New total nitrogen and sulfur analyzer for precise and accurate
analysis of petroleum products using a single introduction module

A new Total Nitrogen and Total Sulfur (TN/TS) analyzer, from Thermo Scientific, features an innovative direct injection design providing the capacity to analyze both heavy and light hydrocarbons without changing introduction modules. As a result of the versatility, precision and accuracy offered by the Thermo Scientific iPRO 5000 series analyzer, scientists in petrochemical and commercial testing laboratories, oil refineries, R&D centers and chemical plants, will benefit from significant time savings and productivity advantages, in addition to total ASTM compliance.

The iPRO 5000™ series TN/TS analyzer features the proprietary Thermo Scientific jetPRO direct spray injector, which enables automatic analysis from ppb levels up to percent levels for both nitrogen and sulfur on just one instrument and without changing introduction modules. As a result, it is now possible to quantify nitrogen and sulfur in heavy hydrocarbons within just three minutes. Compared to the standard boat method, this is a dramatic reduction in the time spent from analysis to viewing results, which provides an immediate cost-saving and productivity increase. Offering exceptional precision of two percent or better when analyzing light hydrocarbons at ultra-low concentrations, the analyzer ensures high accuracy, as well as reproducibility and repeatability of analysis. Providing meticulously controlled combustion processes, the analyzer also contains a proprietary pre-soot detection technology which ensures complete combustion that is soot-free. The iPRO 5000 series analyzer is also the smallest and most compact total nitrogen and total sulfur analyzer currently available.

Developed for a wide range of applications, the iPRO 5000 series analyzer offers an ideal solution for the diverse requirements of petrochemical analyses. The instrument provides the capacity to analyze virtually any refinery sample from raw crude to end product, while ensuring ASTM compliance and enabling optimization of refinery processes. For commercial testing laboratories requiring ASTM compliant results quickly and cost-effectively over a wide range of applications, the iPRO 5000 series analyzer is four times faster than previous methods which enables a significant increase in productivity and cost-efficiency. In addition, the instrument's exceptional precision makes it the ideal choice for high performance applications such as those conducted by research and development centers.

The iPRO 5000 series analyzer is controlled by Thermo Scientific NSX Visual software, which supports Microsoft Windows 7™ and has been developed to adapt to the specific workflows of users who require ease-of-use and flexibility. The NSX Visual software assures total ASTM compliance through pre-loaded ASTM method templates, which enable the user to simply select the required method and start the analysis. The software is also programmed to proactively alert the user if method parameters are changed to a value which is outside the scope of the official ASTM methods.

For further information, email: analyze@thermofisher.com or view website: www.thermoscientific.com/ipro  Refer to page 299

Agilent Technologies and Harvard's Wyss Institute are collaborating
to advance burgeoning discipline of Biologically Inspired Engineering

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University are working together to develop innovative tools, technologies and instruments that will advance human health and improve the environment.

"Agilent is very pleased to collaborate with the Wyss Institute as we share a strong commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary contribution, and high-impact research," said Darlene Solomon, Agilent chief technology officer. "Wyss offers access to visionary researchers and physicians collaborating on enabling technology platforms to address some of the world's most significant technological and societal challenges."

The Wyss Institute operates as an alliance among premier academic and clinical institutions in the Greater Boston area, bringing together world-renowned scientists, engineers and physicians to explore the design principles used in nature, and to apply their insights to engineer new materials and devices for medicine, industry, and the environment. Agilent is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in life sciences, chemical analysis, electronics and communications.

Under the multi-year agreement, Agilent will provide financial support, unique tools and materials to support Wyss' biomaterials evolution, programmable nanomaterials and biomimetic microsystems platforms. Agilent also will contribute its technical expertise to the collaboration.

Wyss Institute researchers leading the collaboration include its founding director, Donald E. Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard's schools of Medicine and Engineering and Children's Hospital Boston; and three other Wyss core faculty members: Harvard Medical School professor George Church, Ph.D.; Boston University professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator James J. Collins, Ph.D.; and William Shih, Ph.D., associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

"We're very proud to partner with a company that -- like us -- constantly looks to the future, and measures the success of its technological innovations in terms of the impact they have on people's lives and the entire global community," said Ingber. "The enormous synergies between our expertise and technical capabilities, combined with our shared vision for the future of life sciences and engineering, should enable us to create transformative new technologies and research tools that will accelerate development of clinical diagnostics and therapeutics, and utterly change the way we harness energy in the future."

