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Daily production challenges become critical where particularly low feed rates are required. This can either be due to the high cost of ingredients, or to the significance of accurate addition of small quantity of ingredients.

The new DIW-PE-GLD87 Feeder has been designed for the requirements of minor ingredient addition. The latest weighing system technology, which is based on using electromagnetic strength compensation, put into operation in combination with the GLD87 High Accuracy Feeder, leads to extremely exact feeding results. The GLD87 is easy to clean and ideal for industrial applications. Perfect feeding results are achieved if high accuracy is required and products to be metered are very sluggish. This Small Scale Feeder is stable. In order to reduce adverse effects by external influences, the feeder can be supplied with wind shields, special connecting sleeves and vibration cushions and be combined with the fine adjustment possibilities of the Easydos Pro controller.

Our Know how:
• Interaction of feeding of small and large components. Gericke supplies feeding equipment for throughputs up to 77’000 l/h and is also the right partner for additive feeding from 0.2 l/h.
• Optimal refilling. Gericke can draw upon its own feeders, flaps, discharging elements and valves.
• Gericke is well aware of the difficulties involved in connection with starting and shutting down the system and at the same time retaining high product quality.
Special features:
• Feed rates from 0.2 to 10 l/h (approx. throughput value based on a reference product)
• Compact construction
• Quick changeover between products and feed rates
• Variety of helix configurations available to enable a single system to be used for a wide variety of products
• Available with full ATEX 95 Certification

Recommended additional equipment:
For continuous mixing, we recommend our continuous GCM250 and GCM500 mixers. Both can easily be dismantled for cleaning.

Get to grips – temporary measurement from outside with Prosonic Flow 93T!
Are you looking for a way to verify and optimize processes efficiently? Would you like to record the flow in pipelines – wherever and whenever you want? And without interrupting the process? If so, you can rely on the Prosonic Flow 93T completely and without question. This portable ultrasonic flowmeter impresses with its sophisticated “clamp-on” technology. Flow quantities can be measured quickly and reliably, directly from the outside of the pipe. It offers the flexibility to measure flow in very large pipes up to 4 meters in diameter or small-bore pipes (DN 15 / ½”).

Depending on the requirements imposed on the optical conductive material, we can, on our own drawing lines, produce fiber bundles of UV-conducting quartz (high OH), IR-conducting quartz (low OH) or of optical glass with different numerical apertures.

The diameters of the single fibers are normally between 30 µm and 150 µm, though we can also draw customer-specific diameters upon request.

The lengths of the fiber bundles can vary between 4, 5, 10 and 20 metres. The bundle diameters are made specifically to customer requirements. To provide optimum illumination, we can supply the fiber bundles with different angles of reflected beam of 67°, 83°, 90° and > 100° particularly for endoscopic applications.

ESUC base is an option available for the celpac® 2G range.

This optional module is pluggable directly on SU / SUL Solid State Contactor and permanently measures the load current.

This is possible to make a diagnostic up to 5 heating elements in parallel.

Current range : 2-40A
Control : 8-32VDC

The current value is compared to a reference value which has been stored during initialisation by means of the “Teach “ push button or “external Teach” input.

If the operator presses the teach push button for at least 3s or if the external teach input is ON for at least 3s the device will record the value Iteach of the current and set a high current threshold at Iteach + 16% and a low current threshold at Iteach – 16%.
If the current varies outside the reference value ( +/- 16%), the module detects a fault (partial load fault or overload).
At the same time, the module monitors a network failure (no current with control) or a thyristor fault (current without control). In case of a failure, the output status indicates a problem after a small delay (100ms max).
Different configurations and status are visualised by 3 LEDs.

