Category: News

Established in 2006 under the Office of the Provost, the Harvard China Fund (HCF) is a University-wide “academic venture fund” with three core objectives: partnerships, students, and presence.

Partnerships: To promote teaching and research about and in China, in collaboration with institutions across Greater China.

Students: To prepare Harvard students for their lifelong engagement with China, and to bring Chinese students to Harvard for graduate and professional education.

Presence: To strengthen Harvard’s capacity to address challenges facing China through the new Harvard Center Shanghai. As part of HCF’s mission to prepare Harvard students for a lifelong engagement with China, the fund runs two student programs in China.

The Harvard China Winter Service Program supports students across the University in performing public service in China during the new “January Term.” Students from Harvard Business School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Law School, and Harvard College participated in the inaugural program in 2010, pairing with students from Peking University and Inner Mongolia University.

The Harvard China Student Internship Program is a collaborative effort involving Harvard’s Office of Career Services and Office of International Programs, together with Chinese corporations and U.S. companies in China. Students experience modern China through their internship placements, as well as gain an introduction to Chinese history and culture, while learning how Harvard alumni live and work in the region. The structure of the program includes a 10-week internship, a weeklong field trip to rural areas of China, and numerous cultural events.

For more about HCF, visit Harvard China Fund.

Founded in 1973, the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies (RI) promotes research on Japan and brings together Harvard faculty, students, leading scholars from other institutions, and visitors to create one of the world’s leading communities for the study of Japan.

For the 2009-10 academic school year and summer of 2010, RI has funded or facilitated the travel to Japan of 112 Harvard students, undergraduate and graduate, and has funded others for language study and research related to Japan, but conducted in other locations, from Cambridge to Moscow. For graduate students with a Japan interest, RI provides dissertation completion grants and other travel and research awards. In the case of undergrads, it seeks to expand their opportunities to have a significant international experience in Japan. In cooperation with the Harvard Club of Japan, the Rotary Club of Okayama, the Japanese Language Program, the Office of Career Services, the Office of International Programs, and Harvard science departments, RI supports undergraduates going to Japan for research; Japanese language study; internships with a wide variety of organizations, from baseball teams to banks; Harvard Summer School programs in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Yokohama; and other activities across Japan.

To see the full list of students supported by the Reischauer Institute during the 2009-10 academic school year and summer 2010, visit Reischauer Institute Web site.

There’s a new gaming mouse in town, amigos. It’s the Mionix NAOS 3200, and it’s made of “carefully selected high-end components.” What kind of components? I’m guessing dark matter.

It’s a gaming mouse, so you pretty much know what you’re getting. High DPI (up to 3,200), built-in memory to save various setting and bring them from computer to computer, flashy LEDs for no real reason other than aesthetic grandeur, adjustable polling rate up to 1000MHz, and enough buttons (seven) to effectively play First-Person Shooter till sunrise.

Mionix wants €55, which currently translates to $67. I say currently because the eurozone isn’t in the best of shape these days. Next week that price may work out to $65!

It looks damn svelte, that’s for sure.

These little “Leaf-It” bookmark Post-Its could technically work with any book, but I’m going to start with The Giving Tree. From Apree designer Sangwoo Nam, they’ve made the jump from concept to product. And they come on branches: More »










Bookmark – Bookmark Managers – Clients – Add-on – WWW

Automatic Backwash Control

The Electric H2O Closed Loop Filtration System (CL Filter) is a high-pressure media filter, constructed from epoxy-lined carbon steel and designed to remove suspended solids down to 10, 5 and 0.5 microns from closed loop heating and cooling systems. The system is designed to maximize filtration flow and minimize backwash time and volume. As the filtered particulates accumulate on the media bed, the pressure differential across the bed increases.

When a pre-determined set point is reached, the self-cleaning automatic citywater backwash cycle is initiated, after which filtration is resumed. The NEMA 4X control panel also incorporates a manual and timed override automatic backwash. Dual electric actuators and four two-way bronze ball valves prevent any closed loop system water loss during backwash.

