Category: News

WASHINGTON&mdash A key Senate committee approved sweeping legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration more power to police food safety and reorient its efforts toward preventing food contamination instead of reacting to outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.

The bill, passed unanimously, would give the FDA the power to set safety standards for fresh produce and make sure food companies take steps to prevent those outbreaks. The FDA would also be able to force companies to recall products and require them to keep better production records. It would also require more frequent inspections of food facilities, especially those handling risky foods.

The action by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions follows House passage of similar legislation in July. HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) said the timing of a vote by the full Senate vote will hinge on the chamber’s work on legislation overhauling the nation’s health care.

The food-safety legislation was crafted in response to a slew of large outbreaks linked to cookies, peanut butter, hot peppers, bagged spinach, lettuce and other foods. The outbreaks cost the industry billions of dollars as sales of related products plunged.

Lawmakers, the Obama administration and the food industry have been in agreement that the FDA needs more power and funding to regulate domestic and imported food, and inspect more facilities.

Despite the committee’s bipartisan vote, however, lawmakers disagree on some thorny issues, such as how to fund a bigger food-safety effort. While the House legislation would require most food companies to pay an annual $500 registration fee for each of their facilities, the Senate HELP Committee didn’t include such fees.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has said the agency would need more money to conduct more food-safety inspections.

Mr. Harkin told reporters he may consider the fees after the Congressional Budget Office calculates the legislation’s price tag. But he said he doesn’t like charging companies fees. &quot If it’s for public protection, it’s something we all ought to pay for,&quot Mr. Harkin said.

Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, the committee’s ranking Republican, was more explicit. &quot Asking a regulated industry to cough up for their own basic regulation is a tax, plain and simple. Not to mention a potential conflict of interest, as the public-health watchdog becomes ever more dependent on the industry it is supposed to be watching,&quot he said.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, the trade group for the food and beverage industry, generally supports the fees, but it wants the FDA to be more specific about how the agency would use the money.

There are other disagreements. Mr. Enzi said he is concerned that the new mandates on the FDA, such as more-frequent inspections, may prove to be too burdensome to the agency, which was recently given authority to regulate tobacco products.

Diet and exercise can reduce the risk of becoming diabetic by more than a third, says a new study by the Nat’l Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Overweight study participants who cut calorie and fat intake and exercised at least 30 minutes 5 days a week cut their risk of getting diabetes by 34% vs. people who didn’t change their lifestyle. People over 60 got even more dramatic results, cutting their risk of diabetes during the study period by about half.

How Well Do You Know Green It?

The Wall Street Journal – Monday, November 16, 2009

Technology has transformed the office, made it possible to communicate instantly around the globe and put the world’s art, music and books at our fingertips. Can it now help improve the environment? Technologists say yes, as they use computing power to save energy, reduce waste and produce power more efficiently. Try our quiz to see how well you know green IT.

1) Which of these roles for information and communications technology has the potential to yield the biggest reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030?
A. Retrofitting existing buildings
B. Designing new buildings for reduced emissions
C. Telecommuting and virtual meetings
D. E-commerce and replacing paper
Answer: D. According to a study by the World Wildlife Fund, a big increase in online shopping and in the use of electronic transactions and documents to replace paper bills and publications could eliminate nearly a billion tons of greenhouse gases a year from the environment. That’s about twice the reduction estimated to result from either making existing buildings more efficient or designing new buildings that constantly monitor and adjust air conditioning and heating to minimize waste. More telecommuting and virtual meetings would save about 160 million tons of emissions a year, it estimated.

2) Toyota Motor Sales cut energy use in its Torrance, Calif., data center by 10%. How did it manage that?
A. It stopped keeping track of dealer sales, shutting down four blade servers.
B. It moved all storage to an Amazon.com cloud-computing center.
C. It redirected air flow from air conditioners and separated intake and outflow ducts.
D. It planted heat-absorbing vegetation on the roof.
Answer: C. The Toyota Motor Corp. unit hired International Business Machines Corp. to analyze air flows in the building and their effect on temperature. Air flows can create uneven temperatures in a facility, which results in inefficient temperature control&mdash for instance, bringing hot spots down to the desired temperature takes more cooling than is necessary for the rest of the space. By changing the air-flow patterns, Toyota was able to cut its air-conditioning use.
3) Lithium-ion batteries are the most popular technology for laptops and cellphones, because they are light and long lasting. They also can be disposed of with little environmental impact. What country produces the most lithium?
A. Argentina
B. Bolivia
C. Chile
D. Denmark
Answer: C. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA is the world’s largest lithium miner, with mines in Chile and in Argentina, the No. 2 producing country. Bolivia is considered a promising prospect for future development.

