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The sensor offers a five-fold increase in proximity detection over previous-generation devices. The sensor’s integrated long-distance proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and 940nm infrared-emitting diode (IRED) eliminate the need for additional light barriers and optical alignment of the IR emitter and photo diode.The device’s small outline saves space and gives design engineers greater flexibility in where and how they locate the sensor.A 16-bit, high-resolution ambient light sensor offers excellent sensing capabilities with sufficient selections to fulfill most applications whether a dark or high-transparency lens design.The devices offer individual programmable high- and low-threshold interrupt features to allow designers to best utilise resources and power on the microcontroller.For the 8-bit proximity-sensing function, VCNL4100 has a built-in intelligent cancelation scheme that eliminates background light issues. The device’s smart persistence scheme prevents false judgment of proximity sensing due to ambient light noise.It provides temperature compensation of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius to keep the output stable under changing temperature.Designers can easily operate proximity and ambient light sensor functions via the device’s I2C (SMBus-compatible) interface protocol.The device operates on a supply voltage range of 2.5V to 3.6V in a lead-free, RoHS-compliant 8.0 × 3.0 × 1.8mm package.Reference:T141AM61STMPE1208SQTRQT1101-ISG 

New Yorker Electronics has introduced a series ruggedised aluminium electrolytic capacitors with welded seals, the MLSG in both Flatpack and Slimpack. This series targets compact power supply applications in military and aerospace, as well as other critical systems.Design enhancements and an electrolyte push the MLSG to nearly double the operating life of its predecessor, the MLSH, at no added cost.Two principal package profiles are offered in this technology, the MLSG Flatpack which measures just 0.5" thick and 1.75" wide and the MLSG Slimpack measuring 0.5" thick by 1" wide, both offered in lengths of 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 3".MLSG Flatpack welded seals capacitors can be made to withstand up to 50g vibrations (10g standard) and altitudes greater than 80,000ft. With stainless steel cases and near hermetic welded seals, they are built for extended duty in very harsh conditions. Especially noteworthy is that a high level of performance is maintained over the full operating temperature range. Capacitance retention at -55°C is very strong, with excellent high temperature performance up to 125°C. The new electrolyte system is fully REACH compliant, allowing application of the components in a broad range of applications where space efficiency and extraordinarily long life are required.A wide range of standard capacitance values from 220 to 24,000µF are available, with voltage ratings up to 250VDC. The unique flat package design does more than save space. It is easily cooled, and can offer flexibility in ganging two or more devices in ways that conventional electrolytics can’t.Options include High Vibration (HVMLSG), for performance to 50g, and High Reliability (HRMLSG), with burn-in at rated voltage and 85°C. Where a true glass-to-metal hermetic seal is required, CDE offers the MLSH Slimpack, which is similarly constructed in a flat stainless steel package. It is available in nine values, from 120 to 3,200µF, with ratings up to 250VDC.With a profile of 1x0.5", the MLSG Slimpack welded seals capacitors fit into the tightest of spaces and meet a DC test of 5,000 hours at rated voltage, 125°C. MLSG Slimpack is a perfect fit for military and aerospace applications requiring a low profile, rugged design and long-life. The MSGL Slimpack is also available in an HRMLSG type for high reliability burn-in – and is rated to vibration levels of 80g.Features and benefits5,000 hours at rated voltage of 125°CStainless steel caseWithstands more than 80,000ft. altitudeType HR, high reliability burn-inType HV, high vibration levelsFlatpack to 50g; Slimpack to 80gApplicationsAerospaceMilitaryCritical systemsPower suppliesReference:F17724102900MKP1841410254BFC246816474 

