What Will a Smart Grid in India Look Like?
August 6, 2012 9:53 am | by IMS Research | News | CommentsThis week’s widespread power failures in India have highlighted a number of problems that exist in the electrical grid there. A report from IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS)) on Distribution Automation Equipment – 2012 Edition analyzes the regional differences between distribution automation adoption globally, including developing countries such as India, and what role smart grid technologies will play in helping to solve these problems.
Enclosures feature ergonomic sloping front
August 6, 2012 9:51 am | Product Releases | CommentsMETCASE has extended its ‘UNIDESK’ range of aluminium terminal enclosures with three new models in black. These ergonomic sloping front enclosures have been designed for desktop and wall mounted electronic systems.
Medical power supplies available in 300W to 700W models
August 6, 2012 9:43 am | Product Releases | CommentsTumbler Technologies + TRUMPower offers its TMPC series of 300-700W AC/DC medical ATX PC power supplies, which are approved to the 3rd edition of UL 60601-1, IEC 60601-1, and EN 60601-1 medical standards, including ANSI/AAMI ES 60601-1: 2005, CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60601-1:08, EN 60601-1:2006, IEC 60601-1:2005 standards and risk management. The lineup includes the 300W, 400W, 500W, 600W, and 700W models.
Delay in scientific ghost town stirs skepticism
August 6, 2012 8:42 am | by JERI CLAUSING Associated Press | News | CommentsALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Pegasus Global Holdings' surprise announcement that it was pulling out of plans to build a $1 billion scientific ghost town in eastern New Mexico is stirring skepticism of the private firm's grandiose plans for transforming 15 square miles of this largely rural state into a next-generation research center.
Do you have what it takes to be a Roundtable expert?
July 31, 2012 4:30 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe here at ECN love to hear what you have to say, so for our October issue we’re opening up the Roundtable discussion to our faithful readers. Typically, the Roundtable is an editorial section consisting of short commentary by five or six experts in a particular vertical market. Check out the most recent Roundtable from August here.
Computers can predict effects of HIV policies
July 27, 2012 12:47 pm | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsPolicymakers struggling to stop the spread of HIV grapple with "what if" questions on the scale of millions of people and decades of time. They need a way to predict the impact of many potential interventions, alone or in combination. In two papers to be presented at the 2012 International AIDS Society Conference in Washington, D.C., Brandon Marshall, assistant professor of epidemiology at Brown University, will unveil a computer program calibrated to model accurately the spread of HIV in New York City over a decade and to make specific predictions about the future of the epidemic under various intervention scenarios.
World's smallest semiconductor laser created by University of Texas scientists
July 27, 2012 8:48 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsAUSTIN, Texas — Physicists at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with colleagues in Taiwan and China, have developed the world's smallest semiconductor laser, a breakthrough for emerging photonic technology with applications from computing to medicine.
Unprecedented accuracy in locating brain electrical activity with new device
July 26, 2012 11:17 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsResearchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed the world's first device designed for mapping the human brain that combines whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. MEG measures the electrical function and MRI visualizes the structure of the brain. The merging of these two technologies will produce unprecedented accuracy in locating brain electrical activity non-invasively.
NIH funds development of tissue chips to help predict drug safety
July 25, 2012 10:02 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsSeventeen National Institutes of Health grants are aimed at creating 3-D chips with living cells and tissues that accurately model the structure and function of human organs such as the lung, liver and heart. Once developed, these tissue chips will be tested with compounds known to be safe or toxic in humans to help identify the most reliable drug safety signals — ultimately advancing research to help predict the safety of potential drugs in a faster, more cost-effective way. The initiative marks the first interagency collaboration launched by the NIH's recently created National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
Undergrads invent cell phone screener to combat anemia in developing world
July 25, 2012 10:00 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsCould a low-cost screening device connected to a cell phone save thousands of women and children from anemia-related deaths and disabilities?
Fanless, Mini-ITX motherboard helps support media-heavy applications
July 24, 2012 12:33 pm | Product Releases | CommentsThe new Mini-ITX (170 x 170mm) LV-67I from The BVM Group is based on the NM10 Express Chipset supporting the third generation 32nm dual core Intel Atom N2800 and D2550 64-bit processors running at 1.86 GHz in the FBCGA559 socket. Both are low power devices, the N2800 is rated at
Is YouTube a prescription for vertigo?
July 24, 2012 8:46 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsMINNEAPOLIS – Watching videos on YouTube may be a new way to show the treatment for a common cause of vertigo, which often goes untreated by physicians, according to a study published in the July 24, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
App aims to improve accessibility for visually impaired
July 23, 2012 8:48 am | by Natasha Baker, Reuters | News | Comments(Reuters) - Whether it is getting off a bus or reading a menu, a new app aims to make life easier for the blind or visually impaired.
