Week of Sun, 2006-11-26 00:00 to Sat, 2006-12-02 23:59

The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin Corporation have completed the transaction combining their expendable launch vehicle businesses, forming the joint venture called United Launch Alliance, LLC (ULA). ULA will combine the production, engineering, test and launch operations associated with U.S. government launches of Boeing Delta and Lockheed Martin Atlas rockets. The proposed joint venture was first announced in May 2005.

Launched April 14, 2006, the six spacecraft of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate measure the bending and slowing of microwave radio signals as they pass through Earth's atmosphere. The signals are transmitted from U.S. global positioning system (GPS) satellites to Cosmic's GPS science receivers, which were designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These bending and slowing events, referred to as occultations, occur when the GPS satellite signals are interrupted as the satellites rise or set on Earth's horizon, blocking their transmission.

TwinMOS Technologies recently introduced the brand new TwiSTER DDR2-800 CL4 and DDR2-1066 CL5 over-clocking DRAM modules, with leading-edge technology to meet the demanding hardware requirements of over-clockers, advanced game players, and enterprise users. The TwiSTER series is the highest quality product line from TwinMOS Technologies, featuring reliable data access at ultrafast speeds. Every module is made with selected original dies and high-standard production processes. More importantly, every module is tested to comply with the published specifications, and quality is controlled according to the highest standards.

The government must have a search warrant before it can search and seize emails stored by email service providers, according to a friend-of-the-court brief filed last week by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of civil liberty groups. EFF filed the brief in support of a landmark district court decision finding that the federal Stored Communications Act (SCA) violates the Fourth Amendment by allowing secret, warrantless searches and seizures of email stored with a third party.

Business Objects acquired Nsite Software, Inc. The acquisition gives Business Objects access to Nsite's on-demand application platform; engineering talent experienced in building and managing SaaS offerings; and approximately 27,000 current Nsite subscribers. Terms of the transaction, completed today, were not disclosed.

Volvo Cars unveils a unique system that can help the car driver avoid the sort of low-speed collisions that are so common in urban traffic and in slow-moving traffic queues. If the driver is about to drive into the vehicle in front and does not react in time, the car brakes itself.

The system is called City Safety and Volvo Cars' ambition with it is to help avoid half of all rear-end collisions.

Nortel Networks Corporation [NYSE/TSX: NT] implemented the previously announced consolidation of its issued and outstanding common shares as approved by the Company's Board of Directors on November 6, 2006 and its shareholders at the annual and special meeting of shareholders on June 29, 2006.

Nortel's* common shares, listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"), will begin trading on a consolidated basis when the NYSE and TSX open today. The consolidation was implemented with a ratio of one consolidated share for every ten pre-consolidation shares. The consolidation has reduced the number of shares outstanding from approximately 4.3 billion to approximately 433 million.

A total of 237 235 shares of Nokia Corporation ("Nokia") were subscribed for between 31.10. - 27.11. 2006 based on Nokia's 2003 and 2005 employee stock option plans. This resulted in an increase of EUR 14 234.10 in Nokia's share capital and an increase of EUR 3 293 630.83 in other shareholders equity. The new shares carry full shareholder rights as from the registration date December 1, 2006. The shares are admitted to public trading on the Helsinki Exchanges as of the same date together with the old Nokia share class (NOK1V).

Researchers in computer science and engineering at the University of Washington say there are serious privacy breaches posed by the gadget, which is marketed to runners but may be equally attractive to stalkers and thieves.

"It is easy for someone to use the Nike+iPod as a tracking device," says Scott Saponas, a doctoral student in computer science and lead author of a technical report posted online on Nov. 30. "It's an example of how new gadgetry can erode our personal privacy."

Infineon Technologies has started working on next generation FlexRay® standard bus system for high-speed in-vehicle communications. Supporting a data transfer rate of at least 10 Megabit per second (Mbps), the new FlexRay transceivers from Infineon are 10X faster than the current CAN (Control Area Network) standard used in today’s vehicles. Combined with microcontrollers that are available today, Infineon will offer a complete bus system for communication between in-vehicle control units, sensors and actuators dedicated to automotive safety, such as breaking and steering systems, and powertrain applications.

Security guards on Fort Belvoir will be able to spot fake forms of identification and terrorist suspects with the swipe of a scanner at all access points in the near future.

The system is designed to scan Department of Defense ID cards, driver's licenses and passports. It can identify fake IDs; lost, stolen or terminated DoD cards; and expired IDs. It can also identify individuals whose installation access privileges have been revoked or suspended, individuals who have previously been denied access to the installation, and individuals being sought by law enforcement as be-on-the-lookout suspects or terrorist suspects.

At ITU Telecom 2006, NEC will present an end-to-end solution from IP-Set Top Box to contents delivery platform. The demonstration will show TV telephony, high definition VoD/IPTV and its combination in conjunction with Multimedia Service Access Node, supporting ADSL, VDSL and G-PON.

