VSEP Membrane Cleaners In addition to filtration systems, New Logic manufactures a complete line of chemical cleaners designed to maintain maximum flow rates in all VSEP applications.Years of exhaustive research and development by New Logic engineers have resulted in seven chemical cleaners formulated to attack the most stubborn foulants across a wide range of membranes and feed streams.While designed for VSEP membrane filtration systems, these advanced formulas are perfect for cleaning any membrane.To learn more about VSEP Advanced Cleaning Solutions, please choose a link below to visit our sister site http://www.membranecleaner.com/.
While membrane-based separations of liquids from solids have enjoyed increasing popularity over the last 20 years, the technology has an inherent Achilles heel that affects all membrane devices: fouling. This long-term loss in throughput capacity is due primarily to the formation of a boundary layer that builds up naturally on the membranes surface during the filtration process.In addition to cutting down on the flux performance of the membrane, this boundary or gel layer acts as a secondary membrane reducing the native design selectivity of the membrane in use.
Automated scheduling of Avaloq Banking System (ABS) and enterprise systems with UC4 Workload Automation SuiteVIENNA, February 3, 2009 – UC4 Software, a leading global provider of workload automation, job scheduling and IT process optimization solutions, today announced the certification of UC4 Workload Automation Suite for use with the Avaloq Banking System (ABS) version 2.6. The companies have also signed a partnership agreement that will enhance Avaloq to refer customers requiring a complementary scheduling and automation solution to UC4 Software.“The certification of the UC4 adapter enables organisations to utilise a complementary technology that has been successfully tested and validated against our Model Bank environment,” said Adrian Bult, COO, Avaloq Evolution AG. “Joint customers will be able to increase the return on their existing technology investments leveraging a solution that interfaces directly with the Avaloq Banking System.”Avaloq solutions are changing the IT landscapes within private and retail banks in Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Singapore, Hong Kong and other markets. With UC4 Workload Automation Suite enterprises remove manual intervention, reduce latency and mitigate risk from their end-to-end business processes. The UC4 Business Integration for Avaloq communicates directly with ABS through application interfaces, allowing customers to extend the automated scheduling of their core banking systems and integrate with external applications.UC4 Workload Automation Suite can manage back-end processing for ABS and all other surrounding systems that many finance institutes rely on. Avaloq users receive regular software updates which support banks in remaining compliant with industry regulations. When utilizing additional tools it is important that Avaloq users work with solutions that are compatible and certified for use with Avaloq. This reduces maintenance and support issues and allows joint customers to benefit from the enterprise wide visibility and control provided by UC4.“It gives UC4 great pleasure to extend its relationship with Avaloq,” said Cesare Capobianco, chief executive officer, UC4 Software. “We have benefited from an excellent working partnership working towards receiving this certification. It has allowed us to develop an interface that is compliant with Avaloq’s technical specifications, which also delivers measurable business value to our joint customers.”About AvaloqThe Avaloq Group, with branches in Luxembourg and Singapore, is the Swiss market leader in the field of standard banking software. For over a decade, the Swiss company has been developing and marketing the Avaloq Banking System. It is trusted by leading financial service providers in private, retail and universal banking in international financial centres around the globe. A network of specialists with first-class partners in the areas of implementation, software, service and technology enables Avaloq to offer its clients a comprehensive all-in-one solution – a modular, innovative and integrated standard software for the financial sector. Avaloq is owned by its management and employees.About UC4 SoftwareUC4 Software is a leading global provider of workload automation, job scheduling and IT process optimization solutions that ensure core business processes and enterprise information systems run faster, more accurately and without interruption. More than 1,600 companies worldwide have successfully enhanced application processing performance and improved IT efficiency using UC4’s business acceleration solutions. Customers include American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Cadbury, eBay, Eastman Kodak, General Electric, Mattel, McGraw Hill, Panasonic, Robert Bosch, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, T-Systems and Verizon
FWD/RWD 700+ Hp** chassis kitsinclude 12" medium inertia dual-roller assembly, removable roller shield, drive-up ramps, wheel chocks, casters, water or eddy current absorber with step-up drive, electronic torque transducer, DYNOmite data-acquisition computer, AC power supply, Electronic Auto-Load Control, DYNO-MAX 2000� software, inductive RPM pick-up, required hoses, engine temperature thermistor, and full-function data harness. (Optional AWD upgrade, with dual eddy current absorbers and an electrically adjustable wheelbase system, is shown in the image at right.)
