Mayor visits Fuxin tanning complex

China

Published:  28 July, 2010

Fuxin Leather Production Base is a newly established leather processing centre located in Liaoning province, Northern China. The local authority plan to build a modern leather complex for northern China.

Fuxin Mayor, Pan Liguo, is behind the development of an important leather processing base, and paid a visit to the area on July 22.
During his visit Mayor Pan visited the central effluent treatment centre, Richina in Fuxin, and Henxin Leather And Fur Co. The Mayor carried out the groundbreaking ceremony for Henxin Fur and urged the production base to improve and complete construction of the facilities and services system in order to attract other businesses.
When talking about the issues of environmental protection he stressed the balanced and coordinated development of Fuxin city with the development of a tanning cluster.
Source: www.chinaleather.org
www.leathermag.com

Ambur Open’ show inaugurated

India

Published:  28 July, 2010

On July 24, Ambur Open, a 2-day exhibition of footwear components, accessories and finished leather was inaugurated. The event took place at the newly built Ambur Trade Centre, Ambur and is about 3 hours from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Many large tanneries are located in the area. 120 companies exhibited in the first Ambur Open event.

The Ambur Trade Centre has been constructed with financial support from the government of India and industry. The centre consists of three floors with each floor having an area of 10,000 sq ft and contains an exhibition hall, convention centre, conference hall, a trading and testing centre, e-readiness centre and guest rooms for the visiting entrepreneurs and overseas buyers. The site is fully air-conditioned.
The centre will provide a platform for holding exhibitions, conferences, workshops and will also provide testing and training services to the leather industry in the region.
Ambur Open was officially opened by Durai Murugan, minister for law and prisons, government of Tamil Nadu, C Rajendran, district collector, Vellore and Mohamed Hashim Sahib, chairman, Indian Leather Industry Foundation.

Ecology and fashion at ACLE from Clariant

China

Published:  28 July, 2010

Clariant will show their cutting-edge performance- and ecology-focused technologies and product innovations on show at the 2010 All China Leather Exhibition in Shanghai. The show takes place September 1-3.

Visitors to Stand E10 Hall W2 will ‘Sense the Difference’ Clariant’s revolutionary new products and systems are making to improving performance and boosting manufacturing efficiency.

Following their strong commitment to always be ‘one shoe step ahead’, Clariant forecasts the autumn/winter 2011/2012 seasonal leather trends with an eye-catching new fashion collection. Clariant’s contributions to a greener world, by eliminating salt during tanning or developing NMP-free topcoats for example, will also be featured. From Wet End through to Finishing, the following highlights will be among the exciting innovations presented at the ACLE 2010.

Wet-end developments

Clariant continues to use leading edge technology in order to provide chemicals that meet today’s requirements for ecological, innovative and aesthetically pleasing leathers, while giving the tanner maximum added value and process simplicity.

Chrome-free leathers

Clariant introduces a step-change innovation in tanning with the forthcoming launch of a new technology that generates a leaner, faster and cleaner process than ever before. The process does not require a pickle stage and therefore eliminates the need for salt. This provides a more environmentally friendly and safer tanning process for a wide range of leather types such as shoe upper, hand bags, suede, automotive, garment, etc.

Nappa and sofa collections

Clariant offers Natural Nappa and Superb Sofa collections produced using its specialty retanning and fatliquoring systems, Tergotan PMB and Tergotan TSP. These intelligent polymer retanning agents deliver even softness, tightness and grain pattern. Tergotan
PO-60, a brand new development from Clariant, is a true retanning and softening polymer that gives superb softness / tightness when used as a replacement for conventional retanning agents and fatliquors. On a phenol and formaldehyde free basis, it can meet even the toughest ecological legislation. In combination with Clariant’s specialty fatliquoring systems featuring the new Derminol SO-31, a highly softening synthetic fatliquor, Clariant can offer total solutions for all nappa and sofa requirements.

Vegetable look and handling from chrome and chrome free substrates. To meet current market trends for vegetable type leathers Clariant presents a full range of new articles with that classical vegetable look and feel using our new specialty fatliquors: Derminol DDS and Derminol PUA. These products along with innovative processing techniques offer the tanner the opportunities to produce beautiful vegetable type articles with the simplicity and economy of traditional chrome leathers.

Finishing innovations

Clariant’s innovations for the topcoat market have been leading the way in offering NMP-free products that also improve aesthetics and physical performance. Clariant’s Aqualen topcoat range meets strict customer requirements without the use of Phthalates, Alkylphenolethoxylates, and NMP, and with very low VOC levels. These benefits support Finishers’ efforts to comply with current and future market specifications.

Clariant’s new topcoat system based on Aqualen Top DC-2050.B (dull) and Aqualen Top GC-2051.A (gloss) is a brand new development especially for soft leathers such as furniture leather or shoe upper nappas.

Both products can be mixed in any ratio in order to adjust the desired level of gloss or dullness. Common to both products and therefore the whole system is the very elegant optic achieved as a result of the softness, very high resistance to rubbing and flexing, no hardening even after long period of time, and a very natural appearance and pleasant feel.

Aqualen Top IL

To support the market’s drive for greater environmental care and trouble-free embossing and milling, Clariant’s new aqueous Aqualen Top IL provides an easy and effective intermediate lacquer for base coated leathers without the use of solvents.

Performing similarly to commonly-used emulsion lacquers in terms of plate release milling behavior, Aqualen Top IL only needs to be diluted with water before it is ready to be used as a substitute for intermediate coats based on nitro cellulose emulsion lacquers.

Elegant upgrading

Elegant upgrading continues to play an important role in today’s leather manufacture. The importance of cutting yield and increased profitability are still at the forefront of Clariant’s finishing developments. As one of the market leaders in specialty chemicals and in upgrading technologies, Clariant offers its customers complete tailor-made solutions with real benefits.

Finishing techniques for upgrading using Melio^® Aquabase and Melio Ground systems provide solutions for the low grade raw materials currently available and meet the current requirements of the market. In particular, customers can take advantage of the outstanding upgrading and natural looks obtained with Clariant’s highly innovative cationic prebase compound Melio Ground UP.

Melio Aquabase technique – to cover hide defects

This new innovative development is used to cover deep defects, in order to make them invisible after finishing. Melio Aquabase M-90 is applied by hand with a spatula. The application is extremely simple due to its special composition which allows application without drying too quickly and enables buffing without smearing. Melio Aquabase M-90 is suitable for a wide range of leathers, including automotive, shoe upper and upholstery leathers.

