Letter from the Regional Coordinator I'm very excited about the way our joint meeting with the Southeast Region is shaping up! We've got just over two days of high-quality training and networking events planned for August 22-24 in Cincinnati. Early-bird registration is available through August 1, but hotel reservations must be made by July 22. Read more Quick News Better Plant-Based Crankcase Lubes The problem with today's bio-based lubricants is that many can't match the cost, oxidative stability, or cold-weather performance of petroleum-based formulations. They're normally made by modifying an edible oil, such as soy oil, to produce desired industrial products like grease or hydraulic fluid. But estolides are different. They're made from only the fatty acid components of high-oleic oils derived from such plants as lesquerella, rapeseed (canola), and sunflower. Researchers produced and tested branched chains of saturated or unsaturated oleic estiolides and found that they performed as well as, or better than, mineral-oil-based lubes. Read more Pheromone Found for Eggplant Pest The eggplant flea beetle, Epitrix fuscula, doesn't confine its predations to eggplants. It also enjoys munching on other solanaceous crops-like tomatoes-unless checked by insecticide applications and cultural practices. Growers would like to have an alternative method of reining in this nuisance pest that could reduce the amount of chemicals applied, especially in spring, when E. fuscula is most damaging. Read more Handwipe Method for Detecting Lead Through a simple color change, a handwipe technology developed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) quickly and easily detects the presence of lead (Pb) contamination on skin and on hard surfaces in industries where lead is produced or used to a limit of identification of 15 micrograms per sample. Read more Argonne, Air Force Research Lab to Collaborate on Defense Technologies, Research Officials from the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) signed an agreement that promises to speed the delivery of technological advances to American military forces while saving taxpayer dollars. Read more Progress Made in Biomass-to-Biofuels Conversion Process A collaborative research project between the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has advanced the quest for efficient conversion of plant biomass to fuels and chemicals. Read more
Corn: A New Ingredient for Detergents? A greener future could be in store for laundry and dishwashing detergents thanks to new, environmentally friendly ingredients developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and Folia, Inc., of Birmingham, Alabama. Read more Hand-held Apparatus for Mobile Mapping and Expedited Reporting (HAMMER™) The Hand-held Apparatus for Mobile Mapping and Expedited Reporting (HAMMER™) is the brainchild of Tad Britt of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Lab (CERL). The HAMMER™ base unit integrates a hand-held computer that runs Windows XP and ArcGIS™ software with a global positioning system (GPS) sensor (available in either 2-centimeter survey- or 3-meter map-grade), compass, laser rangefinder, and a digital camera (capable of capturing still images or video). Read more NASA Tests Metabolic Sensors During Undersea Mission A team of scientists at NASA's Glenn Research Center developed and tested an innovative device that measures the key quantities necessary to evaluate crew physical fitness levels during missions of long duration. Read more
Robot-controlled System Speeds "Designer" Yeasts for Making Ethanol A robot recently reported to work at the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Illinois, and its arrival was met with enthusiasm by many scientists there. Read more
Linking Stream-Flow Stressors with Ecosystem Effects Reducing the loading of "stressors" (pollutants) on watershed streams and lakes is the concern of a broad range of environmental stakeholders, including local and state governments, utilities, farm collectives, construction firms, and even homeowners. Their adoption of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) best management practices (BMPs) for controlling both urban and rural sources of waterborne pollutants is helping to reduce contaminants at the watershed level. Read more
The greenhouse manager of the future walks around the greenhouse, pointing an infrared flashlight at potted plants. A tiny screen tells whether each plant has too much, too little, or just the right amount of nutrients. The manager doesn't worry about water because he lets a computer worry about that for him. The computer reads moisture sensors that trigger irrigations only as needed. Read more Upcoming T² Conferences and Events
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