R & D articles from October 2002

R & D archives from October 2002

Don your thinking caps. (Editorial).(research on terrorism prevention)(Editorial)
October 1, 2002... As we pass the one year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we see a technology world drastically altered from the days before Sept. 11, 2001. Security is a much bigger and more visible part of our...

Flexible--and better--wings. (Test & Measurement).(Active Aeroeleastic Wing program)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In a project to demonstrate that twisting or warping wings can enhance aircraft performance, engineers and technicians at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., are finishing the last major ground tests before starting the first...

A better view of pollutant particles. (Analytical Instruments).(Particle-Into-Liquid-Sampler automates collection of air samples for analysis)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, have developed a tool that automates the collection of air samples for analysis. The tool speeds the collection process and gives atmospheric scientists detailed time-dependent data...

Radioisotope power systems to move. (Bulletin).(to Argonne National Laboratory West )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has announced that the Dept. of Energy (DOE) will relocate assembly, testing, and shipment of special radioisotope power systems used by NASA and others to the Argonne National Laboratory West (ANL-West)...

Pfizer, Michigan to gain technical edge. (Laboratory Design).(Pfizer's new Technical Development Facility)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Pfizer's new Technical Development Facility (TDF) in Ann Arbor, Mich., officially opened in late June. The facility provides Pfizer Inc., New York City, with state-of-the-art technology, laboratories, and offices for more than 400 scientists...

Partnership, licensing conference to debut. (Upcoming Conferences & Events).
October 1, 2002... The new Technology Transfer Conference & Expo (TTCE), scheduled for March 3-6, 2003, Chicago, is an opportunity for executives to find the latest technologies available for licensing. It also offers attendees the opportunity to develop...

Image sensor market grows. (Laboratory Equipment).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The market for image sensors--semiconductor devices that convey photons to electrons for display or storage--has managed to avoid the downturn of other portions of the technology sector. According to a report from in-Stat/MDR, the market has...

Optical testing to IEEE standard. (Lasers & Optics).(electro-optic test instruments from JDS Uniphase Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Three new electro-optic test instruments from JDS Uniphase Corp., Ottawa, Canada, offers an economical solution for stressed eye testing as specified in IEEE 10 Gigabit Ethernet Standard 802.3ae. The measurement is composed of four elements:...

Bringing biology majors up to speed. (Life Science).(report from National Academies' National Research Council)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, and engineering all should be incorporated into biology courses and lab experiments, according to a report from the National Academies' National Research Council, Washington, D.C. The report,...

Superconductiong cable powers steady. (Materials).(Southwire Co.'s superconducting pilot project )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Southwire Co., Carrollton, Ga., reports that its superconducting pilot project continues to operate with outstanding reliability. David Lindsay, the company's project manager, says that as of the end of August, "the system has provided 100% of...

FDA speeds pharmaceutical product reviews. (Pharmaceutical).(US Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a consolidation of responsibilities for reviewing new pharmaceutical products. Drug and biological product reviews have been conducted in part by the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation...

MRAMs produced more cheaply. (Micro/Nano Technology).(magnetoresistive random-access memories)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... According to researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Wash., a new technique for fabricating magnetic tunnel junctions would enable magnetoresistive random-access memories (MRAMs) to be economically manufactured....

Global positioning for surgery. (Microscopy).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... An exclusive distribution agreement between Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Iselin, N.J., and Medtronic Surgical Navigation Technologies (MSNT), Minneapolis, will let MSNT offer to its customers the Siemens 3D fluoroscopic imaging product,...

Maskless patterning made new. (Vacuum/Thin Films).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Traditionally, micron and submicron patterning of material surfaces by laser-induced ablation, etching, deposition, and surface modification has been performed by "direct writing." In this process, the laser light is either focused onto the...

Genomics platform unifies data. (Data Management & Analysis).(Genomics Knowledge Platform)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Acero has received the 2002 Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Award for Product Innovation. The award recognizes the Cleveland company's Genomics Knowledge Platform for enabling a higher order of analysis of scientific data and for its...

System promises more multimedia devices. (Data Management Analysis).(Pronto++ Software & Systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Royal Philips Electronics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., have created a digital multimedia reference platform called Pronto++ Software & Systems. The platform will aid Philips and its original equipment...