Inflammation is a good thing when it's fighting off infection, but too much can lead to autoimmune diseases or cancer. In efforts to dampen inflammation, scientists have long been interested in CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2)—a protein that sits on the surface of immune cells like an antenna, sensing and transmitting inflammatory signals that spur cell movement toward sites of inflammation. Researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego have now determined the 3D structure of CCR2 simultaneously bound to two inhibitors. Understanding how these molecules fit together may better enable pharmaceutical companies to develop anti-inflammatory drugs that bind and inhibit CCR2 in a similar manner.CCR2 and associated signaling molecules are known to play roles in a number of inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis, asthma, diabetic nephropathy and cancer. Many drug companies have attempted to develop drugs that target CCR2, but none have yet made it to market."So far drugs that target CCR2 have consistently failed in clinical trials," said Tracy Handel, PhD, professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy. "One of the biggest challenges is that, to work therapeutically, CCR2 needs to be turned 'off' and stay off completely, all of the time. We can't afford ups and downs in its activity. To be effective, any small molecule drug that inhibits CCR2 would have to bind the receptor tightly and stay there. And that's difficult to do."Handel led the study with Irina Kufareva, PhD, project scientist at Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and Laura Heitman, PhD, of Leiden University. The study's first author is Yi Zheng, PhD, postdoctoral researcher also at Skaggs School of Pharmacy.CCR2 spans the membrane of immune cells. Part of the receptor sticks outside the cell and part sticks inside. Inflammatory molecules called chemokines bind the external part of CCR2 and the receptor carries that signal to the inside of the cell. Inside the cell, CCR2 changes shape and binds other communication molecules, such as G proteins, triggering a cascade of activity. As a result, the immune cells move, following chemokine trails that lead them to places in the body where help is needed.In this study, the researchers used a technique known as X-ray crystallography to determine the 3D structure of CCR2 with two molecules bound to it simultaneously—one at each end.That's a huge accomplishment because, Kufareva said, "Receptors that cross the cell membrane are notoriously hard to crystalize. To promote crystallization, we needed to alter the amino acid sequence of CCR2 to make the receptor molecules assemble in an orderly fashion. Otherwise, when taken out of the cell membrane, they tend to randomly clump together. "Handel, Kufareva and team also discovered that the two small molecules binding CCR2 turn the receptor "off" by different but mutually reinforcing mechanisms. One of the small molecules binds the outside face of the receptor and blocks binding of the natural chemokines that normally turn the receptor "on." The other small molecule binds the face of the receptor inside the cell, where the G protein normally binds, preventing inflammatory signal transmission. According to Handel, the latter binding site has never been seen before.   

At last week's IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco (USA), imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in nano-electronics and digital technology and Holst Centre debuted a miniaturized sensor that simultaneously determines pH and chloride (Cl-)levels in fluid. This innovation is a must have for accurate long-term measurement of ion concentrations in applications such as environmental monitoring, precision agriculture and diagnostics for personalized healthcare. The sensor is an industry first and thanks to the SoC (system on chip) integration it enables massive and cost-effective deployments in Internet-of-Things (IoT) settings. Its innovative electrode design results in a similar or better performance compared to today's standard equipment for measuring single ion concentrations and allows for additional ion tests.Sensors based on ion-selective membranes are considered the gold standard to measure ion concentrations in many applications, such as water quality, agriculture, and analytical chemistry. They consist of two electrodes, the ion-sensitive electrode with the membrane (ISE) and a reference electrode (RE). When these electrodes are immersed in a fluid, a potential is generated that scales with the logarithm of the ion activity in the fluid, forming a measure for the concentration. However, the precision of the sensor depends on the long-term stability of the miniaturized RE, a challenge that has now been overcome."The common issue with such designs is the leaching of ions from the internal electrolyte, causing the sensor to drift over time," stated Marcel Zevenbergen, senior researcher at imec/Holst Centre. "To suppress such leaching, we designed and fabricated an RE with a microfluidic channel as junction and combined it with solid-state iridium oxide (IrOx) and silver chloride (AgCl) electrodes fabricated on a silicon substrate, respectively as indicating electrodes for pH and Cl-. Our tests demonstrated this to be a long-term stable solution with the sensor showing a sensitivity, accuracy and response time that are equal or better than existing solutions, while at the same time being much smaller and potentially less expensive.""We are providing groundbreaking sensing and analytics solutions for the IoT," stated John Baekelmans, Managing Director of imec in The Netherlands. "This new multi-ion sensor is one in a series that Holst Centre is currently developing with its partners to form the senses of the IoT. For each sensor, the aim is to leapfrog the current performance of the state-of-the-art sensors in a mass-producible, wireless, energy optimized and miniaturized package."Reference:ADXRS620BBGZLPY410ALTRL3GD20HTR  

