"Also of Interest" for January 30, 2012

The "Also of Interest" listing is the embodiment of our belief that engineers are interested in exploring topics which are not directly related to their jobs, but which will broaden their knowledge and sometimes spur further innovative and creative approaches.

Among the publications we check are IEEE Spectrum, Machine Design, Design News, Laser Focus World, Photonics Spectra, NASA Tech Briefs (in its various manifestations), Microwave Journal, RF & Microwaves, and Physics Today—and there are others, as well.

Consider these items as online "extras", and worth a look and a few minutes of your time. (Please note: there are also links to the past weeks' editions of this feature, in the "Navigate" box to the right.)

Also of Interest:

• Understanding the plastic optics production process and the material requirements of the application enables customers to incorporate plastic optics into designs that lower costs and increase options:
  "Progress in plastic optics follows advances in materials and manufacturing,"
  Laser Focus World, September 2011
• Engineers wanted to expand the market for battery-watering subsystems to golf carts:
  "Putting valves on tubing lets firm expand watering subsystem to golf carts,"
  Machine Design, October 20, 2011
• The simple task of specifying an ac electrical plug takes on numerous intricacies in equipment destined for different parts of the world.:
  "Plugging in Navigating international power-connection standards,"
  Machine Design, October 20, 2011
• Engineers can now use standard optical components and off-the-shelf nanopositioners to build a high-quality atomic force microscope:
  "Piezoelectric nanopositioners forge low-cost atomic force microscope,"
  Laser Focus World, October 2011
• The environments in which microwave cable assemblies are being used today are becoming more challenging with exposure to such conditions as extreme temperatures, chemicals, abrasion, and flexing:
  "Impact of Materials on Microwave Cable Performance,"
  Defense Tech Briefs, October 2011
• The small dimensions of wireless medical imaging detectors make flat lithium polymer cells an ideal power source:
  "Case Study: Digital Radiography Adopts Lithium Polymer Batteries,"
  Design News, September 2011
• This technique measures the projection of the blood flow velocity onto the ultrasound beam for a number of points in the image, and presents the estimates to the clinician using color coding:
  "Blood Flow Imaging: The Move From Qualitative to Quantitative Measurement,"
  Medical Design Briefs, November 2011
• Surgical skills trainer uses physics-based simulation in an immersive desktop-type environment, not only for surgical residents seeking to practice their skills, but also for trauma surgeons, for simulated, unpredictable scenarios:
  "Open Surgical Simulation Platform Trains Trauma Surgeons and Surgical Residents,"
  Medical Design Briefs, November 2011
• In a world where materials and structures are built molecule by molecule, computer simulation is critical.:
  "Twinkies, Tennis Rackets and Nanotechnology,"
  Desktop Engineering, December 2011
• Simulation has become crucial to designing and implementing the next generations of fuel cells:
  "Modeling Fuel Cells,"
  Desktop Engineering, November 2011

• January 25, 2012
• January 18, 2012
• January 11, 2012
• January 4, 2012