dakato ultrasonics

MINI-MAX, Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor, defines the state of the art in the measurement of the actual elongation produced by tightening a threaded fastener. The MINI-MAX can measure the elongation very accurately in fasteners of virtually any material from 1/2 inch to 4 feet in length. The measurement is achieved by determining the change in the transit time, of an ultrasonic shock wave along the length of the fastener as the fastener is tightened by any method. The on-board microcomputer automatically interprets this time measurement to display the time(nanoseconds), elongation, load, stress, or %strain from stretching a fastener.Welcome to the Dakota Ultrasonics website!We are a manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic testing equipment most commonly used in the petrochemical, aerospace, automotive, and other generally related industries. The pages that follow will provide you with general information regarding our products. If you have any questions, need technical support, or have a request for custom items, please contact us at your leisure using the information provided on this site.Our products are commonly used to determine the thickness of a variety of materials by making contact with only one side of the material being tested. They have the ability to detect very fine pits, flaws, and porosity in materials without having to destroy the material or parts being tested. This is done by converting the transit time of a sound wave, sent into and reflecting back from a defect or opposite surface in the test material, into a length measurement. This technique uses principles similar to that of sonar.We also manufacture a line of ultrasonic bolting equipment that very accurately measures the stress, elongation, and load in threaded fasteners. These products are typically used in critical bolting applications where extreme accuracy is needed. If you have any specific or specialized bolting applications in mind, be sure to contact us to discuss your requirements in detail.

Robotic suit helps paralyzed walk

 

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new robotic suit could transform the lives of paralyzed people, giving them the ability to walk again.

The invention, known as ReWalk, acts like a kind of exoskeleton. It consists of lightweight, motorized leg supports and an assortment of intricate motion sensors.
Users wear a backpack that holds a computerized control box which helps the medical device recognize when a step needs to be taken.
"Standing changes my whole environment. I don't have to look from the bottom up. Now I am eye to eye with everybody," Radi Kaiof, who has used the device, told CNN.
Kaiof, a former Israeli soldier, was paralyzed from the waist down 20 years ago. He doesn't have feeling in his legs but is still able to move with the use of the robotic suit
With the assistance of crutches, which offer balance and support, people paralyzed from the waist down can walk, bend, sit and even climb stairs when they wear the suit.
The futuristic invention offers an alternative to using a wheelchair for those who have functioning upper bodies and are capable of standing with the use of supports.
It is the creation of Dr. Amit Goffer, an engineer and founder of Haifa, Israel-based high-tech firm Argo Medical Technologies. Goffer was inspired to create the device more than a decade ago after he became disabled in an accident.
The medical technology that could help paraplegics do what was once considered impossible isn't available for purchase yet. The device wasn't ready for testing until late 2007 and currently is in clinical trials in Tel Aviv.
More trials are planned for the United States and Europe, and if the product receives the necessary approvals, it could hit the market in 2010.
The price of the device hasn't been set yet, but is expected to be comparable with the typical average yearly expense of using a wheelchair.
The robotic suit improves the quality of life of people paralyzed from the waist down, according to Goffer, who wanted to give paraplegics an alternative to using a wheelchair. It also benefits their overall health since it keeps their bodies active all day long, he says.
But when it comes down to it, the invention is all about helping people regain respect. Dignity is "the No. 1 problem" for people who use wheelchairs, says Goffer.
For Kaiof, the former soldier, the robotic suit has changed his life. Before he tried it on, his daughter had never seen him stand before.
When he stood before her for the first time, she couldn't believe just how tall he was, he recounted to CNN.

AML COMPLIANCE OVERVIEW

In the post-9/11 era, Anti Money Laundering (AML) legislation and compliance to AML requirements have become key focus areas for banks, law firms, asset management firms, auditors and similar regulated service providers. World-Check, the leading global AML intelligence solution, provides an overview of AML compliance and the laws underlying this area of regulatory compliance.