4) Match the product, service or initiative with the company that dreamed it up.
A. Dell 1. ecoMeter
B. CA 2. Plant a Tree
C. Lexmark 3. Eco Ultra Small
D. Lenovo 4. Eco-simulator
Answer: A-2. Dell Inc. will plant a tree for each corporate laptop sold under some sales plans. It says each tree will soak up enough carbon dioxide over its projected 70-year life to offset the carbon used in making and powering a computer.
B-1. CA Inc.’s ecoMeter is software that helps chief information officers visualize, monitor and manage the use of energy in data centers and other facilities.
C-4. Eco-simulator is Lexmark International Inc.’s online service that measures the environmental impact of a user’s printing.
D-3. Lenovo Group says its M58p Eco Ultra Small desktop contains 10% recycled plastic.

5) What is a zombie server?
A. One that causes so much trouble it is said to scare IT managers out of their wits.
B. One that is running but isn’t connected to any live data.
C. One that keeps running even though it has nothing to do.
D. A special server at Amazon.com that serves hit novels to teenage girls.
Answer: C. IT managers trying to understand why their data centers use so much electricity sometimes find that they have a number of servers that produce hardly any useful work. These servers sometimes were authorized for an ambitious sales campaign or other project that never achieved its goals but never was completely shut down. Such servers are good candidates for elimination, with their jobs to be taken up by other servers with computing power to spare. A study of four unidentified data centers by McKinsey and Co. discovered that 146 of 458 servers were running at less than 3% of capacity.

6) What is the fastest-growing source of energy consumption in data centers?
A. High-end servers
B. Midrange servers
C. Networking devices
D. Storage devices
Answer: D. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, storage devices’ consumption of electricity grew 191% between 2000 and 2006. Over that period, storage devices rose from consuming the least power in the four categories to the most, at 32.3% of energy usage.

7) What area of green technology is likely to offer IT veterans the most new job opportunities?
A. Smart grids
B. Solar-cell development
C. Engineering projects designed to fight global warming
D. Lithium battery development
Answer: A. A January 2009 report by Kema Inc., an energy consulting firm, estimated that in the U.S. alone, smart-grid development efforts could create up to 280,000 jobs directly by 2012. Jobs include installing smart meters in homes and designing software to manage the energy use of networks of homes and businesses more efficiently.
IT-networking skills match up neatly with smart-grid work, according to CleanEdge.com, a jobs Web site.

8) Match the high-tech company with the organization that ranked it No. 1 in some aspect of environmental responsibility.
A. Hewlett-Packard 1. Greenpeace
B. IBM 2. Newsweek
C. Intel 3. Environmental
Protection Agency
Answer: A-2. Hewlett-Packard Co. took the top spot in Newsweek’s 2009 Green Rankings of the 500 largest companies in the U.S.
B-1. IBM was atop the &quot leaderboard&quot of Greenpeace’s CoolIT Challenge, due to &quot an extensive range of climate solutions and action to reduce its own emissions.&quot
C-3. The EPA said Intel Corp. was the biggest purchaser of renewable energy last year, accounting for 48% of its power.

9) What percentage of corporate PC users leave their computers on nights and weekends when they aren’t in use?
A. About half
B. Hardly anyone
C. About 25%
D. Almost everyone
Answer: A. According to the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy, less than half of corporate PC users shut their computers down overnight, even though they aren’t using them. Turning them off would save an estimated 20 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions a year&mdash roughly equivalent to the impact of four million cars.

10) What makes Windows 7 greener than Vista and other older Windows operating systems?
A. Microsoft prints the product manual on recycled paper.
B. It won’t run on high-energy microprocessors.
C. It reduces processor activity while the computer is idle.
D. It adjusts for intermittent power from wind turbines and solar panels.
Answer: C. It reduces background activity by electronically checking all connected devices at once and then going to sleep, rather than checking them at random times, which requires a central processor to be in operation almost constantly. It also reduces power consumption in other ways: It can be configured to stop searching for a network connection when a network cable isn’t plugged in. It suspends Bluetooth radio connectivity when it senses the Bluetooth device is in low-power mode. And it dims displays after shorter periods of inactivity than previous models.

Papaya is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, but how many calories does it have?

One medium papaya has about 119 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 313% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C.

One cup of raw papaya cubes has about 55 calories and 144% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C.

New multiplayer footage has been unearthed for Sega’s Aliens vs. Predators multiplatformer. Senior Producer Dave Brickley leads the walkthrough, and y…

Metrohm is proud to announce that the 862 Titrosampler has been awarded the 2009 Silver Design Award by Instrument Business Outlook (IBO), a Los Angeles-based periodical dedicated to providing strategic information for the analytical and life science instrument industry.