UMass Amherst, Harvard experts say better systems needed for medical device cybersecurity
July 20, 2012 8:48 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsMedical devices save countless lives, and increasingly functions such as data storage and wireless communication allow for individualized patient care and other advances. But after their recent study, an interdisciplinary team of medical researchers and computer scientists warn that federal regulators need to improve how they track security and privacy problems in medical devices.
Harvard's Wyss Institute to develop smart suit that improves soldiers' physical endurance
July 19, 2012 2:43 pm | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsThe Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University today announced that it has received a $2.6 million contract (including option) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a smart suit that helps improve physical endurance for soldiers in the field. The novel wearable system would potentially delay the onset of fatigue, enabling soldiers to walk longer distances, and also potentially improve the body's resistance to injuries when carrying heavy loads.
Devices that seek “a small revolution of temperature measurement”, plus other noteworthy products
July 18, 2012 10:41 am | Articles | CommentsHere’s an item that’s been sitting in my “interesting” folder for a while, but thankfully it will still be news for at least a couple more years. Did you know that changes are expected for kelvin? Physikalisch-Technischen Bundesanstalt (PTB) – the counterpart to NIST in the U.S. -- along with the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), are determining a new value of the Boltzmann constant, the conversion factor between thermal and mechanical energy. Research groups must rely on a fundamental constant in order to redefine the thermodynamic temperature scale kelvin. According to the PTB, “only if several groups obtain the same result with at least two independent methods will a "water-free" definition of the kelvin become possible.” This news came to my attention via the folks at Mahr Federal, whose MarForm MFU 110 WP reference formtester is being used in the project.
Choose the right sealed switch for harsh environments
July 18, 2012 9:39 am | by Joe Nishiyama, NKK Switches, www.nkkswitches.com | Articles | CommentsFor design engineers, every harsh environment presents its own set of challenges stemming from a host of factors, such as extreme temperatures, water, chemicals, dust, oil and other types of contaminants. Selecting the right electromechanical switch for use in such environments is a critical step.
New material breakthroughs to be presented at Asia event
July 17, 2012 2:00 pm | by Cathleen Thiele, Technology Analyst, IDTechEx | News | CommentsWe are witnessing a rapid multiplication of available conductive materials for printed and large area electronics on the market. The different materials distinguish themselves by their conductivity, particle size, curing conditions, availability and cost. New material breakthroughs for the printed and large area electronics industry will be one of the main topics at IDTechEx's Printed Electronics Asia event, which will take place on October 2-3 in Tokyo, Japan.
Open access science debate shifts to EU after UK government backing
July 17, 2012 8:33 am | by Chris Wickham, Reuters | News | CommentsThe debate over free access to publicly-funded scientific research will shift to the European Commission after the UK government backed a report calling for financial support for researchers to use so-called 'open access' science journals.
Solve 3.3-V relay design issues
July 16, 2012 3:04 pm | by Kalyan Cherukuri, Texas Instruments, www.ti.com | Articles | CommentsToday’s telecommunications industry is trending towards the use of 3.3-V relays in their end applications. Traditionally, only discrete components were available to switch and drive low-voltage relays. Each relay requires one transistor, one resistor, and in some cases a diode. Data routing applications need to switch and drive four-to-seven relays, requiring eight to 21 discrete components. Additionally, these applications often need
NanoCalc systems useful for demanding applications
July 16, 2012 11:36 am | Product Releases | CommentsOcean Optics’ NanoCalc systems utilize spectroscopic reflectometry to accurately determine optical thin film thicknesses for consumer, semiconductor, medical and industrial applications. Customer-designed and new application-ready preconfigured NanoCalc models make it easy to select the optimum system for deep UV to NIR wavelength measurement needs.
Could Wii nunchucks make screen time healthier?
July 16, 2012 9:48 am | by Natasja Sheriff, Reuters | News | CommentsActive video games might help people burn more calories than couch-based screen time, but those who play active games tend to undo most of the difference if there's junk food available, says a new study.
UMD creates new tech for complex micro structures for use in sensors & other apps
July 13, 2012 10:58 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsUniversity of Maryland Chemistry Professor John Fourkas and his research group have developed new materials and nanofabrication techniques for building miniaturized versions of components needed for medical diagnostics, sensors and other applications. These miniaturized components -- many impossible to make with conventional techniques -- would allow for rapid analysis at lower cost and with small sample volumes.
Green power supplies offer high efficiency for medical and industrial applications
July 13, 2012 10:56 am | Product Releases | CommentsPower Sources Unlimited, Inc. announced the new GRN series of "green" power supplies. Available in both single and multiple output versions, these energy efficient component power supplies cover the 45, 60, 80, and 110 watt power levels. Complying with the energy saving requirements of the ErP (Energy Related Products) Directive...
Modular power supply is presented as industry’s quietest
July 13, 2012 10:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsExcelsys announced the expansion of their Xgen modular power supply series with new 200 and 400 Watt power chassis featuring only 37.3dBA of acoustic noise over all load conditions, presenting this family as the quietest modular power supply in the market.


