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Picoscale Stability in a Room-Temperature AFM

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:40:53 GMT

Forget dancing angels, a research team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado (CU) has shown how to detect and monitor the tiny amount of light reflected directly off the needle point of an atomic force microscope probe, and in so doing has demonstrated a 100-fold improvement in the stability of the instrument's measurements under ambient conditions. Their recently reported work* potentially affects a broad range of research from nanomanufacturing to biology, where sensitive, atomic-scale measurements must be made at room temperature in liquids.

Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) are one of the workhorse tools of nanotechnology. AFMs have a sharp, pointed probe fixed to one end of a diving-board-like cantilever. As the probe is scanned across a sample, atomic-scale forces tug at the probe tip, deflecting the cantilever. By reflecting a laser beam from the top of the cantilever, researchers can sense changes in the force and build up a nanoscale topographic image of the sample. The instruments are terrifically versatile�in various configurations they can image electrostatic forces, chemical bonds, magnetic forces and other atomic-scale interactions.

While extremely sensitive to atomic-scale features, AFMs also are extremely sensitive to interference from acoustic noise, temperature shifts and vibration, among other factors. This makes it difficult or impossible either to hold the probe in one place to observe the specimen under it over time (useful for studying the dynamics of proteins) or to move the probe away and return to exactly the same spot (potentially useful for nanoscale manufacturing). "At this scale, it's like trying to hold a pen and draw on a sheet of paper while riding in a jeep," observes NIST physicist Thomas Perkins.

A few instruments in specialized labs, including some at NIST, solve this problem by operating at extremely cold temperatures in ultra-high vacuums and in heavily isolated environments, but those options aren't available for the vast majority of AFMs, particularly those used in bioscience laboratories where the specimen often must be immersed in a fluid.

Nanotechnologists Gain Powerful New Materials Probe

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:02:04 GMT

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and The Johns Hopkins University have constructed a unique tool for exploring the properties of promising new materials with unprecedented sensitivity and speed�potentially allowing them to identify quickly those most useful for nanotechnology and industrial applications.

This novel instrument, called the Multi-Axis Crystal Spectrometer (MACS), is a variation on several other spectrometers at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), where MACS is located. Like them, MACS bombards a sample of material with low-energy neutrons, which then bounce off the sample�s constituent atoms in specific directions and with specific velocities that reflect the arrangement of atoms within the material. Analyzing how neutrons scatter from a sample can tell scientists a great deal about the material�s physical properties, but older spectrometers are limited to relatively large samples and offer less range in the conditions under which they can be tested.

�These limitations are problematic in nanotechnology,� says Professor Collin Broholm of the Johns Hopkins University, �because oftentimes you grow a new material as a tiny crystal weighing only four or five milligrams, and then you want to see how it behaves under, say, an intense magnetic field.�

Not only can MACS overcome these limitations, but its unique construction allow has additional advantages. Many spectrometers provide just a single �channel� for detection, whereas MACS offers 20, forming a semicircle behind the sample�an arrangement that leads Broholm to compare MACS to a wide-angle, high-resolution lens. These improvements mean that MACS could become a favorite tool for scientists who must choose�and choose quickly�what material to grow next.

�With previous instruments for inelastic scattering from magnetic materials, 80 milligrams is about the smallest sample you can work with,� Broholm says. �But with MACS, we might be able to get detailed information about magnetic interactions even from a nano-structured thin film sample. These are the sort of interactions that nanotechnologists are trying to take advantage of when they design and shape things at the nanoscale.�

Information Technology & Electronics

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:36:29 GMT

VISION:

ITEO's vision is to be a nationally recognized partner for high-risk research in electronics, electrical, photonics and information technology to spur economic growth and to improve quality of life.

MISSION:

* Track industry's changing needs, concerns and priorities for new information, electronics, electrical and photonics technology.

* Identify new opportunities for advances in information, electronics, electrical and photonics technology to improve quality of life.

* Accelerate the development of innovative information, electronics, electrical and photonics technologies for broad national benefit through partnership with the private sector.

GOALS:

ITEO's goal is to achieve measurable productivity changes and accelerate new technology introduction into the national economy through advances in electronics, electrical, photonics and information technology.

Lighthouse History

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:00:18 GMT

Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent. Weeks of fog, especially during the summer months, frequently reduce visibility to hundreds of feet. The Point Reyes Headlands, which jut 10 miles out to sea, pose a threat to each ship entering or leaving San Francisco Bay. The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse warned mariners of danger for more than a hundred years.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse, built in 1870, was retired from service in 1975 when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light. They then transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service, which has taken on the job of preserving this fine specimen of our heritage.