Improve…
Heat Transfer Efficiency, Pump Operation, Evaporator Tube Cleanliness
Corrosion Rate, Biological Control.

Closed Loop Filter Sizing and Selection
Closed loop systems are not exposed to airborne contaminants and therefore have lower particulate concentrations than open systems. Filter sizing is based upon a fluid turnover rate of four times per day. The result is that the entire fluid volume in the system is filtered every six hours.

Surface Technology Coatings (STC) is a part of Sutton Tools, was established in 1988 to provide a Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating service to local industry.

Since that time, the Melbourne –based Surface Technology Center has grown to be at the forefront of heat treatment and surface engineering technology.

Surface Technology is the only commercial facility in Australia offering high pressure quench vacuum heat treatment, plasma nitriding, PVD coating and the latest testing and analytical equipment.

STC coats a range of materials including carbide, high speed steel, hot working die steels, cold work die steels, carbide and cermets, certain copper alloy, stainless steels, titanium and nitriding steels.

PVD coatings available are: Alcrona, Futura Nano, CrN, TiCN, TiN and newly developed coatings are on the horizon.

With STC’s latest acquisition, the Innova PVD coating unit, the company can develop new high-quality coatings for the future.
The facility also offers a regrinding service which includes the regrinding of carbide and HSS standard products as well as specials, plus the refurbishment of diamond tools and the manufacture of solid carbide threaded products.

The Advanced Surface Solutions Facility, which was launched in August 2009 by the Victorian Minister for Industry and Trade, the Hon. Martin Pakula, is well position to place strong focus on developing the latest advances in surface coatings technology and performance testing of cutting tools for the Australian defence industry.

Using world leading technology, Surface Technology Coatings offers coatings to solve a wide range of problems relating to friction and wear, thereby improving tool performance and increasing tool life.

ESAB, the world-leading manufacturer of welding and cutting equipment, has introduced a newly designed flip-up welding helmet, the Globe-Arc.

Following the ESAB family design, the new hybrid shell is made from strong Zytel material and offers a full head a face protection and is very lightweight. The compact design allows for welding in very tight places, whilst reducing the visible light entering the back of the helmet caused by other welding light.

The new flip visor has an upper retention stop, which eliminates visor drop-down when welding or grinding together with shake proof quarter turn retainers to allow for quick removal and replacement.

The Globe-Arc is suitable for all welding applications as the visor provides effective protection from UV and IR radiation when the visor is open and closed, and is available in different shade levels.

The helmet has a wide field of vision through both the large main and flip-up visors which provides increased work safety. The visor has a flat top brow for easy put downs and to prevent scratching.

ESAB’s new comfort headgear, which is constructed from quality nylon with a large adjustment ratchet and comfort sweat band, is fitted to the helmet.

A. Vacuum tubes: ¡°3-hi¡± tubes (high-temperature and high-cold resistance, high efficiency) are coated with the patented interferential coating technology, achieving the higher absorptance of 96% and lower emissivity of 4%. The vacuum degree is 5¡Á10-4, 100 times lower that the common tubes, thus its insulation will be better.

B. Insulation in tanks: insulation is produced by one-off foaming at constant temperature under high pressure; the tank, when processed with high-temperature ripening, will get more even foaming, better insulation efficiency and stability, and less heat loss. The inner tank is made of SUS304, the contents of Chromium and Nickel in which are very high to resist corrosion effectively. Besides, the auto. argon arch welding will extend the lifespan of the tank.

C. Supports: Made of galvanized sheet, the supports are processed with 14 steps, such as degreasing, phosphorescing, electrostatic spraying, high-temperature ripening, etc, to ensure the stability and anti-corrosion of them.

D. The entire ¡°SED¡± auxiliary heating system has passed the China Compulsory Certificate. It adopts protection of electric leakage, and other two steps to protect from overheating (stop by temperature controller at 70¡ãC, and by breaker at 110¡ãC). The electric booster, made of Incoloy 800, is excellent in anti-corrosion and dry burning.