2 alarm limits 0,84*Iteach and 1,16*Iteach (+/-16%)

Possible detections :
-Open Load
-Open Mains
-Partial load break
-SSR Short-circuited
-Overload (partial load short-circuit)

Why choosing celduc’s current monitoring function ?
-Quick fault detections (instantaneous alarm)
-Maintenance
-To detect when a heater is broken which bring problems and is difficult to locate
-To have good quality products for plastic/rubber parts manufacturers (specially thermosetting material) where you need an accurate temperature
-22.5mm width with integrated heatsink and DIN rail adaptor

Options on request :
Micro-switches can be added to allow parameters setting (threshold,
delay, locking,alarm inhibition etc…)
Do not hesitate to contact us

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hybrid, Europe, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Electric, Diesel

Volkswagen has just taken the cover off an all-new concept called the Up! Lite, a sinister looking diesel hybrid that gets (according to VW) 70 mpg combined. As in both City and Highway. Impressive, even if that only ends up being 90 percent accurate. In fact, should Volkswagen decide to green light the unfortunately named Up! Lite, it would be the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly four seat vehicle on the planet. Again, if the Up! Lite comes to fruition, we’ll all be impressed. Interestingly, this concept isn’t the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly car on earth is because another Volkswagen — the L1 from Frankfurt – is. But it only seats two.

Ready for the good parts? The aptly titled Up! Lite barely tips the scales at 1,530 pounds. There are Honda Goldwings flirting with that weight class. This svelteness is achieved via a mix of aluminum, lightweight steel and carbon fiber. For instance, the roof is made entirely from the expensive weave. And those amazing wheels consist of ten carbon-fiber spokes and an aluminum fairing. Nifty, no? The tiny, stylized winglettes replace conventional rearview mirrors and contain cameras instead of reflective glass. The same holds true for the interior mounted mirror, as has been replaced by a camera.

Up front, there’s an active air dam that opens up as needed. The extra cooling will help out the TDI hybrid drive lifted from the two-seater L1. This 800cc powerplant transmits power to the wheels using a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox. Even though the diesel engine is teeny, when coupled to the electric motor, the Up! Lite can reach 100 mph and hit 60 mph in 12 seconds. Not fast by any means, but good enough – especially for an ultra-high mileage vehicle. And it can haul stuff, too – including humans. Unlike the Up! Concept we saw in Frankfurt, the Up! Lite seats four people, and with the rear seats folded, it can haul 30 cubic feet of stuff. Not bad at all.

Overall, we’re pretty impressed by the looks and promise of the Up! Lite. In our estimation, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with blending a Honda CRX with a Volvo C30. Will the Up! Lite ever make it to production? Who knows. VW claims the first Up!s(?) will go on sale in 2011. We get the sense that any future decision will be based on how the two-door Up! does. But we get the feeling the Up! Lite might give the people more of what they want. Official press release after the jump.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Jonny Lieberman / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source:Volkswagen]

Continue reading LA 2009: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept teases with practical, lightweight innovation

LA 2009: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept teases with practical, lightweight innovation originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s essentially what caused Dubai’s debt extravaganza to finally come to an end.

Far too much easy money flowed into Dubai during previous years, fueling a massive construction boom financed with debt. For awhile this debt looked sustainable to those involved because it was ostensibly backed by valuable property.

Yet when the global financial crisis hit, property prices fell in many parts of the world. Dubai property prices were hit especially hard.

As shown below by the skiing Emirati, Dubai property rates per square foot fell 45% from Q3 2008 to Q3 2009 according to Colliers International.

Thus just as many American’s went underwater on their mortgages due to the American property crisis, owing more to the bank than their house was worth, the same thing basically happened to the Nakheel property business of the Dubai state-owned conglomerate Dubai World.

Combined with near-term cash flow constraints, this finally forced Dubai World to admit to its creditors that it would not be able to meet all of its debt obligations.

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Do you really think this is real?

How many times have you thought about what the result would be from a different set of choices? How do you know that there isn’t another you somewhere thinking about what would have happened if he or she had made the choices that you actually did?

How do you know you are real and your experiences are real?

Take the red pill and start a journey that explores your current experiences and sets out new choices for you to make and relish and relive. At each new stage, feel your new experience flow within you, let your choices at each stage be honest and inquisitive. You will be given new pills at each stage.

Or you can claim that you are fine, that you have no need or desire to explore new experiences in detail. You simply want information handed to you in bulk, with no desire to fully experience the color and exposure to things that you may or may not already know. For this, the blue pill is for you.

