Chelmsford MA, USA & Coventry, UK -- Exeter Analytical Inc. has published an application note describing direct determination of total Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen in environmental air and water filter samples.

Described in application note 210 - the optimised methodology, using an Exeter Analytical Model CE440 CHN elemental analyser, requires a minimum of sample preparation and may be used for single samples or automated for higher throughput environments.

The Model CE440 is a static combustion system, with a unique horizontal furnace design, which enables easy removal of filter and sample ash between each analysis. Consequently one combustion tube will analyse in excess of 1000 samples without the need for removal and cleaning.


Read full article: 'Direct determination of total Carbon, Hydrogen & Nitrogen'

Tring, UK -- Specialised Imaging Ltd. has reported enthusiastic feedback from customers using its Trajectory Tracker video tracking system to precisely correlate high-speed video data with 3D visualisation and measurement information.

Claude Berner, a Defense Scientist at the French-German Research Institute (ISL) Ballistics Range (www.isl.eu) commented, "The SI Trajectory Tracker has proven itself to be a very useful tool and is now systematically deployed for all outdoor tests at our open range test site, especially for the observation of the sabot separation, the behavior of the model in flight as well as its impact at the target."

"We have found using the Trajectory Tracker that preliminary quantitative information like spin rate and angles of attack can also be deduced from the videos and compared with the onboard recorded data."

He added, "The recent development of the new in-flight correction mode has tremendously improved the possibilities of tracking models with unpredictable flight characteristics such as for example Earth re-entry space vehicles that exhibit unusual velocity profiles over the flown distance."


Read full article: 'Modeling the behavior of high-speed objects in flight'

Coventry, UK & Chelmsford MA, USA -- Warwick Analytical Service has produced an analytical service note that describes the accurate and precise determination of trace metals in organic and inorganic materials using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES).

Equipped with modern high resolution ICP instrumentation - Warwick Analytical Service, the analytical service division of Exeter Analytical (UK) Ltd., is able to resolve the most complex spectra and analyse even the most difficult samples.

Routine detection limits are low for most elements (typically <10ppb) and multi-element determinations can be achieved rapidly and precisely.


Read full article: 'Accurate and precise determination of trace metals'

Abingdon, UK -- amsbio has announced a new generation of novel two-dimensional cell-based assay kits developed for reproducibly screening test compounds that may stimulate or inhibit adherent cell migration.

The Oris™ Cell Migration Assay provides life scientists with a method that is more reliable, less labour intensive, allows for real-time imaging, and is amenable to high throughput and high content imaging instruments.

Unlike traditional cell migration assays using a Boyden chamber device, there is no transmembrane or cell culture insert obstructing live images of the cells as they migrate.


Read full article: 'A highly reproducible cell migration screening assay...'

Abingdon, UK -- Amsbio has announced a number of new and unique kits for proteoglycan research.

A new sandwich ELISA kit for measurement of Keratan Sulfate (KS) at levels previously undetectable is now available.

The new kit offers 10x the sensitivity of previous ELISA kits (down to 0.25 ng/ml) enabling measurement of KS in various animal samples, including serum and synovial fluid, where KS is present only at trace levels.

Hyaluronic Acid (Hyaluronan) is a glycosaminoglycan polymer critical for maintaining the cellular integrity of the extracellular matrix and in its lower molecular weight form participating in many biological processes.

Based upon a competitive protein binding inhibition method a new assay kit from amsbio offers sensitive and highly specific measurement of Hyaluronic acid in body fluids, culture medium, and tissue extracts.


Read full article: 'Sensitive and specific kits for proteoglycan research'

Dedication of laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory marks the dawn of a new era

LIVERMORE CA, USA —With thousands in attendance, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was officially dedicated on May 29th, setting into motion the next chapter of one of the country’s greatest scientific assets.

NIF, the world’s highest-energy laser system, consists of 192 laser beams that will focus nearly two million joules of energy and create temperatures and pressures that exist in the cores of stars and giant planets.

By harnessing the massive power generated by its lasers, NIF will be able to create conditions and conduct a wide range of experiments never before possible on earth.


Read full article: 'World’s largest laser dedicated'

Tring, UK -- Specialised Imaging Ltd. has announced a 60% increase in sales of its ultra high-speed cameras and systems, designed to acquire images of even the fastest events, to Asian customers over the last 12 months.

Reflecting on the strong business growth, Wai Chan (Managing Director) commented, "Over the last few years we have seen a significant increase in enquiries from Asian researchers in the government and academic sectors in particular."

"Consequently we increased our resource allocation to the region and have seen leading government, academic and industrial research groups in China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam invest in our range of ultra-high speed framing cameras."


Read full article: 'News of Asian Ultra High-Speed Imaging Research'

[The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite compiled this global view of the amount of fluorescent light emitted by phytoplankton in the ocean. The amount of fluorescent light is not constant; it changes with the health of the plant life. Credit: Mike Behrenfeld, Oregon State University" › Click for a larger image]

NASA -- Researchers have conducted the first global analysis of the health and productivity of ocean plants, as revealed by a unique signal detected by a NASA satellite. Ocean scientists can now remotely measure the amount of fluorescent red light emitted by ocean phytoplankton and assess how efficiently the microscopic plants are turning sunlight and nutrients into food through photosynthesis.

They can also study how changes in the global environment alter these processes, which are at the center of the ocean food web.

Single-celled phytoplankton fuel nearly all ocean ecosystems, serving as the most basic food source for marine animals from zooplankton to fish to shellfish. In fact, phytoplankton account for half of all photosynthetic activity on Earth.


Read full article: 'NASA Satellite Detects Red Glow to Map Global Ocean Plant Health'

Gaithersburg MD, USA -- While today’s law enforcement officers don’t wear utility belts full of crimefighting gadgets like Batman, they do rely on a variety of state-of-the-art technologies to do their jobs efficiently and safely.

Two of these devices—down-the-road (DTR) radar used in speed enforcement and the ballistic chronograph, which measures the speed of bullets—soon should be more useful tools thanks to recent research conducted by the Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).


Read full article: 'NIST Helping Improve Speed Measurements for Cars, Bullets'

Kenley, UK -- Optical Surfaces Ltd. has received a sizeable repeat order from Photonis SAS (Brive, France) for production of high-precision microchannel plate blanks to be used in a series of space research projects.

The combination of high efficiency of design, manufacture and precision polishing have made microchannel plates from Photonis SAS/Optical Surfaces Ltd. the preferred detector element in single-photon UV and X-ray space imaging projects.

Dr Aris Kouris - sales manager at Optical Surfaces Ltd commented, "The multichannel plates offer particular production challenges including maintaining tight control of the physical dimensions (thickness and parallelism) and also avoiding staining that is easily introduced during the polishing process".


Read full article: 'Precision Microchannel Plates For Deep Space'