channa exogenous: October 2013

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Futuristic copper foam batteries get more bang for the buck

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Contact: Catherine Meyers
cmeyers@aip.org
301-209-3088
American Institute of Physics

People use their GPS apps, cameras, and mobile internet to navigate strange cities in search of good coffee, record "selfie" commentary while they wait in line, and upload their videos directly to social media sites while they sip their latte. But no amount of high-tech savvy can save a well-loved device from dying when its battery is drained.

Smartphones suffer from the same basic ailment that plagues solar power plants and wind farms they lack cheap, reliable, long-life batteries to store large amounts of energy for when the sun goes down, the wind stops blowing, or the device is unplugged for a long time.

"I think almost any application in technology you can think of is currently limited by the battery," said Amy Prieto, a chemist at Colorado State University who leads a start-up company with the goal of developing a better energy storage device. The group is nearing the prototype phase for a lithium ion battery that should be safer, cheaper, faster-charging, and more environmentally friendly than conventional batteries now on the market. She will present her latest results at the upcoming AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition, held Oct. 27 Nov. 1 in Long Beach, Calif.

Batteries today have a number of unsolved problems, including high cost, heat output, limited lifespans, and the toxic or corrosive materials used in their manufacture. But two main issues limit the functionality of modern batteries, Prieto said: low energy density and low power density.

Low energy density means that a conventional smartphone battery can't hold enough energy in a small enough volume to power the phone for much longer than one or two days, while low power density means the battery will take hours to recharge, instead of minutes.

Prieto's group has tackled many of these challenges by making of list of desired properties for each of the main battery components. The team then developed one component at a time starting with a copper foam structure the team purchased to serve as the current collector on the anode side of the battery.

"Foam is relatively easy to manufacture," says Prieto. It also has a 3D structure that increases the surface area of the electrodes and brings them closer together, which in turn increases the power density of the battery. In terms of energy density, the foam should also get more bang for the buck. The intricate 3D structures utilize the electrode material more efficiently than a flat surface.

On top of the copper foam, the researchers electroplate the anode, made from a material called copper antimonide. In a kind of bootstrap battery building, the anode then serves as an electrode for an electrochemical polymerization reaction that deposits the battery's solid electrolyte. Finally, the team fills the space within the foam with a slurry that is dried to form the cathode. An aluminum mesh structure collects the current on the cathode side.

The electroplating equipment the team uses is inexpensive compared to the equipment needed to make other types of batteries. Prieto estimates the cost to manufacture the copper foam batteries will be about half that of conventional lithium ion batteries made in China. The team also calculates that the foam battery should store the same amount of energy as conventional batteries in two-thirds the volume, charge five to ten times faster, and last up to ten times longer.

The research team's new battery also promises a number of safety and environmental benefits. The solid electrolyte the team chose reduces the risk of fire posed by conventional liquid electrolytes. In addition, the team relied only on water-based, non-toxic chemistry to manufacture the battery. "This was my personal dream," says Prieto. "I didn't think it would actually work, but it now looks like it will."

Throughout the design process the team had to develop new ways to make known materials, such as the copper antimonide anode, and make entirely new materials, such as the polymer electrolyte. The team has tested each individual component and has successfully built a full 2D battery on a copper plate. The researchers are now in the process of integrating all the components in 3D.

Electric bikes and portable electronics are the first test applications the team plans for their foam battery. "We are less than one year from our first prototype, after which we'll have third party testing," says Prieto. "We're aiming for low volume, early market beta testing shortly after that."

###

Presentation MS+AS+EM+EN+NS+TF-MoM8, "Manufacturing a Three-dimensional,
Solid-state Rechargeable Battery," is at 10:40 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AVS 60th INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM & EXHIBITION

The Long Beach Convention Center is located at 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.

USEFUL LINKS

Main meeting website: http://www2.avs.org/symposium/AVS60/pages/info.html

Technical Program: http://www.avssymposium.org/

PRESSROOM

The AVS Pressroom will be located in the Long Beach Convention Center. Pressroom hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Your press badge will allow you to utilize the pressroom to write, interview, collect new product releases, review material, or just relax. The press badge will also admit you, free of charge, into the exhibit area, lectures, and technical sessions, as well as the Welcome Mixer on Monday Evening and the Awards Ceremony and Reception on Wednesday night.

This news release was prepared for AVS by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

ABOUT AVS

Founded in 1953, AVS is a not-for-profit professional society that promotes communication between academia, government laboratories, and industry for the purpose of sharing research and development findings over a broad range of technologically relevant topics. Its symposia and journals provide an important forum for the dissemination of information in many areas of science and technology, enabling a critical gateway for the rapid insertion of scientific breakthroughs into manufacturing realities.

[

| E-mail

Share

]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Futuristic copper foam batteries get more bang for the buck

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Share
Contact: Catherine Meyers
cmeyers@aip.org
301-209-3088
American Institute of Physics

People use their GPS apps, cameras, and mobile internet to navigate strange cities in search of good coffee, record "selfie" commentary while they wait in line, and upload their videos directly to social media sites while they sip their latte. But no amount of high-tech savvy can save a well-loved device from dying when its battery is drained.