CHOOSE

In case you didn’t get it: take the Red Pill, look for comments by me for links to other posts for this skeptic circle. When there are no comments the circle is over

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Hyundai

Cheap and inexpensive are not necessarily synonymous. Inexpensive is generally considered a positive thing. Cheap? Not so much. Hyundai automobiles have always been relatively inexpensive compared to their direct competitors. In recent years, the Korean company has worked extremely hard to rid itself of any talk of cheapness by improving quality, introducing an unprecedented 10-year/100,000 mile warranty and engaging in some remarkably clever marketing campaigns.

It wasn’t always so. Way back in 1983, Hyundai first entered the North American market when the Pony hatchback went on sale in Canada. Two years later, the replacement for the Pony, dubbed “Excel” went on sale in the United States. To say that the launch did not go well would be the understatement of the decade. While those early Hyundai models were indeed cheap, the company nearly met the same fate in this market as Yugo.

Unlike the abysmal Yugo, Hyundai persevered. The company kept redesigning its cars, making each subsequent generation better than the last and extending its warranties to generate confidence in its products. More than two decades later, Hyundai is introducing its latest challenger, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, into what is arguably the most fiercely contested segment in the U.S. market – that of the family sedan. Check out our high-res galleries below, and then click through to the jump to read more of our impressions and check out Hyundai’s press release and specifications.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading LA 2009: 2011 Hyundai Sonata debuts with style, four-cylinder only and less weight

LA 2009: 2011 Hyundai Sonata debuts with style, four-cylinder only and less weight originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve discussed in the past how Noble Prize winning economists have been worried about the impact of intellectual property laws, and how at least one Nobel Prize winning physicist is warning that strict intellectual property laws are harming science and innovation. Now we can add a Nobel Prize winning biologist to the list (his Nobel was for medicine). Sir John Sulston has written up a column for The Guardian explaining how intellectual property is “shackling” science:

The myth is that IP rights are as important as our rights in castles, cars and corn oil. IP is supposedly intended to encourage inventors and the investment needed to bring their products to the clinic and marketplace. In reality, patents often suppress invention rather than promote it: drugs are “evergreened” when patents are on the verge of running out — companies buy up the patents of potential rivals in order to prevent them being turned into products. Moreover, the prices charged, especially for pharmaceuticals, are often grossly in excess of those required to cover costs and make reasonable profits.

He goes on to attack the massive growth in things like gene patents, which has resulted in: “research on certain genes [being] largely restricted to the companies that hold the patents, and tests involving them are marketed at prohibitive prices. We believe that this poses a very real danger to the development of science for the public good.” He points to the long history of how scientific advance has come from collaboration and the sharing of knowledge, rather than the hoarding of it, and fears where things are heading now that knowledge is so often locked up:

For science to continue to flourish, it is necessary that the knowledge it generates be made freely and widely available. IP rights have the tendency to stifle access to knowledge and the free exchange of ideas that is essential to science. So, far from stimulating innovation and the dissemination of the benefits of science, IP all too often hampers scientific progress and restricts access to its products.

We keep hearing more and more people who recognize all of this speaking out against what is happening. But the politicians only seem to listen to the lawyers and the lobbyists who have every incentive to ignore the reality around them. How do we change that?

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Students at South Dakota State University (SDSU) who think they have a profitable idea now have an opportunity to make their entrepreneurial vision a reality. The South Dakota Student Ventures Competition, sponsored by South Dakota Innovation Partners in collaboration with SDSU’s College of Engineering Entrepreneurial Studies Program and the university’s TTO, will give students a chance to collect up to $25,000 of investment capital to start a science and technology-based company. Organizers hope the competition will develop student entrepreneurial talent and boost technology-based economic development in the state. Another key objective is to provide a healthy return for investors. Prior to his arrival at the university in 2007, SDSU President David Chicoine launched the model for the Student Ventures competition at the University of Illinois, successfully developing Illinois Ventures as an early-stage capital and business development services company to support start-ups.

