Tesla's perpetually free Supercharger station has already enabled the driving of about a million miles, totally free, to owners of the Model S sedan. However, availability of that network has been very limited. Unless you lived in very specific areas of NY or CA, you've been out of luck. That's beginning to change. Following up on Elon Musk's D11 appearance, Tesla has announced that by the end of next month it will triple the size of the Supercharger network, covering crucial routes like Vancouver to Portland (with Seattle in between) and Dallas to Austin. New connection points will open in Illinois, Colorado, New York and, yes, California.
But wait, there's more. Within six months the network will spread further and, before the end of the year, Tesla promises you'll be able to drive from New York to Los Angeles in your Model S -- so long as you don't mind stopping for 20 minute recharges every couple-hundred miles. Finally, by mid-2014, Tesla promises its network will "stretch across the continent" and cover "almost the entire population of US and Canada." (Sorry, Hawaii.) PR and video featuring more details after the break.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used its Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) to measure radiation exposure on the way to Mars. Now, it's recording similar data on Mars' surface. This image is a composite self portrait taken on Feb. 3, 2013.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used its Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) to measure radiation exposure on the way to Mars. Now, it's recording similar data on Mars' surface. This image is a composite self portrait taken on Feb. 3, 2013.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
There was great fanfare when the Mars Science Laboratory launched in November 2011, and again when its precious cargo ? NASA's Mars rover Curiosity ? touched down on the red planet in August 2012.
The eight months in between had drama of their own. Curiosity was constantly bombarded with radiation as it traveled through space ? high-energy protons thrown out by the sun, and galactic cosmic rays slicing through the solar system from distant supernovas.
Here on Earth, the magnetic field and atmosphere shield us from most of this radiation. But out in the void of space, high energy particles would rip into an astronaut's DNA, slowly increasing the risk of cancer.
That's a problem for NASA and the handful of private companies that have pledged to send human explorers to Mars. For a long time, they've been trying to figure out just how much radiation an astronaut would experience on the journey.
Enter Curiosity, which was handily equipped with RAD ? a Radiation Assessment Detector. The monitoring device was intended to gather radiation data on the surface of Mars.
"But about two years before launch we started to realize the fact that RAD was tucked inside the belly of the spacecraft sort of in the same location that a future astronaut might be on a future mission," says Don Hassler, the physicist who led the Southwest Research Institute team that designed RAD.
The researchers reasoned they might as well turn the device on during space flight. A few days after launch, RAD powered up and started collecting data.
A small portion of the radiation ? about 5 percent ? came from brief but intense solar storms. Astronauts would be able to avoid this source of radiation by retreating to a sheltered area of their ship. Just ducking down inside a room lined with food supplies would do the trick.
Fluctuating solar activity controls radiation in the solar system. The sun produces solar flares, like the one captured in this NASA video, flinging high energy protons and radiation out into the solar system. High solar activity suppresses galactic cosmic rays ? high energy ions cast off by distant supernovas. When solar flares die down, cosmic rays are more prevalent. The solar cycle, from maximum to minimum activity and back again, is approximately 11 years long. Right now, we're approaching a solar maximum.
The bulk of the radiation was caused by galactic cosmic rays ? beams of high energy ions that we don't know how to shield against. Hassler says there's really only one way to minimize the damage caused by these rays: "Go quickly."
The shortest possible trip to Mars with current technology would take about six months. During that time an astronaut would experience about four times more radiation than someone on the International Space Station.
"An astronaut on ISS for, say six months would receive on the order of maybe 80 millisieverts, compared with the 330 we receive on our way to Mars," Hassler says.
The average American is only exposed to about 6 millisieverts of radiation per year. An abdominal CT scan subjects a patient to 10 millisieverts. The dose from a long journey through open space is much higher. Calculating cancer risk from radiation exposure is tricky, but basic estimates suggest a trip to Mars would increase your risk of getting cancer by about 1.5 percent.
Double that number for round trip visit, and you quickly approach the limits recommended by the National Council on Radiation Protection.
But that doesn't discourage Robert Zubrin, president of The Mars Society and author of The Case for Mars.
"Radiation is not a showstopper," he says. "It's not something that the FDA would recommend that everyone do. But we're talking about a mission to Mars here."
Zubrin says there are plenty of other risks involved in a Mars mission ? and they're risks many would be willing to take. He notes that about 1.5 percent of space shuttle flights ended in disaster.
"And yet there are millions of people that, if they had been offered a chance to fly on the shuttle and knowing that, would have jumped at the chance," Zubrin says.
The average person already has about a 20 percent chance of dying from cancer. A 40-year-old astronaut who dreams of setting foot on the red planet, might not be bothered by bumping that risk up a few percentage points.
"What this paper does is place foursquare in front of the NASA leadership [that] there's no cause for delay, at least as far as radiation is concerned," Zubrin says. "We should now set our course for Mars."
Scientists still have questions about radiation on Mars itself. They need more data to better understand the cancer risk for Mars settlers on the surface. But don't worry. Curiosity is working on that too.
Author: Andrew Toth | Total views: 50 Comments: 0 Word Count: 1389 Date:
Limits, by and large are self-imposed. Some limits of course are not, like genetic factors, for instance. We have two arms, two legs and we are limited by what two arms and two legs can do.
But there are other kinds of limitations, which are self-imposed - holding back in a fight, for example - and that, like most self-imposed limitations, can be self-defeating. The point is, unlike having only two arms and two legs, self-imposed limits are of our own doing and if we "do" them then we can "un-do" them.
That much is obvious, but it is not quite that simple: just because a limit is self-imposed and just because we can undo it does not mean it is easy to shift. It took Boddhidharma nine years to do that!
The great monk Boddhidharma who taught the Buddhist Monks at the Shaolin Temple how to build up their strength and defend themselves, sat facing a wall for nine years!
There is a tendency to translate this literally, that he never moved and sat in meditation posture continuously for nine years, but apart from the fact that that would be physically impossible, it misses the point.
The Boddhidharma story is a teaching story and the cusp of it is that the great monk faced a great obstacle, which stood in the way of his enlightenment. It took him nine years to break through this "wall" which represented his self-imposed limits.
So let's not underestimate our self-imposed limits. They took a life-time set up, they are deeply embedded in every tissue of the body and they won't take kindly to being pushed aside - even for enlightenment!
It is interesting to note that the teaching story uses the term "wall". Walls tend to be immovable. If you butt your head against one, chances are your head will come off second best. And that is what a self-imposed obstacle is: immovable - unless you are willing to meditate continuously on it for nine years!
And that's not going to be too easy, especially if you have to earn a living at the same time! There has to be a better way, and there is?
