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Rare Earth Metals and Their Applications In order of increasing atomic mass, the rare earth metals and some of their common applications are given below. Scandium: Atomic weight 21. Used to strengthen aluminum alloys. Yttrium: Atomic weight 39. Used in superconductors and exotic light sources. Lanthanum: Atomic weight 57. Used in specialty glasses and optics, electrodes and for hydrogen storage. Cerium: Atomic weight 58. Makes an excellent oxidizer, used in oil cracking during petroleum refining and is used for yellow color in ceramics and glass. Praseodymium: Atomic weight 59. Used in magnets, lasers and as green color in ceramics and glass. Neodymium: Atomic weight 60. Used in magnets, lasers and as purple color in ceramics and glass. Promethium: Atomic weight 61. Used in nuclear batteries. Samarium: Atomic weight 62. Used in magnets, lasers and for neutron capture. Europium: Atomic weight 63. Makes colored phosphors, lasers, and merc

Amina Khan Deep in the solidified lava beneath Iceland, scientists have managed an unprecedented feat: They’ve taken carbon dioxide released by a power plant and turned it into rock at a rate much faster than laboratory tests predicted. The  findings , described in the journal Science, demonstrate a powerful method of carbon storage that could reduce some of the human-caused greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. “These are really exciting results,” said Roger Aines, a geochemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who was not involved in the study. “Nobody had ever actually done a large-scale experiment like they’ve done, under the conditions that they did it.” See the most-read stories in Science this hour » The pilot program, performed at Reykjavik Energy’s geothermal power plant under a European-U.S. program called CarbFix, was able to turn more than 95% of carbon dioxide injected into the earth into chalky rock within just two years. “We

Korg has announced their latest Professional Arranger keyboard, the amazing Pa4X . The Pa4X offers massive internal ROM (read only memory) that contains a renewed database of sounds — plus it has room for up to 400MB of user PCM data, so you can load up a huge library of your own sounds. The new EDS-X (Enhanced Definition Synthesis-eXpanded) sound engine brings a new level of improved realism to sounds and styles. A huge 7-inch capacitive TouchView display with tilt gives you a hands-on, interactive, and gorgeous view into the world of Pa4X. The Pa4X also has an improved workflow for faster live performance thanks to a redesigned panel layout. The Pa4X is available in 61-key and 76-key versions.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012 High-power coherent semiconductor laser design operating in the IR region Author Jha Asu R · · · Title: High-power coherent semiconductor laser design operating in the IR region Authors: Jha, Asu R. Affiliation: AA(Jha Technical Consulting Services) Publication: Proc. SPIE Vol. 3465, p. 72-78, Millimeter  and Submillimeter Waves IV, Mohammed N. Afsar; Ed. ( SPIE Homepage ) Publication Date: 11/1998 Origin: SPIE Bibliographic Code: 1998SPIE.3465...72J Abstract Diode-pumped solid state ( DPSS ) lasers employing diode arrays and optical crystals suffer from excessive weight, low conversion efficiency, and high fabrication cost .  This  paper  reveals a unique design of coherent, high performance  InGaAsP/InP strained-layer quantum-well (QW) semiconductor laser capable of delivering CW power  output greater than 500 mw at 1.55 microns.  It is important to mention that InGaAsP/InP strained-layer double

Google this month released a major update to its Translate app with a super-nifty function that lets you translate signs by simply pointing your phone camera at them. The feature works when translating basic text between English and Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Italian and German. So if you’re traveling and need to know exactly what that street sign says, this should be a great feature for you. Sometimes the camera has trouble finding words — particularly if you aren't holding it steady — but it’s not bad for a free app. The company also added a feature that translates conversation more quickly. Users can pick two languages to translate between, and the app will automatically decipher which language is being spoken at the time. The spoken translation feature requires a data connection; the text translation does not. Free, for Android and iOS devices. Description Break through language barriers with Google Translate. • Translate between 90 languages • Converse n

As my colleague Andrea Chang reported in Tuesday's Times, microprocessors and connectivity have been migrating into a growing number of product categories. That trend has been developing for years, but it really took off as residential broadband connections proliferated, as did home Wi-Fi networks . For some products, the benefits of connectivity are obvious. Smart refrigerators, for example, can suggest recipes based on the food they're chilling and create shopping lists for items that are depleted. As networking technology spreads to more mundane items, though, the appeal isn't necessarily as apparent. For instance, why put a communications chip in a light bulb? That's what GreenWave Reality of Irvine has done. The reason, said chief executive Greg Memo, is "having the light quality you want when you want it." FULL COVERAGE: CES 2013 GreenWave's technology lets consumers set up networks of lights in their homes that can be precisely controlled