Individuals or teams interested in the South Dakota competition must find a concept that addresses a market issue and leads to the creation of a science or technology start-up. The top proposal, as judged by a panel of seasoned investors, will qualify for funding to launch the business, up to a maximum of $25,000. Besides the student entrepreneur, teams may include faculty members, industry professionals, graduate and undergraduate students, and others. “We believe that one of the best opportunities to develop a knowledge-based economy is through the concepts developed by our students,” says Mark Luecke, managing director and CEO of Innovation Partners. The review of student applications will follow the same rigorous process that any top VC firm would employ, he explains. In fact, it’s possible that no applications will be selected for an investment offer, but any start-ups that result from the competition will be formed and capitalized, with work beginning by mid-May of next year. The program “casts a wide net to capture inventions with high commercial value,” says Denichiro Otsuga, SDSU’s director of technology transfer.

Source: The Brookings Register

Patent holders — including technology transfer offices — don’t have to make the difficult judgment call about whether to spend often-scarce resources on defending their assets in infringement cases. A new option has emerged in which a third-party essentially foots the bill for that litigation, in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. In a still-struggling economy, pressing ahead with an expensive court fight may be even harder to justify, particularly for public universities that must answer to taxpayers and legislators. Michael J. Cannata wants those TTOs to know he’s here to help. The Toronto-based firm he’s managing director of, BOCA Advisory Services Inc., specializes in monetizing patent assets through licensing, sale or, importantly, litigation. BOCA is one of a growing number of firms that will now fund infringement cases with no cost or risk to the client, who only pays out of the proceeds if the firm wins an award. Of course, these firms choose their clients carefully, but if you’ve got a strong case and a weak stomach for the risk, the third-party funding option may be a perfect fit. A detailed article on the use of third-party litigation funding appears in the November issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Immersed in research about using ice plants to forestall soil damage caused by salt, Akihiro Nose, a professor in the agriculture department at Saga University in Honjo, Japan, was surprised when a student suggested the plant might be edible. While continuing his research, Nose put the plant on the market in 2006, calling it “barafu.” A venture firm named Nokendo, run by Nose and former students, is working to find a sales channel. Nose describes barafu as “salty, crispy, and refreshing,” and Nokendo sales director Takahiro Ogawa says the plant “has a pretty appearance” that appeals to consumers. Sales contracts with local farmers and the development of processed foods containing ice plant — including ice cream — are underway.

Saga is among a growing number of Japanese research institutions that have developed food products as an offshoot to their research projects. Foodstuffs developed by universities face a rough road to commercialization, since the institutions lack sales outlets and business know-how. However, last summer 28 Japanese institutions marketed their products at a special sale in a department store. Hokkaido University brought kelp, Shinshu University exhibited what it called “ruby honey,” and Yamagata University displayed bread made from rice powder. Commercialization of university-brand foods can help publicize research results in a way that people can understand and could also help universities attract students, according to the institutions.

Source: The Japan Times

Our Distance Learning Division has four outstanding events on the schedule in the coming weeks, each one filled with usable, how-to strategies and practical take-aways for tech transfer professionals. For complete information or to register, click on any of the titles below, and for information on reduced registration rates for multiple events using our Distance Learning Subscription program, CLICK HERE.

• Next Tuesday, December 8th: Tech Transfer Partnerships: Establishing Effective Legal and Operational Structures for Long-Term Success
• Wednesday, December 16th: Post-License Monitoring and Support: Performance and Revenue Enhancement Strategies (and when all else fails, how to pull the plug and take back your IP!)
• Wednesday, January 6th: Successful Outsourcing for Tech Transfer Organizations
• Wednesday, January 27th: “Shrink Wrap” Your University’s Technologies for Industry: Packaging Your Innovations to Minimize Corporate Risk and Extract Optimum Licensing Value

