Development Of Commercial Technology Research Articles

Alternative management technologies for postharvest disease control: The journey from simplicity to complexity

Finding safe and effective alternatives to synthetic fungicides for reducing postharvest losses of harvested commodities has been a focus of much research over the past three decades. Identifying alternatives that are widely accepted and commercially viable has, however, been a challenge. The search to identify alternative approaches to postharvest disease management must be viewed in relation to a complex regulatory environment, the need to address disease problems in a wide array of commodities and conditions, industry and consumer acceptance, and last but not least, commercial viability. In order for companies to invest in new technologies, they must be able to clearly see both the value of a product and the financial return on their investment. The present review attempts to highlight how the search for alternative postharvest disease management technologies has been a journey from simplicity to complexity. Plant pathologists developing alternative technologies are slowly moving away from the “silver bullet” concept where a single intervention can be used to control a disease to viewing plant disease as a process where multiple interventions may be required at different points in the disease process. Over the past thirty years, alternatives have moved from the simple idea of applying high concentrations of biocontrol agents to a harvested commodity, to using a wide array of other alternatives, and integrating them together into a systems approach based on the multiple decrement or multiple hurdle concept. The ease of sequencing genomes and obtaining related genotypic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic information is leading to the development of new commercial technologies where problems are solved “biologically.”

Controlled falling film heat and mass exchange modules for liquid desiccant air conditioners

Academic and commercial research and development of liquid desiccant air conditioning technology has been pursued for several decades. Liquid desiccant air conditioning technology can provide significant benefits in terms of energy consumption and humidity control, particularly in applications where the latent load, energy cost, and operating hours are high. Common problems associated with the heat and mass exchange modules, incorporated into liquid desiccant air conditioners developed to date, include desiccant carryover into the air stream, large size, high cost, lack of scalability, and poor reliability. In addition, useful predictive modeling of latent and sensible heat transfer performance for a given module design is needed to enable equipment designers to properly incorporate the modules into an air conditioning system. These problems have prevented the technology from being more widely adopted at a commercial scale. A novel controlled falling film heat and mass exchange module, which also incorporates low pressure drop particle filtration, has been developed and tested at the laboratory scale and addresses these problems. Further development of the design will enable a broader range of liquid desiccant air conditioning system architectures and applications to be realized with the resultant benefits of improved humidity control, reduced energy consumption, and improved indoor air quality.