«The design of the 862’s base sets it apart from other automated titration systems», IBO states, and continues «Building a titrator into the autosampler allowed for a compact footprint while leaving it accessible and open».

The 862 Compact Titrosampler accommodates 12 sample beakers and allows various determinations to be carried out fully automatically, including cleaning and conditioning the electrode between the determinations. The system features a large display, which allows the status of sample series to be followed via live titration curve. Sample series can be interrupted at any time to determine samples with higher priority. The 862 Compact Titrosampler can be operated by mouse click; various dialog options are available to adapt the instrument to the particular user
.
The IBO Design Award is a strong confirmation of Metrohm’s leading position in the market and their ability to combine cutting-edge technology with outstanding design.

NEW HINOWA TRACKED AERIAL PLATFORM
GOLDLIFT 14.70 BATTERY

Hinowa S.p.A is proud to launch the first battery-powered tracked aerial platform world wide.
The battery-technologies have been applied to the GOLDLIFT 14.70.
The main characteristic is that – instead of a thermic engine – it is fitted with a 48 V electric engine with alternate current of 2000 Watt, supplied by a battery pack.

For the battery pack it has been decided to use the lithium technology realizing the first aerial platform world wide with lithium-ion batteries.

The lithium-ion technology derives offers different advantages compared with classic lead acid batteries:
•Weight reduction: maintaining the same performances, the weight of these batteries is just about 1/3 of the traditional ones. Thanks to this it was possible to keep reduced the weight, one of the main features of the Hinowa aerial platforms.
•No memory effect: this means that it is possible to recharge the batteries as much as one likes without running the risk of damages if the batteries are not completely empty when charging.
•Average life of batteries about THREE times longer than traditional batteries.
•Recharging time about HALF of the time needed for recharging traditional lead acid batteries.
Furthermore there is a battery loader on board.

Another benefit of the new battery-powered tracked aerial platform is the complete elimination of any acoustic emissions and exhaust gases protecting in this way the environment and the operator’s health preserving the well-known performances which have been decisive for the success of the Hinowa spiders, that’s to say:
1) Lightness
2) Reduced dimensions
3) On tracks

Also, thanks to the supply by battery, there are no more obligations to work close to a socket in order to be able to plug in the electrical cable that could create inconveniences during positioning operations of the aerial platform.

The new Hinowa tracked aerial platform GOLDLIFT 14.70 BATTERY will achieve widespread success, first of all in the following application fields:
• Airports,Hotels,Shopping centres, Hospitals, Museums, Government buildings, Schools, Universities, etc.

The realisation of this first battery-powered tracked aerial platform world wide GOLDLIFT 14.70 BATTERY demonstrates once again that Hinowa is abreast of the times and anticipator of future technologies.

The exact dosage of cleaning agent is decisive for economy and the cleaning effect when it comes to wet cleaning. That is why Hako now also offers an on-board dosage system for the smaller scrubber-drier machines of the Hakomatic range.
The solution has already proven itself for a long time in the large Hakomatic B 1100 and Hakomatic 1800.

The on-board dosage system consists of a controlled pump, with which the output / flow rate of the cleaning agent is carried out, depending on the water supply. The system can also be used in machines without a water pump. Thereby the concentration is infinitely adjustable from 0.1 % to 1.0 % and always remains constant, even if the operator increases or reduces the water supply. Thus incorrect dosage (over dosage or low dosage) can be prevented.

The cleaning agent is carried in a 2 litre container.
With the cleaning agent recommended by Hako “Hako Cleanol-SE ECO”, which can be used in a concentration of 1:700. Using a Hakomatic B 70, for example, it is possible to achieve a range of 20 tank fillings. However all other cleaning agents suitable for use in machines can also be used.

The dosage system pays off immediately for several reasons:
On the one hand the exact dosage ensures the best possible cleaning result. In addition with the dosage system cleaning agent can be saved because over dosage can be avoided reliably.

That makes it easy on the purse and at the same time protects the environment; no unnecessary pressure is put upon materials and sewage due to cleaning chemicals. Furthermore e.g. Cleanol-SE ECO is already available filled in a 2 litre can – as a result valuable working time is saved, as the tiresome transferral and filling of cleaning chemicals on the spot is no longer necessary.

The new on-board dosage system is available for the manually operated Hakomatic B 30 to B 120 as well as for the ride-on machines Hakomatic B 650 R, B 750 R and B 910.