Quantros, a San Francisco-based health care analytics and decision support software and services provider, has licensed IP and associated software developed at the University of Michigan (U-M) for integration into its suite of safety and risk management (SRM) products. The university’s software will enable automated safety data analysis and alert notifications by utilizing a health care provider’s integrated administrative data. The U-M software capabilities expand Quantros’ ability to identify and analyze trends in adverse events and to provide automated triggers that will help clients improve clinical documentation and coding. The technology uses Patient Safety Indicators (PSI) — a methodology developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to help hospitals identify potential adverse events by parsing hospital patient discharge diagnosis codes entered into the hospital billing system. By integrating the technology into its SRM products, Quantros will provide a diagnosis-based solution to identify adverse patient events and allow follow-up to evaluate contributing factors, analyze root causes, and assist in pinpointing strategies for preventing future events. The technology has been in use at the U-M Health System for about a year, according to lead inventor Vinita Bahl, DMD, MPP, director of clinical information and decision support services in U-M’s Office of Clinical Affairs. “Utilization of the system has resulted in better identification and awareness of adverse events,” Bahl says. “Coupled with existing improvement efforts, we have observed a reduction in the incidence of several types of events.”

Source: PR Newswire

The University of Manchester (U.K.) Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP) — the university’s commercialization arm — has inked an exclusive license with Link Technologies Ltd. of Bellshill, Scotland, for “exciplex” technology developed at the university. Although detection of DNA by fluorescent labels is widely used, one challenge of these systems is to reduce the background fluorescent signal to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the assay. To address this problem, Ken Douglas, PhD, FRSC, honorary professor and director of U-Manchester’s Wolfson Centre for Rational Design of Molecular Diagnostics, and Elena Bichenkova, PhD, senior lecturer in medicinal chemistry, developed diagnostic probes using exciplexes, or excited-state complexes, which emit light as fluorescence at a longer wavelength. The university holds patents for the technology covering all major market areas. Under terms of the agreement, Link will produce and sell exciplex-based diagnostic reagents worldwide. The license also initiates a collaboration between the parties to develop the technology, with Link securing the rights to any IP arising from the partnership. Financial details were not disclosed.

Source: BioSpace

Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc., (PDS) a Kingston, Ontario, start-up seeking to improve municipal water quality through enhanced water monitoring and testing systems, has been acquired by Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS) of Paris, France. PDS was founded in 2003 to commercialize discoveries based on fiber optic sensory technology developed by Stephen Brown, PhD, professor of chemistry, and colleagues at Queen’s University, in collaboration with industry researchers. The patented PDS system provides laboratory-grade testing for E. coli and other coliform bacteria with superior speed, reliability, and productivity to current methods. “This is an extraordinary example of technology transfer from university to industry,” says John Molloy, president and CEO of PARTEQ Innovations, the TTO for Queen’s. “This technology was developed at Queen’s and licensed by PARTEQ to a small group of entrepreneurs that formed PDS. Together we attracted the attention of the world’s leading water company, which is making a considerable investment to take this technology worldwide.” The acquisition by VWS will allow PDS to develop its next generation of water monitoring systems during a three-year, $8.7-million project that includes up to $2.4 million in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) — an arm’s-length, not-for-profit corporation created by the Canadian government. PDS has expanded from a single lab to an integrated suite of labs and administrative space in Queen’s Innovation Park, an incubator in the university’s Biosciences Complex that provides direct access to collaborators in the university’s chemistry and microbiology departments. Over the next three years, PDS will more than double its R&D investment in Queen’s, to approximately $2.3 million. The company also expects to grow from two full-time employees and three full-time Queen’s researchers to a staff of 20 by the end of 2009.

Source: Marketwire

The University of Montreal, Canada, and its affiliated institutions have inked a license agreement providing Montreal-based Cognitive Sensing, Inc. (CSI) with exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture, and market four products developed by Jocelyn Faubert, PhD, a professor in the university’s School of Optometry and CSI’s chief science officer. The partnership was facilitated by Gestion Univalor, Limited Partnership (Univalor), which commercializes technologies developed at the university. “Technologies created in [Professor Faubert’s] lab present exciting market opportunities in the medical, sports, and rejuvenation markets,” says Jean Castonguay, CEO of CSI, adding that the company has signed agreements to validate the first applications of the innovations. Under the licensing agreement, CSI will provide financial support for patent protection in various countries in addition to other payments.
The patented technologies include:

• MPI (mild perceptual impairment) device: An apparatus to diagnose and monitor brain trauma, concussions, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurobiological conditions
• 3D-MOT (3D multiple object tracking): A device to enhance sports performance and to assess, train, and improve perception in people of all ages
• MSRS (multisensory stochastic resonance stimulation): A technology to improve sense and balance through auditory and visual stimulation
• Noisy bits: Software to improve image quality in standard displays and projectors by generating continuous luminance.