Unfitness as a Stepchild of Myopia

Asian Perspective 40 (2016), 357-364 BOOK REVIEW ESSAY Unfitness as a Stepchild of Myopia Walter C. Clemens Jr. Ashley J. Tellis with Alison Szalwinski and Michael Willis, eds. Foundations ofNational Power in the Asia-Pacific. Seattle: National Bureau ofAsian Research, 2015. Michael Pillsbury. The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’ s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower. New York: Henry Holt, 2015. Audrey Kahin. HistoricalDictionary ofIndonesia. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2015. Foundations of National Power provides deep, comprehensive, and well-balanced assessments by leading experts of the resources and mobilized assets of seven key actors in the Asia Pacific region— China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, India, Indonesia, and the United States. Their essays show that none ofthe great powers in Asia and Asia’s rim comes close to realizing the potential ofits human and ma­ terial resources. Everywhere, inept domestic politics undermines na­ tional self-interest. For China and Russia (and a fortioriNorth Korea) the problem is dictatorship that harnesses all resources to serve the regime’s security and material wealth. For India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the problem is partisan and bu­ reaucratic rivalry amid decentralized power, amplified by cultural or ideological diversity. Given thatFoundations emphasizes material el­ ements of national power, it tends to understate the soft- and smartpower capacities ofthe United States and other democracies. Thus, China looks like a colossus but teeters on clay feet. The regime can mobilize China’s people and natural wealth, but top-down rule is seldom optimal. Beijing’s policies have fostered demographic imbalances, environmental disasters, and profound inequalities. As Nadege Rolland writes, “Openness, outwardness, philanthropy, and 357 358 Unfitness as a Stepchild of Myopia the free flow of goods and ideas are anathema to a distrustful partystate that is not willing to relinquish control. Paradoxically, the very same party that has raised China up to where it is today may ulti­ mately prevent the country’s ascension to the pinnacle ofpower” (p. 53). Foreign policy is also counterproductive: expansion into the South and East China seas alienates China’s neighbors and pushes them to align with the United States. In Russia, Andrew C. Kuchins writes, the Vladimir Putin regime has strengthened state power and improved military assets, but it has weakened the social, economic, and political institutions crucial for promoting economic growth and development of new commercial technologies. Ifoil prices stay low, more Russians will complain that they have neither wealth nor freedom. The Kremlin’s interventions in Ukraine and Syria mobilize anti-Russian sentiments within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and beyond. Japan’s economy and level of innovation have stagnated for decades. Michael Auslin argues that Japan has failed to convert its economic and technological prowess into the tools needed for na­ tional defense. The constitution imposed by the United States has been one limiting factor. But Japan’s power is also constrained by a culture ofrisk aversion, by lack ofelite cohesion, corruption, and the large role played by the fanning and other pressure groups. To counter these problems, Prime MinisterAbe Shinzo urges profound changes in the country’s internal and foreign policies, whichAuslin endorses. In some ways South Korea’s situation resembles Japan’s. Acoun­ try short of natural resources has used its human capital to achieve an affluent society able to exploit modem technology. Still, Chung Min Lee argues, the state developmental model cannot assure that economic growth will continue. Deep reforms—what Lee calls “re­ engineering” of political and social life—will be needed for South Korea to cope with its declining birthrate, aging population, and ris­ ing social welfare costs. The Republic ofKorea invests heavily in de­ fense but may need new tools to meet the challenges posed by North Korea’s bluster and weapons of mass destruction as well as China’s increasingly robust power projection and access-denial capabilities. India is no less concerned than South Korea with the growth of China’s military power. According to Rajesh Rajagopalan, however, India is failing to realize the full powerpotential ofits human and nat­ ural resources. India’s state elite shares a broad consensus and stands Walter C. Clemens Jr. 359 above society but does...

A low cost, large area light soaking and testing station

AbstractTest stations for accelerated aging tests are crucial in the development of commercial solar panel manufacturing technologies. Such test‐beds must provide a reasonably uniform flux whose spectral distribution is an acceptable match to the solar spectrum. This work outlines the detailed design on a low cost test system based on metal‐ halide lamps that can deliver a simulated solar flux of up to 3 suns on a 100 cm by 100 cm square area with an intensity variation of around 15%. A total of 9 metal‐halide lamps, each rated at 1000 W, is placed on top an enclosure which has a sample holding table whose distance to the lamps can be adjusted anywhere between 10 cm and 70 cm. A series of fans, blow ambient air over the panels being tested in order to maintain surface temperatures. The system is complemented by the necessary instrumentation to capture IV curves simultaneously for up to 8 solar devices. A model based design strategy is adopted during the construction of the test station in order to predict and optimize the light distribution as well as the thermal behaviour. Sample IV data from commercial thin film Si solar cells are reported to demonstrate the stability of operation. The cost of the entire system is below $ 20,000, with most of the budget going towards the data acquisition hardware. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Metabolic modeling of synthesis gas fermentation in bubble column reactors.

BackgroundA promising route to renewable liquid fuels and chemicals is the fermentation of synthesis gas (syngas) streams to synthesize desired products such as ethanol and 2,3-butanediol. While commercial development of syngas fermentation technology is underway, an unmet need is the development of integrated metabolic and transport models for industrially relevant syngas bubble column reactors.ResultsWe developed and evaluated a spatiotemporal metabolic model for bubble column reactors with the syngas fermenting bacterium Clostridium ljungdahlii as the microbial catalyst. Our modeling approach involved combining a genome-scale reconstruction of C. ljungdahlii metabolism with multiphase transport equations that govern convective and dispersive processes within the spatially varying column. The reactor model was spatially discretized to yield a large set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in time with embedded linear programs (LPs) and solved using the MATLAB based code DFBAlab. Simulations were performed to analyze the effects of important process and cellular parameters on key measures of reactor performance including ethanol titer, ethanol-to-acetate ratio, and CO and H2 conversions.ConclusionsOur computational study demonstrated that mathematical modeling provides a complementary tool to experimentation for understanding, predicting, and optimizing syngas fermentation reactors. These model predictions could guide future cellular and process engineering efforts aimed at alleviating bottlenecks to biochemical production in syngas bubble column reactors.