Biosensors/bioelectronics to cross $1.81 billion. (Data Management & Analysis).(US market for biosensors and bioelectronics )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The US market for biosensors and bioelectronics reached $1.3 billion in 2001. Growing at an average annual rate (AAGR) of 6.6%, the market should exceed $1.8 billion in 2006. High-throughput screening dominates the market with a 77% share....

Growing antibody market. (Data Management & Analysis).(therapeutic and diagnostic imaging antibodies market)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The therapeutic and diagnostic imaging antibodies market is expected to exceed $15 billion by 2007. The 2002 market is estimated to be at a little more than $7 billion. Diagnostic monoclonal antibodies are used to measure proteins and drugs in...

Simulation improves photoresist uniformity. (Data Management & Analysis).
October 1, 2002... Fluid flow simulation has helped develop a new cluster spin bowl design that improves photoresist film uniformity and reduces particulate contamination of wafer surfaces. Designs were created for both 200 and 300 mm wafer diameters, and were...

Stellar events drive 3-D models. (Data Management & Analysis).(development of a 3-D code called Djehuty)
October 1, 2002... Most processes occurring in star systems millions of light years away from our solar system are complex 3-D phenomena That previously were only able to be crudely modeled using 1-D computer codes. Phenomena like convection energy transport...

Designing a next-generation space telescope. (Data Management & Analysis).(James Webb Space Telescope )
October 1, 2002... Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, have used computer simulation of magnetic fields to evaluate many different actuator designs for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in a short amount of time. Because...

Performance, speed improve with scaleable SDMS. (Data Management & Analysis).(Scientific Data Management System)
October 1, 2002... The BioAnalytical Sciences (BAS) group at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), New York City, recognized the need to consolidate and provide improved access to data and complex reports generated by various laboratory instruments--often from different...

Vacuum users think outside the box: no two people use their vacuum product in the same way. Based on an exclusive survey and feedback from users, these products are used across a wide spectrum of applications. (Keywords * Vacuum * Physics * Sputtering).(includes article on pigments in prevention of product couterfeiting)
October 1, 2002... When I first stepped on to the show floor at the American Vacuum Society show several years ago, I was stunned that there were no Hoover or Oreck products around. Years later, I look back and laugh at my original idea of what a vacuum product...

Smoothing the wafer processing flow: the processes required to produce silicon wafers--the foundation for integrated circuits--are varied, complex, and enormously expensive. The efficiency and throughput of the manufacturing process are constant industry concerns. A new challenge that wafer manufacturers must contend with is the move from 200 mm to the larger 300 mm size. (Keywords * Semiconductors * Bottlenecks * Automation).
October 1, 2002... There are various approaches to smoothing the wafer manufacturing operation, but three elements critical to improving production flow are supply chain management, bottleneck analysis, and automation outsourcing. None of these approaches, taken...

Bipolar plate components move to the forefront: several critical performance criteria must be met by bipolar plates to allow fuel cells to be economical, work efficiently, and provide acceptable service life. (Keywords * Testing * Electronics * Fuel Cells).
October 1, 2002... Over the last few years, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells have taken center stage in the ongoing effort to make commercially viable fuel cells. The bipolar plate (BP) is a major component of fuel cell stacks using PEM technology. A BP...

Unifying military building codes. (Regulatory Update).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The US Dept. of Defense (DOD) has selected the International Building Code (IBC) as a primary reference in its Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC). After a multi-year review, the new guidance document, "UFC 1-200-01, Design: General Building...

Redefining the kilogram. (Regulatory Update).(National Institute of Standards and Technology's electronic kilogram project )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The world's measurement authority, the International System of Units (known as SI), includes seven basic units that define how we quantify things like time, length, and temperature. The kilogram represents the "final frontier" for the SI...

Stewardship program created.(Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, is developing a long-term stewardship program for the site to consolidate long-term remediation commitments, manage and monitor residual waste, and maintain...

AIMCAL and CEMA to merge.(Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters, and Laminators and Converting Equipment Manufacturers Association form AIMCAL)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters, and Laminators (AIMCAL) and the Converting Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) have voted to merge the two organizations under AIMCAL. The merger would create an organization of more...

