New testing facility to improve land mine detection equipment

October 7th, 2009 10 mining companies put on notice about safetyWASHINGTON — Federal safety regulators on Wednesday warned 10 mining companies that their operations have a potential pattern of health or safety violations. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said each company has 90 days to take corrective action.

September 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Marjorie Brasier, on an instrumented prosthetic leg, repeatedly tripped or slipped on the treadmill. Sometimes she recovered on her own and kept walking, while at other times the harness she wore was all that kept her from tumbling to the floor.

August 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While experts have long been trying to use handwriting as a tool in forensic labs or their personality traits, researchers have now developed a computerized tool that can measure handwriting characteristics more effectively, making it greatly useful in lie detection. Headed by Gil Luria and Sara Rosenblum at the University of Haifa, the researchers utilised a computerized tablet that measured the physical properties of the subject's handwriting, which are difficult to consciously control (for example: the duration of time that the pen is on paper versus in the air, the length height and width of each writing stroke, the pressure implemented on the writing surface).

August 14th, 2009 Nordstrom refinances credit facilitySEATTLE — Nordstrom Inc. on Friday said that it has secured a new three-year $650 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility to replace a prior facility of the same size that was scheduled to mature in 2010.

July 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, two engineers from the University of Oviedo, Spain, have determined that mine shafts on the point of being closed down could be used to provide geothermal energy to local towns. The engineers in question are Rafael Rodriguez, from the Oviedo Higher Technical School of Mining Engineering and his colleague Maria Belarmina Diaz.

July 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US defence department is sending thousands of mine-proof vehicles to Afghanistan to protect its troops from improvised explosive devices, officials said. More than 3,000 such vehicles have been shipped to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Thursday.

July 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have suggested an improved method for detection of food-borne pathogens. Dr. Edmund Ting, Senior VP of South Easton, MA-based Pressure BioSciences, Inc., believes that improvements in food safety depend on the rapid and accurate detection of food-borne pathogens, both in pre-release quality control testing and in post-outbreak investigations.

July 1st, 2009 Panel: judge should reconsider Quecreek Mine finesWASHINGTON — A federal panel said Wednesday that a judge should reconsider the $110,000 in fines he levied against two companies in the 2002 Quecreek Mine accident. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission's preliminary decision was in response to challenges by PBS Coals Inc.

July 1st, 2009 Panel set to rule on Quecreek Mine finesWASHINGTON — A federal panel is deciding whether a judge fairly assessed $110,000 in fines against two companies cited for negligence in an accident at Pennsylvania's Quecreek Mine that trapped nine coal miners underground for 77 hours before their dramatic rescue. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission's decision is expected Wednesday on challenges to the fines from PBS Coals Inc.

June 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have developed a handheld device that can detect anthrax with outstanding accuracy and reliability. The device, called Ceeker (pronounced "seeker"), was made by scientists at Veritide Ltd., a developer of innovative biological identification and detection solutions.

June 22nd, 2009 New detector not much better catching nuke matterWASHINGTON — Federal investigators say the government's next generation radiation detectors are only marginally better at detecting hidden nuclear material than monitors already at U.S. ports, but would cost more than twice as much.

June 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new evaluation of a "glow or no glow" technique may soon help the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defend the nation against a spectrum of biological weapons that could be used in a terrorist attack. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have done the evaluation.

May 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new technique tracks movement of freely moving single neutral atoms in real time, that is more than 99.7 percent accurate and sensitive enough to discern the arrival of a single atom in less than a millionth of a second. The system, developed by researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) in College Park and the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile, employs a novel means of altering the polarisation of laser light trapped between two highly-reflective mirrors, according to a JQI release.

May 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A scientist has developed a new diagnostic test for TB, called Xpert MTB/RIF, which can provide results quickly and efficiently. The test, developed by Dr.

March 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has determined that human-generated sounds significantly affect the lives of aquatic animals, from the individual animal's well-being, right through to its reproduction, migration and even death of some species. The study, led by Dr.