Ticking Boxes: (Re)Constructing the Wristwatch as a Luxury Object

ABSTRACTToday the high-price mechanical wristwatch is recognized as a luxury object redolent with notions of adventure, sporting achievement, elevated social status, and technical precision. Through an examination of the segmentation of the current luxury wristwatch market and key moments in the historical development of the wristwatch, this article will explain why these connotations exist. In particular, the article will explain the role that the early development of the wristwatch as a piece of military technical equipment and the mechanical wristwatch's revitalization as a luxury good in response to the development of commercial quartz timekeeping technology have played in reconstructing the wristwatch as an object type. By utilizing network theory and the analytical tool of complexity, and drawing on fieldwork undertaken in London and Switzerland amongst the manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers of high-value wristwatches, the article will explain how the wristwatch can simultaneously be seen as functional tool, fashion statement, status symbol, and anachronism. This insight into the true nature of the wristwatch as a multivalent and semiotically charged object will also be used to inform reflections on the likely impact of generally perceived current threats to the luxury watch industry: the rise in ethical material sourcing campaigns, the stubborn gender imbalance in watch sales, and the recent appearance of smart watches and similar digital devices.

특허와 논문으로 본 PET 폐자원의 화학원료화 및 고부가 활용기술 동향

Since 1990s, efforts to recycle the waste plastics by chemical methods have increased. And in accordance with this trend, attempts have become active to use the waste PET as raw materials of chemical industries. In this article, the patents and papers for development of commercial technology for feedstock recycling and high end products from PET wastes were collected and analyzed. The open patents of USA (US), European Union (EP), Japan (JP), and Korea (KR) and SCI journals from 1974 to 2013 were investigated. The patents and papers were collected using key-words and filtered by the definition of the technology. The patents and papers were analyzed by the years, countries, companies, and technologies and the technical trends were discussed in this paper.

The roles of sharing, transfer, and public funding in nanotechnology knowledge‐diffusion networks

Understanding the knowledge‐diffusion networks of patent inventors can help governments and businesses effectively use their investment to stimulate commercial science and technology development. Such inventor networks are usually large and complex. This study proposes a multidimensional network analysis framework that utilizes Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to simultaneously model knowledge‐sharing and knowledge‐transfer processes, examine their interactions, and evaluate the impacts of network structures and public funding on knowledge‐diffusion networks. Experiments are conducted on a longitudinal data set that covers 2 decades (1991–2010) of nanotechnology‐related US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) patents. The results show that knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer are closely interrelated. High degree centrality or boundary inventors play significant roles in the network, and National Science Foundation (NSF) public funding positively affects knowledge sharing despite its small fraction in overall funding and upstream research topics.

Semantics Empowered Web 3.0: Managing Enterprise, Social, Sensor, and Cloud-based Data and Services for Advanced Applications

After the traditional document-centric Web 1.0 and user-generated content focused Web 2.0, Web 3.0 has become a repository of an ever growing variety of Web resources that include data and services associated with enterprises, social networks, sensors, cloud, as well as mobile and other devices that constitute the Internet of Things. These pose unprecedented challenges in terms of heterogeneity (variety), scale (volume), and continuous changes (velocity), as well as present corresponding opportunities if they can be exploited. Just as semantics has played a critical role in dealing with data heterogeneity in the past to provide interoperability and integration, it is playing an even more critical role in dealing with the challenges and helping users and applications exploit all forms of Web 3.0 data. This book presents a unified approach to harness and exploit all forms of contemporary Web resources using the core principles of ability to associate meaning with data through conceptual or domain models and semantic descriptions including annotations, and through advanced semantic techniques for search, integration, and analysis. It discusses the use of Semantic Web standards and techniques when appropriate, but also advocates the use of lighter weight, easier to use, and more scalable options when they are more suitable. The authors' extensive experience spanning research and prototypes to development of operational applications and commercial technologies and products guide the treatment of the material. Table of Contents: Role of Semantics and Metadata / Types and Models of Semantics / Annotation -- Adding Semantics to Data / Semantics for Enterprise Data / Semantics for Services / Semantics for Sensor Data / Semantics for Social Data / Semantics for Cloud Computing / Semantics for Advanced Applications