According to the latest KPMG Global Anti Money Laundering Survey, published in 2007, a staggering US$ 1 trillion per year is being laundered by financial criminals, drugs dealers and arms traffickers worldwide. With this much laundered money in the wrong hands, criminal syndicates are able to expand their operations, resulting in more violence, higher levels of addiction and a range of related socio-economic problems throughout the world.

Laundered money is also known to finance highly coordinated international terrorist activities; a phenomenon that poses a clear and present danger to worldwide political and economic stability.

As such, Anti Money Laundering and the Combating of Terrorist Financing (CTF) can only be treated as pressing objectives of global concern. A sharp worldwide increase in the amount of wealth in private hands, combined with the multinational expansion of leading financial institutions, further necessitated the expansion of supranational legislation and law enforcement structures to combat money laundering and related financial crimes.



History of Anti Money Laundering Compliance Laws

Although AML compliance has been accentuated by recent global developments, it is by no means a new regulatory issue. Modern Anti Money Laundering regulations are to a large extent informed by the earlier experiences of the Swiss banking community, where financial scandals involving the likes of Nigeria’s General Sani Abacha and the Philippines’ Marcos family resulted in extremely bad publicity for the institutions involved.


The arrival of the new millennium was marred by a series of coordinated acts of terrorism and a number of massive corporate scandals involving the likes of Enron and Riggs formerly a leading American financial institution.

These events highlighted the fact that money laundering had taken on epic proportions over time, and that the proliferation of new technologies and communication platforms had created countless opportunities for fraud, money laundering and other elicit financial activities. They also accentuated the need to “know your customers”, and led to the creation and implementation of a range of KYC and AML laws aimed at preventing financial criminals from accessing and abusing financial systems.

Given the fact that the greatest majority of criminal activities generating profits only start generating a traceable paper trail once funds are introduced into the financial system, it was deemed necessary to approach AML compliance and law enforcement in a way that clamped down on abuses of the world’s official banking and financial systems. To this end, regulatory, legislative and law enforcement agencies set out to create an AML compliance framework and cross-border law enforcement regime aimed at holding financial institutions accountable for their clients’ transactional activities.

Sullivan and Sons

Sullivan and Sons
Our 18,000 sq. ft. warehouse is full of many types of instruments and valves ready to be rebuilt to your specifications. All of our products are rebuilt to exacting standards, then calibrated using some of the latest calibration technology available. Our products are then shipped to you looking like new and ready to install.
Sullivan and Sons, Inc. has been selling instrumentation and valves for over 20 years. Our remanufactured items sell for 40-75% off retail. We strive to provide quality products with quick lead times. The business of remanufactured instrumentation and valves is a competitive market and we differentiate ourselves by providing a superior product and customer service with a friendly attitude. We are a family owned business that truly cares about resolving your problems quickly and with minimal difficulties.

,
We have a full repair shop that services all major manufacturer brands. Just send us your instruments or valves and we will evaluate for FREE and give you a repair estimate. Our top-notch repair service will save you TIME and MONEY.
The repairs on our control valves include disassembly, sandblasting, resurfacing of gasket surfaces, replacement of all soft parts, replacement or repair of trim, reassembly, and shell and leak test. A two year warranty is available on our control valves.
Valve Repairs
Instrument Repairs
Our 18,000 sq. ft. warehouse is full of many types of instruments and valves ready to be rebuilt to your specifications. We recently upgraded our valve shop with the latest technology and we have additional personnel to increase our production and decrease our lead times.
All of our items are rebuilt to exacting standards, then calibrated using some of the latest calibration technology available. Our products are then shipped to you looking like new and ready to install. Sullivan and Sons..