As a state-of-the-art laboratory focused on technology development and translation in diverse research disciplines ranging from medicine to bioenergy, Wyss will become a center of excellence to help advance Agilent's extensive measurement capabilities. Wyss will be equipped with Agilent's unique products and know-how in areas ranging from nanobiotechnology to electronics and automation.

Through its collaboration with pioneers in the fields of synthetic biology and programmable nanomaterials at the Wyss Institute, Agilent aims to identify new high-value applications and challenges, as well as to advance its already powerful technological capabilities in genome engineering and nanobiotechnology. In the newly emerging field of mechanobiology, the Agilent/Wyss collaboration will develop new integrated force analysis and imaging capabilities that combine advanced optics and nanomechanical measurements. The goal is to provide deeper insights into the way physical forces and the mechanical properties of living tissues influence cell behavior and contribute to the onset and progression of diseases such as cancer.

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University in profile
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses nature's design principles to develop bio-inspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Working as an alliance among Harvard's schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Boston University, the Institute crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers to engage in high-risk, fundamental research that leads to transformative technological breakthroughs. By emulating nature's principles for self-organizing and self-regulating, Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for health care, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing. These technologies are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators and corporate alliances.

For further information, view website: www.wyss.harvard.edu or e-mail: mary.tolikas@wyss.harvard.edu  Refer to page 346

Thermo Fisher Scientific introduces new informatics
solution for water and environmental testing laboratories

A new informatics solution from Thermo Fisher Scientific,  has been specifically developed for laboratory professionals working in water and environmental testing laboratories. The Thermo Scientific Water and Environmental LIMS is pre-configured to enable customers to comply with water and environmental regulatory guidelines and requirements, and it is built on the comprehensive functionality provided by the company's flagship laboratory information management system, Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS.

Water and environmental testing laboratories face unique challenges with delivering accurate, consistent and traceable results. In the current economic environment, it's more important than ever to standardize workflows and processes that facilitate regulatory compliance, ensure public safety and monitor quality throughout the entire sampling, testing and reporting process. The Safe Drinking Water Act, and the subsequent release of the EPA's Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, puts pressure on municipal, state and privately owned water facilities to remain in compliance with mandatory limits for an increasing array of contaminants.

Thermo Scientific Water and Environmental LIMS offers tools and functionality to enable lab managers to deliver the defensible data necessary to meet the compliance requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Thermo Scientific Water and Environmental LIMS helps laboratory professionals make faster, more informed decisions at all levels of the organization, delivering information needed to manage laboratory processes and respond to the most current regulatory and business demands.
Purpose-built functionality helps labs:

Establish protocols and documentation methods that meet NELAC compliance requirements and ISO 17025 guidelines  Automate reports and records to ensure full traceability  Improve lab and workflow efficiencies

Developed in conjunction with environmental experts for ISO 17025 and NELAC requirements, Thermo Scientific Water and Environmental LIMS has built-in functionality designed for workflows found in water and environmental labs.

Pre-defined test methods, batch sequences, regulatory reports and other templates allow customers to reduce administration overhead, cost and implementation time. In addition, comprehensive dashboard functionality addresses the regulatory and operational needs of three distinct but interrelated aspects of a laboratory's business: personnel, quality assurance and the customer.

Companies working within the environmental and water and wastewater sectors face many challenges in improving efficiencies, processes and traceability while ensuring regulatory compliance. To assist the industry in meeting these challenges, a series of five educational on-demand webinars is now available for viewing at www.thermoscientific.com/waterandwastewater.

Developed in collaboration with industry experts from EM2 Solutions, Pilgrim Software and the Winvale Group, the webinars address topics relevant to professionals working in the environmental and waste testing industries.

For further information, view website: www.thermoscientific.com/waterandwastewater  Refer to page 299