Smartphones suffer from the same basic ailment that plagues solar power plants and wind farms they lack cheap, reliable, long-life batteries to store large amounts of energy for when the sun goes down, the wind stops blowing, or the device is unplugged for a long time.

"I think almost any application in technology you can think of is currently limited by the battery," said Amy Prieto, a chemist at Colorado State University who leads a start-up company with the goal of developing a better energy storage device. The group is nearing the prototype phase for a lithium ion battery that should be safer, cheaper, faster-charging, and more environmentally friendly than conventional batteries now on the market. She will present her latest results at the upcoming AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition, held Oct. 27 Nov. 1 in Long Beach, Calif.

Batteries today have a number of unsolved problems, including high cost, heat output, limited lifespans, and the toxic or corrosive materials used in their manufacture. But two main issues limit the functionality of modern batteries, Prieto said: low energy density and low power density.

Low energy density means that a conventional smartphone battery can't hold enough energy in a small enough volume to power the phone for much longer than one or two days, while low power density means the battery will take hours to recharge, instead of minutes.

Prieto's group has tackled many of these challenges by making of list of desired properties for each of the main battery components. The team then developed one component at a time starting with a copper foam structure the team purchased to serve as the current collector on the anode side of the battery.

"Foam is relatively easy to manufacture," says Prieto. It also has a 3D structure that increases the surface area of the electrodes and brings them closer together, which in turn increases the power density of the battery. In terms of energy density, the foam should also get more bang for the buck. The intricate 3D structures utilize the electrode material more efficiently than a flat surface.

On top of the copper foam, the researchers electroplate the anode, made from a material called copper antimonide. In a kind of bootstrap battery building, the anode then serves as an electrode for an electrochemical polymerization reaction that deposits the battery's solid electrolyte. Finally, the team fills the space within the foam with a slurry that is dried to form the cathode. An aluminum mesh structure collects the current on the cathode side.

The electroplating equipment the team uses is inexpensive compared to the equipment needed to make other types of batteries. Prieto estimates the cost to manufacture the copper foam batteries will be about half that of conventional lithium ion batteries made in China. The team also calculates that the foam battery should store the same amount of energy as conventional batteries in two-thirds the volume, charge five to ten times faster, and last up to ten times longer.

The research team's new battery also promises a number of safety and environmental benefits. The solid electrolyte the team chose reduces the risk of fire posed by conventional liquid electrolytes. In addition, the team relied only on water-based, non-toxic chemistry to manufacture the battery. "This was my personal dream," says Prieto. "I didn't think it would actually work, but it now looks like it will."

Throughout the design process the team had to develop new ways to make known materials, such as the copper antimonide anode, and make entirely new materials, such as the polymer electrolyte. The team has tested each individual component and has successfully built a full 2D battery on a copper plate. The researchers are now in the process of integrating all the components in 3D.

Electric bikes and portable electronics are the first test applications the team plans for their foam battery. "We are less than one year from our first prototype, after which we'll have third party testing," says Prieto. "We're aiming for low volume, early market beta testing shortly after that."

###

Presentation MS+AS+EM+EN+NS+TF-MoM8, "Manufacturing a Three-dimensional,
Solid-state Rechargeable Battery," is at 10:40 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AVS 60th INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM & EXHIBITION

The Long Beach Convention Center is located at 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.

USEFUL LINKS

Main meeting website: http://www2.avs.org/symposium/AVS60/pages/info.html

Technical Program: http://www.avssymposium.org/

PRESSROOM

The AVS Pressroom will be located in the Long Beach Convention Center. Pressroom hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Your press badge will allow you to utilize the pressroom to write, interview, collect new product releases, review material, or just relax. The press badge will also admit you, free of charge, into the exhibit area, lectures, and technical sessions, as well as the Welcome Mixer on Monday Evening and the Awards Ceremony and Reception on Wednesday night.

This news release was prepared for AVS by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

ABOUT AVS

Founded in 1953, AVS is a not-for-profit professional society that promotes communication between academia, government laboratories, and industry for the purpose of sharing research and development findings over a broad range of technologically relevant topics. Its symposia and journals provide an important forum for the dissemination of information in many areas of science and technology, enabling a critical gateway for the rapid insertion of scientific breakthroughs into manufacturing realities.

[

| E-mail

Share

]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/aiop-fcf102313.php
Tags: dancing with the stars 911 Memorial Farmers Almanac will smith Lisa Robin Kelly

The Lindy Lid: A Forgotten Fashion Craze From The Golden Age of Flight

In the summer of 1927 a new fashion craze swept the nation. Called the "Lucky Lindy Lid," it was a ladies' felt hat that came in a variety of sizes and colors. Adorned with a small propellor on the front and two miniature wings darting out on each side, it may have looked a bit ridiculous, but it celebrated an important moment in aviation history — Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic.

FDA seeks pet owner help on dangerous jerky treats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is appealing to dog and cat owners for information as it struggles to solve a mysterious outbreak of illness and deaths among pets that ate jerky treats.

In a notice to consumers and veterinarians published Tuesday, the agency said it has linked illnesses from jerky pet treats to 3,600 dogs and 10 cats since 2007. About 580 of those pets have died.

