Plasma could turn old tyres into new...

Technology: Old tyres don't die, they just dissolve away.
Materials Research Centre, University of Swansea

Blasting old tyres with super-hot gas offers a way to turn them back into new ones, say UK researchers. This would tackle one of the world's biggest waste disposal problems.

Old tyres are piling up in landfill across the world because they are so difficult to dispose of, or reuse. The options for recycling are limited because the rubber used is vulcanised, meaning it has been combined with another chemical, usually sulphur, to improve its overall strength and durability.

But vulcanised rubber does not melt, and is therefore difficult to reform and reuse. So many tyres are simply dumped in landfill, a process that releases heavy metals and other pollutants and risks starting dirty, long-burning fires.

Now, David Isaac and colleagues at Swansea University, UK, have shown that spinning ground-up tyres, called rubber "crumb", inside a chamber filled with ionised oxygen gas plasma could provide a solution.

Temporary bonds

"It makes the surface of the crumb much better at sticking onto new rubber," Isaac explains. "Without treatment, the interface between the old pieces and new rubber is very weak."

The treated rubber particles can then be added to fresh non-vulcanised rubber to make new tyres. Laboratory tests show that tyre rubber recycled in this way has similar tensile strength and other mechanical properties to completely new material.

Isaac says the plasma treatment appears to create reactive oxygen species - small, highly reactive molecules - on the surface of the rubber by opening up carbon bonds. This reactive surface adheres well to fresh rubber. But it will not stay that way for ever, so the researchers have to add it to new rubber straight away. In the long term, they hope to find a way to make the plasma treatment last longer. Gases pose problems

Previously, researchers have tried activating rubber crumb with chlorine or fluorine gas, but Isaac says that, "environmental problems with those gases mean that hasn't really taken off".

The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that the US produced some 290 million scrap tyres during 2003, of which only 45 million were recycled. About 50 million tyres, or half a million tonnes, are disposed of every year in the UK and, since July 2006, it has been illegal to dump tyres into landfill, even after shredding.

"Around 65% of the world's rubber production is for tyres," Isaac told New Scientist "Tyre rubber is recycled into products like flooring, but it makes sense to try and recycle them into more tyres."

The Swansea team have formed a commercial partnership in order to develop the new process commercially and interest tyre makers in the technology.

AMD Details Next-Generation Platform for Notebook PCs...

—“Puma” platform to deliver architectural enhancements to improve performance and increase battery life —

Tokyo, Japan -- May 18, 2007 --At a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today officially disclosed more details of its next-generation open platform for notebook computing. Codenamed “Puma,” the platform is designed to deliver battery life, graphics and video processing enhancements and improved overall system performance for an enhanced visual experience. The “Puma” platform is expected to build on the successful launches of the AMD M690 mobile chipset and 65nm process-based AMD Turion™ 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology in April and May 2007, respectively.

The key technologies that comprise “Puma” are AMD’s next-generation notebook processor, codenamed “Griffin”, matched with the next-generation AMD “RS780” mobile chipset. This new platform exemplifies AMD’s commitment to improve platform stability, time to market, performance/energy-efficiency and overall consumer and commercial customers’ experience via its acquisition and integration of ATI. Notebooks based on the “Puma” platform are expected to be available in the mid-2008 timeframe.

“Through the combination of our recent processor and chipset launches and the Better by Design program, AMD is constantly establishing new heights of competitiveness in serving the needs of our notebook customers,” said Chris Cloran, vice president, AMD Notebook Division. “With the unveiling of the “Puma” mobile platform we’re sending a clear signal to the market that we intend to drive continued innovation in notebook computing in 2008 and beyond.”

Next-Generation Microprocessor Architecture

Core to the “Puma” platform is the introduction of AMD’s next-generation notebook “Griffin” microprocessor. With “Griffin,” AMD will deliver a number of new capabilities to enhance battery life and overall mobile computing performance.

New notebook processing innovations in “Griffin” include:

• power optimized HyperTransport™ and memory controllers integrated in the processor silicon that operate on a separate power plane as the processor cores, thereby enabling the cores to go into reduced power states;
• dynamic performance scaling offers enhanced battery life with reduced power consumption through separate voltage planes enabling each core to operate at independent frequency and voltage; and
• power-optimized HyperTransport™ 3.0 with a more than tripling of peak I/O bandwidth, plus new power features including dynamic scaling of link widths.