An ISA100 Wireless-based field wireless vibration sensor from Yokogawa has the ability to quickly update data as well as a long battery life. ISA100 Wireless is a technology that is based on the ISA100.11a standard. It includes ISA100.11a-2011 communications, an application layer with process control industry standard objects, device descriptions and capabilities, a gateway interface, infrared provisioning, and a backbone router.By providing real-time updates on vibration levels in plant facilities, the new sensor helps users quickly detect equipment anomalies and enables predictive maintenance.With a field wireless system, plant field devices and analysers are able to communicate wirelessly with host-level monitoring and control systems.The rising need to improve productivity and enhance safety by collecting more data on plant operations is driving the demand for field wireless devices, which can be installed even in difficult to access locations.Field wireless devices have the added advantage of reducing installation costs.Vibration sensors are useful for the condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of plant machinery such as compressors, pumps, and motors.Conventional methods for monitoring vibration include the use of vibration sensors that rely on wired communications with a host system, and patrols by maintenance staff to collect vibration data.With the widening use of field wireless systems and the need to reduce installation costs, there is an increasing demand for wireless vibration sensors.Since releasing the world’s first ISA100 Wireless-based field wireless devices and wireless systems, Yokogawa has expanded its lineup of field wireless devices that measure temperature, pressure, flow rate, and the like.This new vibration sensor will meet the company’s customers’ needs for a device that can provide the quick updates on vibration levels needed to detect anomalies at an early stage.The principal components of this field wireless vibration sensor are the FN510 field wireless multifunction module, the LN01 piezoelectric type acceleration sensor, and the FN110 field wireless communication module.Via a gateway device, the FN510 uses the ISA100 Wireless communications protocol to exchange data with a host-level system such as a DCS. The data collected with this vibration sensor enables plant operators and maintenance staff to monitor vibration levels in real time. Both explosion-proof and non-explosion-proof types are available.Reference:D7E-1BU-27135-0001005447-1   

Researchers have proposed a design for the first DNA sequencer based on an electronic nanosensor that can detect tiny motions as small as a single atom. The proposed device—a type of capacitor, which stores electric charge—is a tiny ribbon of molybdenum disulfide suspended over a metal electrode and immersed in water. The ribbon is 15.5 nanometers (nm, billionths of a meter) long and 4.5 nm wide. Single-stranded DNA, containing a chain of bases (bits of genetic code), is threaded through a hole 2.5 nm wide in the thin ribbon. The ribbon flexes only when a DNA base pairs up with and then separates from a complementary base affixed to the hole. The membrane motion is detected as an electrical signal. As described in a new paper, the NIST team made numerical simulations and theoretical estimates to show the membrane would be 79 to 86 percent accurate in identifying DNA bases in a single measurement at speeds up to about 70 million bases per second. Integrated circuits would detect and measure electrical signals and identify bases. The results suggest such a device could be a fast, accurate and cost-effective DNA sequencer, according to the paper. Conventional sequencing, developed in the 1970s, involves separating, copying, labeling and reassembling pieces of DNA to read the genetic information. Newer methods include automated sequencing of many DNA fragments at once—still costly—and novel "nanopore sequencing" concepts. For example, the same NIST group recently demonstrated the idea of sequencing DNA by passing it through a graphene nanopore, and measuring how graphene's electronic properties respond to strain. The latest NIST proposal relies on a thin film of molybdenum disulfide—a stable, layered material that conducts electricity and is often used as a lubricant. Among other advantages, this material does not stick to DNA, which can be a problem with graphene. The NIST team suggests the method might even work without a nanopore—a simpler design—by passing DNA across the edge of the membrane. "This approach potentially solves the issue with DNA sticking to graphene if inserted improperly, because this approach does not use graphene, period," NIST theorist and lead author Alex Smolyanitsky said. "Another major difference is that instead of relying on the properties of graphene or any particular material used, we read motions electrically in an easier way by forming a capacitor. This makes any electrically conductive membrane suitable for the application." Nanomaterials expert Boris Yakobson of Rice University, a co-author on the paper, suggested the capacitor idea. Computational support was provided by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. DNA has four bases. For the simulations, cytosine (C), which naturally pairs up with guanine (G), is attached to the inside of the pore. When a piece of DNA passes through the pore, any G in the strand temporarily attaches to the embedded C, pulling on the nanoribbon and signaling the electrode. The DNA sequence is determined by measuring how and when electrical blips vary over time. To detect all four bases, four nanoribbons, each with a different base attached to the pore, could be stacked vertically to create an integrated DNA sensor. The molybdenum disulfide ribbon is flexible enough to deform measurably in response to the forces required to break up a DNA pair, but rigid enough to have less ongoing, meaningless movement than graphene, potentially reducing unwanted noise in the sequencing signals. The deflection of the ribbon is exceedingly small, on the order of one angstrom, the size of a hydrogen atom. Its pulling force is on the order of 50 piconewtons, or trillionths of a newton, enough to break up the delicate chemical bonds between DNA bases. Researchers estimated how the device would perform in an integrated circuit and found the peak currents through the capacitor were measurable (50 to 70 picoamperes), even for the small nanoribbons studied. The current peaks are expected to be even larger in physical systems. The device size could be tweaked to make it even easier to measure sequencing signals. The NIST authors hope to build a physical version of the device in the future. For practical applications, the chip-sized DNA sequencing microfluidic technology might be combined with electronics into a single device small enough to be handheld. Reference: RFCS04021000BJTT1 RFCS04025000DBTT1 SC02201518