Beautiful rich wax effects and versatility for both shoe and upholstery styles. Clariant offers a new water-based wax with excellent burnishability along with high gloss and a natural waxy touch that make it suitable for both shoe and upholstery leathers. Clariant’s new Melio 06-F-88 gives versatility and ease of use to the finisher.

Two new developments complement Clariant’s already outstanding aqueous topcoat systems. Melio WF-5238, a highly concentrated silicone with a luxurious smooth feel which also improves physical properties of aqueous topcoats, and Melio WF-5243, an additive with a natural pleasant feel and the ‘wet touch’ which now features strongly in customer requirements.

Supronil HK dyes

Discover Clariant’s very well established Supronil HK range, a complete range of versatile colors suited to today’s fashion demands.

Critical Ocean Organisms Are Disappearing

The number of marine phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms that gobble greenhouse gases and directly or indirectly feed every animal in the ocean, has been declining by about 1% per year, according to a new study. If the trend continues, it could decimate ocean food chains and accelerate global warming.
Researchers know that phytoplankton numbers have been dropping for the past 30 years. Satellite images show a decline in the concentration of chlorophyll—a green pigment that helps phytoplankton photosynthesize. But because satellites have been collecting data only since the late 1970s, scientists couldn't determine whether this drop was a long-term trend or just a fluke.
To get a more comprehensive record of phytoplankton numbers, Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, and colleagues dug into old shipboard records from sailors who had studied the ocean as far back as 1900. In those days, sailors used a tool called a Secchi disk to gauge how clear the ocean was. They weren't trying to measure phytoplankton, but they inadvertently did because chlorophyll clouds the water.
When Worm and colleagues combined the satellite data, the early shipboard records, and direct measurements of chlorophyll made from the 1950s onward, they found that the recent dip in phytoplankton wasn't a passing phase. It had been happening in most parts of the ocean for more than a century. On average, the planet has lost 1% of its phytoplankton every year since 1900, the team reports in the 29 July issue of Nature.
"You compound that over a century, this becomes a huge, huge decline," says Paul Falkowski, an oceanographer at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, who was not part of the study. Indeed, Worm's team estimates that phytoplankton numbers have plummeted 40% since 1950.
What's more, the team found that phytoplankton numbers were more likely to dwindle in areas of the ocean that were warming, suggesting that climate change is responsible for the drop.
The loss of phytoplankton is a huge problem for marine food chains, says Worm, because every creature in the ocean either eats phytoplankton or eats other organisms that depend on it. If their numbers start to decrease, the populations of these species would drop as well. "The rest of the food web would basically contract," he says.
Even more chilling to marine biologist Anthony Richardson of the University of Queensland in Australia is the potential impact on our atmosphere. The ocean absorbs 40% of the CO₂ humans emit. Phytoplankton, in turn, convert that CO₂ into oxygen or die and bury it at the bottom of the ocean. If the phytoplankton are disappearing, Richardson says, "the ocean as a carbon sink is declining, and what that means is ultimately more CO₂ will stay in the atmosphere instead of being dissolved in the ocean." That will translate into a warmer world, which will wipe out even more phytoplankton.
The study has its drawbacks. The older shipboard data weren't collected with nearly as much regularity as the satellite data, notes marine biologist Mike Behrenfeld of Oregon State University, Corvallis. Still, marine biologist David Siegel of the University of California, Santa Barbara, says that given the sporadic records, Worm and colleagues have constructed a solid report. "They've squeezed as much as possibly can be squeezed out of this data set."
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/

Argos insurer issue lawsuit against leather company United Kingdom

Published:  26 July, 2010

Insurers acting for UK retailer Argos have launched a £13 million ($19.4 million) lawsuit against a Northamptonshire leather company in a dispute over the so-called toxic sofas imported from China.

It emerged on July 21 that Argos have mounted a compensation battle against Leather Trade House Ltd, based in Kings Park Road, Moulton Park.
According to a High Court writ, the Northampton firm claimed to be a leading independent leather technology centre with expertise in restricted substances and chemicals. Argos paid it £750 ($1100) in October 2004 to become a member of Leather Trade House and allegedly gave the company two orders for compliance costing £10,000 ($14,900) each as well as discussing problems with mould and fat on leather furniture imported from China.
The retailer then used packs of an anti-mould agent, dimethyl fumarate (DMF) stapled into the wooden frames of the furniture to prevent them going moldy during shipment to the UK.
The writ states Argos forwarded samples of the DMF sachets to Leather Trade House in November 2005, but claims a Leather Trade House analyst failed to carry out proper checks, and allegedly claimed the substance was safe and used in the food industry as a preservative.
But it is alleged the analyst had looked at a website which was not a scientific or research site, but an internet trading site which has since been taken down. Argos says Leather Trade House should not have advised it to continue using the sachets, nor advised that it was safe to use.
Customers who subsequently bought the leather sofas from Argos suffered severe allergic reactions to toxic sachets containing dimethyl fumarate concealed within the furniture. About 4,475 people are now suing a number of furniture retailers, with around 1,840 claims against Argos, in a consolidated legal action worth up to £20m ($30 million) and believed to be the biggest consumer litigation in British legal history. Many claim they have suffered skin and severe eye irritation.
Argos is suing Leather Trade House for £12.98 million for breach of contract and duty, and an indemnity against the costs of the court action by the individual customers affected in the UK and Ireland. It is also seeking damages for the cost of contacting customers, picking up and disposing of the contaminated furniture, investigation costs including trips to China, damages to its reputation, and loss of profits.
Paul Pearson, company secretary, Leather Trade House, told Leather International that they had been advised by their legal team not to discuss the lawsuit at the moment.
In a statement on the BLC website it says the following. ‘It should be noted that BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd is not subject to the litigation action brought by Argos Insurers against Leather Trade House Ltd recently reported in the media.’

Blinded by the X-ray Light

by Ken Croswell on July 14, 2010 4:24 PM |

Credit: NASA/Swift/Stefan Immler

Modern telescopes are optimized to ferret out the faintest sources, but that spells trouble when a dazzling explosion erupts. On 21 June, a dying star in a distant galaxy unleashed a siren song of x-rays so intense it briefly blinded the x-ray telescope aboard NASA's orbiting Swift observatory. At its peak, the burst slammed the telescope with 143,000 x-ray photons per second, making it the brightest x-ray burst ever seen beyond the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies. The intense radiation was part of a gamma-ray burst that lasted a minute and which marked the death of a massive star transmogrifying itself into a black hole. Not surprisingly, the brightest celestial x-ray source is our sun, but that's hardly fair competition, since it's so close. In contrast, the June burst arose from a star located 5 billion light-years away—300 trillion times more distant than the sun.

