Volume 6 Issue 7 | September 2011
| September 6 2011
It is ever more difficult to argue that motivating knowledge workers is not the Holy Grail for 21st century lab managers. “Leadership,” according to management consultants, “is the process of motivating people to work together to accomplish great
A few weeks ago some colleagues and I drove from the New York City area north to Ontario, Canada for Lab Manager Magazine’s annual sales meeting. Five hours into the trip—somewhere near Buffalo—I realized I’d forgotten my pass
It is ever more difficult to argue that motivating knowledge workers is not the Holy Grail for 21st century lab managers. “Leadership,” according to management consultants, “is the process of motivating people to work together to accomplish great
Next-Generation Sequencing Hype Confirmed
Perhaps the most buzz-worthy technology in life sciences, next-generation sequencing continues to undergo rapid changes. With vendors updating their portfolios with new instruments annually, the market remains highly competitive and dynamic. The edit
Professional development goals that add value to your employees’ career ambitions AND your organization
The Two Fundamental Agreements of Conflict
How to stop arguing and start communicating in the lab!
Using Project Management Principals to Motivate
I wrote here several months ago that managers have the power to dramatically improve a lab’s bottom line by embracing new ways of doing things. I told the story of how one of the biggest game changers in the industry— the automation of manual p
Ask The Expert: Trends in Cell Culture Assays and Technologies
Ralph Garippa, Ph.D., independent consultant and former head of cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS) and microscopic imaging-based high-content screening (HCS) at Hoffmann-La Roche, discusses with Tanuja Koppal, Ph.D., contributing editor at La
Choosing A Diaphragm or Bellows Pump
In many applications, contamination of the gas stream must be prevented. When processing gases or sampling elements within a controlled environment, conveying the gas desirably cannot add trace elements such as lubricants or wear particles. Diaphragm
Emerging techniques for assessing physical properties of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, medical devices and packaging.
Lab automation projects have become cooperative activities between lab and IT groups. This is part of the evolution of lab systems. The lab, once isolated from the corporate view, now faces the need to integrate lab data into the company’s operat
UV-VIS Spectrophotometers: Still A Rich Area for Innovation
Despite the technique’s maturity, ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy has been a fertile area for innovation, both in terms of underlying technology and instrumentation. The continuous xenon light source, which operates from UV to nea
Baths and Chillers: Control and Interface Options in a Mature Product Category
Despite their maturity as a product category, chillers and baths continue their slow evolution, particularly in the areas of controls and user interface. Cole-Parmer (Vernon Hills, IL) has introduced a new product line that includes immersion cir
FTIR Spectroscopy: Traditional Uses Giving Way to Portability Microscopy
Although serious Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) research and core analysis facilities are still alive and well, traditional applications are giving way to more dynamic uses such as controlling processes and field work. For researc
Vacuum Pumps: More Options For Green, Remote Operation
Oil-free diaphragm pumps have earned a reputation for environmental- friendliness for low- to medium- pressure applications. At the low-pressure end, pumps do not continuously send water down the drain as do aspirators. “And there is no contami
Specialty Gases: Rolling Your Own Provides Safety, Economy
The prospect of gas cylinder accidents inspires awe and fear in lab workers. However, a safer alternative exists for some of the more common specialty gases: on-site or point-of-use generation that uses membranes, catalysts, or pressure swing absorpt
Using a GC-IR Hyphenated System to Distinguish Structural Isomers
Problem: Legally sold as “Vanilla Sky” and “Ivory Wave,” bath salts have become very popular for the very dangerous “high” they are providing. Packets of bath salts containing mostly white powder can be purchased a
Atomic Layer Deposition Valves
Problem: The atomic layer deposition (ALD) process deposits thin films of precursor materials onto substrates one atomic layer at a time to impart such properties as conductivity, chemical resistance, and strength. Research and development operations
The Measurement of Poisson’s Ratio
Problem: The measurement of Poisson’s ratio can be a delicate matter. The equipment used to determine Poisson’s ratio is often quite fragile and extremely sensitive. How do you ensure that the equipment is working properly prior to using
Evolution of Biological Shakers and Stirrers
Mixing solutions is one of the most common laboratory tasks. Over the years, a number of automated methods for mixing have been devised, all of which remove this burden from the operator by offering a sustained and controlled stirring action
Integrating MSDS With Chemical Inventory Management
In June 2011, Lab Manager Magazine, along with ChemSW Inc. and 3E Company, hosted a “Product Showcase” webinar on “How to Seamlessly Integrate MSDSs with Chemical Inventory Management.”
Human Errors Most Common Pipette Problem: See the Survey Results
The most commonly used piece of laboratory equipment in any laboratory setting is the pipette, which has a long history of use. Read on to see the results of the Lab Manager pipettes survey!
UV-VIS Spectrophotometers Used Often: See the Survey Results
Read the fascinating results of Lab Manager's survey on UV-Vis spectrophotomters right here.