The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine has run more than 1,200 tests, visited pet treat manufacturing plants in China and worked with researchers, state labs and foreign governments but hasn't determined the exact cause of the illness, the FDA statement said.

"This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," Bernadette Dunham, a veterinarian and head of the FDA vet medicine center, said in the statement.

Pets can suffer from a decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting and diarrhea among other symptoms within hours of eating treats sold as jerky tenders or strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potatoes or dried fruit.

Severe cases have involved kidney failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, and a rare kidney disorder, the FDA said.

Most of the jerky treats implicated have been made in China, the FDA said.

The FDA has issued previous warnings. A number of jerky pet treat products were removed from the market in January after a New York state lab reported finding evidence of up to six drugs in certain jerky pet treats made in China, the FDA said. The agency said that while the levels of the drugs were very low and it was unlikely that they caused the illnesses, there was a decrease in reports of jerky-suspected illnesses after the products were removed from the market. FDA believes that the number of reports may have declined simply because fewer jerky treats were available.

Online:

Food and Drug Administration statement http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm371413.htm

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-23-FDA-Pet%20Snack%20Warning/id-18b75d7e3cc648ab97f00e6e27dd5a30
Tags: christopher columbus kate upton khan academy Demi Lovato Eminem Survival

The Sims FreePlay gets Teen update, Halloween event in full swing

The Sims FreePlay Teen update

Celebrate Halloween with ghost hunting and obnoxious teenagers

It’s been a while since we wrote about The Sims FreePlay, Electronic Arts’ mobile version of the hit life simulation series. Even still, the game is going strong. EA has released two major updates for FreePlay in the last two months: the Teen and Mysterious Island updates. Together, they add new quests, areas to visit, loads of items, and of course teenage Sims.

We’ve put ample time in with both updates, just in time for the the Halloween Madness Event that’s lasts through October 31st. Read on for full details on the event and how The Sims FreePlay has grown!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/akuYDZs_WPk/story01.htm
Similar Articles: Alice Munro National Cheeseburger Day nadal Don Jon Lisa Robin Kelly

For Democrats, Obamacare Web Woes Create 2014 Headache

Glitches in the HealthCare.gov website, shown here, are making the White House and its allies very nervous.

Uncredited/AP

President Obama radiated confidence when he took to the Rose Garden earlier this week to convince Americans that the flaws in the Affordable Care Act website would be fixed.

It's understandable that the president himself might be upbeat about the prospects of resolving the problems currently plaguing the technology behind the law.

But for anyone not named Obama, the apparent scale of the problems seems daunting. And it doesn't fuel a lot of optimism that the websites will be up and running by Dec. 15, the deadline for open enrollment under the new law. And that's despite the president's promised "tech surge" featuring "some of the best IT talent in the entire country," as Obama put it.

The Washington Post reported that experts say the problems need to be fixed by Thanksgiving to keep the program on track. But there are already murmurings the repair project could go past Dec. 15, reports The New York Times. The same story mentioned that potentially 5 million lines of computer code could need rewriting. If that's true, it sounds like it could be the code-writing equivalent of the D-Day invasion — massive, complex and arduous.

Which is not exactly what nervous Democrats want to hear. But they're sure to ask about it at an Obama administration briefing for House Democrats on the health law's travails scheduled for Wednesday morning. (House Republicans are requesting a similar briefing as well.)

For the congressional Democrats whose votes made the Affordable Care Act a reality and who will have to defend their support for the law in the 2014 midterm elections, the problems with the federal website are a political nightmare.

Not only do the website's problems embolden the Republican opposition to the law; they place Democrats on the defensive at a time when the party appears to have the advantage coming out of the shutdown/debt default crises.

Several recent polls suggest that Republicans greatly damaged themselves by forcing the crisis, a self-inflicted wound Democrats are eager to exploit. Some of the more ebullient Democrats even claimed that their chances for retaking the House had improved significantly.

But now there's a chance 2014 could find Democrats conducting their own version of damage control, as a result of the disastrous digital rollout.

They'll be looking for any assurances the White House can provide that the problems with the federal website will be ironed out so that the Obamacare timeline can continue as planned. The critical dates as of now are Dec. 15, when the open enrollment period ends; Jan. 1, when new policies sold by the December deadline are to take effect; and Feb. 15, the last day by which premiums must be paid for those hoping to avoid the individual mandate penalty.

But congressional Democrats may not receive assurances from the White House that those dates will be met. And based on how things have gone so far, they'd probably be skeptical if the White House gave them.

The mood within the Health and Human Services Department, as described in one recent report, probably wouldn't give Democrats reason for optimism. Yuval Levin, who worked on bioethics issues in the George W. Bush White House, talked with officials inside HHS and wrote about it for the conservative National Review last week:

"No one wants to say how long it might take, and no one would share with me what estimates they might be getting from their contractors (whom they no longer trust anyway), but there has so far been relatively little progress and it seems like everyone involved is preparing for a process that will take months, not weeks."

Levin goes on to say that HHS officials seem to be expecting that the enrollment period will be extended to March.

