Microspectrophotometer

 

Fri, 04/03/2015 - 6:47pm CRAIC Technologies Craic Technologies' 20/30 XL is designed to work with large-scale samples, such as 300-mm wafers, to measure thin film thickness as well as the Raman spectra of microscopic sampling areas. The 20/30 XL also offers UV microscopy, a full spectroscopy suite as well as either manual or automated operation. Because of the flexible instrument design, the is no upper limit to the sample size which makes this instrument perfect for everything from quality control of the largest flat panel displays to film thickness of 300-mm wafers. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy or ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis or UV/Vis) refers to absorption spectroscopy or reflectance spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible spectral region. This means it uses light in the visible and adjacent (near-UV and near-infrared [NIR]) ranges. The absorption or reflectance in the visible range directly affects the perceived color of the chemicals involved. In this region of the electromagnetic spectrum, molecules undergo electronic transitions. This technique is complementary to fluorescence spectroscopy, in that fluorescence deals with transitions from the excited state to the ground state, while absorption measures transitions from the ground state to the excited state.   Craic Technologies, www.microspectra.com

Spiritual Mandalas Made with Wool

 

Posted: 27 Jul 2015 01:00 PM PDT

Tissés en laine, les mandalas portant le nom de Ojos de Dios (The Eyes of God), est un art populaire et spirituel tirant son origine des peuples d’Amérique du Sud. Traditionnellement ils sont utilisés pour prier, célébrer la religion ou offerts en cadeau pour protéger les maisons. Jay Mohler crée les siens depuis une quarantaine d’années et les vendait, à l’époque aux touristes dans la région d’Albuquerque, au Nouveau Mexique. Aujourd’hui ils sont disponibles sur sa boutique Etsy.

Round of Testing Completed on Webb Telescope Flight Mirrors

 

This July 11, 2015 photograph captures one of the final, if not the final, James Webb Space Telescope flight primary mirror segments to be processed through NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Calibration, Integration and Alignment Facility (CIAF).

The mirror is seen here on the Configuration Measurement Machine (CMM), which is used for precision measurements of the backs of the mirrors. These precision measurements must be accurate to 0.1 microns or 1/400th the thickness of a human hair.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

Last Updated: July 28, 2015

Editor: Sarah Loff

Abundant tiger population shrinks to just 100 in Bangladesh

 

by Cat DiStasio, 07/28/15 In Bangladesh, a new census shows that tiger populations in the Sundarbans mangrove forest are more endangered than ever. The study, which used hidden cameras to track and record tigers, provides a more accurate update than previous surveys that used other methods. The year-long census, which ended this April, revealed only around 100 of the big cats remain in what was once home to the largest population of tigers on earth. The Sundarbans mangrove forest is the world’s largest of its kind, spanning 3,900 square miles of which 60 percent lies inside the Bangladeshi border (the rest is in India). The mangrove forest has long been known as the home of the largest populations of the endangered cats on earth, but that may no longer be true as numbers dwindle. In 2004, the forest was believed to be home to 440 tigers, although researchers now suspect that figure was too high due to errors in methodology. The results of the most recent hidden camera census estimate as few as 100 of the majestic big cats remain in the wilds of the mangrove forest and, sadly, government wildlife experts say this new count is likely to be accurate. Related: Indian tiger population climbs by 30 percent thanks to conservation efforts Although tiger populations elsewhere have seen encouraging increases, Bangladesh does not have the same legal protections in place for the big cats. Wildlife conservationists are calling for the government to put an end to illegal poaching, which they attribute in part to the decline in population. Commercial development projects also pose a threat to the tigers’ habitat, and advocates believe those should be restricted. Without intervention, the number of tigers living in the mangrove forest will continue to drop. Via The Guardian Images via Wikipedia (1, 2)

China Will Soon Leapfrog Traditional Leaders in Nuclear Power

 

China generates only about 2 percent of its total electricity using nuclear power, but it is adding new reactors much faster than any other country. By Mike Orcutt on July 27, 2015   Why It Matters Nuclear power will likely have to play a big contributing role toward helping countries reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. China is rapidly moving up the global nuclear power leaderboard. Since 2012, as the traditional leaders in nuclear energy production have remained stagnant or backed off of their reliance on nuclear in the wake of Fukushima, China has added 11 new reactors and over 11 gigawatts of nuclear generating capacity. By the end of this year, China is expected to pass Russia and South Korea and boast the fourth-largest nuclear generating capacity in the world, behind the United States, France, and Japan. By 2020 it will likely replace Japan in third place. This trend shows no signs of slowing, because China has huge ambitions for adding new reactors, including advanced reactor designs, in the coming decades (see “Nuclear Options”). The country plans to increase its capacity from 23 gigawatts currently to 58 gigawatts by 2020, at which point it is also aiming to have 30 additional gigawatts under construction, according to the World Nuclear Association. Right now, of the 64 reactors being built around the world, 24 are in China—15 more than in second-place Russia. The Chinese government is banking on nuclear playing a significant role in helping it achieve its goals of having 15 percent of overall energy consumption come from non-fossil fuel sources by 2020, and 20 percent by 2030 (in 2012, 91 percent came from fossil fuels, according to the Energy Information Administration). Nuclear will also be very important, in addition to wind, solar, and hydropower, if China is to deliver on its promise that its annual emissions will level off no later than 2030 (See: “China Could Deliver on Its Carbon Promise Earlier than Expected”). source : MIT Technology Review.