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NIST Machine to Aid in Making Better Artificial Joints
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MaterialsNIST Machine to Aid in Making Better Artificial Joints
The material of choice for longer-lasting orthopedic implants--such as joint replacements for hips and knees--is ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene paired with an alloy of cobalt and chromium, a combination that has proven to be durable and compatible with the human body. But even joints made from these components last only about a decade, prompting industry to search for better materials.
Innovative devices have been needed desperately to speed up the screening of new materials for orthopedic implants; it takes about six months for conventional equipment to simulate the natural wear of artificial hips. Such a long testing period results in higher research and development costs for companies trying to bring better products to market.
So, NIST and four companies teamed under cooperative research and development agreements to design and construct a new apparatus to do the job. The resulting machine can evaluate a diverse combination of materials, produces debris and changes in surface texture resembling the wear that implants get in the body, and can complete a screening in about one week.
Now that the device has been tested successfully, the next step in the industry/government collaborative effort (the CRADAs soon will be extended for two years) will be to use it to study how potential, alternative implant materials hold up under the effects of motion, environment and a variety of stress-loading cycles that represent the physical routines of different people).
The four companies that supported the development of the accelerated wear device and intend to extend their CRADAs with NIST as part of the Orthopedic Accelerated Wear Resistance Consortium are Biomet Inc., and Zimmer Inc., both in Warsaw, Ind.; Johnson & Johnson Professional Inc., Raynham, Mass.; and Osteonics Corp., Allendale, N.J. NIST researchers involved in the development of the new machine are John A. Tesk, Ming Shen and Steve Hsu.
Potential new members for the consortium and others interested in learning more about the accelerated wear device should contact John Tesk, A143 Polymer Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-6799, john.tesk@nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Emil Venere (301) 975-5745
General InformationPublic Inquiries Number Now a Snap to Remember
Members of the public, industry personnel and others with general questions about all aspects of NIST, its programs or publications now have an easier-to-remember, one-stop phone number at their service. The new General Inquiries line is (301) 975-NIST (975-6478). Electronic mail inquiries still may be sent to inquiries@nist.gov, while the number for faxed requests for information remains (301) 926-1630.
Media inquiries should be directed to the public affairs specialist who covers a specific NIST organizational unit, program or activity. For a current list of the Media Liaison Group members and their coverage areas, check out the World Wide Web at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/mediahp.htm.
Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman (301) 975-3025
Information TechnologyNIST Helps Insurers Evaluate Year 2000 Preparedness
Concern over the Year 2000 "computer bug" problem--the failure of a computer program or system because the "00" year designation is mistaken for "1900"--has many businesses seeking Year 2000 liability and business interruption insurance.
The insurance industry, in turn, wants to be able to evaluate how effectively companies are fixing the problem before issuing policies. A new industry/government project is meeting the need.
The project offers insurers a standardized way to measure how rigorously a given company is developing or converting its software systems to preclude computer system failures. Software diagnostics and testing experts from NIST's Information Technology Laboratory provided technical advice at the request of Software Testing Assurance Corp., a Stamford, Conn., company that is leading the insurance industry's risk assessment efforts. The Software Productivity Consortium of Herndon, Va., also is supporting the work.
NIST has developed a variety of projects designed to help both small and large companies in the Year 2000 conversion process. The projects are part of a larger effort that is being coordinated by the President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion.
For technical information on the Year 2000 insurance project, contact Gary E. Fisher, Rm. 562, Bldg. 820, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-3275, gfisher@nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Philip Bulman (301) 975-5661
Electronic BooksOctober Workshop to Write Next Chapter in Publishing
Several recent technological advances have converged in a way that makes electronic books both technically and commercially feasible. Compared to conventional books, these hybrids combining the printed page and the computer take up less space, are more portable, last longer and permit special editing features.