TRIAC BT is the innovative, high-quality indoor handheld device for apparatus construction. In this way, Leister can meet all expectations which a discriminating expert expects in regard to functionality and design. Weighing only one kilogram, the TRIAC BT is the most lightweight device in its class, allowing it to lie comfortably in the hand. Soft sections on the two-component handle also ensure a firm hold. A rotary switch is located at the front in the turbine housing. This enables easy adjustment of the temperature during the welding process. The rotary switch also has a safety function: After an interruption to the power supply, it lights up, thereby signalling to the user that the heating unit has been switched off. This way, fires can be prevented. The precision nozzle, a new feature integrated in this advanced development, is also practical. The TRIAC BT is supplied as three different kits, for plastic fabrication, flooring or billboards. The sturdy tool box contains everything a professional requires: Besides two speed welding nozzles (plastic fabrication and flooring), pressure roller (billboards) and a spare part heating element, there is also enough space for other accessories.

Carrying case for TRIAC PID and S
The established handheld devices TRIAC PID and TRIAC S are now provided in a sturdy, lockable carrying case made from plastic. This can also be ordered subsequently for existing devices.

IDE continues to widen its range of metallic products by launching the new METALLIC REGISTERS FOR NICHES.

These registers are ready for installation in construction and pre-fabricated niches intended to house general protection casings as well as general protection and measuring casings.

The registers have been designed to specifications set out in the REBT (Reglamento Electrotécnico de Baja Tensión – Low-Voltage Electro-Technical Regulations) in its standard ICT-BT-13. The various versions have been adapted to the standards and specifications unique to Electricity Distribution Companies.

The wide variety of models means that the range can be used by the following Electricity Distribution companies:

• SEVILLANA ENDESA
• FECSA ENDESA
• UNIÓN FENOSA
• HIDROCANTÁBRICO
• VIESGO
• IBERDROLA NORTE – OESTE-CENTRO Y LEVANTE

Security, versatility, and a wide of models – that is IDE’s offering, which covers the sector’s requirements.

Thanks to its ground tooth geometry, this high-performance band saw blade achieves a great improvement in cutting performance, teamed with an absolutely smooth cutting area at a low noise level.

High cost-effectiveness and maximum precision are guaranteed with Dynamic Plus. Dynamic Plus is perfectly suited for:

hard materials that are not easily machinable, steels with a high tensile strength, rust and acid-resistant steels, nickel-based alloys (e.g. Inconel, Hastelloy, Nimonic).

The Hafner pump production run offers a great range of hose pumps for the application in the industry and laboratory.
Depending on the particular viscosity of the media the pumping up to 6000 mPas is possible. Soft solids up to a size of 2mm are no problem and media with the temperature of -5°C to +70°C can be pumped and dosed. The output volume is
0,5l/m to 5l/min.
The pump consists of high-strength aluminium and its coating is suitable for use in food. The castors are made in stainless steel and habe foler bearings- so they are much more durable then plastc versions. Thanks to the steel version also very robust hoses can be compressed.
Due to the modular ancillary transmission even very small amounts can be dosed with an accuracy of 1%. The pumps are ATEX-certified and FDA and TA-Air compliant.
The pumpe head can be adapted to the customers need via the multi-channel version. This can also be done subsequently and in an uncomplicated way. The space-saving pumps are easily to clean and the hose can quickly be changed.

A new series of strong industrial cases due to a double-walled construction, made from Polypropylene. This modern case series
can be personalized with coloured catches, handles or with a printing on a plane surface of the lid.

The interior can be easily supplied with customized foam inserts or integrated blow moulded inserts. This professional and sustainable solution
with an integrated blow moulded insert can be more economic from a certain amount of cases on and can be cleaned easily.

Available in 8 sizes (from 420x280x70 mm to 513x360x161 mm) in black or grey colour (customized colours on request), with opening to
180 ° or 105 ° (with lid stays).

A leading manufacturer of high technology cutting tools for the woodworking and furniture industry has recently equipped its Northern service centre with a Formula 1400 blast system from specialist finishing equipment manufacturer Guyson International.

Tony Harvey, Director of Service for Leuco says that “in the couple of months we have had the machine, the Formula 1400 has proved to be the ideal choice. It is more than capable of dealing with the wide variety of component sizes and yet it doesn’t take up too much space”.

The service centre has to deal with a wide mixture of cutting tools including TCT and diamond tipped routers, saw blades, drills and hoggers that it takes in on a regular basis for clean up and service. The components are blasted clean in the Formula blast cabinet with glass bead to remove the build up of saps, resins and pitch that can accumulate on the cutting blade surfaces and build up on the cutting tips. “The Guyson cabinet cleans these off effortlessly in a matter of minutes”, says Tony. “Time is very critical as we offer a fast turnaround service”.

