New Software for Community Noise Analysis

Scantek, Inc. has released the new software package, Capture Studio Editor, used for editing the results of acoustical measurements form CESVA instruments. The new CSE software enables users to edit data acquired by the sound level meter and spectrum analyzers SC 310, SC-30 and SC1 60.

Main characteristics of CSE included selection and elimination of measurement intervals, calculation of overall, spectral and statistical parameters from the new measurement interval and dynamic selection of the intervals for editing; zoom function.

Navitar’s Zoom 6000, 12X and Precise Eye NIR versions are designed for a broad range of manufacturing applications including backside photomask registration, SOI bond inspection, internal silicon structure and photoemission microscopy.

Field of view (FOV) and magnification remain unchanged from the non-NIR systems. The flexible modular systems allow for a customized solution.  Both zoom or fixed options are available with detents, and apertures. The motorized Zoom 6000 NIR and 12X NIR systems facilitate automation of the inspection process beyond manual systems.

In clinical and forensic toxicology, LC-MS is increasingly being used for the detection and identification of xenobiotics in applications such as General Unknown Screening (GUS) and Systematic Toxicological Analysis (STA). Designed to perform with high sensitivity and specificity, the new LCQ Fleet is capable of producing more accurate results at lower detection levels with high throughput, especially when used in combination with the Accela high speed LC system. Intelligent Data Dependent acquisition of the LCQ Fleet enables rapid compound screening for maximum structural information.

The LCQ Fleet also enables routine peptide identification with high correlation scores for confident sequence identification. The fast scanning capability of the instrument resolves co-eluting peptides often present in complex protein digests. The LCQ Fleet operates on the flexible, Windows-based Thermo Scientific Xcalibur software platform, which provides automated LC-MS/MS instrument control as well as quick and efficient data acquisition, processing and results delivery. The robust LCQ Fleet is capable of generating dependable results for routine compound identification in complex matrices.

Welsh Researchers Developing New Laser Technologies

Scientists at Swansea University in Wales are developing new laser display technologies that will enhance the quality of cinema projections and may lead to revenues in excess of $2 billion a year. The research is being undertaken as part of a $3.7 million project funded by the UK Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) Technology Program to develop innovative laser solutions. The project is led by Bookham Technology plc, who manufacture high power laser sources, and partners include the Institute of Advanced Telecommunications (IAT) at Swansea University, Digital Projection Ltd and Stratophase Ltd.

Professor Nick Doran, who heads IAT's research activities, said, "This project has immense commercial potential and its success depends on the research being carried out in Swansea. IAT's work focuses on telecommunications, but we are able to leverage our knowledge of optical technologies to provide disruptive laser sources with exceptional projection brightness, efficiency, color gamut and reliability. Ultimately, we aim to produce solutions that will undoubtedly impact on a wide range of display market sectors.”

The global market for high brightness light sources for the lighting and display sectors is currently dominated by inefficient and short lived xenon or mercury ultra high pressure bulbs, which have a limited lifespan. The brightness of images produced by xenon-based sources degrades significantly after around 1,000 hours of use, meaning that the sources need replacing roughly every six months, which is a costly exercise that requires technicians to wear protective clothing. Disposal of the light sources on such a regular basis also presents environmental issues.

"We believe that the lasers will last for at least 10,000 hours and possibly for up to 20,000 hours. That's potentially 10 years' usage, and when coupled with the exceptional efficiency, reduces the cost of ownership significantly alongside a greatly reduced environmental impact."

"This technology has far-reaching implications for helping advance important biomedical research,” stated Isaac T. Kohlberg, chief technology development officer, Harvard University.  "Our agreement with Leica Microsystems is aligned with our strategy to partner with the best and most expert companies who, like us, are dedicated to excellence and quality.”

Martin Haase, managing director at Leica Microsystems, emphasized, "We are excited about this collaboration and envision to jointly drive technology and product development for improved imaging capabilities of our clients in the life science research space.  This type of collaboration is in full alignment with Leica Microsystems' strategy of open innovation and will strongly foster commercialization of new and groundbreaking technologies.”

Malvern Rheometer in Continuing Search for Perfect Silk

Oxford researchers have taken an important step towards understanding why it has been impossible to artificially spin protein fibers with the material properties of their natural models, the silks of spiders and silkworms. Using a Bohlin Gemini HR Nano rheometer from Malvern Instruments, Chris Holland and Professor Fritz Vollrath, together with Dr Ann Terry and Dr David Porter, took unspun natural silk dope and compared it to artificial silk dope under shear forces similar to those encountered in a natural spinning duct. Optimized for the control of ultra-low torques, the Gemini HR nano is well suited for probing sensitive material structures and allowing measurement of low volume samples. The research group discovered fundamental differences in kind, not just in degree, between the natural and artificial silk dopes.

This research builds on previous work by the Oxford group, which demonstrated that the flow characteristics of native spider and silkworm dopes are very similar despite the independent evolution of the two silks. Such convergence of the two distinct materials towards an identical flow behavior strongly suggests that dope rheology is a key to the production of high-performance protein fibers

Native silk dope taken straight from the gland can easily be drawn into strong fibers, but the fibers from artificial dope cannot be spun into any type of serious filament without unnatural treatment using strong chemicals.  Clearly, native silk dopes have the innate ability to form into a fiber, which is lost in translation when attempting to create artificial silk dope. Discovering the mechanisms behind this seemingly effortless process will be a crucial step towards the biomimetic spinning of artificial silk fibers using the animal’s own technology.

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