US interset in Pak- Afghan Dialoge on strategic ' interset of India

WASHINGTON: The US envoy Richard Holbrooke has welcomed the recent improvement in Pak-Afghan ties and asserted that the efforts in this direction were part of a policy to reduce the historic gap between Islamabad and Kabul while taking into account India's strategic interests.

"In fact, (the Pak) General (Ashfaq Pervez) Kayani and (the Afghanistan) President (Hamid) Karzai, as you just said, have begun to have a dialogue. That is a good thing, not a bad thing," Holbrooke said in an interview.

"As long as they had no dialogue, you couldn't get anywhere. The previous administration in Washington made no successful efforts at this," he said.

He said the American commanding general of ISAF and NATO representatives, along with General McChrystal, were also present during the Kayani-Karzai meeting.

"I'm sure General Petraeus will continue to play the same role, if not more so. I've talked to David (Petraeus) about that," Holbrooke said.

He said these efforts were part of the Obama administration's policy of bringing Afghanistan and Pakistan closer and enable them to work together, and at the same time not to harm India's strategic interests in the country.

India has been a major contributor in the rebuilding programmes in post-war Afghanistan, but Pakistan has resented India's growing involvement in the country.

"We have a policy here which is to try to reduce the gap between Islamabad and Kabul, a historic gap which goes back to the independence of Pakistan 63 years ago, and to make them work together for a common objective while taking into account the strategic interests of India and other regional neighbours," he said.

"It's a tough, difficult policy, but it is the only one that meets our regional and international, national security interests," Holbrooke said.

He pointed out that among the Taliban leadership, some people were reconcilable, but some were not.

"The United States has had no direct contact with any of the Taliban leadership, but we read constantly, we hear constantly of other groups in touch. We support a policy in which the Afghan government of President Karzai takes the lead," Holbrooke said.

Shrinking Temperature of Leather

The change of area is tested by exposing the leather to boiling water. A so-called "boiling test" is performed
at the end of tannage for wet chrome-tanned leathers. Dry leathers are first soaked in water at 20 ± 2 °C for one hour.
Determinarion afthe degree af shrinkage:
Leather samples of exactly 10 x 10 em are prepared and the outlines drawn on paper or preferably on graph paper. Then the leather sample is immersed in boiling \vater for exactly 1 minute and after shon draining placed onto the paper with the previously drawn outlines. The loss of area compared to the original sample is determined by plainmetering. It is indicated as % degree of shrinkage.

This test determines the temperatures at which leather begins to shrink under the action of damp heat.

Shrinkinge temperatures and types of tannage:
 Chrome leather                                       90-100 °C
 Vegetably/synthaically tanned leather       70-85   C
 Aluminium/iron !ealher                             70-80  °C
 Aldehyde leather                                     75-85   C
 Chamois leather                                      65-70   C
 Alum/Glace leather                                  70-75   C


The resistance of leather to higher temperatures varies considerably depending on the type of tannage.
Damage caused by shrinkage is irreversible in most cases.In vegetably tanned leathers.temperature exceeding
45 degree C may darken the tanning color and impair distension of grain up even before shrinkage.

 Determination of The shrinking temperature
  A strip of length 50 mm is cut Out to be tested, If the leather is max. 3 , strip is 3 mm wide, if the
  thickness exceeds 3 mm the strip is 2 mm wide. Two small punched into the ends of the strip. hooks. 350 ± 10 ml of warm. distill water filled into a 500 ml glass vessel (inside diameter 70 ± 2 mm), and the vessel is placed (80~IOO watt output) which heat slowly by 2. °C per minute. The vertical thermometer with a measuring range  50 - 105°C (maximum deviation circular dial with pointer and a rigid which a thread is led. To tighten the thread a 3 g weight is fixed to the outer end and the strip of  leather to the other end. A magnectic stirrer is connected to heat the water evenly. When the leather clearly starts to get warped or to shorten the temperature is read off and is indicated as «shrinking temper-Jture".

Marine Creatures Survived Ancient Ocean Acidification

Researchers studying an ancient episode of high ocean acidity have discovered that a group of marine creatures living at the time adapted to the change in water chemistry. But the findings may provide little comfort for scientists worried about ocean conditions today, which are changing much more quickly.
About 120 million years ago, during the early part of the Cretaceous period, a series of massive volcanic eruptions pumped huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂)into Earth's atmosphere. The air's CO₂ content rose to about twice today's level. Eventually, the oceans absorbed much of that CO₂, which significantly increased the water's acidity. The change reduced the amount of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the water, making it more difficult for creatures such as some kinds of plankton to form shells. Ocean pH returned to normal after about 160,000 years.
Micropaleontologist Elisabetta Erba of the University of Milan in Italy, and geochemist Helmut Weissert of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland, wanted to gauge how the high acidity affected the ancient marine ecosystem. They examined fossils from ancient ocean sediments at two drill sites—one from a now-above-ground formation in northern Italy and the other from deep water in the mid-Pacific Ocean. "The Pacific Ocean was the only big ocean at that time," Erba says. In particular, they studied the numbers and condition of fossilized specimens of calcareous nannoplankton, the microscopic ancestors of modern plankton. The creatures' shells consist mostly of CaCO₃ and therefore could reveal their overall health and the state of the ocean's chemistry.

Reporting in tomorrow's issue of Science, Erba, Weissert, and colleagues reveal that the effects on the nannoplankton varied. As acidity increased, for example, the tiny skeletons of some species became malformed, other species shrank, and some died out altogether. Most striking, most nannoplankton seemed to adapt to acidification.
The study produced a second surprise. The acidification occurred progressively, from the surface down to deep waters. That's something unseen today, Weissert says, "perhaps or probably because it will take a long time to happen."
It's a "very important paper [that] provides state-of-the-art understanding of the effects of massive amounts of CO₂ in the oceans," says marine geologist Timothy Bralower of Pennsylvania State University, University Park. The difference today is that the rate of CO₂ increase "is far faster than anything we see in the ancient geologic record," he says. "The big question is whether modern species will be able to adapt to what I expect will be much more rapid pH reduction in coming centuries."

The city peace has disturbed by target killing

Targeted killings in city: MQM, ANP not involved: Malik

By Razzak Abro

KARACHI: Neither the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) nor the Awami National Party (ANP) are involved in targeted killings in Karachi, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Saturday.

Malik was speaking at a press conference held at the Sindh Chief Minister’s House soon after holding separate meetings with the officials of the Sindh government and the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh.

He supported MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s previously expressed apprehension regarding the city witnessing Talibanisation, and said a third element was behind the targeted killings.