Ultrasonic concentration measurement

The process analyser PIOX® S determines the concentration or the density of liquids or further process quantities using ultrasounds. The sound velocity of the liquid is the primarily measured quantity for this task.
PIOX® S can be used to control the concentration of solutions or to monitor chemical reactions such as polymerization, crystallization, neutralization processes, phase separation processes, etc.
Through quality control or product detection, PIOX® can help you to reach higher quality and to optimize your process. Thanks to the continuous control of the process parameters, the periodical controls and spot tests belong to the past. The process can be controlled exactly, in case of the deviations from the target quantities, an immediate reaction is possible. A higher product quality is reached and the material, time and energy consumption is reduced.
The measurement can take place with wetted transducers or with non-intrusive clamp-on transducers. The clamp-on technology is ideal for the measurement of chemically aggressive, corrosive or ultrapure media.

Oxidizer Service

 

We are the leading resource for Thermal Oxidizer System Maintenance and Services.
Combustion Controls Solutions & Environmental Services was founded in 1995 with over 5,000 projects completed today. We are first and foremost engineers. So when a problem arises in your oxidizer system, CCS&ES doesn't just treat the symptoms; we engineer long-lasting solutions. Whether that means responding to shutdown or installing a new or rebuilt unit into an existing process, we are dedicated to developing and implementing the optimum engineering solution.All projects begin with a thorough engineering evaluation, followed closely by a project proposal custom tailored to encompass the concerns of your business. Upon completion of your project CCS&ES will provide detailed follow-up documentation for your future reference, including drawings and technical information specific to your project.CCS&ES incorporates the latest oxidizer technology, next-generation products, and state-of-the-art installation techniques into every engineering project we undertake. Our expertise and attention to detail guarantee project success.

KYC Compliance

Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance regulation has proved to be one of the biggest operational challenges banks, accountants, lawyers and similar financial service providers worldwide have had to overcome.World-Check, the industry standard KYC compliance solution, provides an overview of KYC compliance and its origins, and outlines the compliance mandate as applicable to banks, accounting firms, lawyers and other regulated financial service providers – not just in the UK, Europe and the USA, but all around the world. Relied upon by more than 3,000 institutions worldwide, this KYC database solution provides effective legal and reputational risk reduction.Why “Know Your Customer?”The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre revealed that there were sinister forces at work around the world, and that terrorists activities were being funded with laundered money, the proceeds of illicit activities such as narcotics and human trafficking, fraud and organised crime. Overnight, the combating of terrorist financing became a priority on the international agenda.For the financial services provider of the 21st century, “knowing your customers” was no longer a suggested course of action. Based on the requirements of legislative landmarks such as the USA PATRIOT Act 2002, modern Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance mandates were created to simultaneously combat money laundering and the funding of terrorist activities.What is Know Your Customer (KYC)?Know Your Customer, or KYC, refers to the regulatory compliance mandate imposed on financial service providers to implement a Customer Identification Programme and perform due diligence checks before doing business with a person or entity.KYC fulfils a risk mitigation function, and one its key requirements is checking that a prospective customer is not listed on any government lists for wanted money launders, known fraudsters or terrorists.If preliminary KYC checks reveal that the person is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), for example, Advanced Due Diligence must be done in order to ensure that the person’s source of wealth is transparent, and that he or she does not pose a reputational or financial risk in terms of their finances, public positions or associations. Beyond customer identification checks, the ongoing monitoring of transfers and financial transactions against a range of risk variables forms an integral part of the KYC compliance mandate.But to understand the importance of KYC compliance for financial service providers better, its origins need to be examined.Origins of Know Your Customer (KYC) complianceThe arrival of the new millennium was marred by a spate of terrorist attacks and corporate scandals that unmasked the darker features of globalisation. These events highlighted the role of money laundering in cross-border crime and terrorism, and underlined the need to clamp down on the exploitation of financial systems worldwide.Know Your Customer (KYC) legislation was principally not absent prior to 9/11. Regulated financial service providers for a long time have been required to conduct due diligence and customer identification checks in order to mitigate their own operation risks, and to ensure a consistent and acceptable level of service.In essence, the USA PATRIOT Act was not so much a radical departure from prior legislation as it was a firmer and more extensive articulation of existing laws. The Act would lead to the more rigorous regulation of a greater range of financial services providers, and expanded the authority of American law enforcement agencies in the fighting of terrorism, both in the USA and abroad.In October 2001, President George W. Bush signed off the USA PATRIOT Act, effectively providing federal regulators with a new range of tools and powers for fighting terror financing and money laundering. During July 2002, the US Treasury proceeded to introduce Section 326 of the PATRIOT Act, a clause that removed some key burdens for regulators and added significant enforcement muscle to the Act.What 9/11 changed, in essence, was the extent to which existing legislation was being implemented. Using the provisions of the earlier anti-terrorism USA Act as a foundation, it included the Financial Anti-Terrorism Act, which allowed for federal jurisdiction over foreign money launders and money laundered through foreign banks. Significantly, it is this anti-terror law that would make the creation of an Anti Money Laundering (AML) programme compulsory for all financial institutions and service providers.Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act dealt specifically with the identification of new customers (“CIP regulation”), and made extensive provisions in terms of KYC and the methods employed to verify client identities.In accordance with this piece of updated KYC legislation, federal regulators would hold financial institutions accountable for the effectiveness of their initial customer identification and ongoing KYC screening. Institutions are required to keep detailed records of the steps that were taken to verify prospective clients’ identities.Although current KYC legislation does not yet demand the exclusion of specific types of foreign-issued identification, it recommends the usage of machine-verifiable identity documents. The ability to notify financial institutions if concerns regarding specific types of identification were to arise, combined with a risk-based approach to KYC, proved to provide a robust mechanism for addressing security concerns.Effectively, the risk-based approach to customer due diligence grants regulated institutions a certain degree of flexibility to determine the forms of identification they will accept, and under which conditions.KYC compliance: Implications for banks, lawyers and accounting firmsThe KYC compliance mandate, for all its positive outcomes, has burdened companies and organisations with a substantial administrative obligation. Additionally, KYC compliance increasingly entails the creation of auditable proof of due diligence activities, in addition to the need for customer