Let's take a simple punch, the very simplest punch you can think of. You will be doing it wrong. Don't argue with me on this. Unless you are a child prodigy, or a child virtuoso, you will not be doing it right. If you are not a child, but an adult, you will definitely be doing it wrong because by the time you reach even young adulthood you will have all sorts of self-imposed limitations, both mental and physical, in operation. These will interfere with your punch, even if your teacher is telling you you are doing it right!
Now there are a number of things you should know about self-imposed limitations. First of all, you don't even know what they are. Chances are they were put in place in your formative years and you have lived with them ever since early childhood and they are so much a part of your life that you accept them as "normal" or "natural" and never question them.
Which poses a real problem: how do we get rid of these limitations if we don't even know what they are?
OK. Here is the method, and...please note that it is a very simple method, but no less effective for that. Do not underestimate it: it is powerful!
OK, so let's work with that punch you are working on. Step number one is, try to get it as right as you can. Get it to the point where your teacher is telling you it is right. It won't be, but you must get it to at least that point.
Step number two, practise it until you can do it more or less automatically, that is, with a minimum of fuss and bother.
Step number three, and this is the crucial step?set aside some time, a long period of time, when you are unlikely to be disturbed by outside sources and then do that punch over and over and over, thousands and thousands of times, non-stop. This is it. This is the secret ingredient. Let's take a close look at it?
But first, let's back up for a moment?
If you practice this move ONLY a few hundred times, then it's the same old, same old. Nothing changes. All your self-imposed limitations and blocks are in place but you don't see them as such and in fact you are not even aware of them, but they are interfering with the efficient delivery of your punch.
Now understand this: it takes effort to maintain these blocks and limitations. They are self-imposed, it is true, but that means they are self-maintained - which means effort!
In other words, your blocks and limitations stifle your technique in two ways: one, it will mean you are using some part of your body incorrectly, which interferes with the delivery of the punch and two, it takes effort to maintain the blocks and limitations and that means less energy is left over to put into your punch.
Now, back to the "secret" technique? if you practice your punch mercilessly, hour after hour, thousands and thousands of times, non-stop, something will happen.
What?
Let's keep it simple: you, and your arms in particular, will get tired. Which means you will have less and less energy to expend on this exercise - until you get to the point where you have only enough energy to do the punch. And no more!
This is the crucial bit. Read that last sentence again. "You will have only enough energy for the punch and no more!" At this point you have no extra energy to keep "doing" your blocks and resistances and limitations and, temporarily, until you regain your energy later, your blocks and limitations and resistances, not to mention your fears and doubts, will drop away.
At this point you will be doing only the punch. No more. And no less. You will now be doing the punch as perfectly as is possible for your body, because there is nothing left over for all that other stuff that interferes with your punch.
But wait! There is one more step: awareness.
You MUST take special note of how this new-found punch FEELS. If you don't, then tomorrow you will be back to your old habits, and you will have gained nothing.
So take note of how the new punch feels, how your body feels, how you breathe, your state of mind and yes, tomorrow you will be back to your old habits, but you will REMEMBER. You will now understand your self-imposed limitations and you will whittle away at them mercilessly and ceaselessly - until you can reproduce that perfect punch every time!
Addendum: let me draw a parallel. I am a salesman and sometimes I have a "bad" day. So bad that I cannot even give the product away; so bad that most salespeople would quit. But I keep going.
And it gets harder and harder to keep going. And I get tireder and tireder and it becomes more and more difficult to do all those things that a salesman is "supposed" to do?you know: smile, act enthusiastic and so on. And indeed after a certain amount of time I don't smile anymore, and I don't act enthusiastic anymore and I make a sale!
Go figure!
You see, what I'm saying is that as a salesman I often do a lot of things that are not really necessary. They "feel" right (like smiling or acting enthusiastic) and so I keep doing them, but they are not essential for a sale.
Likewise when practising your punch: you will find that you do a lot more than you need to, and this is not only a waste of energy, but it is often counterproductive.
Andrew Toth is the author of Shaolin Temple Kung Fu, arguably one of the finest books on the subject. A must-read for anyone involved in the martial arts. And a recommended read for anyone interested in self-improvment. You can view it HERE
Related to: martial arts - karate - shaolin - tai chi - fighting - discipline - self improvment - Self Development - Motivational - winning
Simple strategy works best to reduce infections, study finds Using germ-killing soap to wash the sickest patients every day and applying antibacterial ointment inside their noses turns out to be the most effective way to reduce deadly hospital bloodstream infections, according to a study published Wednesday that has broad implications for practical use.
Source: Washington Post Posted on:
Thursday, May 30, 2013, 7:37am Views: 29
Critics say Washington is being played by Russia, which wants to forestall a robust Western intervention in Syria. But US, insisting Russia is a 'partner,' continues planning for peace conference.
By Howard LaFranchi,?Staff writer / May 30, 2013
Forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen in Arjoun village near Qusair town Thursday. Syrian rebels under siege near the Lebanese border pleaded for help on Thursday against government troops and their Hezbollah allies as a confident Assad spoke of having new Russian missiles.
Rami Bleible/Reuters
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Prospects were never bright for the Syria peace conference the US hoped to jointly sponsor with Russia in Geneva ? originally sometime this month.
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But events Thursday ? including a defiant interview by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Hezbollah television in which he expressed confidence he would receive sophisticated Russian anti-aircraft missiles, and a key Syrian opposition group?s insistence it won?t attend the proposed conference ? appear to darken the already dim chances for the diplomatic initiative.
Despite the setback, the US continues to insist a Syria peace conference remains a key goal, and a critical element of the Obama administration?s ?two-track? Syria policy of seeking a political settlement to the conflict even as the US continues to support the opposition battling Mr. Assad.
In the eyes of some regional experts, however, the US is simply playing into Russia?s game plan of forestalling a more robust US intervention in Syria by agreeing to co-sponsor peace talks that appear to have little chance of success.
The US rejected the notion that the peace-conference initiative is doomed. ?We expect to be able to move forward on a conference,? State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday, adding that the nature and complexity of the Syrian conflict meant it was never going to be quick and easy to set up negotiations.
?If it was possible for the Geneva 2 conference to happen tomorrow, the Secretary [of State John Kerry] would be on a plane tonight,? said Ms. Psaki, using the name diplomats have already coined for the as-yet unconfirmed conference.
Senior US diplomats will meet next week in Geneva with Russian and UN officials to continue planning for the conference, she said. Some officials speculate that what was originally envisioned for May could now slip into July.