Gas process industry promotes XML.(XML-based standards)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Chemical Industry Data Exchange (CIDX) and Gas Processors Association (GPA) will collaborate on the adoption of XML-based standards within the gas processing industry. They also will implement Chem eStandards to facilitate electronic trade...

Tougher super-dense ceramics. (Academic).(displacive compensation of porosity process)
October 1, 2002... A recently patented technique called displacive compensation of porosity (DCP) may allow manufacturers to make denser ceramics at a lower cost. DCP uses a chemical reaction between molten metal and a porous ceramic to generate a new composite...

`Nanoantennas' could boost imaging reception. (Academic).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Researchers at Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, Ind., have shown how tiny wires and metallic spheres might be arranged in various shapes to form "nanoantennas" that dramatically increase the precision of medial diagnostic imaging and devices that...

Snakes fight toxins. (Academic).(researchers find garter snakes not susceptible to poisonous newt)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Indiana Univ. scientists have found that tiny garter snakes are not susceptible to the poisonous skin of the rough-skinned newt, even though the poisons could kill a human many times over. The Bloomington-based researchers found that in a...

Designer polymers. (Academic).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Future designer polymers may be assembled like Lego toys using modular polymer scaffolds programmed to attract building blocks of small molecules. Weak and easily reversed chemical interactions would self-assemble those molecules to form...

Helping the blind to see. (Industrial).(microelectromechanical systems )
October 1, 2002... Several national laboratories and universities are embarking upon a plan to give sight to the blind. The idea is to use materials science in conjunction with micro- and nanotechnologies to directly stimulate healthy nerve endings within a...

System increases blood supply. (Industrial).(ALYX Component Collection System)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Baxter Healthcare Corp., Deerfield, Ill., received FDA clearance for ALYX Component Collection System--a fast, portable, automated blood collection system that allows blood centers to collect two units of red blood cells, instead of the typical...

Creating complex shapes inside metals, ceramics. (Industrial).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... CAM-LEM Inc., Cleveland, has created internal features in metal and ceramic parts that cannot otherwise be made with conventional techniques. Metal or ceramic powder materials are used to form with temporary binder materials in layering,...

LIMS market grows. (Industrial).(US lab information management systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... US lab information management systems (LIMS) market revenues--$125 million in 2001--are estimated to reach $301 million by 2007, according to Frost & Sullivan, San Jose, Calif. The marketing, consulting, and training company attributes market...

Scorpion venom attacks cancer. (Eureka).
October 1, 2002... In a novel twist of nature, researchers at TransMolecular Inc., Birmingham, Ala., have transformed a peptide from scorpion venom into a smart missile that can eradicate deadly brain tumors called gliomas. The researchers have developed a...

Simulator feels tumors. (Eureka).(palpation simulator)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Doctors may be able to examine, with a palpation simulator, a patient's internal organs before going into surgery. Developed by a team of researchers at the Univ. of Tsukuba, Japan, the simulator can confirm the location, size, and texture of...

Net surfing with eyeglasses. (Eureka).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Imagine turning on your eyeglasses to watch DVDs or surf the net. You may be able to do all of this and more by 2003. Eyewear of the future corrects vision, acts as sunglasses, and can generate floating images in front of users. The...

Response to happy faces. (Eureka).(brain research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Stanford researchers have found that brains of outgoing people react more positively to happy faces than those of people who are shy. The amygdala "lights up" in functional magnetic resonance imaging scans when the brain processes a...

A new season of M*A*S*H*: army hospitals gain protection. (Eureka).(Chemically Protected Deployable Medical Systems for Army field hospitals)
October 1, 2002... A protective kit that is being added to a dozen Army field hospitals promises that these facilities will be able to ward off effects from nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks. Chemically Protected Deployable Medical Systems (CP...

Joining organic to inorganic. (Eureka).(research on connecting wires to organic transistors)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Cornell Univ. researches are working to develop technology that could lead to smaller, cheaper, and more flexible computers. The N.Y.-based researchers are looking for ways to connect wires to organic transistors. They will study the chemistry...