Malik, Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza appealed to the political parties, especially the MQM and the ANP leaderships, not to accuse each other for incidents of targeted killings.

He held the government responsible for identifying the real culprits involved in the murders, and asked the media to avoid declaring all incidents as targeted killings without confirmation.

“The government will take action against the terrorists at any cost, and it does not care whether it remains in power or not,” he said.

He added that the government would pursue the terrorists even if they crossed the border, and would apprehend them by asking for Interpol’s assistance.

He said he had directed the Rangers officials to increase deployment of their personnel in most of the affected areas of the city.

All the mobile phone companies have been directed not to issue SIM cards directly to the consumers, and send them at their residential addresses after verifying their computerised national identity cards through the National Database Registration Authority, he added.

He also said information through mobile phones was acceptable as evidence in the court, and the government would reward the people who provide information or photographs in connection with the incidents of crime and terrorism.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani have also expressed concern over the incidents of targeted killings in the city, he added.

He further said Gilani had assured all-out help including financial aid to combat the incidents of murders.

China has assured to provide loan on soft terms, and the government has planned to install closed-circuit television cameras on all the highways to monitor the activities of the criminals, he added.

Malik said the government was aware of the situation wherein the criminals are acquitted by the courts due to lack of evidence.

In this regard, the government is working on introducing necessary amendments in the Anti-Terrorism Act and Criminal Procedure Code, Malik added. He said the government was already working on steps to deweaponise the country and rid it of illegal arms.

He also emphasised the need to revise the policy of licensed arms.

Judicial probe of targeted killings: The Sindh CM announced conducting a judicial probe of incidents of targeted killings in the city.

He said a judicial commission would be established and given 30 days to submit its report.

He also announced a reward of Rs 5 million for those who provide video films of the recent targeted killings.

He termed “outsiders” responsible for trying to disturb the peace in the city and attempting to destabilise it.

Responding to a question, he said the Pakistan People’s Party government was in constant touch with the MQM and the ANP leaderships.

ANALYZING THE ROAD DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN,THE EXISTING SITUATION OF ROADS.

 At the time of inception of Pakistan in 1947, the road situation was very precarious here. The total length of all kinds of roads at that time was 20,238 Km. in the country and out of which 8,130 Km. were the highways and remainder were non-metaled (Karachi) roads. The road mileage which was needed at the time' for transferring the people and goods were very few and they were also in very bad condition.In the light of this situation, a conference was convened  in 1949 at Karachi ,for chalking out the road development programme.During 19·1S· 35, a sum of Rs. 380 million was spent on construction of new roads due to which the length of metaled roads increased to 30,735 Km. During 1955-60

(The first Five Year Plan period), the length of roads increased to 30,885 Km. by spending Rs. 200 million.During the 3rd. Five Year Plan period, a sum of Rs. 595 million were spent on the construction of roads due to which the roads mileage increased to 35,008 and during the same period 2,900 Km. existing roads were repaired. Similarly, the :ontinued to develop till 2003.

Exiting SITUATION:

During 2003-04, the total length of roads in Pakistan 255,856 Km. out of which 157,975 Km. are highways 97,881 Km. are the common roads.
The total length of roads in 1990-91 was 170,823 Km. which increased to 256,168 Km in 2002-03 and 255,856 Km. in 2003-04. The totallength of high class roads was increased by 3.1 percent 2002-03 but length of common roads was decreased . per cent which means that common roads were converted into high class roads. This could be possible due to implementation of Khush Hal
 Pakistan Programme.During 1990-91 and 2003-04,annual increase in the road mileage in Pakistan can be shown by the table given below:
LENGTH OF ROADS IN PAKISTAN    
        Kilometers    
       
Financial Years   HIGHWAYS       COMMON ROADS              TOTAL LENGTH
                      length % change             length % change                length % change

1990-91       86,839         -          83,984     -                                170,823    
1991-92       95,374       9.8        87,335     4.0                             182,709      7.0
1992-93       99,083       3.7        90,238     3.3                             189,321      3.6
1993-94       104,001     5.0        92,816     2.9                             196,817      4.0
1994-95       111,307     7.0        96,338     3.8                             207,645      5.5
1995-96       118,428     6.4        99,917     3.7                             218,345      5.2
1996-97       126,117     6.5       103,478    3.6                             229,595      5.2
1997-98       133,462     5.8        107,423    3.8                            240,885      4.9
1998-99       137,552     2.9      110,132      2.5                            247,484       2.7
1999-00       138,200     0.6      110,140      0.0                            248,340       0.3
2000-01       144,652     4.7      105,320     -4.4                           294,972        0.7
2001-02       148,8n      2.9       102,784      -2.4                           251,661       0.7
2002-03       153,225     2.9      98,943-      -3.7                           252,168        0.2
2003-04       157,975     3.1      97,881       -1.1                           255,856        1.4
Ministry of Communications            

NATIONAL HIGHWAY AUTHORITY:

There are 18 highways connecting the provinces of Pakistan are called 'National Highways' including Motor way also. All these highways are under the control of National Highway Authority. The total length of the highwayunder NHA is 8,885 Km. These highways are just 3.5 per cent the total length of all types of roads in Pakistan but 90 per cent of commercial load of the country is borne by these highways. The success of Deep Sea port Gawadar depends on the connection of Northern Areas with this Port.
National Highway Authority aims at connecting the Gawadar Port to the lands of the country via Afghanistan and Khuzdar.

Australia, Antarctica Linked by Climate

Researchers have found an intriguing climate link between the southwestern corner of Australia and a region of eastern Antarctica. When the former suffers a drought, the latter is often battered with heavy snowfalls. More provocative: Several climate models suggest that human activity could be strengthening the connection.
The scientists noticed the link after nearly 30 years of studying Antarctic ice cores extracted from Law Dome, an ice field near Cape Poinsett, which lies almost exactly south of the southwestern tip of Australia. There they found evidence that the area had been experiencing abnormally large amounts of snowfall for several decades. They also knew that southwestern Australia had been suffering from severe droughts for approximately the same time.