1,200 to 2,500+ Hp** Pro chassis kitsinclude a FWD/RWD (optional AWD upgrade shown below) tube steel frame with 24", 30", 44", or 60" diameter medium inertia rolls, bolt-on diamond plate decking, floor anchors, wheel chocks, vehicle tie downs, water or eddy current absorber(s) with step-up drive, electronic torque transducer, DYNOmite 28-channel data-acquisition computer, inductive RPM pick-up, DYNO-MAX 2000 �Pro� software, printer, Windows XP® equipped Dell� laptop, mobile computer stand, Electronic Auto-Load Control, Weather Station Kit, A/F Ratio module, 42" high-volume cooling fan, hoses, engine temperature thermistor, and full-function data harness.
DYNO-MAX 2000� �Pro� Softwarecreates a full vehicle dashboard on your PC. Features include: real-time trace graph display, adjustable limit warnings, pushbutton controls, user configurable analog and digital gauge ranges, color graphing, test report database, instant playback, inertia compensation, �Smart Record�� trigger points, adjustable data dampening, full data import/export, semi-automatic zeroing, voice alarms, wireless Pocket DYNO-MAX� interface, drag strip Christmas tree console, etc. (Click for full list of features.)
DYNOmite Data-Acquisition Computerdisplays and records true unlimited Hp, torque, RPM, elapsed time, etc. at up to 1,000 readings per second (per channel). It will even automatically apply SAE correction factors for air temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity.
More than acceleration Hpcan be measured with DYNOmite absorption units, because they utilize an actual strain gauge equipped torque transducer. Measuring power under a controlled RPM load is vital for proper mapping of engine management systems and guess-free emissions work. Avoid �dynos� that simply spin the vehicle�s tires up against their roll�s inertia (�flywheel resistance�) without having any ability to simultaneously control and measure absorption load. Rather than measuring the torque, they derive it from the acceleration (similar to extracting horsepower from drag-strip data). Such units can not maintain a MPH or RPM setting, while also displaying true torque and Hp � like a DYNOmite can!
Sustained Hp and top endrequire an absorption dynamometer (i.e. a DYNOmite system). Unlike �acceleration spurt� inertial testing, these can load a vehicle indefinitely.* The absorber allows running controlled RPM step or sweep Hp tests. Everything is under computer control via the included Electronic Auto Load.
Simulate driving conditionson your chassis dyno by letting DYNO-MAX and your PC take control. DYNO-MAX features a �Road Load Simulation� mode that simulates vehicle momentum, air drag, rolling friction, etc. Enter the vehicle�s weight and drag data and then allow the software to monitor MPH vs. applied Hp, as it adjusts the dyno�s road load accordingly. To the car�s driveline and operator, the feel is like actually driving.
Front, Rear, or All Wheel Drivecars and trucks can be tested on the appropriate model automotive chassis dyno. Many allow front/rear torque bias monitoring and bidirectional mounting. Even large bikes and ATVs fit the 700 Hp dual-roller assembly. We can also convert many other manufacturer�s older, single axle, chassis dynamometers to AWD, with full Electronic Axle Synchronization, at a fraction of the cost of a new installation!
Dynamically balanced and machine traction-grooved rollersdramatically limit vibration and tire slip! Test most production vehicles (up to 150 MPH and 700 Hp) on our smallest automotive dual-roller assembly. Larger diameter roll systems easily handle sustained higher speed testing at race car power levels. (**Capacities are approximate, as they are primarily tire safety and traction limited � higher torque requires tie downs.)
Fix driveline problemsthat might never show up in the garage, like shifting issues, driveshaft vibration, brake squeal, bearing noises, brake shudder, exhaust rattles, etc. - without costly field testing.
Verify emissions under loadusing your existing, or our optional (digitally integrated) DYNOmite 5-gas, exhaust analyzer. Proper emission testing procedures require repeatable absorber load control, impossible on simple inertia dynos. No more trying to use unloaded idle data to verify that repaired vehicles are in emissions compliance. Send customers for state inspections with confidence.