National security challenges and competition: Defense and space R&D in the Chinese strategic context

Over the nearly six decades since the People's Republic of China (PRC) was established, the United States and China have followed very different political, military, and economic development paths. Yet, the approach each country is currently pursuing to enhance its military and commercial technology development, particularly in the defense and space areas, is becoming remarkably similar in many respects. This article outlines China's past and present strategies for developing defense and space capabilities, Beijing's phased approach to defense industrial and space R&D, and compares and contrasts these R&D efforts with the American approach. The article concludes with an assessment of the prospects for future US–China competition and/or cooperation in the realm of defense and space R&D.

Commercial Development of Stem Cell Technology: Lessons from the Past, Strategies for the Future

This paper presents historical and contemporary survey data on the commercial development of stem cell technology from the 1990s to the present day. We describe the first wave of industrial investment in hematopoietic stem cells during the 1990s and contrast this with the more recent expansion of the sector. In particular, we explore the cell types used, diseases targeted and business models adopted by firms. We conclude, by arguing that the commercial prospects for stem cell technologies remain highly uncertain and that innovative public policies should be adopted to prevent 'market failure'.

The emergence and diffusion of DNA microarray technology

The network model of innovation widely adopted among researchers in the economics of science and technology posits relatively porous boundaries between firms and academic research programs and a bi-directional flow of inventions, personnel, and tacit knowledge between sites of university and industry innovation. Moreover, the model suggests that these bi-directional flows should be considered as mutual stimulation of research and invention in both industry and academe, operating as a positive feedback loop. One side of this bi-directional flow – namely; the flow of inventions into industry through the licensing of university-based technologies – has been well studied; but the reverse phenomenon of the stimulation of university research through the absorption of new directions emanating from industry has yet to be investigated in much detail. We discuss the role of federal funding of academic research in the microarray field, and the multiple pathways through which federally supported development of commercial microarray technologies have transformed core academic research fields.Our study confirms the picture put forward by several scholars that the open character of networked economies is what makes them truly innovative. In an open system innovations emerge from the network. The emergence and diffusion of microarray technologies we have traced here provides an excellent example of an open system of innovation in action. Whether they originated in a startup company environment that operated like a think-tank, such as Affymax, the research labs of a large firm, such as Agilent, or within a research university, the inventors we have followed drew heavily on knowledge resources from all parts of the network in bringing microarray platforms to light.Federal funding for high-tech startups and new industrial development was important at several phases in the early history of microarrays, and federal funding of academic researchers using microarrays was fundamental to transforming the research agendas of several fields within academe. The typical story told about the role of federal funding emphasizes the spillovers from federally funded academic research to industry. Our study shows that the knowledge spillovers worked both ways, with federal funding of non-university research providing the impetus for reshaping the research agendas of several academic fields.

Controlled orientation of fibers in a glow discharge plasma

We have experimentally studied the behavior of nylon fibers in a low-pressure glow discharge. The orientation of fibers deposited onto a substrate can be controlled by changing the direction of the transverse plasma density gradient. These experimental results can serve as a basis for the development of novel commercial technologies.

Private sector development of stem cell technology and therapeutic cloning.

Based on data collected in June 2002, more than 30 biotechnology startup firms in 11 countries are pursuing commercial development of stem cell technology and therapeutic cloning. These firms employ 950-1000 scientists and support staff and spend just under $200 million on research and development each year. The field has the look and feel of a high-tech cottage industry, with about half the startups employing fewer than 15 FTEs (full time equivalents). Funding is mostly from venture capitalists and private investors. Participants are geographically dispersed, with about 40% of the activity outside the United States. Focus is equally split between embryonic and adult stem cells. Taken as a whole, both the structure and scope of the private sector in stem cell research seem appropriate to the promise and development time frames of this important new technology.

