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Biotechnology

NIST-Evaluated Tests Soon May Keep Tabs on Modified Corn

With research that will help ensure the value of U.S. agricultural exports to Europe, NIST is evaluating and refining methods for determining the proportion of a grain shipment containing genetically modified crops.

NIST has been collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to evaluate measurement methods and materials provided by various U.S. companies. A technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to amplify and detect genetic inserts that impart insect resistance or immunity to herbicides.

NIST researchers have found that the tests are sensitive enough to identify genetic alterations in as little as 0.1 percent of a shipment—the equivalent of one kernel of corn in 1,000. This is an important detection level because exports to Europe containing more than 1 percent genetically engineered material require labels. However, a number of measurement issues remain to be resolved, such as equating the number of copies of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to exact amounts of material on a weight basis.

To further enhance measurement capabilities, NIST is working on a model DNA system that could be used to validate results of certain types of PCR tests and plans eventually to develop standard reference materials (SRMs) for genetically engineered crops. NIST will work with the USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration to determine the proper SRMs.

For technical information, contact Marcia Holden, (301) 975-4162.

Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman, (301) 975-3025

 

Computer Security

New NIST Web Site Works for Secure E-Government

In support of more effective and secure electronic government, NIST has inaugurated the Federal Agency Security Practices (FASP) web site at http://csrc.nist.gov/fasp.

Mark Forman, associate director for information technology and e-government at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said “NIST’s timely implementation of a comprehensive mechanism for sharing effective security practices at ‘web speed’ will certainly help in advancing the President’s efforts to provide safe and secure e-government services for the American public.”

The site builds on the successful Federal Chief Information Officers Council’s Federal Best Security Practices pilot effort. All best security practices from the CIO pilot project are available in FASP. Federal agencies are encouraged to share their information technology security information, policies and practices by submitting them for posting on the FASP site, as well as any position descriptions for security jobs and statements of work for contracting security-related activities. Procedures for submission can be found on the “Submit FASP” section of the site.

Additionally, a frequently-asked-questions section covers computer security issues between Federal Computer Security Program Managers’ Forum members.

FASP was developed by NIST in conjunction with OMB and with the support of the Manager’s Forum. The site is the latest addition to NIST’s Computer Security Resource Center, one of the most popular spots on the agency’s web site. While offered as an educational resource for federal security professionals, many of the site’s ideas can be applied to private-sector organizations.

For more information, contact Marianne Swanson, (301) 975-3293 or Elaine Frye, (301) 975-2819.

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

 

Chemistry

First Industrial Fluid Properties Simulation Challenge Under Way

The Computational Molecular Science and Engineering Forum (www.comsef.aiche.org) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) has established an open competition for scientists and engineers to use molecular simulation methods to calculate a specified set of fluid properties. The competition committee is chaired by NIST’s Raymond Mountain.

“We believe atomistic simulation can provide a valuable tool for predicting fluid properties in situations where experiments would be too difficult, too time consuming or expensive,” says David Frurip of Dow Chemical, one of 10 industrial and government scientists who helped organize the competition. “It’s our hope that this competition will encourage researchers in the field to focus on the types of properties and the range of materials that are relevant to the chemical industry.”

The problems include the prediction of:

Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman, (301) 975-3025

 

 

Manufacturing Assistance

Award Manufacturer Gives Blue Ribbon to Rhode Island MEP

In 2000, Hodges Badge Co. of Portsmouth, R.I., turned 12 million yards of satin cloth into ribbons for everything from horse and dog shows to sports and recreation events. Family owned and operated since 1920, this 180-person company has grown into the nation’s largest manufacturer of award ribbons, rosettes, medals and buttons.

However, company president Rick Hodges was finding that growth has a downside. At certain times of the year, production bottlenecks were wreaking havoc with service and delivery commitments, as well as quality. While the company had adequate space and machinery as well as dedicated, hard-working employees, Hodges realized these resources were not being used efficiently. He contacted the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services (RIMES) for assistance in implementing lean manufacturing techniques. RIMES is an affiliate of NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a nationwide network of 400 manufacturing extension centers and field offices providing expertise and services to small manufacturers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Now, instead of an assembly line operation of workers doing a single task, cells of three people complete an entire order. Productivity is up by more than 25 percent and bottlenecks have been eliminated.

“Major change like we went through is risky and can be a real headache,” said Hodges. “RIMES helped push us off the fence to tackle some of the tough issues we were facing, and we are seeing the results.”

More information on the NIST MEP may be found at www.mep.nist.gov or manufacturers can reach the center serving their area by calling (800) MEP-4MFG (637-4634).

Media Contact:
Jan Kosko, (301) 975-2767

 

 

Chemistry

Paper Traces History of Thermophysical Properties Symposium

The Symposium on Thermophysical Properties is an event that every three years brings together mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, physicists and chemists from around the world to discuss and exchange information on the thermophysical properties of gases, liquids and solids.

The first symposium was held in 1959 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., under the guidance of Yeram S. Touloukian who headed the university’s Thermophysical Properties Research Center. Including that initial meeting, there have been 14 symposia in the series and all since 1977 have been hosted by NIST’s Boulder, Colo., laboratories.

A new paper from NIST traces the history of all 14 symposia, describing each one in detail. The meetings have addressed the thermophysical data needs of customers in a wide range of industries including chemistry, transportation, energy, health care, electronics and manufacturing. They also have covered the varied interest areas of attendees ranging from fundamental science to empirical engineering approaches to field applications with immediate and specific requirements.

The most recent symposium, held from June 25-30, 2000, attracted some 500 participants from more than 40 countries (with slightly more than half the attendees from outside the United States). The conference had 150 sessions, including two plenary sessions. The final program included 625 papers, 70 percent of which dealt with the thermophysical properties of fluids.

Copies of History of the Symposium on Thermophysical Properties (paper no.39-01) may be obtained from Sarabeth Harris, NIST, MC104, Boulder, Colo. 80305-3328; (303) 497-3237.

Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder), (303) 497-3246

 

 

Optoelectronics

New Transfer Standards for Optical-Fiber Power Metrology Available

The Optoelectronics Division of NIST’s Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL) has developed a new transfer standard that will enable higher accuracy calibrations of optical fiber power meters, one of the division’s fastest growing measurement services.

Because they accept laser radiation through an optical fiber connector, optical fiber power meters cannot be calibrated directly against the appropriate primary standard—in this case an instrument known as the Laser-Optimized Cryogenic Radiometer. Instead, a customer’s instrument is calibrated against a specially designed transfer standard, which is suitable for calibration with a collimated beam and use with the highly divergent light from an optical fiber. It must have a very large field of view and low sensitivity to polarization, as well as being spatially uniform and stable.

The NIST design builds upon earlier multiple reflection trap designs, modified to achieve a field of view of up to 30 degrees. It can be constructed with either silicon or germanium detectors to provide spectral coverage from 450 to 1,800 nanometers.

Along with the new transfer standard, a new field-of-view measurement system based on an industrial six-axis robot was developed to characterize this and other optical detectors. The work was funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) Calibration Coordination Group, and copies of the new transfer standards will be supplied to DoD metrology laboratories.

For technical information, contact Paul Hale, (303) 497-5367.

Media Contact:
Collier Smith (Boulder), (303) 497-3198