Low profile, ramp loadingallows installing the 12" dual-roller units above ground - or in the driveway. Casters let you roll it to a corner when not in use (just raise the anti-vibration leveling pads). No dedicated test bay, or digging up floors, required.
Rapid on-off set-upmakes it practical to skip those old time-consuming road trips. Just drive it on, strap it down, hookup the tach (or use �Smart Ratio��) and test
As technology makes life richer and easier, we leave a trail of information that is susceptible to prying eyes
Within the next four months, a major Bay Area supermarket chain plans to introduce a payment system that uses biometric fingerprint authentication to verify customers' identities. Under this system, shoppers in checkout lines won't need to use cash, checks, debit cards or credit cards. Instead, they can place their fingers on scanners that read fingerprints, and once the device links to their bank or credit card accounts, they can buy groceries, get cash back and do everything else shoppers do.
More Opinion Clinton first looks east 02.21.09 Terrorism as a crime 02.21.09 Past the point of no return 02.20.09 The end of a budget battle 02.20.09 <_script><_script>
[Podcast: Insight Editor Jim Finefrock and reporter Jonathan Curiel talk about how Americans might as well face up the fact that there is little privacy left.]
The system is already used in cities around the United States, including Portland, Ore., and Chicago, where one shopper says it has changed his life for the better. Linc Thelen, a 37-year-old interior designer, says the fingerprint system -- known commercially as Pay By Touch -- is convenient to use and expedites his way through grocery lines at Jewel-Osco, where he shops. Thelen says the system lets people leave their wallets behind, so they don't have to worry about being robbed or losing their credit cards.
"I had no reservation," Thelen said in a phone interview. "It's a safe way to store information."
But no system is 100 percent foolproof.
Despite the fact that armed men guard the computers that store the customers' virtual fingerprints, despite the fact that Bank of America's former security chief now heads Pay By Touch's security division, and despite the fact that Pay By Touch hires people to try to expose vulnerabilities in its computer system (so those vulnerabilities can be eliminated), Pay By Touch President John Morris acknowledges that "it's not impossible" for computer hackers to figure out how to tamper with its information.
And therein lies one of the 21st century's most vexing problems: More and more of our personal data are captured and stored by corporate and government interests, and are potentially available to anyone with the technological, legal or financial means to access that information.
Whether it's phone calls we make, library books we check out, CDs we buy on the Internet or divorces we finalize in court, we leave a trail of information that becomes susceptible to prying eyes. For the price of a bus pass, you can pay a company to supply anyone's address, phone number, political affiliation, estimated income and property history. For $20 more, you can find out if that person is married or divorced, has a criminal record, and what sort of jobs he or she has worked.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., says she will introduce a "privacy bill of rights" because identity theft and security failures of personal records have become "one of the most important issues facing us as individuals and as a nation."
The availability of personal information -- downloadable onto laptop computers, which are increasingly being fitted with fingerprint technology -- is changing the culture in ways that may seem trivial but are really benchmarks for a new society already in its formative stages.
A small example: Unbeknownst to the men who date her, Judy runs background checks on all of them, using a private investigator to dig out any "red flags" that would presage troubling behavior. A businesswoman in Southern California, Judy, 50, uses a company called DateSmart, whose client base has boomed in the past five years as more people confront the perils of online dating.
"I'm glad the information is out there," says Judy, who did not want her last name used because of concerns her suitors would read this article. "The men I'm talking to online are complete strangers. And I have absolutely no knowledge of their character other than what they're saying in their profiles. I need to feel comfortable knowing that they're not an ax murderer. The people you meet might be well dressed, but you never know if they have any criminal history. It's for (my) safety."
Background checks are nothing new. What's changed are the speed with which you can obtain them, their relatively small price (some companies advertise free checks) and their growing public acceptance. The information revolution has transformed the background check into a common and casual tool, and those being scrutinized probably don't have a clue. More obvious are the security cameras embedded in nearly every major American city, including New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and, yes, San Francisco, where lenses record people's activities in such crime-ridden neighborhoods as Bayview-Hunters Point and the Western Addition. The spread of these cameras is championed by authorities, who say it reduces criminal activity, and criticized by the ACLU, which says the equipment is an unnecessary intrusion into public spaces.