As for Russia and why it would deliver sophisticated weaponry to Assad with the one hand while working with the US and the United Nations on a peace conference with the other, Psaki said she did not ?want to speculate on what their motivations are.?
But she said Russia had accepted the need for a ?political transition? in Syria since the first Geneva conference on Syria a year ago, and the US continues to see Russia as a ?partner? in the diplomatic process in particular because it can bring the Assad regime to the table.
?They have shown a willingness to help plan this conference and to bring parties to the table,? she said. ?We have no reason to believe [the Russians] aren?t interested in being a partner.?
Some administration critics counter that the White House is allowing the US to be played by the Russians, whose main interest they say is to avoid the kind of decisive intervention the US and other Western powers undertook in Libya in 2011.
Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, who made a surprise visit to rebel-held Syrian territory this week, says the rebels are running out of arms and ammunition, and are going up against growing numbers of Hezbollah and Iranian fighters coming into the country to fight on Assad?s behalf. Senator McCain has long advocated arming the rebels and imposing a no-fly zone over parts of Syria.??? ??????
This week?s setbacks to a diplomatic solution to Syria?s increasingly deadly conflict ? the war?s death toll is on a path to cross the 100,000 threshold next month ? will likely amplify calls for President Obama to intervene more directly in the conflict, some regional experts say. If the conflict proves to not be ?ripe? for a negotiated settlement, they add, pressure will grow for lethal measures.?
Syria?s main opposition group, the National Coalition, announced Thursday in Geneva that it would not take part in any negotiations as long as Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Iran are in Syria fighting for the Assad regime.
"It is difficult to continue when Syrians are constantly being hammered by the Assad regime with the help of outside forces," George Sabra, the National Coalition?s acting chairman, said in a statement.
That ultimatum was issued a day after Syria?s main opposition group ?said it would only participate in political talks that presented Mr. Assad with a deadline for stepping down from power.
Further obstructing the path to peace talks was Assad?s interview on Hezbollah-owned Al Manar television in Lebanon. In addition to issuing pointed warnings aimed at Israel, Assad said his regime had received ample stockpiles of Russian weaponry and suggested that Moscow was following through with the delivery of sophisticated air-defense missiles.
Russia has said the missiles are a purely defensive weapon. But senior Russian officials have also suggested recently that the missiles should cause the West to think twice before intervening in the Syrian conflict: either by arming the rebels with shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, or by enforcing a no-fly zone over Syrian territory.
Some analysts with an understanding of Russian motivations say Moscow may genuinely desire to see the jointly sponsored peace conference take place ? not because it would have a serious chance of hammering out a political solution to the Syrian conflict, but because the promise of negotiations at some point could stave off deeper Western, and in particular American, intervention.
There are things that are adorable but make complete sense: babies, puppies, kittens, small phones, you get the point. Then there are things that are cute that make no sense: monkeys eating bananas, a ball of yarn and so on. A miniature chandelier would usually be sensibly cute. But putting that miniature chandelier in a light bulb? Boy, I don't know why I love this so much.
And you're going to have to love this a lot because the tiny chandelier will run you more than $600 (?480). Still, if chandeliers are now marks of excess, tiny chandeliers poke fun of that excess (and $600 tiny chandeliers poke fun at you for poking fun at excess).
Called the King Edison and designed by Young & Battaglia it combines the ornate old world with the simplicity of a bulb. The chandelier is made from brass, the glass is hand blown and the cable is braided. It's fun, in a I will never pay 600 bucks for you kind of way. [Mineheart via DesignTAXI]
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sales of U.S. homes in foreclosure fell in the first quarter, a report from RealtyTrac showed on Thursday, the latest data to suggest the housing market is on the mend.
There were 190,121 properties sold that were in the foreclosure process or already seized by lenders, down 18 percent from the last quarter of 2012 and a decrease of 22 percent from the first quarter the year before.
That accounted for 21 percent of all home sales, down from 25 percent in the first quarter of 2012. It was also well off the peak of 45 percent seen during the first quarter of 2009 as the housing market was still reeling from its collapse and the global financial crisis.
"We're on our way back to a normal housing market when it comes to foreclosures," said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac.
Rising home prices, improved sales, tighter inventory and low mortgage rates have all combined to help the housing market get back to its feet over the past year.
While default and foreclosure rates have also improved, they still remain historically elevated. Foreclosure sales averaged less than 5 percent of all sales in 2005 and 2006 before the housing bubble burst, said Blomquist.
"This is kind of like an iceberg that's shrinking on the surface but there's still a lot of distress in the market that's probably under the surface and not so obvious," he said.
Sales of homes seized by lenders totaled 101,371 properties, down 16 percent from the previous quarter. Sales of homes in default but not yet foreclosed on were down 20 percent to 88,750.
Short sales of properties not in foreclosure, where the home is sold for less than the outstanding loan, also decreased. This suggests some underwater homeowners may be anticipating an increase in home prices will get them back above water.
After increasing last year, short sales fell 10 percent in the first quarter.
The top five states with the biggest percentage of foreclosure sales were Georgia, Illinois, California, Arizona and Michigan. Foreclosure sales accounted for less than 10 percent of all sales in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
Advanced paper could be foundation for inexpensive biomedical and diagnostic devicesPublic release date: 28-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology
Paper is known for its ability to absorb liquids, making it ideal for products such as paper towels. But by modifying the underlying network of cellulose fibers, etching off surface "fluff" and applying a thin chemical coating, researchers have created a new type of paper that repels a wide variety of liquids including water and oil.
The paper takes advantage of the so-called "lotus effect" used by leaves of the lotus plant to repel liquids through the creation of surface patterns at two different size scales and the application of a chemical coating. The material, developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology, uses nanometer- and micron-scale structures, plus a surface fluorocarbon, to turn old-fashioned paper into an advanced material.
The modified paper could be used as the foundation for a new generation of inexpensive biomedical diagnostics in which liquid samples would flow along patterns printed on the paper using special hydrophobic ink and an ordinary desktop printer. This paper could also provide an improved packaging material that would be less expensive than other oil- and water-repelling materials, while being both recyclable and sustainable.
"Paper is a very heterogeneous material composed of fibers with different sizes, different lengths and a non-circular cross-section," said Dennis Hess, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. "We believe this is the first time that a superamphiphobic surface one that repels all fluids has been created on a flexible, traditional and heterogeneous material like paper."