Europe's Car Market: The '06 Report Card

The big winners of the European car market in 2006 were Fiat, Lexus, and Volkswagen. The losers were Renault, Jaguar, Mercedes' Smart brand, and Nissan, according to the provisional full-year sales figures published by the European Auto Manufacturers Assn.
Fiat's dramatic rebound was the biggest story of the year, giving serious momentum to the turnaround drive of Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne. Sales of Fiat (FIA) brand cars soared 22.1% to 852,000 cars while Fiat's European market share jumped to 7.6%, up from 6.5% a year ago. Just two years ago, Fiat's sales were in freefall and losses over five years had hit $14 billion, prompting many experts to write off the Italian giant as bankrupt.
Even Fiat's struggling sister brands are starting to recover. Fiat Group sales, which include the Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands, rose 17.6% last year to 1.1 million cars. Alfa's sales jumped 12.2% to 143,307. Fiat Auto's recovery is a bitter pill for General Motors (GM) CEO Richard Wagoner, who paid Marchionne $2 billion in 2005 to cancel a put option that would have allowed Marchionne to sell Fiat to GM at a fair market price.
Marchionne's next big test is the launch later this month of the new Fiat Bravo compact, successor to the failed Stilo (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/25/06, "Fiat's Comeback—Is It for Real?").