Civil liberties groups have joined the widespread outcry against the government's monitoring of Americans' phone-call records. Two weeks ago in federal court, the ACLU challenged the legal rationale behind the National Security Agency program, arguing that the NSA's actions -- involving "data mining" of records provided by AT&T and other telephone companies -- violate Americans' rights to free speech and privacy as guaranteed under the First and Fourth Amendments. Last week, privacy experts raised questions about the U.S. government's monitoring of international bank transfers -- previously secret data surveillance officials say is justified by the fight against terrorism.
Americans' rights to privacy will be tested even more in the next few years as biometric technology creeps increasingly into everyday arenas. For example, on the campus of UC San Diego, biometric experts are testing a soda machine that uses both fingerprint and face-recognition technology. The machine is in a lounge for grad students in UC San Diego's computer science building.
"The students are very excited about getting it working," Serge Belongie, a UC San Diego associate professor of computer science, says in a phone interview. "People think it's very cool. ... No one uses money. They have accounts. What would be fun is if (the machine) recognizes you and says, 'Would you like your usual?' "
If UC San Diego students are reluctant to use the machine, their privacy concerns are outweighed by convenience -- a sentiment echoed in survey after survey on biometric technology. In March, Unisys Corp. released a report on public perception of "identity management" that said convenience and efficiency were the two biggest reasons consumers would use biometric technology. (The most preferred biometric methods are fingerprints and voice recognition, according to the survey. The least preferred, because of its perceived intrusiveness, is an iris or eye scan.)
Two of the biggest turnoffs for those who shun biometric technology: suspicion of how the technology works and loss of privacy. Among respondents from North America, just 56 percent said they'd be willing to share their fingerprint with a government organization such as a post office or tax authority. Among respondents from the Asia-Pacific region, 71 percent said they'd share their fingerprint with the government.
"As consumer confidence grows in the large-scale usage of (biometric technology) and standards are more generally comfortably adopted, you're going to see a pretty rapid migration" to it, says Mark Cohn, Unisys vice president for homeland security solutions.
Cohn, a principal architect of the Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT Exit system, which uses fingerprint technology to run background checks on visa applicants and verify their entry to and arrival from the United States, says Malaysia offers a preview of how the United States may change in the coming years.
Since 2001, the Malay government has issued a biometric "multipurpose card" to Malaysians 12 years and older. The card, which features a thumbprint and photograph, acts as a passport, driver's license, ATM card, toll and parking pass, and medical record that lists blood type and any allergies.
The card is convenient to use -- but it's a nightmare for Malaysians who lose it or have it stolen. Crime syndicates in Malaysia have altered cards with different photographs and used them to give members new identities, though the Malay government insists these identity thieves can't access the original cardholders' personal information. Special chip technology and other password features prevent this, they say. Also, the cardholder's fingerprint -- rather than being visible on the card -- is encrypted in the card itself: To reveal the fingerprint, the card must be inserted into a special biometric device that compares the encrypted print with that of the person claiming to be the cardholder.
For anyone who has read Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four," where "telescreens" keep track of people's lives, this new biometric technology will seem like fiction come to life. It's showing up everywhere. By the end of this year, U.S. passport agencies hope to issue "electronic passports" with computer chips that have digital photos of the holders. With the help of face-recognition machines, airport security can compare a photo with the face of the passport holder. For two years, an American corporation, VeriChip, has sold government-approved electronic chips that are inserted under people's skin to give doctors instant access to patients' medical histories.
In 2008, as mandated by the Real ID Act, states plan to issue driver's licenses linked to a database that includes each license holder's photo and Social Security number. These licenses (civil liberties groups call them national identity cards) will likely include a biometric photo of the driver accessible by authorities.
In the meantime, banks are considering using iris scans and even palm scans at ATMs in an effort to cut down on fraud. (In 1999, Bank United in Texas adopted iris-scan technology at three of its ATMs in a test that was discontinued when Washington Mutual took over the bank.)
Some people love the new technology. Others shun it.
Pay By Touch admits it has encountered some resistance among shoppers it approached in supermarkets that already use the company's fingerprint service. But Morris, its president, says many of these customers are quickly won over by the convenience of Pay By Touch, which is free for consumers, and that the company keeps data points based on users' fingerprints, not actual fingerprints. So far, supermarkets in 40 states use the Pay By Touch system.