Research leading to development of the superamphiphobic paper has been supported by the Institute for Paper Science and Technology (IPST) at Georgia Tech. Details were published online May 24 in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
The new paper, which is both superhydrophobic (water-repelling) and super oleophobic (oil-repelling), can be made from standard softwood and hardwood fibers using a modified paper process. In addition to Hess, the research team included Lester Li, a graduate research assistant, and Victor Breedveld, an associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Producing the new paper begins with breaking up cellulose fibers into smaller structures using a mechanical grinding process. As in traditional paper processing, the fibers are then pressed in the presence of water but then the water is removed and additional processing is done with the chemical butanol. Use of butanol inhibits the hydrogen bonding that normally takes place between cellulose fibers, allowing better control of their spacing.
"The desirable properties we are seeking are mainly controlled by the geometry of the fibers," Hess explained.
The second step involves using an oxygen plasma etching process a technique commonly used in the microelectronics industry to remove the layer of amorphous "fluffy" cellulose surface material, exposing the crystalline cellulose nanofibrils. The process thereby uncovers smaller cellulose structures and provides a second level of "roughness" with the proper geometry needed to repel liquids.
Finally, a thin coating of a fluoropolymer is applied over the network of cellulose fibers. In testing, the paper was able to repel water, motor oil, ethylene glycol and n-hexadecane solvent.
The researchers have printed patterns onto their paper using a hydrophobic ink and a desktop printer. Droplets applied to the pattern remain on the ink pattern, repelled by the adjacent superamphiphobic surface.
That capability could facilitate development of inexpensive biomedical diagnostic tests in which a droplet containing antigens could be rolled along a printed surface where it would encounter diagnostic chemicals. If appropriate reagents are used, the specific color or color intensity of the patterns could indicate the presence of a disease. Because the droplets adhere tightly to the printed lines or dots, the samples can be sent to a laboratory for additional testing.
"We have shown that we can do the operations necessary for a microfluidic device," Hess said. "We can move the droplet along a pattern, split the droplet and transfer the droplet from one piece of paper to another. We can do all of these operations on a two-dimensional surface."
For Hess, Li and Breedveld, creating a superhydrophobic suface was relatively straightforward because water has a high surface tension. For oils, which have a low surface tension, the key to creating the repellent surface is to create re-entrant or undercut angles between the droplets and the surface.
Previous examples of superamphiphobic surfaces have been made on rigid surfaces through lithographic techniques. Such processes tend to produce fragile surfaces that are prone to damage, Hess said.
The principal challenge has been to create high-performance in a material that is anything but geometrically regular and consistent.
"Working with heterogeneous materials is fascinating, but it's very difficult not just to control them, because there is no inherent consistent structure, but also to change the processing conditions so you can get something that, on average, is what you need," he said. "It's been a real learning experience for us."
###
The new paper has so far been made in samples about four inches on a side, but Hess sees no reason why the process couldn't be scaled up. Though long-term testing of the new paper hasn't been done, Hess is encouraged by what he's seen so far.
CITATION: Lester Li, Victor Breedveld and Dennis Hess, "Design and Fabrication of Superamphiphobic Paper Surfaces," (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2013).
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Advanced paper could be foundation for inexpensive biomedical and diagnostic devicesPublic release date: 28-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology
Paper is known for its ability to absorb liquids, making it ideal for products such as paper towels. But by modifying the underlying network of cellulose fibers, etching off surface "fluff" and applying a thin chemical coating, researchers have created a new type of paper that repels a wide variety of liquids including water and oil.
The paper takes advantage of the so-called "lotus effect" used by leaves of the lotus plant to repel liquids through the creation of surface patterns at two different size scales and the application of a chemical coating. The material, developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology, uses nanometer- and micron-scale structures, plus a surface fluorocarbon, to turn old-fashioned paper into an advanced material.
The modified paper could be used as the foundation for a new generation of inexpensive biomedical diagnostics in which liquid samples would flow along patterns printed on the paper using special hydrophobic ink and an ordinary desktop printer. This paper could also provide an improved packaging material that would be less expensive than other oil- and water-repelling materials, while being both recyclable and sustainable.
"Paper is a very heterogeneous material composed of fibers with different sizes, different lengths and a non-circular cross-section," said Dennis Hess, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. "We believe this is the first time that a superamphiphobic surface one that repels all fluids has been created on a flexible, traditional and heterogeneous material like paper."
Research leading to development of the superamphiphobic paper has been supported by the Institute for Paper Science and Technology (IPST) at Georgia Tech. Details were published online May 24 in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
The new paper, which is both superhydrophobic (water-repelling) and super oleophobic (oil-repelling), can be made from standard softwood and hardwood fibers using a modified paper process. In addition to Hess, the research team included Lester Li, a graduate research assistant, and Victor Breedveld, an associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Producing the new paper begins with breaking up cellulose fibers into smaller structures using a mechanical grinding process. As in traditional paper processing, the fibers are then pressed in the presence of water but then the water is removed and additional processing is done with the chemical butanol. Use of butanol inhibits the hydrogen bonding that normally takes place between cellulose fibers, allowing better control of their spacing.
"The desirable properties we are seeking are mainly controlled by the geometry of the fibers," Hess explained.
The second step involves using an oxygen plasma etching process a technique commonly used in the microelectronics industry to remove the layer of amorphous "fluffy" cellulose surface material, exposing the crystalline cellulose nanofibrils. The process thereby uncovers smaller cellulose structures and provides a second level of "roughness" with the proper geometry needed to repel liquids.
Finally, a thin coating of a fluoropolymer is applied over the network of cellulose fibers. In testing, the paper was able to repel water, motor oil, ethylene glycol and n-hexadecane solvent.
The researchers have printed patterns onto their paper using a hydrophobic ink and a desktop printer. Droplets applied to the pattern remain on the ink pattern, repelled by the adjacent superamphiphobic surface.
That capability could facilitate development of inexpensive biomedical diagnostic tests in which a droplet containing antigens could be rolled along a printed surface where it would encounter diagnostic chemicals. If appropriate reagents are used, the specific color or color intensity of the patterns could indicate the presence of a disease. Because the droplets adhere tightly to the printed lines or dots, the samples can be sent to a laboratory for additional testing.
"We have shown that we can do the operations necessary for a microfluidic device," Hess said. "We can move the droplet along a pattern, split the droplet and transfer the droplet from one piece of paper to another. We can do all of these operations on a two-dimensional surface."
For Hess, Li and Breedveld, creating a superhydrophobic suface was relatively straightforward because water has a high surface tension. For oils, which have a low surface tension, the key to creating the repellent surface is to create re-entrant or undercut angles between the droplets and the surface.
Previous examples of superamphiphobic surfaces have been made on rigid surfaces through lithographic techniques. Such processes tend to produce fragile surfaces that are prone to damage, Hess said.
The principal challenge has been to create high-performance in a material that is anything but geometrically regular and consistent.