Medium Lab Glassware Washers Most Popular: See the Survey Results
Anyone who works in a lab quickly learns the value of labware washers. Today washers are almost as common in laboratories as they are in kitchens. Read the the results for our lab washers survey here.
Survey Says: Are You in the Market for a Mass Spectrometer?
Mass spectrometry (MS) is the art of measuring atoms and molecules to determine their molecular weight. MS involves the ionization of chemical samples to generate charged molecules or molecular fragments and measuring their mass-to charge ratio.
Stretching Your Maintenance Budget
Careful planning and consistent monitoring can significantly improve equipment maintenance programs
Activity-based management (ABM) is an approach to management in which work process managers—in this case, lab managers at all levels—are given the responsibility and authority to continuously improve the planning and control of operations
We know that running a research lab is a challenge, to say the least. In all the hustle of loading the autosampler, pipetting, pouring, and mixing for research experiments, worker health and safety can be overlooked, inadvertently pushed aside or for
Fire extinguishers need to be appropriate to the type of fire. Type A fires form an ash. A water extinguisher is for fires involving burning wood or paper. Type B fires consist of boiling liquids like oil and grease. Carbon dioxide is an extinguisher
The Second Annual Laboratory Safety Survey
Given the current economic climate, most employers are probably looking to save on operations and improve their bottom lines. Usually they begin by trying to increase efficiency, or “trim the fat,” as the saying goes. And those of us who
Cosmetic Labs Eye Naturals and Especially Anti-Aging Products for Future Growth
Embattled like much of the United States economy, and having endured several years of anemic demand from consumers caught in the throes of a prolonged recession and high levels of unemployment, the $58.3 billion a year cosmetics and personal care ind
Technology News - September 2011
Technology News - September 2011
Microwave Digestion of Food Materials
Abstract CEM has developed a method for the simultaneous and rapid preparation of vastly different food sample types for trace metal analysis. Introduction The recent passage of the food safety act has resulted in additional required test
Cleaning of Cosmetic Creams and Lotions from Laboratory Glassware
The cleaning of cosmetic creams and lotions from glassware is achieved through a combination of detergents, hot water – programmed in automated washing system.
Microwave Assisted Extraction of PCBS From Environmental Samples
Microwave Assisted Extraction offers significant benefits over traditional extraction techniques for PCB determination from environmental samples including higher sample throughput, time savings, reduced solvent, and great reproducibility.
Comparing Microvolume and Cuvette Based Measurements of Microbial Cell Cultures
Microvolume assessment of bacterial culture growth was found to facilitate measurement of undiluted cultures. Comparison between microvolume and cuvette-based data requires the use of a conversion factor, which can be simply determined.
ELGA: Type 1 Ultrapure Water Crucial for HPLC and UHPLC
Abstract: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a powerful analytical technique used to separate, identify and quantify compounds with a wide range of differing properties.
Ultrafast Analysis of Synthetic Colorants
Various types of synthetic colorants are used as food additives, and gradient elution is generally used to analyze them. The Nexera UHPLC (Shimadzu) enables stable, ultrafast gradient elution through accurate solution delivery and the use of a high-e
Who's Investing in Lab Automation and Why
Results of our first Lab Automation Survey reveal both pros and cons of automating lab processes
New Tools for Protein Purification & Assay Automation
From protein sample preparation to next-generation sequencing to cell biology or the now more traditional HTS assays, many scientists are trying to eliminate the numerous manual steps that add cost and introduce variability to laboratory procedures.
Automated Washer Platforms Benefit Bead-Based Multiplex Assays
Microplate-based multiplex assays, where microspheres are used as solid support matrices, provide simultaneous analyte analysis per well with lower background noise and reagent, consumable and sample costs compared to traditional ELISAs. Specifi
Replacing Microplate-Based Technology with Array Tape: A Tutorial
The motivation to maximize laboratory automation is as powerful as it is simple—laboratories must produce more high quality data—faster and cheaper. Today, most envision high throughput (HTP) automation as a robotically-driven integration
Software Coupled With Flexible Hardware Improves Efficiency in the Laboratory
The primary goal of any laboratory is to collect and analyze data, and it is rare for many samples to be ready for analysis the moment they enter the lab. Samples may need cleanup or purification prior to downstream analysis. Standards and controls m
From Whole Blood Collection to Long-Term Fraction Storage
In recent years, new research insights and breakthroughs have created demand for studies based on larger numbers of human samples. Facilities including hospitals, private research facilities, and huge government-owned biobanks, biorepositories of pat
Automated Workstations Offer Semi-or-fully-Automated 'Walk-Away' Platforms
In both industrial and academic labs, researchers are actively increasing the number of automated applications and tasks in order to improve performance and productivity while reducing costs and streamlining research. These changes include automating
Safe, Secure Sample Management During Workflow Automation
As a result of automation in the pharmaceutical industry, large compound libraries for future analysis and screening for potential drug candidates are routinely created. Alongside an increase in chemical compound samples, the number of biological sam
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