January 15, 2008 NEMA has published LSD41-2007 UN2911 Labeling and Transportation of Lamps Containing Radioactive Substances. NEMA Lighting Systems Division white paper provides guidance for marking transport packaging for lamps containing trace amounts of radioactive materials. Although the hazard posed by radioactive materials in these lamps is negligible, most transportation authorities, such as the U.S. DOT, require some manner of marking or labeling to indicate their presence.

January 11, 2008 With NASA's contract, Zero Gravity Corporation of Las Vegas will manage and operate an aircraft to perform reduced gravity parabolic flights while carrying NASA-operated experiments and personnel. Parabolic flights will provide means to replicate reduced gravity environment of space for various areas of research needed to further NASA's understanding of space travel, including aeronautical research, fluid physics, combustion, material sciences, and life sciences.

January 11, 2008 Awarded to Canadian Commercial Corporation of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 5-year, $75.8 million contract involves support of hardware and software associated with Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System robotic arm, inspection boom assembly, and robotic workstation. Work under contract will be performed at MacDonald Dettwiler & Association in Brampton, Ontario, Canada as well as contractor facilities in Rockville, MD, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

January 11, 2008 L&M Technologies Inc. of Albuquerque, NM has received potential 10-year, $89.5 million contract for logistics operations services at Johnson Space Center. L&M will provide supply management, office furnishings, moving and hauling, space utilization, packing and shipping, inbound freight services, vehicle fleet management, and special support services. Logistics services will be primarily provided at Johnson, the Sonny Carter Training Facility, and Ellington Field.

January 11, 2008 According to contract, Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc in El Segundo, CA, will design, develop, fabricate, integrate, test, and ship TDRS-K and TDRS-L Tracking and Data Relay Satellites. Company will also provide launch support, conduct in-orbit checkout operations, and provide sustaining engineering support. Satellites will replenish NASA communication relay network that provides telecommunications links between low Earth orbiting spacecraft and ground.

January 11, 2008 Selected by NASA, Analex Corp of Fairfax, VA will provide environmental test and integration services to support projects at Goddard Space Flight Center and other NASA centers. Analex also will provide facility services, cable fabrication, optical services, and thermal blanket fabrication for variety of projects that may include Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, Solar Dynamics Observatory, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

January 11, 2008 Submitted by Combined Technologies Inc, package for Shure Inc's Shure Music Phone Adapter has won 2007 PACK EXPO Selects competition, which enables PACK EXPO attendees to choose most innovative packages of year from field of entries developed, produced, or executed by PACK EXPO exhibitors. Using Blisterguard® material, package keeps product tamper-resistant, allows customer to see product, and maintains integrity of graphics and branding.

January 10, 2008 Following brief dalliance in growth territory 1 month ago, NEMA's Electroindustry Business Confidence Index for current North American conditions slipped from 52.2 to 47.8 in December. Though value of future conditions index increased to 45.7 from 37 in November, reading nonetheless amounts to forecast of continued modest deterioration in business conditions over first half of 2008. By contrast, indexes for other world regions all equaled or surpassed growth threshold mark of 50 in December.

January 9, 2008 Renewed alliance will provide safety and health guidance for employees on the operation of cranes, digger derricks, insulated and non-insulated aerial devices, and on industry hazards such as falls and electrocutions. Through the alliance, signed on November 22, 2005, OSHA regional and area staff have participated in the Safe Operation of Insulated Aerial Devices Training. Also, Altec representatives have served on related editorial boards for OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages.

January 9, 2008 In FY 2007, OSHA conducted 39,324 total inspections. Total violations of OSHA's standards and regulations were 88,846, with 67,176 serious violations, and 2,714 cited repeat violations in FY 2007. Also, the organization reported an injury and illness incidence rate of 4.4 per 100 employees for calendar year 2006, with 3.9 fatalities per 100,000 employees in the same time period, both being record lows.

January 9, 2008 Extending safety and health training opportunities, OSHA announced 8 new non-profit OSHA Training Institute Education Centers and 2 renewals. Centers provide training to private sector and federal personnel from agencies outside OSHA. Selected through national competition, new center applicants were evaluated based on occupational safety and health experience, continuing education training background, classroom and laboratory availability, and ability to provide training throughout region.

January 9, 2008 Renewed on Nov 29, 2007, alliance agreement with OSHA works to improve worker safety and health in metalforming industry. It focuses on reducing exposure to ergonomic hazards and addressing press safety issues such as machine guarding and lockout/tagout to prevent injuries. Through alliance, PMA and OSHA have revised ergonomics and mechanical power press checklists; are developing safety posters for industry; and are updating PMA's Safety First training program.

January 9, 2008 The ASC announced it is hosting the World Adhesive Conference and Expo (WAC) from April 20-23, 2008 in Miami, FL. Taking place every 4 years, the event allows the international adhesive and sealant community to showcase the latest industry innovations, exchange business practices, and advance the industry through international relations.

January 8, 2008 Using custom software and electronics to process data acquired by conventional atomic force microscope, DSP-RTS System transforms normal topographical maps of surfaces into precise 2D representations of mechanical properties near surface. Images enable scientists to see variations in elasticity, adhesion, or friction, which may vary in different materials even after they are mixed together. System can produce 256 - 256 pixel image with micrometer-scale dimensions in 20-25 min.

January 8, 2008 Developed in partnership with Library of Congress, hermetically sealed encasement will protect Waldseemuller map during "Exploring the Early Americas" exhibition. Frame and base were machined from 2 solid pieces of aluminum donated by Alcoa Company, and sealed with double sheet of non-reflective laminated glass. Case includes valves for flushing out oxygen and replacing it with inert gas, as well as monitors to measure internal environmental conditions.

January 8, 2008 The Communications Platforms Trade Association (CP-TA) and PICMG hosted a joint Interoperability Workshop in Chicago which featured 19 different companies participating to test products, designed to PICMG specifications, for interoperability issues. Thermal and manageability test tools for AMC and MicroTCA were demonstrated for the first time, while some AdvancedTCA testing was also done. The results of the workshops are confidential to the companies that participated.

January 8, 2008 SAE International announced that Cherian Idicheria is the recipient of its Russell S. Springer Award, which will be presented during the SAE 2007 World Congress in Detroit, April 14-17. A research scientist in the diesel engine systems group of the Powertrain Systems Research Laboratory at General Motors, Idicheria will be recognized for his paper, Formaldehyde Visualization Near Lift-off Location in a Diesel Jet, co-authored by Lyle M. Pickett.

January 8, 2008 The SIA released revised sales figures showing that from January through November 2007, DRAM sales are $1.35 billion or 4.8% higher than previously reported, based on data from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS). Total semiconductor sales are also $1.35 billion or 0.6% higher than previously reported and sales are running 3.4% ahead of the same time period in 2006. December 2007 sales figures and full year 2007 data will be released on January 31, 2008.

January 8, 2008 Using non-mathematical approach, Laser Safety Officer Course teaches administrative duties of Officer as described in ANSI Z136.1 Safe Use of Lasers standard. It covers information on lasers and optics, bioeffects, beam and non-beam hazards, control measures, and training requirements, as well as overview on MPE's NHZ's, NOHD, effects on eye and skin, and laser accident history. Course concludes with section on implementing effective laser safety program.

January 8, 2008 The AMCA has published the English version of Alain Guedel's work entitled Acousitique des ventilateurs, or Fan Acoustics-Noise Generation and Control Methods. CETIAT has granted AMCA International full publishing rights for the English version. The TACOS committee was commissioned with the task of translating the work from French to English and according to Barbara Morrison, it fulfills a much needed gap in available literature for ventilation engineering.