That, of course, could force the administration to do something Republican opponents of the law have asked it to do: delay the individual mandate provision. The mandate requires everyone to be insured by Feb. 15 or pay a penalty.

In short, the people who have some idea of what it takes to fix problems of the scale the Obama administration has ahead of it think it's a mission impossible to get all the needed work done in time to delay a central part of the law.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/10/22/239848684/for-democrats-obamacare-web-woes-create-2014-headache?ft=1&f=1003
Category: james franco Aaron Alexis Vma 2013 Miley Cyrus Aaron Paul Spain train crash

Most Attractive Accent? The Southern Drawl, Y'All

News

Fired White House Aide Admits He Was Twitter Troll

U.S.

Most Attractive Accent? The Southern Drawl, Y'All

Health Care

States' Refusal To Expand Medicaid May Leave Millions Uninsured

Around the Nation

It's City Vs. Creditors In Detroit Bankruptcy Trial

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/23/240168409/most-attractive-accent-the-southern-drawl-yall?ft=1&f=3
Category: WWE Malcom Floyd megyn kelly the bachelorette Rosalind Franklin

AP EXCLUSIVE: Nuke officers left blast door open

FILE - This April 15, 1997 file photo shows an Air Force missile crew commander standing at the door of his launch capsule 100-feet under ground where he and his partner are responsible for 10 nuclear-armed ICBM's, in north-central Colorado. Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door meant to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post and potentially compromising secret launch codes, Air Force officials told The Associated Press. The missiles stand in reinforced concrete silos and are linked to the control center by buried communications cables. The ICBMs are split evenly among “wings” based in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Each wing is divided into three squadrons, each responsible for 50 missiles. (AP Photo/Eric Draper, File)

This undated handout photo provided by the US Air Force shows Lt. Gen. James M. Kowalski, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, who is responsible for the entire force of 450 Minuteman 3 missiles, plus the Air Force’s nuclear-capable bombers. Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post and potentially compromising secret launch codes, Air Force officials told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/US Air Force)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post, Air Force officials have told The Associated Press.

The blast doors are never to be left open if one of the crew members inside is asleep — as was the case in both these instances — out of concern for the damage an intruder could cause, including the compromising of secret launch codes.

Transgressions such as this are rarely revealed publicly. But officials with direct knowledge of Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile operations told the AP that such violations have happened, undetected, many more times than in the cases of the two launch crew commanders and two deputy commanders who were given administrative punishments this year.

The blast door violations are another sign of serious trouble in the handling of the nation's nuclear arsenal. The AP has discovered a series of problems within the ICBM force, including a failed safety inspection, the temporary sidelining of launch officers deemed unfit for duty and the abrupt firing last week of the two-star general in charge. The problems, including low morale, underscore the challenges of keeping safe such a deadly force that is constantly on alert but is unlikely ever to be used.

The crews who operate the missiles are trained to follow rules without fail, including the prohibition against having the blast door open when only one crew member is awake, because the costs of a mistake are so high.

The officers, known as missileers, are custodians of keys that could launch nuclear hell. The warheads on the business ends of their missiles are capable of a nuclear yield many times that of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.

"The only way that you can have a crew member be in 'rest status' is if that blast door is shut and there is no possibility of anyone accessing the launch control center," said Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. He is responsible for the entire force of 450 Minuteman 3 missiles, plus the Air Force's nuclear-capable bombers.

The written Air Force instruction on ICBM weapon safety, last updated in 2011, says, "One crewmember at a time may sleep on duty, but both must be awake and capable of detecting an unauthorized act if ... the Launch Control Center blast door is open" or if someone other than the crew is present.

The blast door is not the first line of defense. An intruder intent on taking control of a missile command post would first face many layers of security before encountering the blast door, which — when closed — is secured by 12 hydraulically operated steel pins. The door is at the base of an elevator shaft. Entry to that elevator is controlled from an above-ground building. ICBM fields are monitored with security cameras and patrolled regularly by armed Air Force guards.

Each underground launch center, known as a capsule for its pill-like shape, monitors and operates 10 Minuteman 3 missiles.

The missiles stand in reinforced concrete silos and are linked to the control center by buried communications cables. The ICBMs are split evenly among "wings" based in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Each wing is divided into three squadrons, each responsible for 50 missiles.

In neither of the two reported violations was security of the crews' missiles compromised, the Air Force said in response to questions from the AP, "due to the multiple safeguards and other protections in place." But these were clear-cut violations of what the Air Force calls "weapon system safety rules" meant to be strictly enforced in keeping with the potentially catastrophic, consequences of a breach of nuclear security.

In the two episodes confirmed by the Air Force, the multi-ton concrete-and-steel door that seals the entrance to the underground launch control center was deliberately left open while one of two crew members inside napped.

One officer lied about a violation but later admitted to it.

Sleep breaks are allowed during a 24-hour shift, known as an "alert." But a written rule says the door — meant to keep others out and to protect the crew from the blast effects of a direct nuclear strike — must be closed if one is napping.

In an extensive interview last week at his headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Kowalski declined to say whether he was aware that ICBM launch crew members had violated the blast door rule with some frequency.