Larval development of the New Zealand geoduck Panopea zelandica (Bivalvia: Hiatellidae)

The larval development of the New Zealand geoduck, Panopea zelandica, grown under culture conditions, was described through measurements of shell morphometry using video image analysis, photomicrographs, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Gametes were stripped from ripe broodstock and eggs fertilised with a dilute sperm solution. Developing larvae were maintained at 17 ± 1°C. Fertilised eggs developed into trochophores within 12 h and to D‐stage larvae (105.3 μm shell length) within 24 h. Larvae spontaneously settled after c. 16 days at c. 247 μm shell length. Measurements of shell morphology, including total length, total height, hinge length, length of anterior end, and umbo length and height were adequate descriptors of larval development. SEM indicated that the provinculum of D‐stage and developing veliger larvae lacked any teeth, although there was some development of a small lamelliform tooth on the hinge structure of newly settled post‐larvae. Prominent spines common on dissoconch shells of other hiatellid clams were absent in newly settled post‐larvae of P. zelandica. The data presented here are the first description of the larval development and larval biology of P. zelandica. The relative ease of spawning and rearing of P. zelandica suggests that the development of commercial hatchery technology for this species warrants further investigation.

Chemistry and technology of 2‐alkenyl azlactones

AbstractThe chronology of 2‐alkenyl azlactone research at 3M is discussed in terms of its origination; consideration of economics, overall safety, and opportunities for patent protection; elaboration of the chemistry; and, finally, applying lessons learned toward the development of commercial technologies. The chemistry is dominated by the presence of three electrophilic reaction centers and a readily polymerizable 2‐alkenyl group. Technological development has been focused in four general areas: acrylamide monomers, acrylamide materials, azlactone materials, and polymer modification. Application areas disinclude lithographic printing plates, contact lens materials, adhesives, dispersants for printing inks, and supports for immobilizing enzymes. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3655–3677, 2001

Nontraditional methods for processing heavy petroleum feedstocks

The nontraditional methods of processing heavy petroleum feedstocks that have been examined in this article have gone through the stage of laboratory investigation. Further progress in this field will contribute to the development of competitive commercial technologies that will consume less energy and will be cleaner in terms of ecology.

Improving New Technology Commercialisation

The marketing literature clearly indicates that one activity which is highly associated with the successful commercial development of new technology is the involvement of potential customers in the process as intimately and as early as possible. This paper summarises the literature on the value of customer involvement and concludes that the process of "co-development" has extra merit. This is not, however, universally employed by new technology originator firms. This paper also explores the apparent barriers to the involvement of customers and found that, among other things, trust seems to be an essential element in allowing technology originators to enter into necessary relationships with potential customers. It is likely that participants in such joint developments had experienced a number of similar, trusting business relationships. Those who rated themselves as being unwilling to divulge confidential information with potential customers, which is essential to the process, seemed to have few other trusting business relationships. The methodology that was used to explore the question empirically is described together with the fieldwork that was conducted. A single industry, the electronics industry, was examined in one state of Australia. The industry comprises small and medium-sized enterprises who trade with customers locally, nationally and internationally. A sample of 15 companies in the industry, as well as some of their customers, were subjected to purposive, in-depth interviews. The findings are drawn from this relatively small pool of qualitative data and the limitations of the study, as well as the areas for further research, are indicated at the end of the paper.