"Working with heterogeneous materials is fascinating, but it's very difficult not just to control them, because there is no inherent consistent structure, but also to change the processing conditions so you can get something that, on average, is what you need," he said. "It's been a real learning experience for us."
###
The new paper has so far been made in samples about four inches on a side, but Hess sees no reason why the process couldn't be scaled up. Though long-term testing of the new paper hasn't been done, Hess is encouraged by what he's seen so far.
CITATION: Lester Li, Victor Breedveld and Dennis Hess, "Design and Fabrication of Superamphiphobic Paper Surfaces," (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2013).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
May 29, 2013 ? The fabled ivory carvings from the ancient Phoenician city of Arslan Tash -- literally meaning "Stone Lion" -- may appear a dull monochrome in museums today, but they glittered with brilliant blue, red, gold and other colors 2,800 years ago, a new study has confirmed after decades of speculation. It appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry.
Ina Reiche and colleagues explain that these carvings are rare, housed in museums like the Louvre, and art experts regard them as the most beautiful ivory carvings of the era. Experts long believed that the lion heads, amulets and other objects were brightly colored, rather than the bland beiges and whites that remain today. But until recently, there was no adequate way to test the ivories for traces of pigment without damaging these priceless objects.
The scientists describe how a non-destructive testing technology brought to life traces of red, blue and other pigments -- and gold gilding -- allowing re-creation of the long-vanished colors that decorated the original ivories. In addition to contributing to a new understanding of the Phoenician carvings, the technology could be used to glimpse the original paintings on other objects, the authors note. Those include the Elgin Marbles, the classical Greek marble sculptures that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis in Athens.
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Ina Reiche, Katharina M?ller, Marie Alb?ric, Oliver Ulrich Heinz Paul Scharf, Andrea W?hning, Aniouar Bjeoumikhov, Martin Radtke, Rolf Simon. Discovering vanished paints and naturally formed gold nanoparticles on 2800 years old Phoenician ivories using SR-FF-microXRF with the Color X-ray Camera. Analytical Chemistry, 2013; : 130513030719004 DOI: 10.1021/ac4006167
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After nearly a decade of partnership that was as big on sales of iconic bracelets and athletic gear as it was a major symbol of cancer awareness, Nike has cut ties with Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation.
RELATED: Lance Armstrong Quits Livestrong to Save It
We already knew that Armstrong had let down his awareness group ? he told the Livestrong staff he was "sorry" ahead of a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year ? but the cancer foundation came to be something else entirely: an engine of profit. And even as its founder faced more and more allegations of doping, sales held strong, according to the latest available financial information leading up to Armstrong's coming-clean on steroids. But then he fessed-up, Livestrong apparel hit the bargain bin, and now Nike will stop making those rubber yellow wristbands.
RELATED: Nike Ends Its Sponsorship of Lance Armstrong
Nike started producing the Livestrong bracelets in May 2004 ? an instant symbol of cancer-patient support, as Armstrong went for his sixth Tour de France win, and doping allegations began to heat up ? and went on to sell 80 million of them. The global athletic powerhouse soon expanded the Livestrong brand to yellow exercise gear and much, much more. But today that all came to a crashing halt as the two brands announced their separation. Nike will no longer sell any Livestrong stuff after the 2013 holiday season. Nike, of course,?cut its official partnership with Lance Armstrong in October 2012 after he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong resigned as the head of Livestrong to save the Foundation from any potential fallout from the doping scandal. But now it appears, after a confession, his damaged image has hurt the foundation even more than he could in person ? its product is damage goods.
RELATED: How Far Will Lance Armstrong's Apology Tour Really Go?
With Nike's support, Livestrong raised over $500 million for cancer research since the partnership began, with a huge amount of proceeds going to a good cause. "We will continue to support the Livestrong Foundation by funding them directly as they continue their work serving and improving outcomes for people facing cancer," Nike said in their statement today. "This news will prompt some to jump to negative conclusions about the foundation's future," reads Livestrong's statement. "We see things quite differently. We expected and planned for changes like this and are therefore in a good position to adjust swiftly and move forward with our patient-focused work."
RELATED: Lance Armstrong, The 'Steroid Era,' and Public Art
The financial standing for the Livestrong Foundation is sound, judging by the information available to us. Charity Navigator gives Livestrong a strong four-star review. And if ESPN's Darren Rovell is right, business for Livestrong branded apparel was booming last year:?
Just last year, sources say Nike did about $150 million in sales of Livestrong-branded products, which was the most it ever sold. But industry insiders told ESPN.com that Nike, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods, which sold the most product at retail, were ready to give up the business.
But things apparently took a turn after the Oprah interview in January, when Armstrong admitted using testosterone and EPO and to performing blood transfusions during his cycling career. That's when Dick's Sporting Goods decided to get out of the Livestrong business, because they couldn't sell anything. Livestrong-branded apparel was put on clearance, per Bloomberg:?
Sales of exercise equipment also dropped after?Lance Armstrong?admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the company said. Equipment branded Livestrong, the charity Armstrong founded, makes up more than 50 percent of its treadmill and elliptical sales. After Armstrong?s admission, demand fell and it?s now clearing inventory with price reductions and has plans replace it with another brand, the company said.
And that's how one man ? even one of the great cancer survival stories in American celebrity history ? can put olive oil in his veins for personal gain, deny the whole thing, come clean, and ruin one of the most inspiring charity-retail partnerships on the planet.
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A court hearing begins Tuesday to determine how Trayvon Martin should be portrayed to a jury when a neighborhood watch captain goes on trial for killing the unarmed black teenager last year.
George Zimmerman, whose highly anticipated second-degree murder trial is scheduled to start June 10, has said he shot Martin in self-defense during a fight in February 2012.
At issue in Tuesday's hearing are pieces of evidence that suggest 17-year-old Martin used marijuana at an undetermined time and had been suspended from school shortly prior to his death. The defense also wants to use text messages and social media posts that Zimmerman's lawyer said would show that Martin presented himself as "street wise" and interested in guns.
Prosecutors will argue that the Facebook postings by Martin, who had no criminal record and the way he portrayed himself to his friends is irrelevant to what happened on the night of the killing.
In a motion to ban evidence of marijuana use, prosecutors said there is no evidence that Martin was under the influence or that marijuana contributed to his death. O'Mara claims, however, that the evidence supports the defense theory that Martin was the aggressor.
The hearing before Judge Debra Nelson begins at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) in the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center in Sanford, where national news media are gearing up for extensive live coverage of the trial.