The IPTV platform solutions includes;

1) Non-compressed video signal optical transmission
2) MPEG-2 Video encoder for SD/HD and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC for Mobile TV

Astronomers have discovered the first negatively charged molecule in space, identifying it from radio signals that were a mystery until now. While about 130 neutral and 14 positively charged molecules are known to exist in interstellar space, this is the first negative molecule, or anion, to be found.

By learning more about the rich broth of chemicals found in interstellar space, astronomers hope to explain how the young Earth converted these basic ingredients into the essential chemicals for life. This new finding helps to advance scientists' understanding of the chemistry of the interstellar medium, and hence the birthplaces of planets.

AMD revealed the AMD Quad FX Platform with Dual Socket Direct Connect (DSDC) Architecture, the first dual-socket, multi-core desktop PC platform designed to take advantage of the latest enhancements in Windows® Vista™ Ultimate.

The AMD Quad FX Platform is powered by pairs of the AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-70 series dual-core processors.

Air Force officials recognized the service's top performers in science, engineering and technology during an awards banquet at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Award winners received a plaque and a certificate recognizing their achievements.

The winners of the Air Force's science, technology and engineering awards for 2005 include:

Adolescents who play violent video games may exhibit differences in activity levels in areas of the brain associated with emotional arousal and self-control, according to new research at the Indiana University School of Medicine and announced Nov. 28 at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago.

NASA senior managers have wrapped up the two-day flight readiness review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At a press conference immediately following the review, William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations, announced Dec. 7 as the launch date for the STS-116 mission to the International Space Station.

Pocket-sized projectors capable of screening movies from a laptop or mobile phone could be on the market within three years, following a new deal agreed by the University of Cambridge.

The global electronic components manufacturer Alps Electric Co., Ltd has been granted an exclusive license to the University’s core patent for a revolutionary holographic video projector technology, developed by a team in the Department of Engineering (pictured).

IBM (NYSE: IBM) highlighted the deep science behind the latest video games and encouraged middle school students to pursue careers in math and science at an open house at the company’s $3 billion East Fishkill, New York, microchip manufacturing center, which produces the chips that power the latest systems from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

IBM will distribute an education package, including print, video and other multi-media materials, to members of IBM’s On Demand Community, IBM’s global volunteer initiative with nearly 80,000 employees and retirees, highlighting the technology behind the latest video game systems and encouraging students to embrace math and science education at an early age.

In the first experiments of their kind, researchers at Rice University and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have determined that carbon nanotubes injected directly into the bloodstream of research lab animals cause no immediate adverse health effects and circulate for more than one hour before they are removed by the liver.

The findings are from the first in vivo animal study of chemically unmodified carbon nanotubes, a revolutionary nanomaterial that many researchers hope will prove useful in diagnosing and treating disease. The research will appear in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

By substituting mechanical instruments for human fingers, robotic tools give surgeons a new way to perform medical procedures with great precision in small spaces. But as the surgeon directs these tools from a computer console, an important component is lost: the sense of touch.

Johns Hopkins researchers are trying to change that by adding such sensations, known as haptic feedback, to medical robotic systems. "Haptic" refers to the sense of touch.

Aladdin Knowledge Systems was awarded European Patent EP 1122932, titled "Protection of computer networks against malicious content."

EP 1122932 is directed to content security gateways that relay data packets in real time, while performing full content inspection without introducing delays and latencies. In case of unsafe content, it can be blocked, stripped or replaced by other safe content. Using this patented technology, the Aladdin eSafe NitroInspection technology can perform 10 times faster than the competition. Unlike proxy solutions, NitroInspection does not cache content prior to inspection. All data packets are inspected on-the-fly, providing security without sacrificing performance, including benefits such as:

IBM agreed to acquire Vallent Corporation. Financial details were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and is anticipated to close in the first quarter of the 2007 calendar year.

Vallent is a leading supplier of network performance monitoring and service management software for wireless service providers worldwide. Vallent's software helps service providers manage the performance of their network infrastructure through monitoring and reporting problem areas such as dropped calls and traffic bottlenecks. It also helps operators improve wireless service quality and identify network problems before they impact a customer's experience.

According to Unisys experts, 2007 will be the year that open source software attains the architectural backing and distribution channels needed to gain acceptance from enterprise customers as a front-rank vehicle for deploying enterprise applications to drive business growth and innovation at a lower cost per transaction.

Forecasting the year ahead, Unisys executives predict that:
1. Architectural approaches to open source will begin to predominate

Xerox Corporation scientists have invented a way to make prints whose images last only a day, so that the paper can be used again and again. The technology, which is still in a preliminary state, blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use.

Audi is the winner of the EuroCarBody AWARD from the Automotive Circle International for the innovative body concept of the Audi TT, Audi Space Frame (ASF).

In the new TT, Audi has further developed ASF technology, and added high-strength steel to the material mix. Aluminium accounts for 69 percent of the total body weight. Steel components are used at the rear of the floor assembly. The doors and boot lid are also made of steel. This provides an optimum distribution of axle loads, making for superior handling.

Some 120 governments will meet at the United Nations Office in Nairobi from 27 November to 1 December to seek solutions to the world’s rising tide of hazardous wastes.

