] emissions in 28 eastern U.S. states and the District of Columbia by over 70% and N[O.sub.x] emissions by over 60% from...

IEEE-SA launches myBallot.(Regulatory Update)(electronic voting)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... IEEE Standards Association has launched a new web-based balloting system and service, myBallot, replacing the e-balloting system IEEE formerly used to facilitate standards balloting, myBallot offers users with 24/7 access to a wide assortment...

Metallized DNA fragments.(Emerging Technologies)
April 1, 2005... Scientists regularly use deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a scaffold for polymers, particles, and metals. Recently, a research team led by Albena Ivanisevic at Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, Ind., extended this practice by being the first to use...

Anti-algae coating.(Emerging Technologies)
April 1, 2005... Algae and barnacles on hulls of ships increase drag, slowing down the vessels. Engineers at the Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, developed a coating that prevents the growth of an aggressive marine algae, Ulva. Inspired by sharks' scales, the...

On-the-spot virus detection.(Emerging Technologies)
April 1, 2005... Tests for determining the presence of harmful bacteria and viruses require a complete off-site laboratory analysis. A team of scientists at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, is striving to reproduce the thoroughness of lab-based tests in...

Boosting bone regeneration.(Emerging Technologies)
April 1, 2005... The combination of living cells, biomaterials, and proteins used to repair bone defects needs to be optimized. Such optimizations require tracking the healing process with improved methods like microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) imaging,...

MINITAB Release 14.(Manufacturers' Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... MINITAB Release 14 is a powerful statistical software package designed for quality professionals. Its visually engaging graphs and easy-to-use collection of methods-including Basic and Advanced Statistics, Regression and ANOVA, Reliability,...

SterREO Discovery.V12 for materials microscopy.(Manufacturers' Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... SteREO Discovery from Carl Zeiss MicroImaging, Inc. is an outstanding choice for applications in materials research and quality control. It has impressive stability, exceptionally large specimen room, increased depth of field, excellent color...

Keithley's Low Level Measurements Handbook.(Manufacturers' Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Keithley's Sixth Edition Low Level Measurements Handbook contains theoretical and practical information for making accurate measurements of low DC currents, high resistances, low DC voltages, and low resistances, plus other useful resources...

Optronics' new megapixel microscope cameras.(Manufacturers' Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Optronics new value-priced megapixel digital microscope cameras compliment their growing line of advanced scientific grade ccd camera systems for microscopy. The cameras are from their ImagingPlanet Research Microscopy Group and include the...

Residual Gas Analyzers.(Manufacturers' Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... RGAs from Stanford Research Systems offer mass ranges to 300 amu with six orders of magnitude dynamic range in a single scan. An optional electron multiplier extends the operating range to ultra high vacuum levels (10-14 Torr). An interactive...

JMP version 5.1.(Manufacturers' Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Learn how JMP software can help your organization make significant process improvements that increase the efficiency of doing business and give you a competitive edge. JMP links statistics with graphics to interactively explore, understand, and...

Your custom alarm leader.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Floyd Bell is the world leader in creating customized audible alarms. We have pioneered audible alarms to meet the unique needs of elevators, golf carts, radar detectors, automobiles, and many marine applications. Our full-time staff of...

AC power distribution and control systems.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Pulizzi Engineering, Inc. offers AC power distribution and control systems for mainframe computer systems. Product is rack-mounted and provides: circuit breaker protection, EMI and RFI filtering, spike/surge protection, remote power on/off,...

CD Catalog of Metals and Materials.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The new Goodfellow 2004-2005 CD Catalog of Metals and Materials contains over 48,000 items, including a comprehensive selection of pure metals, alloys, polymers, ceramics, and composites in a wide range of forms and sizes. The new CD also...

Corrosion resistant vapor trap.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The Titan[R] Trap from FTS Systems is the first cold trap to incorporate a titanium helical coil design and Teflon coated stainless steel chamber, to provide maximum efficiency for vacuum trapping of corrosive vapors to -100[degrees]C. Chamber...

New low cost USB DAQ from NI.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Acquire and log data in minutes with new USB DAQ devices from National Instruments. With ready-to-run data logging software and driver software for LabVIEW included, taking measurements is simple. The hardware has all the functionality you need...

Upchurch Scientific[R]/Rheodyne[R] 2005 Catalog.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The Upchurch Scientific[R]/Rheodyne[R] 2005 Catalog includes Upchurch fittings, tubing, and accessories, plus Rheodyne's industry-standard valves, along with peristaltic and gear pumps from sister IDEX[R] Corp. units Ismatec[R] and...

The new 2005 Cole-Parmer[R] material & quality testing catalog.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... This 48-page catalog features a wide selection of the best-selling physical testing and inspection instrumentation available from the material testing industry's leading manufacturers. Cole-Parmer offers everything you need to prepare, inspect,...

Zipper Development Kit.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... YKK (U.S.A.) Inc. is offering a "New Zipper Development Kit" for engineers and designers who are interested in evaluating zippers for non-standard fastening applications. Free for the asking, this kit should be of particular interest to...

The latest in moisture measurement.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... IDI is pleased to announce the release of it latest model of MOISTUREWAVE moisture meters using microwave technology. It is a Windows-based software driven system that enables the user the greatest flexibility and is very user friendly. The...

Free catalog of 45,000+ industrial components.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The Reid Supply catalog contains over 1,000 new items. Items in this 512 page catalog include knobs, handles, handwheels, spring and ball plungers, clamps, leveling pads, abrasives, magnets, lubricants, drawer slides, fasteners, and much more....

Birmingham Metal, Ltd. product line brochure.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Birmingham Metal is a leading ISO 9001/2000 approved, international manufacturer & fabricator of precious metal products for the laboratory and for the Vacuum, Sputtering Industries. Our newest product catalog features the diagrams and sizes of...