Zimmerman followed Martin after he spotted him walking in the rain in a gated community in the town of Sanford near Orlando where Martin was spending the weekend in one of the town homes with his father. Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person and pursued Martin despite the dispatcher telling him not to. Soon after, Zimmerman shot Martin during a struggle before police arrived.
In court filings Zimmerman's lawyers say they want the judge to decide about the use during the trial of voice analysis of 911 tapes of calls to the police before and during the struggle.
Lawyers are seeking clarification from the judge about whether the science behind the various types of voice analysis used by experts for the state and defense is solid enough to be considered by the jury.
Experts have reached different conclusions about whether it was Zimmerman or Martin screaming in the background of a 911 call taped just before Martin was shot, or whether it is possible to be certain at all.
Some experts could isolate only seconds of usable audio on the tape while one prosecution expert claims to have deciphered several phrases uttered by Zimmerman and Martin.
The defense also wants the judge to allow the identities of the jurors to remain secret and to let the jury visit the crime scene.
Martin's death set off debate about Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows deadly force if a person fears serious bodily harm. Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, which led to racial protests.
(Editing by David Adams and Bill Trott)
(This story has been refiled to add dropped word 'trial' in second paragraph)
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ? Call it the perfect storm of Olympic politics.
With sports leaders gathering in St. Petersburg, Russia, this week for a global convention, three high-profile campaigns will be played out at the same time in an unusual confluence of issues that will set the tone for the future of the Olympic movement.
The race for the IOC presidency, the bidding for the 2020 Summer Games and the fate of wrestling will be on full display at the SportAccord conference and executive board meetings of the International Olympic Committee.
About 1,500 delegates are expected for the conference, which opens Tuesday and will feature an appearance later in the week by Russian President Vladimir Putin. His presence will underscore Russia?s commitment to its first Winter Games, which will take place in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in less than nine months.
The centerpiece of the meetings will be Wednesday?s decision by the IOC board on which sport or sports to recommend for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics. Three months after it was surprisingly removed from the list of core sports, wrestling will have a chance to climb back into contention for a spot on the 2020 program.
Also competing for the single opening are seven other sports: a combined baseball-softball bid, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and the Chinese martial art of wushu.
The sports will make closed-door presentations to the IOC board, which will then decide on recommendations to submit to the IOC general assembly for a final decision in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September.
There is widespread speculation that the executive board will select a shortlist of three or four finalists, including wrestling. Squash and karate have been cited as other leading contenders, while men?s baseball and women?s softball have merged to push their bid after having been off the program since the 2008 Beijing Games.
?Everything will be done on merit and respecting the rights that the federations have,? IOC President Jacques Rogge told The Associated Press.
Wrestling, a sport with a tradition dating back to the ancient Olympics, has gone through a major upheaval since it was dropped by the IOC in February. The decision caused a worldwide outcry and led an improbable alliance of the United States, Iran and Russia to push for its return.
Governing body FILA has elected a new president, Nenad Lalovic of Serbia, and brought women and athletes into decision-making roles. It has also adopted a series of rules changes designed to make the sport more exciting and easier for spectators to understand.
?The federation definitely understood the reasons why they were ousted and they reacted well,? Rogge said. ?That does not guarantee them a spot, but they have addressed the shortcomings.?
The process has caused some consternation in IOC circles. If wrestling ends up being voted onto the program in September, it means that no new sport will be brought in for 2020, which was the original intention.
Lalovic believes wrestling has done everything possible to win back its place.
?I understand the other sports are surprised to have wrestling with them,? he told the AP. ?They don?t like that, but what can I do? We have to fight, like wrestlers do.?
The debate over the sports lineup comes in the thick of the IOC presidential campaign ? with all candidates to be on show this week in St. Petersburg. Rogge, who replaced Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, steps down in September after 12 years.
Five members have declared their candidacies in the past two weeks ? IOC vice presidents Thomas Bach of Germany and Ng Ser Miang of Singapore, finance commission chair Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, executive board member and amateur boxing association chief C.K. Wu of Taiwan, and international rowing federation head Denis Oswald of Switzerland.
Former pole vaulter Sergei Bubka, an executive board member from Ukraine, is expected to declare his candidacy this week in St. Petersburg and complete the record field of six candidates. Bach has been considered the front-runner, but the large field would indicate there is no consensus and votes could be split in the Sept. 10 election.
Rogge, who has pledged to remain neutral in the race, said he has seen some of the candidates? manifestos and believes whoever is elected will follow in his path.
?There is no sign of revolution,? Rogge told the AP. ?There is a sign of necessary evolution. I don?t expect a major shift from what has been done under Samaranch and me and I believe was quite successful.?
The presidential candidates won?t be the only ones lobbying in St. Petersburg. So, too, will be the three cities bidding to host the 2020 Olympics ? Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo.
Leaders of all three bids will make public presentations Thursday to the SportAccord delegates, a key chance to get their message across to an international audience. They?ll also make pitches to IOC members in July, two months before the vote in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7.
An IOC evaluation commission will release its report on the bids next month, and Rogge said he is ?reassured? by its findings.
?I know that the outcome of the report is that the three cities are capable of staging excellent games,? he said. ?So there is no major disqualifying shortcoming in any of the three bids. Whoever wins will be a very good organizer and, for me, that is the most important thing.?
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In a Chinese invitation we received earlier today, Foxconn Technology Group and Mozilla confirmed an upcoming press conference that will detail and make their Firefox OS partnership official. The event will take place in Taipei next Monday (just a few days before Computex truly kicks off), and it'll see Mozilla welcome the 19th partner to its Firefox OS alliance. There isn't much meat in the email, though we did spot a little hint in the rundown that says one or more of the "latest" Firefox OS products will be on show. Whatever they may be, we shall keep an eye out for them as soon as we land in Terry Gou's back garden next week.
May 27, 2013 ? New gene discovery for babies born with hole in the heart A new gene associated with a form of congenital heart disease in newborn babies -- known as "a hole in the heart" has been discovered by researchers. British Heart Foundation (BHF) Professor Bernard Keavney, from The University of Manchester and Newcastle University, led the research which saw investigators from Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford and Leicester universities in the UK, together with colleagues in Europe, Australia and Canada pool resources.
The discovery, published in Nature Genetics today, will help lead to better understanding of why some patients are born with the disorder. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of congenital malformation, occurring in seven in 1000 babies born and is one of the major causes of childhood death and illness. Most patients born with CHD now survive to adulthood, so identifying the responsible genes is important as experts attempt to provide individual-specific genetic counselling for these people.