So the researchers--climate scientists Tas van Ommen and Vin Morgan of the Australian Antarctic Division in Tasmania--examined the ice-core records from Law Dome going back 750 years. Then they compared the ice-core records with meteorological records to gauge precipitation patterns in southwestern Australia, as well as atmospheric circulation patterns in the Southern Hemisphere for the past 4 decades. As they report online this week in Nature Geoscience, about 40% of the rainfall variations in southwestern Australia were mirrored by snowfall variations at Law Dome. "The connection really stood out," van Ommen says.
More intriguing, the Law Dome snowfall patterns seem to have intensified over the past several decades. The pattern, van Ommen says, is "so unusual that we believe it lies outside the range of natural variation." Because of the link to southwestern Australia, he adds, "the implication is that the drought could be similarly unusual."
Indeed, climate models predict such an anomaly when humanmade carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions over the last century are factored in. According to the models, higher levels of CO₂, coupled with reductions in atmospheric ozone, create an atmospheric circulation pattern in the Southern Ocean that brings drier air to the farming regions of southwestern Australia and heavier snows to Law Dome. But as the models show, by boosting CO₂ and cutting ozone, the normal cycles can be cut, and that is what seems to be happening now.
It's "a very solid piece of evidence" for the influence of human activity on regional climates, says climate scientist James White of the University of Colorado, Boulder. "Can very odd climate just happen at a time when we humans are also causing unusual climate change?" asks White, who specializes in arctic research. "I wouldn't bet the farm on it."
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/

Earth as an Extrasolar Planet

Somewhere in the Milky Way, astronomers have found a world that sports crucial ingredients for life. When they trained a high-resolution spectrograph on starlight reflected from the planet's moon, they picked up traces of ozone, oxygen, sodium, and nitrogen. Alas, the planet is Earth. But the researchers say a similar technique could be used to find signatures of life on planets orbiting other stars.

Astronomers have discovered hundreds of planets beyond our solar system, but they know very little about them. Telescopic surveys usually reveal just basic information about an extrasolar planet's minimum mass, its distance from its parent star, and whether it is likely to be gassy or rocky, like Earth.

To learn more about these alien worlds, astronomers have taken advantage of a phenomenon called stellar occultation. When a planet transits, or passes between its star and Earth, components of the planet's atmosphere subtract some wavelengths from the star's light and add others. By training a spectrograph on this light, scientists can tease out the composition of the planet's atmosphere. In 2001, astronomers led by David Charbonneau of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, used the technique to detect sodium in the atmosphere of a "hot Jupiter" orbiting a star 150 light-years from Earth.

But no one knew if the approach would work with a much smaller, Earthlike world. Astrophysicist Alfred Vidal-Madjar and colleagues at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris decided to test the idea on the most Earthlike world they could find: Earth. To treat Earth like an extrasolar planet, the researchers looked at the sunlight filtered through Earth's atmosphere during a partial lunar eclipse in 2008. In a lunar eclipse, Earth passes between the sun and the moon. The moon's-eye view of sunlight when that happens best replicates what can be seen when an extrasolar planet passes in front of its parent star, says Vidal-Madjar.

Using SOPHIE, a high-resolution spectrograph attached to the Observatoire de Haute Provence's 1.93-meter telescope in southern France, the researchers successfully detected ozone, oxygen, nitrogen, and sodium in the reflected light from Earth's atmosphere. "The surprise was that we succeeded with extremely sparse observations under relatively bad weather conditions," Vidal-Madjar says. "But seeing how easily oxygen was seen strongly argues in favor of high-spectral-resolution searches [of Earthlike extrasolar planets]." The team reports its findings in a paper accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

"This is an important paper," Charbonneau says. "Many of us have great hopes for the use of this method to make the first honest search for life outside the solar system." That's going to be tricky, says planetary scientist James Kasting of Pennsylvania State University, University Park. "The [French team] has done a nice job," he says, "but it is very difficult to get a transit spectrum of an Earthlike planet in the habitable zone of its parent star." The problem, Kasting notes, is that Earthlike worlds would have thin atmospheres, which would be hard to detect, and their small size makes them harder to catch during an occultation.

Those odds may improve if the European Space Agency launches its PLATO (Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars) mission in 2017, which should give astronomers a complete atlas of transiting planets within some 300 light-years. Vidal-Madjar says he and colleagues will be waiting to see if they'll have as much luck with these planets as they've had with Earth.
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/

Major brand suppliers switch to Indonesia

Indonesia
Published: 23 July, 2010

Indonesia’s footwear industry has won an investment of US$550m from six Taiwanese and South Korean footwear manufacturers who are relocating their plants from China and Vietnam, according to the Indonesian Shoes Association (Aprisindo).

The relocation, mainly to East Java, has been prompted by rising labour costs and raw material issues in China and Vietnam, and is expected to finish within this current year.

In all, six manufacturers are outsourcing a significant amount of shoes and products for world famous brands, including Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Geox.

Among these manufacturers, four Taiwanese firms who produce shoes for Nike and Reebok are completing their relocation with a total investment capital of $400m. In the meantime, two South Korean producers based in Vietnam, who outsource for Adidas and Geox, will invest $150m in Indonesia.

‘Geox was targeted to produce up to 100,000 pairs of shoes per month, while Adidas would produce up to 850,000 pairs of shoes until the end of 2010’, Eddy Widjanarko, chairman of Aprisindo said.

‘In January 2011, Adidas is targeted to produce 1.2m pairs of shoes per month’, he added.

Aprisindo said further footwear manufacturers are expected to relocate to Indonesia over the next few years, but that current electricity tariff hiking will hamper further investment.

Source: chinaleather.org

National vocational and technical education commission

  In collaboration with recognized technical institutes NAVTEC offers free technical courses for non skilled and unemployed people. In this way the following courses are being held at National Institute of Leather Technology  

The detail of free courses in leather are given below

S. No	Courses	Duration	Date of course starts
1	Certificate in leather processing	3 months	July, 08 2010
2	Certificate in quality control/assurance	3 months	July, 08 2010
3	Certificate in leather goods	3 months	July, 08 2010
4	Certificate in leather garments Pattern making	3 months	July, 08 2010
5	Certificate in leather garments cutting Technology	3 months	July, 08 2010

Important information

1.       All courses are free no fee no charges further more the selective applicant  will be given a scholarship of 2000 PKR/ month the minimum qualification of above courses is metric

2.       The applicant age must be in between 18 to 35 years  the minimum attendance must be 80 %

3.       The people from Baluchistan, Fata  and earth quick effected areas are preferable

4.       The applicant must submit an under taking to prove that they are unemployed

5.       With the application form academic certificate, marks sheets, attested  photo copy of NIC 1 passport size photo must be attached

Send your application at the following address

In charge NAVTEC program National Institute of Leather Technology Plot ST-20 Sector 7/A

Korangi Industrial Area Karachi.