Abstract: Evolution of New Technology for Downhole Geology 

ABSTRACT The petroleum industry has found that new technology can extend the life of reservoirs and even entire oil producing regions and is now asking for more. Although this demand is helping to accelerate technology development, major technology advances are generally evolutionary changes over long periods of time. Yet another challenge today is for a new technology to be cost effective and not just in terms of the oil or gas discovered. Thus, cooperation and alliances are ever-increasing avenues chosen to optimally achieve commercial technology objectives. The quest for new downhole geology technologies includes areas of physics that will allow more complete characterization of the rock cored, drilled and logged. Electromagnetic and magnetic measurements seem to be such an area. However, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is actually the culmination of nearly 40 years of research in electromagnetic technologies and their effects on fluids and rock properties that is now revealing basic properties, including microporosity and producibility data needed to optimally develop many discoveries. A relatively new entry in the evolutionary process of commercial technology development is the downhole well logging of magnetic reversals which may routinely provide chronostratigraphic data. Using older measurements in new ways is an important part of technology evolution. For example, standard electrical, nuclear and acoustical well logging measurements have been incorporated in logging-while-drilling (LWD) technologies. Even the acquisition of borehole electrical imagery and structural dip determination now possible while drilling are actually the result of dipmeter technology evolution that began more than 60 years ago. End_of_Record - Last_Page 656-------

America's Challenge

The author is U.S. ambassador to Japan. From my perspective as the U.S. ambassador to Japan, I would like to share a few thoughts about the direction in which I see U.S. science and technology (S&T) going and contrast it with what I see happening in Japan. Japan is often portrayed as being proficient at commercializing technologies, whereas the United States is seen as leading in research and development (R&D). This statement may be historically accurate, but today9s reality is different. A consensus has emerged among Japan9s Executive, Parliament, businesses, and academic institutions that Japan “must stop being a nation of technology followers and become a nation of technology innovators” in order to ensure its future economic well-being. One clear indicator of the seriousness of Japan9s R&D efforts is the level of spending. For several years, Japan has invested a larger percentage of its gross domestic product in R&D than has the United States. In July 1996, the Japanese cabinet approved a proposal to spend $155 billion on government S&T programs over the next 5 years, of which 95 percent is targeted at civilian technologies. As a result, Japanese government expenditures on civilian R&D have caught up with and will soon exceed U.S. funding in absolute terms. We should welcome Japan9s increased efforts. The United States has long encouraged Japan to invest more in its indigenous science capabilities, because Japan shares a responsibility to contribute to the world community9s intellectual reserve, particularly in areas such as health, disaster prevention, the environment, and energy. As Japan9s abilities increase, opportunities also increase for the United States to benefit from Japanese research in much the same way that Japan has gained from U.S. accomplishments. At the same time, however, as Japan addresses its relative weakness in basic research, the United States is on a path that will diminish our lead in S&T and constrict economic growth. Science in America today faces decreased federal support, the declining quality of our K-12 educational system, the inability of our budget process to deal with long-range international research projects, and declining interest on the part of our brightest young people in pursuing scientific careers. Will America respond to this challenge to its technological leadership with complacency or with greater efforts? Last year, I held a series of panel discussions at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo to review the S&T strategies of the United States and Japan. Among our conclusions was the not-so-startling fact that the primary advantage of the United States-the core of our economic competitiveness-is the unparalleled excellence of U.S. scientific research, undergirded by our entrepreneurial system. We as a country, and Congress in particular, must understand that R&D expenditures are an investment in the future and not a form of short-term consumption. We must recognize that the U.S. university research system is a technology generator for our entire country, creating new technologies that lead to new industries and good new jobs. Reduced funding for our research institutions undercuts our technological and economic leadership abroad and diminishes opportunities for Americans at home. Similarly, in the private sector, we must be careful not to squander our technological leadership. The Japanese are noted for their patience in the long-term development of markets and technological interests, but U.S. corporate traditions often favor short-term financial gain. We must keep our eyes on the long road ahead. We also must ensure that the process of commercial technology development and transfer proceeds fairly and honestly. Japanese firms are adept at acquiring our commercial technology, but we need a more symmetrical two-way technology flow. Finally, we must balance the flow of technology between the United States and Japan not by restricting the free flow of information in the United States, but by fostering a greater presence of our students, researchers, and industries in Japan in order to benefit from Japanese research accomplishments. America9s challenge is to welcome and respond to Japan9s S&T initiative. The two countries should not behave as adversaries but, like the Olympic athletes in Atlanta, as competitors who drive each other to higher levels of achievement for the benefit of all the world.