The Guyson Formula 1400 is as an entry-level blast system for light industrial applications or when blasting is required on an intermittent basis. A foot operated blast gun leaves both hands free for excellent component manipulation and the system also comes complete with an efficient dust collector, making these cabinets ideal for workshops, garages and maintenance departments.

Guyson offer a free component trial service to prove the process with no obligation to buy. To contact Guyson International, call on +44 (0)1756 799911, fax +44 (0)1756 790213, or email [email protected].

October has been another exciting month for GSF, for more information on our new product ranges and the first anniversary of gsf-promount, visit our newsletter via the link below.

It’s almost a year to the day that Promount, the fast lock-instant release tool mounting system , was first launched into the UK by GSF. We take a look back and see how the industry has taken this tool mounting system and consider the implications for its use across the applications it operates under.

As one of the latest products to be introduced by GSF the Push-button Slam-Lock is a double handled push button mechanism that locks draws instantaneously.

Due to the new launch of our push button slam locks we thought we’d promote the new line by running an offer to all our customers. For more details call our UK Sales Director Tony Macis on 07971 920 233.

Kind Regards

Matthew Grantham
Site Manager

For more information on the new drawer front product or if you have any other queries please call GSF on +44 (0)1691 770303, email [email protected] or visit

www.gsfslides.com/www.gsf-promounts.com

… in Three Different NEMA Frame Sizes

Pittman® ‘AB Series’ Brushless Servo Motors
Introduced in Three Different NEMA Frame Sizes

KENT, OH—Pittman® brand “AB Series” brushless servo motors introduce a family of powerful motor solutions in three different NEMA frame sizes (each available in various lengths) to accommodate a wide range of design envelopes. Their brushless technology contributes extended service life for applications ranging from medical and industrial equipment to instrumentation and automation machinery, among others.

These motors (AB23000, AB34000, and AB48000) in NEMA sizes 23 (2.25 in.), 34 (3.54 in.), and 56 (4.75 in.) can provide continuous stall torque from 0.42 Nm to 12.88 Nm (3.75 lb-in to 114 lb-in) and peak torque from 1.28 Nm to 38.3 Nm (11.3 lb-in to 339 lb-in), depending on model. Rated speeds range from 2800 RPM to 5200 RPM and voltage ratings up to 325 VDC for offline drives can be achieved.

All versions are designed with medium to high Ke to accommodate low buss voltage applications; feature rugged IP65 construction; incorporate heavy-duty 0.5 in. shafts and front shaft seals; and are CE, UL and cUL approved. Motors can additionally be equipped with optical encoders, external holding brakes, Hall effect sensors, precision servo gearing, mating power and feedback cables (packaged in kits), and other customization options to satisfy particular application requirements.

UF6 cylinder verification system implemented on the ORTEC
Micro-trans-SPEC or trans-SPEC-DX-100 HPGe Portable
Spectrometer.
• All-in-one light weight instrument with software designed to follow
the current procedures for UF6 cylinder inspection by safeguards
inspectors.
• High precision, rapid results through combining tried-and-tested
methodology with the latest advances in HPGe spectrometry.
• Solves spectral interference problems encountered with NaI based
systems.
• Micro-trans-SPEC hardware can be used for other related
applications.
The ORTEC Detective-derived trans-SPEC series of instruments are ideal field deployable LN2-free HPGe spectrometers. In particular, the Microtrans- SPEC,1 weighing in at less than 7 kg (excluding additional hardware such as collimators), is small and compact yet rugged enough for field operations.
The instrument features a long life Stirling cycle cryo-cooler and digital electronics. It can be powered from a variety of sources, including worldwide mains, automobile and other DC sources, which means it is ideal for safeguards inspections where an inspector may arrive at a facility with the instrument in the operational state and ready for use.
The powerful built-in data processing capabilities make it ideal for onboard custom data analysis, and its bright clear screen makes it a pleasure to use, even in bright outdoor conditions.

Global Leaders in Capacitive Liquid Level Measurement Sensors
Gill liquid level sensors are used globally for technology-led applications that require extremely accurate, robust liquid level measurement. Applications include premier motorsport formulas, military vehicle and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), automotive research, process industry along with many other very specialist activities.

Capacitive Liquid Level Sensors – No Moving Parts
Standard & Custom Designs Available
Configurable 0-5V Analogue Output
Full Integrated Electronics

 This sure is a gentle rendition. Grenade plushies for Resident Evil are now available. They’re no way the  kind of plushies you can cuddle …

The latest update for Naughty Dog’s blockbuster video game hit, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, has been released. New maps are all yours, and most import…