E. Impulse sensor: The pole type pulse sensor (patent number: 200420084034.5 ), made of SUS316L totally, adopts the principle of pulse scanning of the water level to sense the temperature and water level accurately, solving the problem of scaling and water leakage caused by traditional rubber sensors.

Financial savings combined with ensured consistent and accurate labelling were the chief drivers for the Türk Tuborg* filling operation in Izmir, Turkey installing new can and bottle drying systems. The drying systems were installed as retrofit units to replace compressed air jets and heated tunnels, and are reported to be achieving significant savings whilst also helping to avoid the problem of label slippage resulting from inefficiently dried bottles.

The can and bottle drying machines are from Air Control Industries (ACI) and were supplied by the company’s Turkish distributor, Yük. Müh. Nihat Kagnici, Sanayi Müsavirligi ve Mümessilligi. The principal reason for the substantial cost savings is the fact the ACI units are all blower powered, a more cost-effective and cleaner way of delivering air for drying bottles and cans.

Prior to opting for the ACI systems, Packaging Engineers Arda Sengöz and Mehmet Kaynak at the Türk Tuborg plant investigated a number of different suppliers. However, a combination of good references from existing customers, competitive pricing and the easy self-installation/running maintenance persuaded them that ACI offered the best solution for the company’s needs. Also, with a local distributor they were confident of professional back-up if required.

Five ACI drying systems are installed, three of which are fully enclosed. Two of the fully enclosed units are installed on canning lines and incorporate ACI’s purpose-engineered ‘CanTunnels’ with Airknives, whilst the third is employed for bottle drying and is equipped with ACI’s ‘JetPlate’ system plus a pair of Airknives. The open units are EL (blower at Eye Level) packages and are CanTunnel systems.

The CanTunnel systems are installed in pairs with dryers located before and after can ‘twisters’ which invert cans so that both top and bottom are dried. Throughput for each of the two parallel lines is 40,000 cans/hr (either 33 or 50cl).

The bottle drying line has a capacity of 60,000 bottles/hr and the ACI dryer must cope with up to 14 different shapes/sizes of bottle, drying neck, cap and bottle in one pass.

“The ACI drying systems are working very well and the support has been excellent, both from ACI and Nihat Kagnici,” said Arda Sengöz, Packaging Engineer. “What’s more, we are saving money. The compressed air systems and heating tunnel were much more expensive to run and maintain so we expect a rapid payback on our investment.”

A&D is pleased to announce the launch of the SW Series of Super Washdown Scales, which are our first IP69K-rated platform scales for the food-processing industry.

Conventional platform scales tend to break down rather quickly in processing factories for foods such as meat and fish. This occurs because the work environments can be highly damp, or the scales are often exposed to extreme shifts in temperature, which condense the air inside the enclosures. Furthermore, equipment used during food processing typically has to undergo heavy-duty cleaning with high-pressure and high-temperature water every day after work for sanitary reasons. No ordinary devices can withstand such hostile conditions.

The SW Series is IP69K rated. That is, the scales are protected against heavy-duty washdown with water temperatures up to 85 ¢ªC and pressures up to 10,000 kPa. The SW Series also resists the effects of condensation and prevents the risk of moisture invasion thanks to A&D¡¯s unique know-how, making the scales ideal for long-term use in the harsh environments of food-processing factories.

Linde Material Handling incorporates fuel cell trucks into its product range
With the delivery of two fuel-cell trucks to the Linde Gases Division, part of technology company The Linde Group, Linde Material Handling has taken another important step on the road to more intensive use of innovative drive technology. As the first industrial truck manufacturer in Europe, Linde MH has incorporated fuel cell trucks into its product range. The trucks are now offered as standard and with immediate effect, as a “Customised Option”.