In about 20% of cases, a predisposing cause can be identified, for example Down's Syndrome, but in the remainder of patients, although genes are recognised to be important, scientists do not know the identity of these genes. The study, funded by the BHF and the Wellcome Trust, looked at over 2,000 CHD patients and measured over 500,000 genetic markers which vary in the general population. The genetic markers in the patients were compared to the markers of over 5,600 people in good health who acted as a control group.
The researchers found a relationship between a particular region of the human genome and risk of atrial septal defect (ASD) -- a "hole" between the heart's blood-collecting chambers, which they went on to confirm in additional cases of atrial septal defect and healthy controls. BHF Professor Keavney, Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at The University of Manchester, said identifying a gene associated with one type of CHD was an important step forward. "We found that a common genetic variation near a gene called Msx1 was strongly associated with the risk of a particular type of CHD called atrial septal defect or hole in the heart," he said. "ASD is one of the most common forms of congenital heart disease, and it carries a risk of heart failure and stroke. We estimated that around 10% of ASDs may be due to the gene we found. We can now work to find out how Msx1 and/or its neighbour genes affect the risk of ASD."
Researchers looked at all the major types of congenial heart disease (CHD), but they did not find a genetic marker common in all types of CHD. Professor Keavney added: "Our work also suggests that if we conduct larger studies we will be able to find genes that cause other types of CHD. Although we are not there yet, further studies may enable us to give better genetic counselling to high risk families. Also, when we identify genes important in the development of the heart because they have gone wrong, it helps us understand normal development better. Such an understanding is fundamental to any attempt to treat people with heart disease at any age -- for example those suffering from heart failure -- using regenerative medicine." Dr Shannon Amoils, Senior Research Advisor at the BHF, which part-funded the study, said: "We've made great strides in treating congenital heart disease; most babies born with a heart defect have a much brighter future now than they would have had in the 1960s when the BHF was founded. But we still need to fund much more research like this, to better understand the fundamental causes of congenital heart defects. "These important results show how large collaborative studies are incredibly useful for uncovering the influence of our genes on congenital heart disease.
As researchers continue to identify other associated genes, we will be able to better predict the chances of children being born with heart problems, and will also learn more about the underlying processes that can go wrong in the developing heart."
SEATTLE/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - While much of corporate America is retrenching on the real estate front, the four most influential technology companies in America are each planning headquarters that could win a Pritzker Architecture Prize for hubris.
Amazon.com this week revealed plans for three verdant bubbles in downtown Seattle, joining Apple's circular "spaceship," Facebook's Frank Gehry-designed open-office complex and a new Googleplex on the list of planned trophy offices.
"It signals a desire, a statement, to say that we're special, we're different. We have changed the world and we are going to continue to change it," said Margaret O'Mara, associate professor of history at the University of Washington, who has written about the building of Silicon Valley.
"It's also a reflection of robust bank accounts. They have a lot of cash."
Historically, however, when a company becomes preoccupied with the grandeur of its premises, it often signals a high point in its fortunes. These fantastical buildings may end up as little more than costly monuments to vanity and a loss of focus on the core business that made for success in the first place.
"I've been thinking the Apple spaceship is going to get nicknamed the 'Death Star' because the project is so big and the timing is so bad," said hedge fund manager Jeff Matthews of Ram Partners. The building is coming to fruition just as Apple's product cycles may be maturing, he explained. "It is such a classic contrary indicator that you just get the shakes." He no longer holds Apple stock.
Walter Price, who runs technology investment funds at RCM Capital Management LLC, shares the outlook: "When companies build big headquarters it's usually when they're doing really well and have strong outlooks, and that often coincides with a peak in their stock." Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook are battling to recruit tech talent, and attractive campuses help with that, he added, but Apple's plan has not gone down well with investors. RCM's tech funds no longer hold shares.
PROJECT RUNAWAY
Amazon's design, presented to Seattle city planners this week, includes three steel and glass spheres almost 100 feet high, which will serve as the centerpiece for three new skyscrapers that will house a rapidly growing workforce in downtown Seattle.
The plans call for "a series of intersecting spheres with ample space for a wide range of planting material, as well as individuals working alone or in groups." Amazon declined further comment.
Google Inc, the world's largest Internet search company, has outgrown its original headquarters in Silicon Valley's Mountain View and is planning to build a 1.1 million square foot Googleplex nearby.
Called Bay View, it will have nine rectangular buildings, horizontally bent, with living roofs surrounded by courtyards and connected by bridges. No employee will be more than a two-and-a-half-minute walk away from any colleague, a design aimed at encouraging collaboration. A Google spokeswoman declined further comment.
Facebook Inc is taking the collaborative idea a step further, with plans for Facebook West, an addition to its main campus in Menlo Park, California, that will be the size of seven-and-a-half football fields.
Facebook hired Gehry to bring his trademark style of unexpected angles and understated drama to what is essentially one enormous open-plan office, where a worker can wander from one end to the other without ever going through a door. The rooftop serves as a park.
An earlier version of the building plan featured flares on the ends of the structure like butterfly wings, but Facebook decided not to go ahead with them, said Rachel Grossman, associate planner for the city of Menlo Park.
Facebook spokesman Tucker Bounds said the expansion will be "extremely cost-effective" and is needed to help the company develop new products for its users. He declined to comment further.
Apple has the most ambitious idea, a 2.8 million square foot glass ring on 176 acres. It would be in part a monument to former Chief Executive Steve Jobs, who described it as like a spaceship and was closely involved in the plans before he died in 2011.
The project, which could cost up to $5 billion according to reports, would house about 12,000 Apple employees. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
TEMPTING FATE
The technology sector has amassed large cash piles in recent years, leaving many companies over-capitalized, said Bill Smead, head of Smead Capital Management, which oversees $465 million in assets and does not own shares of Apple, Amazon, Facebook or Google. "Over-capitalized companies often don't perform well, and leaders of over-capitalized companies sometimes squander the money," he said.
Apple, Amazon and Facebook are not getting tax breaks or other similar financial incentives for their plans, according to local officials. It is not clear if Google is receiving any incentives.
While these plans radiate optimism, they risk bringing down a curse that has befallen big companies just as they construct pyramid-scale palaces.
AOL-Time Warner started building the Time Warner Center, a 2.8 million square foot structure on the edge of New York's Central Park featuring two towering glass skyscrapers, right as the tech stock bubble popped in 2000, destroying more than three-quarters of the Internet and media company's value.
The New York Times Co, Wall Street bank Bear Stearns and chemical company Union Carbide also built ambitious headquarters just before their businesses hit tough times.
The "campus curse" has claimed several tech victims as well.