"I'm not aware of it being any different than it's ever been before," he said. "And if it had happened out there in the past and was tolerated, it is not tolerated now. So my sense of this is, if we know they're doing it they'll be disciplined for it."

It is clear that Air Force commanders do, in fact, know these violations are happening. One of the officers punished for a blast door violation in April at the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., admitted during questioning by superiors to having done it other times without getting caught.

Both officers involved in that case were given what the military calls non-judicial punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, rather than court martialed. One was ordered to forfeit $2,246 in pay for two months and received a letter of reprimand, according to Lt. Col. John Sheets, spokesman for Air Force Global Strike Command. The other launch officer, who admitted to having committed the same violation "a few" times previously, was given a letter of admonishment, Sheets said.

Kowalski said the crews know better.

"This is not a training problem. This is some people out there are having a problem with discipline," he said.

The other confirmed blast door violation happened in May at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. In that case a person who entered the capsule to do maintenance work realized that the deputy crew commander was asleep with the door open and reported the violation to superiors. Upon questioning, the deputy crew commander initially denied the accusation but later confessed and said her crew commander had encouraged her to lie, Sheets said.

The crew commander was ordered to forfeit $3,045 in pay for two months, Sheets said, and also faces an Air Force discharge board which could force him out of the service. The deputy crew commander was given a letter of reprimand. Punishment of that sort does not require the officer to leave the service but usually is a significant obstacle to promotion and could mean an early end to his or her career.

The AP was tipped off to the Malmstrom episode shortly after it happened by an official who felt strongly that it should be made public and that it reflected a more deeply rooted disciplinary problem inside the ICBM force. The AP learned of the Minot violation through an internal Air Force email. The AP confirmed both incidents with several other Air Force officials.

Sheets said the Minot and Malmstrom violations were the only blast door disciplinary cases in at least two years.

The willingness of some launch officers to leave the blast door open at times reflects a mindset far removed from the Cold War days when the U.S. lived in fear of a nuclear strike by the Soviet Union. It was that fear that provided the original rationale for placing ICBMs in reinforced underground silos and the launch control officers in buried capsules — so that in the event of an attack the officers might survive to launch a counterattack.

Today the fear of such an attack has all but disappeared and, with it, the appeal of strictly following the blast door rule.

Bruce Blair, who served as an ICBM launch control officer in the 1970s and is an advocate for phasing out the ICBM force, said violations should be taken seriously.

"This transgression might help enable outsiders to gain access to the launch center, and to its super-secret codes," Blair said. That would increase the risk of unauthorized launch or of compromising codes that might consequently have to be invalidated in order to prevent unauthorized launches, he said.

"Such invalidation might effectively neutralize for an extended period of time the entire U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal and the president's ability to launch strategic forces while the Pentagon scrambles to re-issue new codes," he added.

___

Follow Robert Burns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-22-Nuclear-Missteps/id-dd1f808b068d4fe488d1c8d876de5437
Tags: Toy Story of Terror Johnny Manziel US News college rankings evelyn lozada Riley Cooper Racial Slur Video

Low-priced plastic photovoltaics

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi
jbardi@aip.org
240-535-4954
American Institute of Physics

Article in 'The Journal of Chemical Physics' describes new approach to making cheaper, more efficient solar panels

WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 22, 2013 -- Photovoltaic devices, which tap the power of the sun and convert it to electricity, offer a green -- and potentially unlimited -- alternative to fossil fuel use. So why haven't solar technologies been more widely adopted?

Quite simply, "they're too expensive," says Ji-Seon Kim, a senior lecturer in experimental solid-state physics at Imperial College London, who, along with her colleagues, has come up with a technology that might help bring the prices down.

The scientists describe their new approach to making cheaper, more efficient solar panels in a paper in The Journal of Chemical Physics, produced by AIP Publishing.

"To collect a lot of sunlight you need to cover a large area in solar panels, which is very expensive for traditional inorganic -- usually silicon -- photovoltaics," explains Kim. The high costs arise because traditional panels must be made from high purity crystals that require high temperatures and vacuum conditions to manufacture.

A cheaper solution is to construct the photovoltaic devices out of organic compounds -- building what are essentially plastic solar cells. Organic semiconducting materials, and especially polymers, can be dissolved to make an ink and then simply "printed" in a very thin layer, some 100 billionths of a meter thick, over a large area. "Covering a large area in plastic is much cheaper than covering it in silicon, and as a result the cost per Watt of electricity-generating capacity has the potential to be much lower," she says.

One major difficulty with doing this, however, is controlling the arrangement of polymer molecules within the thin layer. In their paper, Kim and colleagues describe a new method for exerting such control. "We have developed an advanced structural probe technique to determine the molecular packing of two different polymers when they are mixed together," she says. By manipulating how the molecules of the two different polymers pack together, Kim and her colleagues created ordered pathways -- or "nanowires" -- along which electrical charges can more easily travel. This enables the solar cell to produce more electrical current, she said.

"Our work highlights the importance of the precise arrangement of polymer molecules in a polymer solar cell for it to work efficiently," says Kim, who expects polymer solar cells to reach the commercial market within 5 to 10 years.