Both fuel-cell trucks are based on the 3-tonne electric counterbalanced truck, the Linde E30. In addition, the enhanced beverage industry version offers an optimised view over the load. In place of the usual 80-volt battery, the trucks have a fuel cell and a tank, which stores 1.6 kilograms of hydrogen gas at 350 bar. The electricity generated from the hydrogen supplies the electric motors that drive the truck. Alongside this are so-called supercaps, large condensers, which act as a buffer and cover performance peaks, such as pulling away or lifting, for example. The trucks bear the CE mark and are permitted for use on public roads. When it comes to performance data, the trucks are not different to the equivalent battery-powered model in the range and they are tailored spe-cially to Linde Gas’ customer requirements.

The fuel-cell trucks were developed over the last two years with long-term partner, Hydrogenics, the Canadian fuel cell manufacturer. Linde’s contractual partner, Gruma Nutzfahrzeuge, based in Garching, near Munich, has been involved with the project from the beginning and is responsible for all issues re-lated to servicing and maintaining the trucks. One of the trucks is used by Linde Gas for transporting Gas bottles between production halls and the truck embark point, which involves crossing a public road. The second fuel-cell truck operates in the field of gas bottle filling. Both trucks replace diesel trucks with a 3.5-tonne load capacity, which were previously used for this purpose. Filling up the fuel-cell trucks is quick and safe at the Linde hydrogen centre filling pump and is therefore comparable to filling a conventional truck.

Manipulation impossible.

The non-contact safety gate systems PSENslock are a safe alternative to existing mechanical technology. With an electromagnetic holding force of up to 1000 N, PSENslock units prevent swing gates and sliding gates from being opened unintentionally. The actuator is manipulation-proof, providing added safety.

The non-contact safety gate systems PSENslock combine safety gate monitoring with a non-contact magnetic interlock. This combination of safe position monitoring and process guard locking means that PSENslock are suitable for universal use. Movable guards such as swing gates and sliding gates in particular can enjoy optimum protection.

Safety gate systems PSENslock are type PDF-M proximity switches with transponder technology (RFID) and as such offer the highest level of protection against manipulation. They are BG-tested for applications up to PL e of EN ISO 13849-1, SIL 3 of EN/IEC 62061 and Category 4 of EN 954-1.

PSENslock are non-wearing and can be connected in series with non-contact, coded safety switches PSENcode and other safety gate systems PSENslock.

Pilz safety gate systems combine safety, standard and diagnostic functions in one unit. With IP67 protection, they are also suitable for rugged environments. With an open design, they can be connected to Pilz control technology as well as any other standard evaluation devices. As a result, Pilz components can also be retrofitted to plant and machinery.

During the space shuttle Discovery flight that returned to earth in April, two experiments were conducted that were part of an overall series of studies designed to determine how cells become infected and are able to regenerate in microgravity. A better understanding of exactly how spaceflight affects cell growth and how cells fight off infections is essential for future astronauts on long-term missions, who will need to understand how wounds heal and cells become infected in space.

The Space Tissue Loss (STL) experiments on STS-131 included a study of how mouse stem cells develop into specialized tissue types, or “differentiate” in space. A second STS-131 biology experiment investigated in-flight infection of human cells using pathogenic bacteria, and will characterize the effect of microgravity on cellular responses to the Salmonella infection. BINDER Inc., the North American subsidiary of BINDER GmbH, loaned two CB 150 CO2 incubators to the team conducting the studies. The incubators were used for the pre-warming, degassing, and maintenance of the flight and ground control fluid bags that were filled with tissue culture medium and fixatives. This storage was critical to the success of the mission, as pH maintenance was required for the medium that would be used for flight. Pre-warmed medium was needed because the medium would be immediately flowed over the cells in the bioreactors, and degassing was needed to eliminate air bubbles that could block fluid movement in the lines. “The incubators performed flawlessly,” said Kevin Sato, STL Project Scientist of Lockheed Martin at NASA’s Ames Research Center who worked with the scientific investigators on this payload. “We easily set up the BINDER incubators and saved time using the automated, internal heat sterilization process instead of performing manual cleaning and sterilization. A microbial test after the sterilization process detected no bacterial or fungal growth in the incubators.” The characteristics that made BINDER CB 150 incubators perform so well make them ideal for use in a variety of cell culture applications. These features, including hot air sterilization at 180 °C, stable pH thanks to a drift-free infrared CO2 measurement system, superior temperature precision with excellent dynamics, and an interior that is condensation-free even at high humidity levels, ensure the best possible cell growth. “The space program has made great technological advances and has drawn both ourselves and our children to the exciting world of science,” said Uwe Ross, president of BINDER Inc. “We are thrilled to have our incubators at the Kennedy Space Center, and are very proud of their performance in experiments that are so important to the future of space travel.

Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A. – May 24, 2010 – Despatch Industries, a leading technology and equipment provider for the solar industry, received a very positive response to the UltraFlex(TM) next generation firing furnace on display at the SNEC PV Power Exhibition in Shanghai, China. Attendees were particularly interested in the innovative UltraFlex(TM) Microzone(TM) technology which provides users with infinite profile flexibility and precise control to adapt to industry changes in cell architectures, new pastes and selective emitters.

Solar manufacturers visiting the stand were very receptive to the new, next-generation technologies Despatch incorporated into the UltraFlex(TM). The new tool offers customers superior performance and flexibility with better operational control, to ultimately achieve higher levels of efficiency. Visitors also appreciated the efficient design features and smaller footprint of the UltraFlex(TM).

“We have seen unprecedented industry adoption of the UltraFlex(TM) platform, and currently have a backlog of orders in excess of $10 million,” states John Farrell, Managing Director of the Solar Business Group. “With the technology performing above expectations, our focus is now on accelerating production of the UltraFlex(TM) and increasing our manufacturing capacity to meet the demand from our customers.”

Despatch continues to see orders and steady demand for its industry-leading CF Series firing furnace. The CF Series remains the top-selling metallization firing furnace in the industry, with over 15GW of production capacity sold, and over 350 units placed into China alone. Despatch has sold over 40 UltraFlex(TM) units throughout Europe and Asia.

Despatch Industries designs and engineers market-leading tools and technology for the solar cell manufacturing industry. The company’s regional offices and complete global service network allow Despatch to provide local sales and product support to all customers worldwide. Despatch equipment is consistently recognized for exceptional performance and process quality, optimal cell efficiency, maximum uptime and reduced operating costs. For more information on Despatch visit our website: www.despatch.com

And now we know that the Deepwater Horizon oil leak is the work of the devil.

New estimates From the US Geological Survey suggest that as many as 28 million gallons of oil may have been spewed, according to LA Times. That’s way higher than the 11 million that were spilled in the Exxon Valdez.

So how many barrels of oil is that? There are 42 gallons per barrel, meaning that the number of barrels is… 666,666.6666666.

Yes, we’re talking about the devil here.

Meanwhile, the head of the MMS has been fired, the first big administration casualty.

See Also: Nausea-Inducing Photos Of Oil Entering The Marshes

Join the conversation about this story »

Polls show that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans overwhelmingly support clean energy and climate legislation

Vote Vets has another hard-hitting ad tying the BP oil disaster with the threat our dependence on fossil fuels poses to our national security:

Related Post:

• Vote Vets tough new ad: Everytime oil goes up $1, Iran gets another $1.5 billion to use against us.

Federal officials have ordered commercial fishing vessels to cease oil recovery operations in Louisiana’s Breton Sound. The action came after four crew members aboard three vessels reported health problems including nausea, dizziness, headaches and chest pains.

Medics transported the four crew members to a hospital for evaluation. None of the other commercial fishermen involved in oil recovery operations in Breton Sound reported symptoms. However, officials directed all 125 commercial vessels equipped for oil recovery in that area to return to their staging area so that the remaining crew could receive precautionary medical evaluations.

“We are taking this action as an extreme safeguard,” said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Robinson Cox.

On Wednesday, FOX News freelance photographer Joe Vasquez experienced a minor version of this while traveling with a National Wildlife Federation team out in the Gulf of Mexico. Twelve miles off the Louisiana coast, their boat encountered a thick plume of oil.