   Test Date 27/07/2010 Interview Date 28/07/2010

The successful applicant name list will be available at NILT on 03/08/2010

For further information and detail visit 

www.navtec.gov.pk 

Fashion Forecast Autumn Winter 2011-2012

Shafi Reso held Fashion Forecast show at National Institute of Leather technology Korangi Karachi Pakistan .
Shafi Reso-Chem is committed to provide its customers "0ne Stop Solution" where our customers find us at their disposal. Continuing our commitment, this year also we have decided to bring all the latest articles in fashion,to your nearest doorstep, so that you can easily review & discuss all articles with full devotion, satisfaction and confidentiality. We aim to unleash the styles, trends, and colours, forecast for Autumn & Winter 2011-2012. This article forecast has been developed with assistance of top Italian fashion designers.
We look forward to meet you on 29th July 2010.

Program Schedule

Thursday the 29th July 2010 at National Institute of leather Technology (NILT) Plot # ST - 20,
Sector 7 /A, K. I. T. E., Karachi Timing: 12:00 p.m. on 04:00 p.m.

SHAFf RESO-CHEM
Reported By Kamran Arif  (Tannery Engineer MMSC)

Planned Trial of Diabetes Drug Avandia Runs Aground

Diabatic Drug
Anti-diabetic drugs treat diabetes mellitus by lowering glucose levels in the blood. With the exceptions of insulin, exenatide, and pramlintide, all are administered orally and are thus also called oral hypoglycemic agents or oral antihyperglycemic agents. There are different classes of anti-diabetic drugs, and their selection depends on the nature of the diabetes, age and situation of the person, as well as other factors.
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a disease caused by the lack of insulin. Insulin must be used in Type I, which must be injected or inhaled.
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a disease of insulin resistance by cells. Treatments include (1) agents which increase the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas, (2) agents which increase the sensitivity of target organs to insulin, and (3) agents which decrease the rate at which glucose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
Several groups of drugs, mostly given by mouth, are effective in Type II, often in combination. The therapeutic combination in Type II may include insulin, not necessarily because oral agents have failed completely, but in search of a desired combination of effects. The great advantage of injected insulin in Type II is that a well-educated patient can adjust the dose, or even take additional doses, when blood glucose levels measured by the patient, usually with a simple meter, as needed by the measured amount of sugar in the blood.
A large study to test the safety of the controversial diabetes drug Avandia has been put on partial hold by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA held a hearing on the safety of Avandia last week. Some scientists argue that the drug persistently, if modestly, increases the risk of heart attacks in diabetes patients. But other scientists, as well as the drug's maker, GlaxoSmithKline, challenge those results. The TIDE trial was designed to clear up lingering doubts about the drug but would take at least 6 years to complete. And today, FDA informed Glaxo that it was not allowed to enroll any new patients in TIDE, although patients already enrolled can continue.

Asian consumers help Hermes

France

Published:  22 July, 2010

Hermes, the French maker of luxury leather handbags and silk scarves, raised its 2010 revenue forecast after second-quarter sales increased faster than analysts estimated on demand in Asia.

Full-year revenue may grow as much as 12%, excluding currency swings, Paris-based Hermes said today. The 173-year-old company in March forecast revenue would gain at least 5%.
Demand for luxury goods is accelerating as Chinese shoppers buy more high-end clothing and accessories, and US and European retailers replenish inventories after the recession. Hermes sales gained 23% in the first half and the company said operating profit rose at a faster pace, helped by growth in high-margin products such as textiles, leather wear and watches.
Hermes shares gained 3.6%, to 118.95 euros at close of trading in Paris on July 21. The stock has risen 27% this year, giving the company a market value of 12.6 billion euros ($16.2 billion).

Over the year, the operating margin is expected to widen by at least one percentage point compared with 2009, depending on currencies, Hermes said.
The pace of sales growth in the first six months will not be sustained in the second half, Hermes said in the statement. The second quarter was beyond expectations, leading to the higher full-year sales growth target, the company said. The target does not take into account economic factors that could significantly alter the business environment, Hermes also said.
Second-quarter revenue jumped 57% in Asia, excluding Japan, where sales gained 10%, Hermes said. Sales increased 20% in Europe and 36% in the Americas. Hermes plans to open or renovate about 20 stores this year, including a new boutique on Rue de Sevre s in Paris.
Sales of leather goods increased 32%, while revenue from silk ties and scarves gained 24%, Hermes said. Apparel sales climbed 26%. Revenue rose 36% for watches and 17% for perfumes. Sales of both product lines were hurt last year as third-party distributors ran down inventories. Tableware sales slipped 2.2%.
Sales of apparel, accessories, fragrances and watches will probably recover this year, particularly in the company’s own stores, CEO, Patrick Thomas said in March. Leather items as a percentage of sales will fall to 45% predicts Thomas.
www.leathermag.com

ScienceShot: Tiny Amphibian, Long Life

Credit: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

It may be tiny, slimy, and blind, but the human fish has one thing going for it: It's one of the longest-lived animals around. Named for its fleshy color, the popsicle-sized amphibian, also known as the olm (Proteus anguinus) or the cave salamander, can live to be more than 100 and has an average life span of 69 years.

That's about three times older than expected for its weight, researchers report online tomorrow in Biology Letters, as larger species tend to live longer. The team suggests that the human fish's unusual life span might be the result of an inactive lifestyle: The creatures don't move around much, and they reproduce only once every 12 years. Although, with looks like that, who could blame them?

Cotance to hold round table leather news

Europe

Published:  21 July, 2010

Entitled: ‘Corium – Quo vadis?’ - Perspectives for Leather Markets - the Cotance 2010 round table will take place in Bologna on October 11, prior to the Lineapelle exhibition. The event gathers the tanning sector’s key industrial players, their suppliers and customers, academia, governmental and political authorities and high-level civil servants.

Participants are selected on their perceived capacity to influence the sector’s governance, a kind of summit for the European leather business community. The round table focuses on the market perspectives for leather and leather products in Europe and at international level as the sector re-emerges from the recession that hit the global economy towards the end of 2008.
Attendance is by invitation only. However a limited number of seats will be offered upon registration to Cotance before the event. An admission fee of 100 euros will be requested. If you are interested in taking part in the round table, please download the pre-registration form, on the Cotance website - www.euroleather.com. You will receive confirmation of your registration by early September.

VIP Leather Garment started its new  tannery unit
 Pakistan 21 July 2010
VIP Leather is one of the largest leather garment exporter of Pakistan their leather garment business is
in Sialkot. They have purchased a new tannery in sector 7/A Korangi Industrial Area Karachi. Their new tannery units started production of leather garment. They have appointed Sarfaraz as leather Technician in beam house production and Mr. Shakeel as production manager.