The rapid progress toward widely commercialized electronic books is due to manufacturers taking advantage of recent developments in information technology such as improved flat-panel displays and increased computer storage capacity. For example, touch screen display technology allows an electronic book reader to touch an unfamiliar word to get an immediate dictionary definition, make the print larger or smaller, or highlight a section without the use of a yellow marker.
To help the emerging industry get off to a solid start, NIST will host the first meeting in history to bring together publishers, portable storage manufacturers, display manufacturers, touch-screen manufacturers, online booksellers, IT experts, teachers, electronics executives and others involved. The workshop's goal is to illustrate the capabilities of hand-held electronic books and identify issues that must be addressed for their successful commercialization. Topics to be discussed include electronic book concepts and prototypes, software and interfaces, storage/content providers, standards and interoperability concerns, and application of flat-panel displays for electronic book readers.
"Electronic Book '98 Workshop: Turning a New Page in Knowledge Management" is being co-sponsored by NIST's Information Technology Laboratory and the Video Electronics Standards Association, at NIST's Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters on Oct. 8-9, 1998.
For technical information, contact Victor McCrary, A263 Technology Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-4321, victor.mccrary@nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Philip Bulman (301) 975-5661
StandardsPartnership for Competent Lab Accreditation Now Incorporated
The National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation, a voluntary private/public partnership established to provide coordination, recognition and worldwide acceptance of competent laboratory accreditation, has been incorporated as a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia.
The new corporation's vision is "a test or calibration performed once and accepted worldwide." To accomplish this goal, NACLA will seek to end redundancy of multiple accreditations (both domestically and internationally), reduce accreditation costs for all parties and support the move to one-stop shopping. NACLA will develop and administer recognition procedures to be accepted by all of its members in the United States and North America, and to serve national and international needs in laboratory accreditation.
NACLA's creation was the result of a three-year collaborative effort of laboratories, accreditation bodies, federal and state agencies, industry and other interested groups. Coordinating the development stage was the Laboratory Accreditation Working Group, sponsored by ACIL (formerly the American Council of Independent Laboratories), the American National Standards Institute and NIST.
Now that the organization has been incorporated, the next milestone for NACLA will occur later this year when a nominating committee recommends a slate of candidates for the organization's first elected board of directors. Voting for the slate by the full NACLA membership will take place at the partnership's first national meeting in late 1998 or early 1999.
For more information on NACLA membership and activities, contact Fred Grunder, American Industrial Hygiene Association, (703) 849-8888.
Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman (301) 975-3025
Electromagnetic TechnologyBipolar Voltage Source Developed for AC and DC Metrology
Scientists in NIST's Electromagnetic Technology Division in Boulder, Colo., have developed an accurate bipolar voltage source for use in alternating and direct current metrology, based on the quantized pulses of Josephson junctions. The device has potential applications in the generation of digitally synthesized AC signals with calculable rms (short for root-mean-square) voltages, the characterization of digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters, and in the calibration of DC and AC reference standards and voltmeters.
In a paper delivered recently at the Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements in Washington, D.C., the NIST researchers presented experimental progress toward realizing a quantum mechanically accurate voltage source for AC and DC metrology. They described a new method of generating bipolar waveforms with an array of Josephson junctions by driving the array with a combined input waveform consisting of a two-level broadband digital code and a single frequency sinusoidal drive. This new method provides a sixfold increase in output voltage compared to the voltage of previous unipolar waveforms. The paper states that the "accuracy of this source is based on the fact that Josephson junctions generate voltage pulses whose time-integrated areas are perfectly quantized. Appropriate sequences of these quantized pulses can be used to generate AC and DC waveforms with precisely calculable rms voltage."
The investigators were Samuel P. Benz, Clark A. Hamilton, Charles J. Burroughs and Todd E. Harvey.
For a copy of the paper, contact Sarabeth Harris, MS 104, NIST, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3337, (303) 497-3237, sarabeth@boulder.nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder) (303) 497-3246
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Editor: Michael Newman
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Last updated: July 30, 1998
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