###

The article, "Understanding the Relationship between Molecular Order and Charge Transport Properties in Conjugated Polymer Based Organic Blend Photovoltaic Devices" by Sebastian Wood, Jong Soo Kim, David T. James, Wing C. Tsoi, Craig E. Murphy and Ji-Seon Kim appears in The Journal of Chemical Physics. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4816706

The authors of this manuscript are affiliated with Imperial College London, National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom, KAIST in the Republic of Korea.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Journal of Chemical Physics publishes concise and definitive reports of significant research in the methods and applications of chemical physics. See: http://jcp.aip.org

[

| E-mail

Share

]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Low-priced plastic photovoltaics

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Oct-2013

[

| E-mail

]

Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi
jbardi@aip.org
240-535-4954
American Institute of Physics

Article in 'The Journal of Chemical Physics' describes new approach to making cheaper, more efficient solar panels

The scientists describe their new approach to making cheaper, more efficient solar panels in a paper in The Journal of Chemical Physics, produced by AIP Publishing.

###

The authors of this manuscript are affiliated with Imperial College London, National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom, KAIST in the Republic of Korea.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Journal of Chemical Physics publishes concise and definitive reports of significant research in the methods and applications of chemical physics. See: http://jcp.aip.org

[

| E-mail

Share

]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/aiop-lpp102213.php
Category: Janet Yellen Mayweather vs Canelo tommy morrison green bay packers Best Song Ever

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai to kick off CES 2014 with opening keynote

Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai to Deliver Keynote Address at the 2014 International CES®

Arlington, VA – 10/22/2013 – President and CEO of Sony Corporation ("Sony") Kazuo ("Kaz") Hirai will deliver the opening morning Tech Titans keynote address at the 2014 International CES, bringing his unique perspective and insights about the latest innovations occurring at the intersection of content and hardware. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the 2014 International CES, the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, will run January 7-10, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mr. Hirai's address is slated for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 7 in The Venetian's Palazzo Ballroom, directly following a State of the Industry Address by Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA.

"Sony is a global brand synonymous with innovation and cutting-edge technology," said Shapiro. "There is no better way to kick off the world's greatest innovation event than a keynote from one of the leading brands in the industry, bringing content and technology together to transform the way we live, work and play. We are thrilled to welcome Kaz Hirai to the 2014 CES keynote stage and are excited to hear his insight surrounding the next generation of consumer technology."

Kazuo Hirai was appointed representative corporate executive officer, president and CEO of Sony Corporation in April 2012 and was appointed director of the Sony Board in June 2012. Mr. Hirai began his career with CBS/Sony Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment Japan) in 1984. In 1995 he joined Sony Computer Entertainment America, and in 1999 he was appointed president and chief operating officer, SCEA with responsibility for overall operational management of the U.S. game business. As of April 2011, Mr. Hirai assumed responsibility for all of Sony's consumer electronics products and services, together with its global software, sales and marketing and design platforms.

Mr. Hirai's CES address will be part of the Tech Titans keynote series, where CEOs from the most powerful companies in technology present their vision for revolutions in products, services and networks that will shape the next wave of innovation.

Additional keynotes at the 2014 CES will be held as part of the Technology Innovators keynote series. This new series will offer insight by innovators, thought leaders and disruptors – the "rock stars" of their industries. It is a stage for those with big ideas that are reframing the way technology will impact our interaction with the world today, and in years to come.

More keynote speakers for both the Tech Titans and Technology Innovators series will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2014 CES will feature more than 3,200 exhibitors unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services across the entire ecosystem of consumer technologies. For more information on the 2014 International CES, visit CESweb.org.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/22/sony-ceo-kaz-hirai-ces-2014-keynote/?ncid=rss_truncated
Similar Articles: Bud Adams christina aguilera harvest moon Amber Riley Into the Wild

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

West criticizes, China defends human rights record at U.N.

By Stephanie Nebehay and Sui-Lee Wee

GENEVA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Western countries accused China on Tuesday of arresting activists, curbing Internet use and suppressing ethnic minorities, as the United Nations formally reviewed its rights record for the first time since Xi Jinping became president.

The United Nations Human Rights Council, which reviews all U.N. members every four years, convened in Geneva, where sharply opposing views of China's human rights record were exposed.

Uzra Zeya, acting assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department's bureau of democracy, human rights and labor, said China should cease using harassment, detention and arrest to silence human rights activists and their families and friends.

"We're concerned that China suppresses freedoms of assembly, association, religion and expression..., harasses, detains and punishes activists..., targets rights defenders' family members and friends and implements policies that undermine the human rights of ethnic minorities," Zeya said.

China's special envoy Wu Hailong, who led Beijing's delegation in Geneva, said talks with other countries in Geneva had been "open, candid... and cooperative."

But he added that some of the accusations leveled at China had been "based on misunderstandings and prejudices."

Hours before the session began, Tibetan activists scaled the building and unfurled a banner reading: "China fails human rights in Tibet - U.N. stand up for Tibet".

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was willing to work with other countries on human rights as long as it was in a spirit of mutual respect.