Reversing a Slide

In the premium market, the spotlight was on Toyota's upmarket brand Lexus. In the 15 European Union countries, Lexus sales rose 72% in 2006 to 36,662 cars, and across the continent sales were up to 50,570. Lexus' market share in Western Europe hit 0.3%, up from 0.1% in 2005. That's still far behind BMW's 5.4%, Mercedes' 4.9%, and Audi's 4.3%, but Toyota (TM) is gaining ground fast, adding a flush of new models, and winning converts by offering top-flight service (see BusinessWeek.com, 6/2/06, "Toyota Pulls Rank in Britain").
New models such as the Passat and higher-performance variants of the Golf compact helped Volkswagen reverse last year's slide in Europe, boosting VW brand car sales 7.6% and total group sales by 6.2% to 2.9 million cars. The Golf ranked as Europe's fourth most popular car last year, with sales of 391,273, according to a preliminary forecast by market researcher Global Insight.
VW's premium unit Audi saw sales edge up 2.9% and VW's Czech-built Skoda brand gained 9.7%. All in all, VW was able to boost its market share in Western Europe to 19.9%, securing its long-running lead as Europe's largest auto group (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/22/06, "Power Play at VW").

What a Disappointment

 

Fiat's U-turn may have been the most dramatic story of the year, but Lexus and VW saw rising sales, while Renault and Jaguar had a rough ride

Renault's Clio subcompact was the single most popular car in Europe last year according to the Global Insight forecast, selling an estimated 425,190 vehicles. But the Clio's surge was not enough to counterbalance falling sales of Renault's main model family, the Megane. Zapped by its aging Megane, Renault's sales declined 12.6% in 2006, and its market share fell to 8.4%.
Nissan's European fortunes were equally dismal, with sales down 13% to 297,000. That's a headache for Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, who has set ambitious growth goals for both automakers.
At Mercedes's Smart car division, sales plunged 22% as DaimlerChrysler (DCX) restructured the money-losing unit and eliminated the four-seater model, known as the Forfour. The two-seater Smart mini is expected to finally go on sale in the U.S. in 2008, where it will be the smallest car on the market. Whether gas prices are high or low at the time could dictate Smart's fate.
Times also were tough at Ford's (F) Jaguar unit. With questions circulating whether troubled Ford would sell the storied British sportscar-maker, European sales fell 11.2% in 2006 to 40,800 units. Sometimes having a great brand name isn't enough.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2007/gb20070119_132541.htm

Gold Prices Soar Record High In Europe, Economies Look Forward To US

Asia Bizz: Gold Prices Soar Record High In Europe, Economies Look Forward To US

The gold prices around the world has reached a record high price and the economies around the world are eying towards the wobbling US economy, that it can invest more in the bullion and undermine the dollar currency. It was a shock to see the gold prices touching $1,313.20/ounce in the US market.

Due to the rise in gold prices, other precious metal prices too rose sky high this week. Silver touched the highest in 30 years along with platinum which touched a four month high record in the market. There is no strong issue with the other metals but gold is proving to be a problem now.

Most of the world economies are unstable and with the rising gold prices this can make situations worse. Gold is an important asset in the country as it is used to stabilize the currency flow and credit back up for a particular nation. Economies are eying US, that it will invest in Gold and aim the metal as an important asset.

http://asiabizz.com/3524/gold-prices-soar-record-high-in-eu

Çeyrek altın 105 liraya ulaştı

Yılbaşından buyana ons fiyatı sürekli artan altının, yatırımcısını sevindirmeye devam ettiği belirtilirken, imkanı olanların ise yatırım için döviz yerine altını tercih etmeleri istendi.

 

Ankara Kuyumcular ve Saatçiler Odası Başkanı Hasan Çavuşculu, AA muhabirine yaptığı açıklamada, altın fiyatlarındaki artışın sürdüğünü söyledi.
 

Son artışlarla birlikte 22 gram altın fiyatının 61 liraya ulaştığını anlatan Çavuşculu, esnafın yüksek fiyatlar nedeniyle bu aralar satış yerine daha çok alış yaptığını bildirdi.
 

Esnafın nakit sıkıntısının bulunmadığını belirten Çavuşculu, imkanı olan hem büyük hem de küçük tüm yatırımcılara altın almaları önerisinde bulundu.
 