All lighthouses in the United States are now automated because it is cheaper to let electronics do the work. Many decommissioned lighthouses were transformed into restaurants, inns or museums. The lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore is now a museum piece, where the era of the lightkeepers' lives, the craftsmanship and the beauty of the lighthouse are actively preserved.

Cancer's attacks on fingerprints

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:05:29 GMT

A 62 year old man was detained while trying to enter the United States because immigration officials could not detect his fingerprints, which had deteriorated as a side effect of cancer treatment.

The man, Mr. S, was being treated for throat cancer with the drug capecitabine. Side effects include hand-foot syndrome, which can cause redness, swelling and cracked, flaking or peeling skin on the soles of the feet and palms of the hand.

Mr. S�s throat cancer was in remission, but he had been taking capecitabine for three years to prevent the cancer from returning. He developed a mild case of hand-foot syndrome, not severe enough to �affect his daily activities and function.�

When travelling from Asia to visit family in the United States, immigration officials detained Mr. S for more than four hours because they could not detect his fingerprints.

According to the report, international airports in the United States �have been fingerprinting foreign visitors for many years. Each visa applicant has two index fingerprint images taken from and they are matched with millions of visa holders to detect whether the new visa applicant has a visa under a different name. These fingerprints are also matched to a list of suspected criminals.�

Mr. S - who was not aware of his missing fingerprints before travelling to the United States - was ultimately released and advised to travel with a letter from his oncologist explaining his condition in the future.

Younger workers teach "old dogs" new tricks

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:22:00 GMT

New research debunks traditional myths about age in the UK workforce

40% of older workers believe their younger colleagues teach them skills they previously did not have, according to a study of older and younger workers commissioned by Jobcentre Plus, whilst one third of younger workers believe older workers are more likely to work anti-social hours than colleagues their own age.

The findings, which come as the UK celebrates the first anniversary of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, lift the lid on the benefits of employing a diverse workforce for both employers and individuals. Across the board, the results show that working in a mixed aged workforce is important for both older (66%) and younger (65%) UK workers with all recognising the benefits of working with people of mixed ages.

Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive, Jobcentre Plus commented: "The research shows that having the right balance of age and skills can bring numerous benefits to establishing a complete workforce for both employers and employees. Both older and younger workers appreciate and learn from the qualities each brings to the workplace. It's not always easy to get the mix right, which is why Jobcentre Plus advisers work closely with employers and candidates to match the right opportunities with the right people."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the research shows that the first and foremost quality younger workers think their older colleagues bring is experience (94%) whilst reliability (66%) and understanding (63%) also featured highly. Comparatively, nearly two thirds of older workers are impressed by their younger co-workers ability to learn quickly, be flexible (61%) and give them energy (51%). Public sector and financial services workers show a higher level of confidence in their younger colleagues, although overall reliability appears to be an area younger workers need to improve - only a quarter of older workers believed their younger co-workers to be reliable.

Between October 2006 and February 2007 alone, Jobcentre Plus helped 89,438 people over the age of 50 into work and its team of advisers continue to offer support and advice to older workers across the UK in looking for employment. To celebrate this ongoing support, Jobcentre Plus has today launched the "Wise Council". A dedicated, online advice forum spear-headed by inventor Trevor Baylis and supported by TAEN - The Age and Employment Network, and BT for employers and individuals across the country, to enable older people to make the most of employment opportunities available.

The research also reveals some interesting gender and regional variations in workplace perceptions. Whilst younger and older colleagues enjoy working together, women were more likely to give positive feedback about the qualities their co-workers bring to the workplace than men. Overall, despite differences in age, differences in attitudes and the contribution of different skills to the workplace, the vast majority (95%) of older workers enjoy working with their younger colleagues. Interestingly in the North East, and contrary to national trends, over 10% of younger workers think their older colleagues are full of ideas, whilst older workers think younger co-workers are more likely to provide a good perspective.

On a national level both age groups agreed that whilst they enjoy working together there are key differences between them:

In all sectors, younger workers stated that their older colleagues were more likely to be left in charge (60%)
Over half of older workers believe their younger colleagues to be more likely to take risks, with 16% commenting that they are also more likely to be given manual tasks
A higher percentage of younger workers (30%) thought older workers were more willing to work anti social hours than older workers (23%) did about their younger colleagues

Whilst these differences exist, one factor which was consistent across both age groups was the main reason they come to work - money, although this was more prevalent amongst younger rather than older people (73% compared to 52%). And contrary to popular belief, only 5% of younger workers stated that they come to work to meet new people, whilst 22% of older workers confirmed that they work for personal satisfaction.