"But we firmly oppose those kinds of biased and malicious criticisms," she added, referring to the Tibetan protest.

U.N. security detained the four activists from Denmark and Britain for several hours, and a spokeswoman for Students for a Free Tibet later said they had not been charged and were expected to return to their home countries.

POVERTY A KEY CONCERN

China faces criticism from some Western countries including the United States for what they say is the religious repression of ethnic minorities, including Tibetans and Muslim Uighurs in the vast western Xinjiang region.

China has responded to unrest in both regions by intensifying a crackdown by security forces, and Xi, who took office in March, has showed no sign of easing harsh policies.

Echoing concerns voiced by Germany and Switzerland, British ambassador Karen Pierce called on China to further reduce the number of crimes carrying the death penalty.

A Chinese diplomat told the Geneva talks: "Our government decision is to retain the death penalty but exercise strict control of its use."

Wu said minority ethnic groups in China were treated fairly, and added that a priority for authorities was to reduce poverty.

"Nearly 100 million people live in poverty. Some of them don't even have enough food and clothes. There is a saying that a 'hungry crowd is an angry crowd'. Big problems will occur if we cannot feed the poor."

Activists voiced disappointment at China's position at the session. On Friday, its delegation is due to say which of the Council's recommendations it will accept or reject.

"I think that there wasn't really an openness to criticism," Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China, told a news briefing. "It was clear from the Chinese delegation's responses that 'objective and frank' meant no criticism, or at least no criticism that they didn't control."

Some experts had thought the administration of Xi would be less hardline than his predecessors. Instead, critics say Xi has presided over a clamp down that has moved beyond the targeting of dissidents calling for political change.

For example, authorities have detained at least 16 activists who have demanded officials publicly disclose their wealth as well as scores of people accused of online "rumor-mongering".

"Xi Jinping has definitely taken the country backwards on human rights," prominent rights lawyer Mo Shaoping told Reuters.

The council has no binding powers. Its rotating membership of 47 states does not include China, although Beijing is expected to run for a place in early November. China's record was previously assessed in 2009 by the Geneva forum.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard, Megha Rajagopalan, Adam Rose, Michael Martina, and Beijing Newsroom; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-crackdown-come-under-scrutiny-u-n-rights-004123723.html
Category: columbus day Preachers of LA big brother Under the Dome lil kim

Apple unveils new Macs, iPad ahead of holidays

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, introduces the new iPad Air on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks on stage before a new product introduction on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple, speaks on stage before a new product announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks on stage before a new product introduction on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple, speaks on stage before a new product announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple unveiled a new, thinner, lighter tablet called the "iPad Air" along with a slew of new Macs ahead of the holiday shopping season as it faces growing competition from rival gadget makers.

The Cupertino, Calif. company made the announcements Tuesday at an event in San Francisco. The iPad Air weighs just 1 pound, compared with 1.4 pounds for the previous version. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller called the tablet a "screaming fast iPad." He said it is eight times faster than the original iPad that came out in 2010.

The iPad Air will go on sale Nov. 1 and start at $499 for a model with 16 gigabytes of memory, while the iPad 2 will continue selling at $399. A new iPad Mini, meanwhile, will be available later in November starting at $399 for a 16-gigabyte model.

The iPad's market share has been eroding compared with cheaper rivals running Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Research firm Gartner Inc. estimates that Android tablets will end 2013 with a 50 percent share of the worldwide market versus 49 percent for the iPad. Just two years ago, the iPad commanded a 65 percent market share compared to 30 percent for Android tablets.

Apple sold 14.6 million iPads in the June quarter, down 14 percent from the same time last year. It was the first year-over-year decline in iPad sales. Nonetheless, Apple CEO Tim Cook touted that Apple has sold 170 million iPads since the tablets launched three years ago.

Apple also refreshed its computer lineup. A new, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is thinner and lighter, Schiller said, adding that the laptop has up to 9 hours of battery life, enough to "watch the entire trilogy of 'The Black Knight' on one charge." The notebook's new price is lower: $1,299, compared with $1,499 for the previous version.

A larger MacBook Pro, with a 15-inch monitor and 256 gigabytes of storage starts at $1,999, compared with $2,199 for the previous version.

The Mac Pro, a high-end desktop computer aimed at what Apple calls "power users," will be available in December for $2,999.

The company also said that its latest computer operating system, Mavericks, is available free of charge.

Apple also says nearly two-thirds of its mobile devices are running iOS7, the revised operating system it released in September. Twenty million people have listened to iTunes Radio about a month after its release.

Ortutay reported from New York.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-22-Apple-Event/id-f738d38b4267434b962e3f7f751609f9
Related Topics: gravity tesla USA vs Costa Rica college football scores Hugh Douglas

Afghan intelligence agency sacks 65 'heroin addicts'

KABUL (Reuters) - The intelligence service of opium-plagued Afghanistan has sacked 65 officers after discovering they were addicted to heroin, the agency's head said on Tuesday.

The announcement camed weeks after the United Nations said Afghanistan, which is responsible for producing at least 80 percent of the world's opium, risked becoming a "narco state" due to a jump in poppy production over the last year.