Source: Procto-Med

A new software tool, the Competitive Advantage Valuation (CAV) system, was specifically developed to provide the precision you need in IP valuation at a price every organization can afford. The low price has been cut even further under a collaboration with 2Market Information Inc., parent company of Tech Transfer E-News. Readers pay only $380, a full $250 off the regular price.

The CAV Software gives TTOs and other users a single, straightforward method for determining IP value. Created by nationally recognized IP law expert Ted Hagelin, the CAV tool yields clear and logical valuation results through a single program platform for effective negotiation, planning and reporting. The easy-to-use system includes detailed explanations and instructions for each step of the process, and over 75 research resources to obtain the information needed for valuation. For complete details and to order, CLICK HERE.

Noisy neighbors, traffic jams, and long checkout lines would find their way onto anyone's list of daily irritations.  But when it comes to really raising people's blood pressure, nothing can compete with hidden fees, according to a new survey by Consumer Reports.  In fact, companies taking money in sneaky ways was rated more than twice as annoying as another classic irritant: inaccurate weather reports. 

Corporate misbehavior apparently smells so bad to consumers that hidden fees even far outpaced unscooped dog poop. 

Negative interactions with companies dominated the rankings – which should be no surprise to regular Red Tape readers.  "Not getting a human on the phone" ranked second (Visit GetHuman.com for help with that), and "incomprehensible bills," cracked the top five.

"We were surprised by that. I guess that the Al Rokers of the world are safe," said Mark Kotkin, director of survey research at Consumer Reports. "But a lot of the electronics industries and financial industries were hit pretty hard, at least the billing part of those companies."

Rounding out the top five were two driving-related gripes: tailgating and cell phone use by drivers.

The survey was conducted in September and results are published in the January issue of Consumer Reports. The magazine asked a random sample of 1,125 Americans to score 21 gripes on a 1-to-10 scale, 1 meaning an experience “does not annoy you at all” and 10 meaning it “annoys you tremendously.”

Of course, the survey was slightly tongue-in-cheek and not comprehensive. Just a few of choices that were missing from the list:

*The White House party crashers
*Britney Spears
*Ex-girlfriend Facebook friend recommendations
*Christmas music in November
(You can add yours below)

But it's still telling that hidden fees and customer service frustrations prevailed by such a wide margin, considering the competition that was on the list.  It included: Waiting for repair people (9th), Very slow drivers (12th), and poor airline service (16th). 

Several technology-related irritants were also included: unreliable Internet service (7th), Spam (10th), and passwords and PINs (20th).

(To see the full chart, visit Consumer Reports)

Women, older adults more irritated
Perhaps a mere statistical curiosity, but the survey appears to confirm a few stereotypes about gripers: Women and adults over 50 were more prone to irritation.  In particular, women took more offense than men to items like speeding drivers and products that shrink but cost the same, while older adults expressed plenty of techno-frustration about passwords and cell phone usage.

Kotkin said the list of choices was intentionally designed to exclude family issues and employment issues (such as gossipy co-workers), in an effort to make the survey more relevant to consumer issues.

While the survey was conducted partly for pure entertainment value ("it was something lighter and fun. Fun is not normally part of Consumer Reports," Kotkin said) companies could take the results to heart.  The second-biggest gripe, inability to get human help, could be easily solved by hiring more staff, he said.  Firms looking for an edge during tough economic times could easily endear themselves to shoppers through improved service.

Consumer can learn something, too, he said.

"There are some things you can control by going to the right vendor, like bad cell phone service or spam," he said.  "People do have choices."

Do you agree with hidden fees as top irritant?  What’s missing from the list? Tell us below.

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