Clariant rolling road shows India

Published:  20 July, 2010

The Leather Services Business of Clariant Chemicals (India) have rolled out the spring/summer 2011 leather collection across southern India. In June the road show visited Chennai and Ranipet, while in the road show hit Kanpur, Jalandhar and Kolkata followed by other key cities. It is a perfect platform to display Clariant’s Melioderm dyes to the leather manufacturers.

P Rajasekaran, head of Leather Services Business in India says, ‘the show helped the promotion of new fashion predictions from Clariant for the spring/summer 2011 season on shoe uppers. Leather collections on cow, buffalo, sheep and goat leather on the new exotic themes of Country Cousins, Bohemian Rhapsody, Primeval Spirit and Latin Lovers were the centre of attraction.’
They also presented Melioderm dyes on cow nubucks and full chrome/semi chrome suede garment leathers as well as their global colour trends and other new developments.
Buyers also got fresh updates on the technical and global environment regulations. They had a chance to explore the leather fashion concepts and obtain a clear picture of the 2011 spring – summer stock that they could showcase to their customers.
The autumn/winter 2011-12 shades have now been released. The fashion leathers will be displayed at all the leather centers in India during August 2010.

THE DENSITY OF POPULATION SITUATION IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF PAKISTAN.

The concept of Density of Population expresess
functional relationship between population and available
resources. Geographists use the term 'Density of Population for measuring this mutual relationship and for this mutual relationship and for this purpose they use the foHiwng formula:
                                    Total existing populatic
Density of population =-------------------------------
                                     Total area of the regior

Density increases and decreases with the' increase and decrease of population in a particular area.
CLASSIFICATION OF DESNSITY:
The density of population in the different district

Pakistan can be classified into the following kinds:
1. MOST THICKLY POPULATED DISTRICTS:
Three districts in Pakistan are mostly thickly populated first Karachi, second Lahore and third Peshawar
and CharSadda. District Karachi is mostly densly populated due to industrial center and the only international port. Density of Karachi Centera! is 33013.5 persons per sqr. Km. Karachi East 19755.5, Karachi South 14303.6 and density of Karachi West is 2266.9 people per sqr. Km. 3566 persons live on .1 sqr. Km in Lahore while the density of population of  Peshawar and Char Sadda is 1606 and 1025 per sqr. Km. In other words, the density of of thes areas is
1000 or above per sqr. km.
2. VERY THICKLY POPULATED DISTRICTS:
There are 11 very thickly populated districts in Punjab Density of South East district of Sialkot is 903 person
sqr.Km. Districts Narowal (541), Gujrat (642), Rawalpindi (636), Gujranwala (939), Shaikhu Pura (557), Faisalabad (927 Kusur (595), Okara (510), Sahiwal (576) and the density of Mu!tan district is 938 persons per sqr. Km. These districts are verY thickly populated because agriculture has promoted at the peak by the fertile soil brought by the rivers and the canals generated from them. Moreover,industrialization is rapidly being taken place in the cities of Sialkot, Gujrat,
Gujranwala, Multan and Shikhupura.

Hyderabad is the only very thickly populated district in Sindh where density is 523.9 per sqr. Km. Since Hyderabad is located in the vicinity of River Indus and it is the second industriai city of Sindh after Karachi. In Khaber Pakhton Khawa, districts of Mardan (895, Sawabi (665), Naushera (500) and lU where density is 552 people per sqr. Km. Like Punjab, these districts of NWFP have also fertile soil as well irrigation facilities have been provided by river Kabul. The density of these areas is 500 to 999 per sons per sqr. Km.
THICKL Y POPULATED DISTRICTS:
Thickly populated areas are those where 200 to 299 persons live on one sqr. km. Thickly populated areas in Punjab are those which have the irrigation facilities and fertile lands like the density of Mandi Bahauddin is 434,Sargodha (455),

Hafizabad (352), ,Jehlum (261), Jhang (322), Toba Tek Singh (499), Lodhran (422), Muzaffar Garh (319) , Rahim Yar Khan and
 Bahawalnagar etc.
Wheat and cotton is cultivated in these regions on the large , scale because of fertile land therefore, these factors
Motivate the people to settle here.
Thickly populated districts of Khaber Pakhton Khawa (NWFP) include Kohat (221), Mansehara (252), Mala Kand (475), Batgram (236),
 Sangla (274), Sawat (236), Bunair (271) and Lower Dir. Fertility of soil in these areas motivate the people to settle specially in the rural areas. These districts are , centuries old therefore, with the passage of time population increased. The areas which are densely populated in the province Sindh include jacobabad (270), Shikarpur (350), Larkana (260), Nawab Shah (238), Noshero Feroz (369), Mir Pur Khas (310) and Malir (433). These districts are thickly populated because comprise of large plain areas and irrigation facilities from rivers and canals. Baior Agency (463) and Khyber Agency (207) are also thickly populated regions in FATA. Baluchistan is the biggest province of Pakistan in area but it is most thinly populatE nevertheless, capital city of Baluchistan Quetta is included thickly populated region where 286 people Iive on or" squire Km. .
4. MODESTLY POPULATED DISTRICTS:
The biggest modestly populated region of Pakistan West Punjab. The dominant part of West Punjab comprises  desert nevertheless, districts of Attock and Chakwe Southern part of Khushab, D.G. Khan and Rajanpur and surrounded by mountains. Irrigation facilities are limited therefore, people do not have any attraction to live ih these regions.The proportion of population in Modestly Populat~ Areas is 100 to 199. The areas which are modes populated in this region include Attock (186), Chakwal (16; Mianwali (181), Khushab (139), Bhakkar (129),  Layya (1and D.G Khan where 138 people live on one Km.
There are 5 districts in Khaber Pakhton Khawa(NWFP) D.l.Khan (110), Tank' (142), Lucky Marwat (155), Kurk (128) and Upper Dir 156 are modestly populated.
Modestly populated areas in Sindh include the districts of Umar Kot (118.2), Sangarh (135.4), Badin (169), Grc (159.6) and Sukhar where 176 persons five on one sqr. Km. As the eastern part of these districts is deserted, Severe shortage of water does not attract the people to settle here The districts of Jafarabad and aila Abdullar ' Baluchistan are modestly populated where density is 172, and 119 people respectively.

ANPIC move dates forward

Mexico

Published:  19 July, 2010

Anpic ‘la Feria de America’ have switched dates from their usual February position and the show will now take place this year. The 36th edition of the international fair will now be held from 11 to November 11-14, 2010 at the Poliforum León Exhibition Center, León, Guanajuato, Mexico. All future editions will now be held in November.