“With this introduction, AMD is stepping up its mobility story,” said Roger L. Kay, president, Endpoint Technologies Associates, Inc. “With increased performance and power efficiency, Puma represents the company's first explicitly mobile platform. It's safe to assume that this offering is just the first of what will be turn out to be a stream of evolving products based on the company's new open-platform mobile technology.”

“RS780” Platform Technology

“Griffin” will be complemented with the forthcoming “RS780” notebook chipset to deliver a rich visual experience and increased performance. Based on PCI Express® Generation 2 and the HyperTransport™ 3.0 specifications,”RS780” is expected to raise the bar on the notebook computing experience by delivering significant new features such as:

· Motherboard DirectX® 10 graphics processing

· Energy efficient high-definition multimedia support with the Unified Video Decoder

· Integrated multi-monitor support with DVI, HDMI and Display Port

· Native Southbridge™ support for NAND flash with HyperFlash™

· PowerXpress™ for dynamic switching between integrated & discrete graphics to extend battery life

The “Puma” platform is based upon an open platform strategy. In addition to the “Griffin” microprocessor and “RS780” chipset, the “Puma” platform includes ATI Radeon™ graphics, NVIDIA chipset and graphics technologies, and industry-leading wireless technologies.

With the launch of the “Puma” platform, AMD is taking important steps in system-level optimization through adding intelligence and increased coordination between the CPU, GPU and chipset. The “Puma” platform sets the stage for the next-wave of notebook processing innovation with silicon-level CPU/GPU integration through “Fusion”.

“Puma” will be further discussed during a presentation by AMD Fellow, Maurice Steinman at the Spring Microprocessor Forum in San Jose, California on May 22nd.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide. For more information, visit www.amd.com.

Press release: AMD.com

Motorola introduces RAZR 2 and other new phones

Motorola introduces RAZR 2 and other new phones
Press release,eric mah,DIGITIMES

Motorola presented its 2007 mobile devices collection, which included the RAZR 2 series, MOTO Z8, MOTO Q 9 and ROKR Z6 handsets.

The RAZR 2 features a slimmer exterior than its RAZR predecessor, alongwith new features designed to facilitate communication, according to Motorola. Select models of the RAZR 2 series feature CrystalTalk technology for better call clarity, up to 2GB of on-board memory, external texting with the phone closed and full HTML Web browsing and email access. The RAZR 2 V8, V9 and V9m will offer GSM, 3G HSDPA and EVDO CDMA connectivity, respectively. The phones will be available worldwide starting in July, according to Motorola.

Motorola's Z8 is a HSDPA-enabled handset which offers an ultra-high resolution mobile screen that operates in both portrait and landscape modes and can capture and playback video at speeds of up to 30 frames-per-second. Select versions of the Z8 features ROKR-like music capabilities and up to 32GB of expandable memory.

The phone allows for mobile TV access to streamed content from select content providers as well as mobile gaming with access. The Z8 will launch across Europe and Asia in June 2007.

Motorola also introduced the Q8 (GSM/EDGE) and Q9 (HSDPA) to its MOTO Q series of phones. The Q9, a global quad-band 3G QWERTY, based on the Windows Mobile 6.0 OS, couples a new sleek form factor with a dual-processor HSDPA/UMTS engine, enabling broadband over-the-air at up to 3.6Mbps . The Q9 will hit shelves in Italy this week, according to the company.

Attend Interviews with Confidence...

The questions that may ask you by any interviewer is follows:

Tell me about yourself.
What do you want to do with your life?
Do you have any actual work experience?
How would you describe your ideal job?
Why did you choose this career?
When did you decide on this career?
What goals do you have in your career?
How do you plan to achieve these goals?
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Describe a situation in which you were successful.
What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?
If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?
Would your rather work with information or with people?
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What motivates you?
Why should I hire you?
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Tell me about some of your recent goals & what you did to achieve them?
What are your short-term goals?
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What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Where do you want to be ten years from now?
Do you handle conflict well?
Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How did you resolve it?
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Do you handle pressure well?
What is your greatest strength?
What is your greatest weakness?
If I were to ask one of your professors to describe you, what would he or she say?
Why did you choose to attend your college?
What changes would you make at your college?
How has your education prepared you for your career?
What were your favorite classes? Why?
Do you enjoy doing independent research?
Who were your favorite professors? Why?
Why is your GPA not higher?
Do you have any plans for further education?
How much training do you think you'll need to become a productive employee?
What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?
What do you know about our company?
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How much money do you need to make to be happy?
What kind of salary are you looking for?

Further we should prepare our bio-data or CV very attractive.