Pay By Touch, which is based in San Francisco, wouldn't say which Bay Area supermarket chain will start using its fingerprint system in the next four months -- only that the chain will use the system in just a handful of its Bay Area stores. Pay By Touch users sign up voluntarily and are under no obligation to use it at the checkout line.
Pay By Touch says it takes great care to safeguard its users' data. After fingerprints are converted into algorithms, they're encrypted, then stored in IBM computers. Those algorithms can't be reconverted into an exact copy of the fingerprint, though Pay By Touch may eventually store users' actual fingerprints if the technology improves, Morris says. The company insists it will never sell users' personal information or fingerprints to anyone else -- a pledge that's backed up in writing when users sign up with the company. But what if federal authorities, citing national security, insist on the finger scan and payment history of a Pay By Touch user?
Pam Dixon, who heads the World Privacy Forum, a public research group, went to Chicago to warn potential Pay By Touch users about possible dangers.
"It didn't stick," she says. "People were (more) concerned with (convenience than) the potential risks. People can put their thumb on a pad and be done with it. But meanwhile, their biometric data is sitting with another company, a third party, that's subject to subpoena. One argument that I made: Let's say that every supermarket in the country, particularly the large chains, (use) a biometric payment system. It's a law enforcement dream because who needs a biometric database run by the U.S. government when you've got one being run by private companies?"
Citing the recent disclosure by the Veterans Administration, which said a computer with credit information on millions of veterans had been stolen, Dixon says, "The second issue is information security. If the VA can't keep its records secure, which is a government agency that has all sorts of strict controls that are supposed to be in place, how on Earth can a private company without the resources of something like the VA manage to keep something secure? When we have a credit card stolen, we can call the credit card company and say, 'Give me a new number.' But you can't do that with your biometric. You can't say, 'Give me a new fingerprint.' "
Morris dismisses such concerns, saying that Pay By Touch will actually decrease the likelihood that consumers' credit information is stolen or misappropriated. "I think (Pay By Touch users) get pretty rapidly that it's the ultimate way to secure their private data," he says. "It connects (their accounts) to something that's uniquely them, as opposed to handing a credit card over to a stranger or writing a personal check that seven or eight humans touch before it gets in their statement. Securing information by a biometric is a giant leap forward. (Users) like that they don't have to pull their card out anymore. They (tell us they) like that they don't have to carry their (purses or wallets) through the parking lot of an urban supermarket. There's a physical security benefit. Their numbers are never displayed. The safety of securing their data is the No. 1 thing they like."
The marketplace will determine whether the public is ready to accept commercial fingerprint identification. Investors in Pay By Touch believe that day is here, capitalizing the company with $190 million in the past 12 months. More than 2.5 million shoppers already use the Pay By Touch system. Morris envisions a day when all stores -- even mom-and-pop ones -- offer a Pay By Touch option.
Soon, customers will be able to use Pay By Touch from home with the help of fingerprint readers attached to their computers. In ancient China, rulers would put their fingerprints on documents to give them an official seal. Artists would also mark their work with prints. It wasn't until the late 1800s that authorities realized they could use fingerprints to catch criminals. Their evolution as a way to pay for groceries is a 21st century twist fueled by technology. It's also a trade-off between privacy and convenience. Welcome to the brave new world in Aisle 5.
Welcome to the Dakota Ultrasonics website!We are a manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic testing equipment most commonly used in the petrochemical, aerospace, automotive, and other generally related industries. The pages that follow will provide you with general information regarding our products. If you have any questions, need technical support, or have a request for custom items, please contact us at your leisure using the information provided on this site.Our products are commonly used to determine the thickness of a variety of materials by making contact with only one side of the material being tested. They have the ability to detect very fine pits, flaws, and porosity in materials without having to destroy the material or parts being tested. This is done by converting the transit time of a sound wave, sent into and reflecting back from a defect or opposite surface in the test material, into a length measurement. This technique uses principles similar to that of sonar.We also manufacture a line of ultrasonic bolting equipment that very accurately measures the stress, elongation, and load in threaded fasteners. These products are typically used in critical bolting applications where extreme accuracy is needed. If you have any specific or specialized bolting applications in mind, be sure to contact us to discuss your requirements in detail. Enjoy!