On Thursday the Nairobi conference will convene a high-level “World Forum on E-Wastes”. The Forum will confront the growing reality that, in addition to its many benefits, the global consumer goods revolution is generating massive quantities of end-of-life computers and other obsolete electronic equipment.

Ford Motor Company will unveil an all-new fuel cell powered Explorer that can travel 350 miles on a single fill-up at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show

The six-passenger fuel cell Explorer is one of several vehicles with green technology that Ford will have at the show, including the new 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, the PZEV emissions compliant Ford Fusion and Ford Focus and the 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty with Ford Clean Diesel Technology ®.

The delicate balance between sun, water, and ice hugely impacts life on planet Earth; hence growing concerns over global warming, and a concentrated effort by scientists to accelerate polar research. This year, there was documented evidence of significant melting at both poles. And the U.S. Space Agency, NASA, and others, confirm the Earth has warmed nearly two degrees since 1900. That may not sound like much, but warming temperatures fuel extreme weather patterns. And a recent study suggests continued global warming could raise sea levels several meters by the end of the century.

E-commerce sales have experienced consistent revenue increases. However, recent security breaches (online and offline) are having a significant impact on buying patterns of U.S. adults. Due to consumer’s concerns about the security of the Internet, nearly $2 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales will be lost in 2006, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) today introduced the world's first dedicated peripheral controller for multimedia handsets. The new West Bridge™ Antioch™ controller provides the highest-performance handset-to-PC connection for rapid transfers of music files, photos and videos.

Technology developed for roadside fingerprints using hand-held devices-announced in the media this month- has also been pioneered in identifying the dead.

The University of Leicester, working with Leicestershire Constabulary and the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Hamburg, recorded the first ever use of the technology on the dead over six months ago.

InShape™, from Clear Shape Technologies, Inc., a model-based full-chip Design Manufacturability Checker that predicts accurate silicon shapes, providing designers the ability to do fast, accurate DFM hotspot detection of catastrophic failures.

InShape utilizes a patent-pending, model-based, non-linear optical transformation algorithm that allows designers to quickly and accurately detect potential manufacturing failures during physical design that would otherwise be found after tape-out in mask or silicon. The compact models encapsulate all necessary RET, OPC, mask, etch and lithography effects on both device and interconnect, and predict accurate contours for the entire chip from drawn layout in a matter of hours.

Chemists at Rice University have discovered how to assemble gold and silver nanoparticle building blocks into larger structures based on a novel method that harkens back to one of nature's oldest known chemical innovations – the self-assembly of lipid membranes that surround every living cell.

The research appears in the Nov. 29 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS 2006, 128, 15098).

Scientists, college students, and applications users seeking satellite data on hurricanes now have a new place to turn -- a web portal created by NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center, Greenbelt, Md. The new web portal is designed for viewing and studying hurricanes with a variety of measurements from satellite-based NASA instruments.

Ciena® Corporation is partnering with MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to upgrade the Boston South Network (BoSSNET) - an applications and network test bed for researching high bandwidth (10s of Gbps per wavelength), long reach (approx. 1,000 km) all-optical transmissions - using the Company's standards-based, all-optical DWDM technology.

Designed and managed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in its role as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center for the U.S. Department of Defense, BoSSNET is the research network for the Lab's Advanced Networks Group, which architects, designs and builds prototypes of next-generation optical, wireless and satellite communication networks to address critical problems of national security, while also transferring those technical advances to commercial applications.

The Boeing Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) program successfully completed flight tests in August that demonstrated for the first time an unmanned air vehicle's ability to autonomously maintain a steady refueling station behind a tanker aircraft.

Boeing Phantom Works conducted the flight tests with the New York Air National Guard 107th Air Refueling Wing, which provided a KC-135R refueling tanker, and Calspan Corp., which provided a Learjet equipped with a special Boeing flight control system that allowed it to fly as an unmanned air vehicle. The flight tests integrate components on both the tanker and receiver aircraft to demonstrate that the receiver aircraft (the UAV) can autonomously hold position relative to the tanker while the tanker executes its standard air refueling maneuvers.

MIPS Technologies, Inc. announced that Open-Silicon, Inc. has selected the MIPS32® 24Kc™ Pro processor core to power advanced custom ASIC solutions for complex System-on-Chips (SoCs). Open-Silicon has developed a business model that simplifies IP selection and integration for ASIC designers.

Open-Silicon has also licensed a 90-nanometer (nm) Core-Optimized IP Kit, jointly developed by MIPS Technologies and Virage Logic. This kit, comprised of Virage Logic's Area, Speed and Power (ASAP) Memory™ and ASAP Logic™ High-Speed (HS) IP, provides MIPS Technologies' customers with IP that has been specifically tuned to maximize the performance of MIPS32 processors.

Terrorist attacks, natural catastrophes and industrial disasters have proven the need for efficient crisis management solutions, to share information and improve coordination between the various actors involved in managing large-scale emergencies. The team behind the IST project MEDSI set out to meet the requirements.