"We have sacked 65 employees who were addicted to heroin and our efforts will continue," the acting head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Rahmatullah Nabil, told parliament.

The men were discovered under a project designed to weed out drug users from the NDS ranks, Nabil said. The program began in Kabul but will soon be expanded to NDS staff across all of the country's 34 provinces.

He did not state over what period the sackings occurred and attempts to contact him and NDS spokesmen were unsuccessful.

The attempt to rid the agency of drug addicts will be welcomed by the international community, which has been fighting a 12-year war against al Qaeda and a Taliban-led insurgency, but is increasingly expecting Afghanistan's security forces to shoulder the burden.

NATO-led international forces are beginning to scale down their presence in Afghanistan ahead of the mission's end next year.

(Reporting by Jawed Farzad and Mirwais Harooni; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-intelligence-agency-sacks-65-heroin-addicts-123821974.html
Category: futurama

John Belushi Biopic Revived With 'Walter Mitty' Writer to Direct (Exclusive)

Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

John Belushi

John Belushi is coming back to life.

A biopic of the great comedian had been set up at Warner Bros. with a script by Steve Conrad and Todd Phillips producing and directing. But the project is now moving forward as an indie. Phillips (The Hangover) has stepped aside and Conrad, whose writing credits include The Weather Man and the upcoming The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, will direct the picture himself.

PHOTOS: Posthumous Roles: 15 Stars Who Appeared on the Big Screen After Their Death

Conrad already is on the hunt for actors, and according to sources, he has met with Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) and Adam Devine (Comedy Central’s Workaholics) to play Belushi. Joaquin Phoenix's name also has surfaced in connection with the role.

Nelson Franklin, who has done stints on Veep and New Girl, is among those who has met to play Dan Ackroyd, one of Belushi’s best friends, with whom the comedian not only starred in Saturday Night Live but also several movies, such as The Blues Brothers and 1941.

Belushi, who also starred in Animal House, is one of those Hollywood icons whose talent was cut short at a fairly young age. The comedian famously died at the age of 33 from a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont in 1982. Insiders say the biopic hopes to tell the story of a man that embodied both the glory and the tragedy of the American dream as it focuses on Belushi at the height of his fame.

VIDEO: Dan Ackroyd Remembers John Belushi 30 Years After His Death

This isn’t the first attempt to bring Belushi’s life to the screen. Michael Chiklis portrayed him in the 1989 adaptation of the Bob Woodward book Wired, which reportedly was boycotted by Belushi's friends and family.

This project, however, is promising to be different: Belushi’s widow, Judy Belushi Pisano, is one of the producers and Aykroyd is on board as an executive producer.

Alexandra Milchan, who is executive producing The Wolf of Wall Street, and Bonnie Timmerman of the production shingle Emjag, have been steering the project as producers, as has Scott Lambert of the financing and production entity Film 360.

The moviemakers are eyeing a New York shoot in spring 2014.

Conrad is repped by CAA. Aykroyd is repped by CAA and Bloom Hergott.

Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com

Twitter: @Borys_Kit

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/news/~3/giDNm5IiFq8/john-belushi-biopic-revived-walter-649489
Similar Articles: aapl alice eve Matt Harvey blue moon jimmy fallon

BNP Paribas confirms 'limited' Shinhan share sale

HONG KONG/PARIS (Reuters) - BNP Paribas , France's largest bank, said on Monday it planned to sell a "limited" part of its stake in South Korean lender Shinhan Financial Group Co Ltd while keeping their strategic partnership intact.

The sale comes as European banks face pressure to cut costs from tougher regulation and an uneven economic recovery.

Reuters earlier reported the French bank was offering 4.75 million shares in Shinhan for between 47,000 and 48,650 won each, according to a source with direct knowledge of the deal, effectively meaning a total price-tag of up to $218 million.

"The present financial operation is a limited adjustment," a BNP spokeswoman said. "It is part of BNP Paribas' active balance sheet management and does not reflect any strategic change in the business relationship between the two institutions."

Prior to the sale, BNP Paribas owned a 6.35 percent stake in Shinhan, equivalent to about 30.1 million shares.

BNP is in the early stages of a drive to save 2 billion euros ($2.74 billion) in annual costs by 2015, as banks across Europe look to lure investors back to the crisis-scarred sector with the promise of profitable growth despite a tough economic environment and global curbs on risk taking.

Other banks are also eyeing disposals among their Asian businesses.

BNP's main rival Societe Generale is selling its Asian private bank, people involved in the deal process have told Reuters, and Spain's BBVA has agreed the sale of a $1.3 billion stake in China's CITIC .

Overall, BNP is aiming to ramp up revenue and staff in Asia to offset economic weakness in the euro zone, where it is heavily exposed, and in July took its first step into China's insurance market by buying Dutch bank ING's stake in a partnership with Bank of Beijing .

(Reporting by Elzio Barreto in Hong Kong and Lionel Laurent in Paris; Editing by Denny Thomas, Clarence Fernandez, James Regan and David Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bnp-paribas-confirms-limited-shinhan-share-sale-175057474--sector.html
Tags: Panda Express cnn news Americas Cup Blackboard phoebe cates