Legendary inventor, Trevor Baylis, OBE said: "Just because you're over 50 years old doesn't mean that you have to down tools. I've had some of the best experiences in my later years and think that young and old can learn a lot from each other."

Chris Ball, Chief Executive, TAEN said: "Tapping into a wider pool of talent, experience and skills can help employers increase productivity, maintain a competitive advantage and improve the bottom line. We are committed to helping older people maintain a satisfactory quality of life and reports such as this demonstrate the role older people can and continue to play in daily working life."

Aaron McCormack, BT Age Champion and CEO BT Conferencing "At BT we strongly believe that age should not be a factor when assessing an employee's merit, individuals should be assessed on their skills and attributes. Teams of varying ages put us in the best possible position to truly understand our customers' needs, while also benefiting from the diverse pool of views, opinions and experiences."

Next week sees the launch of 'GenerationXperience UK Older people's day' on 1st October 2007. It is a celebration of the opportunities and aspirations of older people and their contribution to our society and their economy.

Wisconsin State Law Library

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:26:22 GMT

Collection Overview

The State Law Library�s collection, consisting of approximately 140,000 volumes in print, microfilm, microfiche, audio, video and CD-ROM formats, contains primary law for all federal and state jurisdictions as well as practice materials for all major areas of law. The Library also subscribes to a variety of electronic resources available via the Internet. Special collections include Appendices and Briefs for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and the Judicial Council collection.

History

Founded with the Wisconsin Territory by an Act of Congress in 1836, the Wisconsin State Library, as it was then known, is the oldest library in the state. It was created to serve the needs of the territorial legislature. In 1876 it became part of the judicial branch, and so remains today as an agency of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. By law the Wisconsin State Law Library serves officers of the court, government employees, attorneys and the public.

Smoking Impact

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:43:15 GMT

In Massachusetts, tobacco-related illnesses kill more people than HIV/AIDS, car crashes, homicide, suicide, and poisoning combined.

People who smoke are more likely to suffer disabling and often painful illnesses that reduce their quality of life�including stroke, several types of cancers, emphysema, and other respiratory illnesses.

The economic impact of tobacco use is also staggering. Each year in Massachusetts, personal health care expenses due to smoking amount to $4.3 billion. Businesses in the Commonwealth also suffer, losing $1.7 billion in lost revenue due to the death of smokers.

Prison Management: Not a Cakewalk

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:46:59 GMT

14,000 inmates, 40,000 fingerprints, 60,000 photographs-the numbers are huge. But, the prison management system at the Tihar Jail makes administration a simple task.

Prisons-together with the police, judiciary and security apparatus-are an integral part of any state as they play an important role with respect to prisoners' right. The Prison Management Systems (PMS) developed and implemented by the National Informatics Centre is an application, to give the Tihar Jail authorities the right tools to enhance efficiency of the administrative mechanism.

Nonetheless, implementing PMS in Tihar Jail, India's largest jail and Asia's second largest jail, unquestionably could not have been a cakewalk. The Tihar Jail houses over 14,000 inmates presently.

The application has allowed jail authorities to keep details pertaining to inmates, which includes category of the prisoner, criminal record, year of entry, biometric details right at the time of their entry, prisoner number, photograph, personal details (age, address, information related to family members, etc), medical details, lodging etc.

The biometric details consist of prisoner's photograph and fingerprint, which are used for verification of the prisoners in case of duplicate entry.

"The PMS allowed us to adopt a systematic and uniform approach to handling information about prisoners in Tihar," said Sunil Kumar Gupta, law officer, Central Jail, Tihar.

Some general characteristics of tigers

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:57:42 GMT

Tigers have historically lived in a wide variety of climates and habitats from Turkey east to China and from Siberia south to the Indonesian islands. They are the largest of the cats living on earth today.

After about 103 days of gestation, female tigers of all the subspecies produce a litter of between 1 and 5 cubs (2-3 is average). At 8 weeks, cubs start learning to hunt with their mother. By 6 months they have learned the basics of killing animal. It will be about 1 � years before they can really hunt and sustain themselves on their own.

Because these cats are so large, they require large species of prey animals. As you imagine, tigers naturally travel over large areas in search of prey. As the human population of the world and fragmentation of forests and wild lands continues, tigers are colliding with humans and losing the battle for wild places with enough large prey animals to sustain them. Tigers are also being killed for their spectacular fur coats and for Asian medicinal products.