According the show organisers, purchasing patterns of major national and international footwear buyers have changed, which have forced forward the dates of presentation of the footwear collections by the shoe manufacturers.
As Anpic is mainly a supplier show for the footwear industry the new dates are intended to offer shoe manufacturers an opportunity to view the latest machinery, chemicals, leathers and components earlier.
Anpic also run a series of fashion shows highlighting the fashion trends for the season a year in advance. The new dates will also allow the new trends and colours to be viewed earlier.

Stahl open Guangzhou centre

China

Published:  19 July, 2010

Huub van Beijeren, CEO of Stahl Holdings and Marcus Breulmann, business director leather finish division, Stahl Asia Pacific & China.

A 2500 square metre leather finishing laboratory, known as the Guangzhou Technical Centre (GTC), has been opened by Stahl in the Huadu Industrial Area of Guangzhou. The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the local government and 250 guests invited from the Chinese leather industry.

Chinese symbolism lay at the heart of much of the day-long ceremony on June 10, with a lion dance performance celebrating the official opening by Huub van Beijeren, CEO of Stahl Holdings, the Netherlands and Marcus Breulmann, business director leather finish division, Stahl Asia Pacific & China.
Marcus Breulmann opened the GTC, saying that it represented an important step in keeping ahead of Stahl’s competitors. Looking forward there will be ongoing Stahl investments in leather article creation, advanced customer service and the application challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s leather business.
Huub van Beijeren told the audience that he was delighted to be back in China once again, this time to open the next phase of Stahl’s long-term planned investment in plant and facilities supporting the Chinese leather market. The Guangzhou Technical Centre represents a major step forward in these plans, which are already proving an outstanding success in establishing close relationships with Stahl’s customers in China.
Kate Yang, president, Zibo Dahuanjiu Polygrace Tannery Group spoke to guests about the background of the Chinese leather industry and its glamorous future. She explained that the GTC is seen as an investment to support the growth of the Chinese leather industry and that such contributions are expected from the local leather manufacturers.
GTC’s laboratory has been designed and engineered to meet all the needs of the leather industry, focussing especially on the shoe, garment, leathergoods and upholstery segments. It will be managed by Fabrizio Ugolini who is based in Guangzhou.
Equipped with the latest full size leather production machinery, the laboratory will operate as a Technical Centre of Excellence for Leather Finish and as an internal and external training centre providing trainees with the latest finishing concepts and technologies. Stahl anticipates that it will soon become a Satra certified physical testing laboratory for the region.
An important function for the laboratory will be to act as an inspiration for fashion and creativity. This function will be led by Chua Soon Hoek who, as a member of Stahl’s international fashion team, will be interacting closely with the design studio in Milan.
Prior to its opening, GTC signed an agreement with the National Engineering Laboratory for Clean Technology of Leather Manufacture, which is based at the University of Sichuan, for the development of common studies and green technologies, a study in which it will also effectively support the Leather Working Group.
 www.leather.mag.com

Tiny Laser Could Light the Way to New Microchip Technology

Enlarge Image

The skinny. Electronic waves called surface plasmons zip back and forth in the narrow channel under a nanowire. By amplifying such waves, researchers have fashioned an ultrathin laser.

Credit: Rupert Oulton et al., Nature, Advance Online Publication (30 August 2009)

A new type of laser takes up only a small fraction of as much space as A new type of laser takes up only a small fraction of as much space as a conventional laser, a team of physicists reports. The nanometer-sized gizmo could provide a key tool for researchers trying to develop a new type of microchip technology called "plasmonics" that mixes electronics and optics.
A laser amplifies light into an exquisitely bright and uniform beam through a weird quantum mechanical process called "stimulated emission." The heart of the device consists of two mirrors facing each other, one of which is only partially reflective so that it lets some light through. To get the laser going, the operator "excites" a light-emitting material that sits between the two mirrors by zapping it with electricity or shining light onto it. Some of the atoms in the material then emit particles of light, or photons, which bounce back and forth between the mirrors. As they pass through the material, the photons stimulate more atoms to emit photons, triggering a torrent of light--the laser beam.
Nature places limits on how small a laser can be, however. If the mirrors are smaller in diameter than half the light's wavelength, then the light will not bounce neatly between the mirrors. Instead, it will "diffract" off them and spread out so that it leaks out the sides of the laser.
To get around this "diffraction limit," Xiang Zhang and a team led by physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory exploited subtle interactions between light and metallic surfaces. When light hits a surface, it can set off a wave called a surface plasmon, which is a kind of combination of the light wave and a rippling of the electrons in the metal. Such a wave can be confined to a much smaller space than a pure light wave can. So to make a super-skinny laser, Zhang and colleagues laid down a micrometer-long, nanometers-wide wire of cadmium sulfide on a silver surface that had been coated with nanometers of magnesium fluoride. They then zapped the nanowire with light to cause it to emit photons. Most of these photons produced surface plasmons that zipped along beneath the wire and bounced back and forth between its ends. Just as in an ordinary laser, the plasmons stimulated the atoms in the cadmium sulfide to emit more light, which in turn produced more plasmons in a runaway process, the team reports online this week in Nature. Some of the energy of the plasmons emerged from the ends of the channel as laser light with a wavelength of 489 nanometers.
The channel in Zhang's device measures as little as 40 nanometers wide by 5 nanometers high, far smaller than the roughly 250-nanometer diameter of a conventional laser of a similar wavelength. Still, the team's device does not quite set the record for the smallest laser. On 26 August, Mikhail Noginov of Norfolk State University in Virginia and colleagues reported in Nature a similar advance using 44-nanometer spheres of silica with 14-nanometer gold cores. Noginov's team shined light on a suspension of such spheres and was able to excite slightly different plasmons that don't travel on the surfaces of the sphere. They found that in each sphere, the plasmons could stimulate the production of still more plasmons and, hence, the emission of light. That makes each individual dot the smallest laser so far.
So which minuscule laser is better? That depends on what you want to do, says Mark Stockman, a theoretical physicist at Georgia State University in Atlanta and a member of the team of researchers who predicted such plasmonic lasers might be possible. Some physicists and engineers are hoping to build nanocircuits that manipulate plasmonics to marry high-speed electronics and high-speed optics. Zhang's laser might make an ideal power source for such circuits, whereas Noginov's dots might serve as the logical circuit elements themselves, Stockman says. "Both are absolutely stunning achievements," he says, "but the applications may be somewhat different." But David Bergman, a theorist at Tel Aviv University in Israel and Stockman's collaborator, notes that neither gizmo is quite ready for prime time: "They constitute at this point proof of principle."
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/