In the early 1990s, Borland Software - once the second-largest independent software company - spent more than $100 million on offices just south of Silicon Valley that featured ponds, tennis courts and a swimming pool. By 2008 the company had been hammered in the market by Microsoft and was worth less than the cost of the complex.
Since then, Yahoo Inc, MySpace, Inktomi, Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics have either hatched plans for or moved into swaggering headquarters, only to hit the skids. Google moved into Silicon Graphics' campus and Facebook took over Sun's headquarters.
Salesforce.com Inc got the shakes in time. In late 2011 the stock had fallen from a July high, and analysts were criticizing the company for excessive spending on sales and marketing. Earlier approved plans to build a $2 billion high-tech campus in San Francisco were canceled by the following February.
PRODUCTIVITY PREMIUM?
Despite these cautionary tales, some say the new breed of tech companies are smart to construct their own buildings, which match the collaborative way they work and can yield long-term productivity and energy-efficiency benefits.
"As they see energy prices going up they recognize that these buildings have to last longer, and they need to be more in control of the operation costs of these buildings. A property developer does not focus on such long-term things," said John Barton, director of the architectural design program at Stanford University.
"Employees are more productive in the right kinds of environments. That may be more expensive, but if it pays back in a 5 percent productivity increase, that may be really smart," he added.
O'Mara at University of Washington suggests the new tech giants are emulating the workplace innovations of the famous Bell Labs, the historic research arm of AT&T that gave birth to the transistor, the laser and technology behind mobile phones over many decades.
Bell's legendary facility, designed by modernist architect Eero Saarinen in the late 1950s, might not be the right role monument.
Now owned by global telecom giant Alcatel Lucent, the quarter-mile-long mirrored box lies empty, and is likely to end up being turned into a medical center - or razed.
(Additional reporting by Poornima Gupta. Editing by Jonathan Weber, Mary Milliken and Prudence Crowther)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? For all the soothing words she heard from fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii never had a chance to win a relatively modest change to far-reaching immigration legislation.
Instead, the hidden hand of the Gang of Eight reached out and rejected her attempt to create an immigration preference for close relatives of citizens with an extreme hardship ? the same force that had already derailed dozens of other proposals deemed to violate the delicate trade-offs made by the bill's authors.
The gang ? the four Republicans and four Democrats who forged the plan? held together "amazingly well under the circumstances," said one member of the Judiciary Committee who was not part of the group. "It's a very complex bill," added Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
The legislation that now goes to the Senate floor creates a 13-year road to citizenship for the estimated 11.5 million immigrants living in the United States unlawfully, establishes a new program to allow low-skilled workers into the country and sharply expands the number of visas for highly skilled workers.
It also mandates a costly new effort to secure U.S. borders against future illegal crossings and remakes the existing system for legal immigration.
Beneath the surface lie dozens of difficult political bargains meant to balance the interests of members of the self-appointed Gang of Eight and various constituencies now welded into a coalition for the bill.
Fixing the precise standards for certifying that the U.S.-Mexican border is secure enough to permit other features of the bill to take effect was one. Setting the requirements, and rights, for those illegally in the country who will apply for "registered provisional immigrant status" was another.
Only four of the eight senators, two from each political party, are on the Judiciary Committee, but aides to all met privately in advance to review roughly 300 proposed amendments. Officials said there were few disagreements among the staff about which would have violated the basic bipartisan agreement and thus needed to be fended off at all costs.
The lawmakers themselves discussed a small number in meetings held either in the office of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., or John McCain, R-Ariz.
Even though immigration legislation is a top priority for President Barack Obama, the White House was held at arms' length. Administration officials were consulted about the feasibility of quickly establishing a nationwide biometric system to track immigrants, for example, but were not invited to the meetings.
It was only by accident that the public might have learned of the gang's power.
Speaking into a microphone that he evidently did not realize would pick up his voice, Schumer asked an aide during one vote, "Do our Republicans have a pass on this one?"
In fact, for days, the two GOP Gang of Eight members on the committee, Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, wound up opposing changes they might otherwise have supported ? far more often than was the case with the Democrats, Schumer and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Among them were numerous attempts by other Republicans to toughen border security requirements before legalization can begin or to otherwise make provisional legal status harder to obtain.
Still other proposals were reshaped to meet the conditions of the Gang of Eight, including one by Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Cornyn of Texas, one the Democratic committee chairman, the other the Senate's second-ranking Republican.
They wanted to change a provision providing $1.5 billion to deploy "additional fencing in high-risk border sectors," proposing instead that the money go to "fencing, infrastructure and technology." Officials said that ran afoul of the wishes of Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the Gang of Eight, who had made construction of the fence a priority.
In the end, a compromise emerged, with $1 billion to be spent exclusively on fencing and $500 million available for that purpose or other infrastructure or technology.
In addition to Rubio, the gang members not on the Judiciary Committee are McCain and Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado.
The knowledge that the Gang of Eight would object caused some proposals to wither without a vote.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., prepared two gun-related amendments, but he had only one of them debated and withdrew it without a vote he was certain to lose.
On the other hand, amendments that the Gang of Eight decided didn't threaten their measure or might strengthen it rose or fell based on other factors. The phasing in of the biometric system, a Republican suggestion, was a key one.
Hirono deferred on several of her proposals but chose a different course on a proposal to let U.S. citizens suffering from extreme hardship petition for a sibling or adult married child to immigrate.
"This is a tiny change and would be utilized only in the most sympathetic cases," she said. She noted that as drafted, the legislation eliminated an existing preference for siblings eager to follow family members to the United States, a category that historically has tended to benefit immigrants from Asian nations.
"I understand that my amendment is in conflict with the agreement that the Gang of Eight reached on this bill," she said, adding, "If they were not part of the Gang of Eight, I believe they would support this limited amendment."
In the debate that followed, two nongang Democrats on the committee, Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota and Chris Coons of Deleware, said they would support Hirono.
But Graham said an issue of overriding importance to him had been the bill's establishment of a new system for legal immigration. "What I'm trying to do is have a family component within a merit-based immigration system, not turn immigration into chain migration family-based immigration.... And I will continue to insist on that for my participation," he added.
Schumer and Durbin quickly closed ranks, saying they would oppose Hirono's proposal reluctantly.
In a gesture to Graham and Flake, Durbin said the two Republicans had "stood by the agreement when it wasn't easy politically. I feel duty-bound to do the same thing at this moment."
Graham said he understood the vote was tough for Democrats. "Sen. Flake and I have been voting for six days" against proposals they might otherwise have favored, "so glad to have you on board," he said.
Laughter filled the committee room.
Moments later, Hirono's amendment was rejected 11-7, another in an unbroken series of victories for the Gang of Eight.
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Public release date: 28-May-2013
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