Get linear bearings online!(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Website offers complete product specs for linear bearings, ball and crossed roller slides, multi-axis positioners, lead screw driven positioning tables, downloadable 2-D/3-D CADdrawings, and life and moment load calculators. Visit...

Replacement specialty bulbs.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... BULB DIRECT, INC. your #1 source for replacement light bulbs for all your equipment needs. We offer a large assortment of name brand bulbs for medical, photographic, AV, LCD, and DLP projectors. We have STREAMLIGHT, MAG-LITE, LED flashlights,...

Diagnostic specimen transport containers--buy direct!(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Manufactured by Med-Pak Div. of Self Seal Container Corp. meeting all the new D.O.T./I.A.T.A./USPS regulations for shipping diagnostic specimens. NEW--95kp Bag System (one time use) complete including absorbent pouches- simply insert primary...

Filter fluorometers brochure.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Farrand Optical Components and Instruments (FOCI): 8 page brochure describes their comprehensive line of filter fluorometers. In addition FOCI also manufactures spectrofluorometers, fluorescence polarization instruments, HPLC fluorometers,...

Order high vacuum components online.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... A&N Corp. (www.ancorp.com) offers convenient online ordering of high and ultra high vacuum components including flanges and fittings (ISO, CF, and ASA), couplings, view ports, leak detector accessories, feedthroughs, valves, and...

New resistive products catalog.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... State of the Am Inc.'s all new resistive components catalog presents the most extensive line of high reliability, military thick- and thin- film resistors and resistive products for surface mount applications. The catalog details multiple...

Joining and thermal management materials.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... AIM Specialty Materials manufactures alloys of Indium, Tin, Lead, Bismuth, Cadmium, Gold, and Gallium for a wide range of applications. These materials come in a variety of forms, including preforms, wire, foil & ribbon, seals, pastes,...

ScanMatePro high-performance dye lasers.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Stable, monolithic design and superior spectral output characteristics. Single-grating resonator matches laser's resolving power to experimental spectral transitions. Bandwidth reversibly reduced by plugging in Improved Bandwidth or...

VAT Series 16.8 Large Pendulum Valve.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Literature is now available for VAT's Series 16.8 Large Pendulum Valve. Competitively priced, this valve has a small footprint, low shock actuation and is ideally suited for high vacuum pump isolation in many industries including, but not...

Multichannel mechanical pipettors.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Biohit Inc. introduces a full line of lightweight and ergonomic multichannel mechanical pipettors with the mLINE series. The mLINE is fully autoclavable and easy to calibrate. In addition, they are designed with the lowest pipetting and...

Laser micromachining services/systems.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... PhotoMachining, Inc. performs precision laser micromachining on a variety of different materials including plastics, metals, glass, ceramics, etc. Our eleven different types of lasers allow us wide flexibility to address many applications with...

The new handbook from molecular probes.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... We've kept you waiting long enough. The Tenth Edition of The Handbook: A Guide to Fluorescent Probes and Labeling Technologies is now available from Molecular Probes. This newly revised manual for fluorescence technologies and their...

Full benchtop mil-spec temperature forcing!(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... FTS Systems introduces the new 120 V AirJet XE benchtop temperature forcing system for temperature testing of electronic devices or assemblies. AirJet XE is the only temperature system that exceeds full mil-spec temperature range (-75...

Rapid Injection Molding from Protomold--free quarterly journal.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... If you design plastic injection molded parts and are interested in staying on top of the latest technical tips and news in the field of Rapid Injection Molding, this is your chance to receive Protomold's quarterly Rapid Injection Molding...

Reliable and dust-free, dry vacuum.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The low cost XtraDry dry pump is designed to replace scroll pumps where reliability and contamination are a concern. XtraDry delivers high reliability, low particulate generation and reduced maintenance in a simple piston design. It features...

Recently acquired excess inventory sale.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... PhotoMachining, Inc. is a high precision laser job shop and systems integrator. We have acquired a significant amount of excess inventory and are offering for sale--most "new" or "like new"--lasers, microscopes, optics, mounts, rails, gas...

Ashland analytical services & technology.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Ashland's Analytical group is a fully equipped comprehensive laboratory that can provide a full range of services including routine mechanical and analytical testing, environmental sampling and analysis, product assays and quality control,...

New laboratory/ultraviolet products catalog.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... UVP designs and manufactures large selection of laboratory and ultraviolet products for many applications. Products include imaging/analysis and gel documentation systems, hybridization ovens, UV transilluminators, handheld and high intensity...

Flow measurement & control Product Selection Guide.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Brooks flow measurement and control products from Emerson Process Management are detailed in this latest Product Selection Guide. An interactive guide and search tool are also available at www.BrooksInstrument.com with live links to data...

Sensing, switching, and signaling products.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Tapeswitch Corp. uses a unique continuous switch technology to manufacture innovative sensing, switching, and signaling products. Used in safety, security, and control applications, they include sensing edges, mats, and bumpers, as well as...

Fast high-resolution spectrometer.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The all-new Ocean Optics HR2000+ is a remarkably fast, high-resolution spectrometer that generates up to 1,000 full spectral scans every second and can achieve optical resolution to 0.035 nm (FWHM). Available for just $3,999, the HR2000+ is...

UV--VIS imaging lens.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The UV CoastalOptTM SLR lens is color corrected over the range 250 nm to 650 nm. UV and visible images can be captured without focus adjustment. The lens be used with digital or film SLR cameras and is available in Nikon F-mount or C-mount....

Precision orifices and filters.(Product/Literature Showcase)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Bird Precision offers laser-drilled, wire-lapped ruby and sapphire orifices with flows from Bird Precision InfoLINK 065-50401-734 or Call 800-441-6180 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]