31 grama denk gelen ons fiyatının, Ocak 15’te bin 137 dolar, Martta bin 106 dolar, geçen ay ise bin 269 olduğunu anımsatan Çavuşculu, şöyle konuştu:
 

“Şu an altının ons fiyatı bin 300 doları geçti. Bu rakamların önümüzdeki aylarda bin 500 dolara ulaşmasını bekliyoruz. Yıllardır en iyi yatırım aracı olan altın, bu özelliğini artırarak koruyor. Eğer imkanınız varsa fırsatı kaçırmayın. Dövizdeki ani çıkış ve yükselişler, özellikle küçük yatırımcılar için güvenli değil. Buna karşılık altın, diğer yatırım araçlarına oranla, yatırımcılar için daha güvenli bir alternatif olarak karşımıza çıkıyor. Çünkü döviz inişli çıkışlı bir seyir izliyor ve sosyal olaylardan fazlasıyla etkileniyor. Yani dünyanın herhangi bir yerindeki gelişme ekonomilerle birlikte dövizleri etkiliyor. Bunun zaman zaman yaşanan örnekleri haklılığımızı ortaya çıkarıyor. Altın, her zaman için dünyanın en güvenilir yatırım aracı oldu. Dünyada yaşanılan tüm sıkıntılı dönemlerde, bunun böyle olduğunu gördük.”
 

Gelişmekte olan ekonomilerinde altının en iyi yatırım aracı olduğunu keşfetmeye başladığını anlatan Çavuşculu, bu durumun da önümüzdeki süreçte ons fiyatının yükselmesinde etkili olacağını savundu.
 

ABD Merkez Bankası’nın 8 bin ton, Almanya’nın ise 3 bin ton civarında altın rezervi olduğunu anımsatan Çavuşculu, sürekli büyüyen Çin’in de önümüzdeki süreçte altına yönelebileceğinin altını çizdi. Çavuşculu, Çin’de beklenen bu tarz bir yönelişin de fiyatlardaki artışı tetikleyebileceğini söyledi.

 

ÇEYREK ALTIN 105 LİRAYA ULAŞTI

Çavuşculu, düğün, nişan gibi törenlerin vazgeçilmez takılarından olan çeyrek altının fiyatının da 105 liraya kadar ulaştığını söyledi.
 

Çeyrek altının geçen yıl aynı tarihlerde 60-70 lira civarında olduğunu belirten Çavuşculu,”Ancak onstaki yükselme en çok sattığımız çeyreğe de yansıdı, esnaf 104,5 - 105 liradan çeyrek altın satıyor” dedi.
 

Çavuşculu, yükselişe rağmen “takı” olması nedeniyle çeyrekteki satışlarında azalma yaşanmadığını belirtirken, alışların ise 100 lira 101 lira civarında olduğunu kaydetti.

BAYRAM ÖNCESİ HAREKETLİLİK BEKLENTİSİ

Ramazan nedeniyle özellikle durgun bir süreç yaşadıklarını belirten

Çavuşculu, Kurban Bayramı öncesi ise düğünlerde bekledikleri artışın, satışlarına da yansımasını umduklarını söyledi.

Normal günlerde düğün, nişan, sünnet gibi etkinlikler için genelde çeyrek satışı yaptıklarını, düğünlerde ise işçilik yoğun ürünlerin satıldığını hatırlatan Çavuşculu, “Her yıl olduğu gibi kış ayları öncesi düğünlerde artış bekliyoruz. Kurban Bayramı tatili de düğünler için iyi bir zamanlama. Çoğu kişi yakınlarınında yanlarında olduğu bugünlerde düğününü yapmak istiyor. Esnaf doğal olarak bayram öncesi satışlarında bir hareketlilik bekliyor” diye konuştu.

http://www.objektifhaber.com/Ekonomi/54682-Ceyrek-altin-