“My tongue began tingling,” Vasquez said. “It was like biting a pepper, but without the taste.”

Vasquez put on a respirator and said the symptoms quickly went away.

Researchers on the boat lowered remote devices into the water to collect data. The devices returned covered in thick layers of oil with the consistency of melted chocolate.

Meanwhile, BP continues its “top kill” operations to block the flow of oil from a damaged well on the ocean floor. According to the company’s Twitter site, “There are no significant events to report at this time.”

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Bugatti, Rumormill, Electric

With production of the Veyron coming to an end, speculation has been rampant over what Bugatti will build next. A super-sedan based on the 16C Galibier concept could still get the green light. A 1,200-horsepower “Super Veyron” has also re-entered the rumor mill of late. Even an entry-level roadster was mooted at one point. But a new project could give us a clearer (and more radical) picture than ever before.

According to the rumormongers over at Auto Express, Bugatti is currently working on a massively powerful electric supercar that could eclipse the notions of what was previously thought possible with battery power. A test mule based on sister-company Bentley‘s ubiquitous Continental GT is reportedly undergoing testing at present, powered by two giant electric motors and an advanced lithium-ion power cell to deliver the equivalent of 800 horsepower and some 1,600 lb-ft of torque, all available instantly from a standstill. Yowza!

Such technology would doubtlessly draw from the work sister-company Audi has been doing with its successive e-Tron concepts. But as AE points out, this wouldn’t be the first time Bugatti has experimented with electric power: Back in its heyday under founder Ettore Bugatti’s direction, the original company built the Type 56. Originally built as a one-off, public demand prompted the Molsheim marque to bring it to market.

The rumored Continental-based prototype may be strictly a one-off at the moment, but if demand could force the Type 56 to market in the 1930s, it certainly could do the same today.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Auto Express]

Rumormill: Bugatti developing secret Continental GT-based electric supercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First quarter GDP growth was a little less than we thought. It was revised down to an annualized rate of 3.0% from its initial estimate of 3.2%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This came as a surprise to economists. Even though GDP was revised downward, they expected the opposite — for the second estimate to raise growth to 3.5%. What happened?

First, for those who like charts, here’s some historical perspective of GDP:

Even with this slight revision, the first quarter remained the second highest quarterly growth rate we’ve seen since the recession began in late 2007.

The revision was caused almost entirely by the personal consumption expenditures portion, i.e. consumer spending. Even though this got a lot better in the first quarter, it didn’t improve as much as originally thought. It was responsible for 2.42% of the 3.0% growth. The prior estimate reported a 2.55% contribution. That 0.13% difference is responsible for the vast majority of the 0.2% revised drop.

In particular, spending on services — not on goods — was overestimated. The services that consumers didn’t use as much as thought were housing and utilities, and food services and accommodations.

Of course, 0.2% isn’t much. But it is a little disappointing where most of this revision came from. Spending needs to drive the recovery to create jobs. It’s also unfortunate that restaurants and travel was one of the most downwardly revised components; spending on these non-necessities is also an indicator that consumers are feeling much more comfortable opening their wallets. This component, and spending overall, still showed a healthy increase compared to 2009, but these revisions make their progress a little less impressive.

Also interesting to note, but not a source of the revision, was how trade estimates changed. Exports were revised up a bit. They increased by $27.3 billion instead of $22.0 billion. Meanwhile, however, imports were also revised up to a $47.6 billion increase from $41.0 billion in the initial estimate. So the net result is mostly a wash: the two revisions approximately cancel each other out. But it is good to see more exports than originally anticipated.

Finally, keep in mind that there’s still another revision coming. Since downward revisions are more common than upward revisions, while there’s a chance that we could return to the 3.2% original estimate, it’s not too likely. But hopefully the final number won’t sink below 3.0%.

Note: Data above is seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Economic Analysis – Gross domestic product – Economic growth – Recession – International trade