Making virtual music. (Eureka).(vbow fiberglass rod)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The vbow is a fiberglass rod that moves back and forth through a hole at the end of a robotic arm. The arm is connected to an acrylic base shaped like a violin. With servomotors and encoder sensors instead of strings, it acts and sounds like a...

The world's strongest, lightest solids. (Eureka).(aerogels)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Univ. of Missouri-Rolla researchers say they have developed the world's strongest, lightest solids. Called aerogels, the materials are an amalgam of highly porous glass and plastic that is light as air. Developed in the 1930s, aerogels were...

Metal parabolic reflectors. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... These reflectors direct and focus incident collimated light at either 30[degrees], 60[degrees], or 90[degrees] off axis. Sections of a parabola form, these mirrors are designed to focus light to a spot that is more accessible to users than an...

Electrical kits. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... An electrician's multimeter and clamp meter combo kit is designed for measurements up to 600 V and 400 A, and the 179/1AC combo kit is designed for advanced electrical troubleshooting. The electrician's combo kit includes a 112 true-rms DDM and...

Heating circulator. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The TP-12 heading circulator, with 6,000 W of total heating power offers a temperature range of 20[degrees] to 300[degrees]C and is designed for demanding temperature applications. A 12 L stainless steel bath tank and a powerful pressure and...

Anti-corrosive, superconducting niobium. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... Niobium (columbium) is offered in small quantities for a range of research and industrial applications. Niobium and its alloys have high melting points allowing service temperatures in excess of 1200[degrees]C. It is used in high-temperature...

Particle size analyzer. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The model LB-500 particle size analyzer uses dynamic light scattering to measure particles from 3 nm to 6 [micro]m. The optical design meets the demand for high concentration particle measurement, including inks, paint, ceramics, and abrasive...

Flow reactor system. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The Voyager is a flow-through system for rapidly synthesizing large quantities of compounds for laboratory set-up. Combining microwave synthesis with a flow reactor platform, the system can synthesize mg to kg quantities of material quickly and...

Flash Titrator. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The Model 925 Flash Titrator uses a new nanotechnology system for very rapid acid/base titrations with no external titrant. The system employs a 12 mm probe that features independent pH FET, planar conductivity and temperature sensors, plus a...

Electron beam evaporators. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The AP&T EV S-6 and EV S-8 multi-hearth electron beam evaporators are designed for applications requiring high flexibility in source location. The source offers an in-vacuum stepper motor that enables free positioning of the source without need...

Filter housing. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The Chemlock PFA filter housing offers reduced footprint, tool space requirements, and easy filter changeout. Cartridges lock into the bowl allowing quicker, easier, and safer filter changeout, during which the bowl does not need to be lifted...

Catalyst Characterization system. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The AutoChem II 2920 Catalyst Characterization system delivers accurate temperature-programmed analyses for determining catalytic properties including percent of metal dispersion, active metal surface area, acid strength, and others. It is...

Mobile Helium leak detector. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The UL1000 Fab Helium Leak Detector quickly pumps down to critical testing levels for fast response time with a low and stable leak-rate down to 1 X [10.sup.-12] mbar L/sec. The unit offers a convenient work surface, detachable toolbox for...

High vacuum dry pumps. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... The EPX pumps feature low vibration, high reliability, zero periodic maintenance, and a availability in "clean duty" or "light duty" versions. The EPX 180 series is capable of pumping from atmosphere to ultimate pressures of BOC Edwards ...

Water processing system. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... A complete water processing system for the medical field features a multistage reverse osmosis system and Scale-Blaster, a product that eliminates limescale deposits in water pipes, cooling towers, boilers, and medical equipment without the...

Polymers. (New Products).
October 1, 2002... Five families of versatile materials with a wide-ranging combination of physical properties provide an extensive selection of possibilities for design. The Vespel lines of parts and shapes include Vespel TP, an innovative thermoplastic...

Fume hoods. (New Products).(Uniflow Clean Aire hoods )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Uniflow Clean Aire hoods incorporate a factory installed filter housing that can be equipped with either HEPA or carbon filters to accommodate regulations according to the Clean Air Act. Contaminants are thin filtered prior to exhausting to the...