What is a LED Tube Light?

The Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) system developed by Dr Kirk Martinez of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science and colleagues at the Universities of Southampton and Oxford has recently been deployed in The Louvre, Paris, to capture items from the Oriental artefacts department.

This new technology makes it possible to study the finer details of some of the world's greatest historical artefacts. The systems take multiple pictures of artefacts with the light in different positions, then create a new type of RTI image, which enables the viewer to move the virtual light around the image to focus on the detail.

This version of the system, 'Dome3', incorporates a new design with its own transit box. A custom-build camera mount makes Dome3 easier to construct. The RTI technology systems developed by the project will allow researchers to study documentary and other artefacts remotely in great detail without being restricted by fixed lighting angles. The result will be to ensure that high-quality digital versions of these materials can be consulted by scholars worldwide.

"Hewlett Packard Research Laboratories invented this technology a few years ago and it has been used sporadically around the world," said Dr Martinez. "What we have done is develop the technology so that it is fast enough to be usable every day in a museum situation where you have lots of objects that need scanning."

The RTI technology systems developed by the project will allow researchers to study documentary and other artefacts remotely in great detail without being restricted by fixed lighting angles. The result will be to ensure that high-quality digital versions of these materials can be consulted by scholars worldwide.

The technology has already been used in the British Museum, the National Gallery, and the Ashmolean in Oxford. Having completed the work in The Louvre where it gathered around 40GB of date each day, Dome3 will now be taken to the United States, where it will remain permanently. It was built for the Mellon Foundation Funded-Imaging Campaign.

The earlier 12-month Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) System for Ancient Document Artefacts was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council's Digital Equipment and Database for Impact. The team members were: Dr Graeme Earl, Dr Kirk Martinez, Hembo Pagi, Leif Isaksen, PhD student Philip Basford, Michael Hodgson and Sascha Bischoff of the University of Southampton, and Professor Alan Bowman, Dr Charles Crowther, Dr Jacob Dahl and Dr Kathryn Piquette of the University of Oxford.

The Team Anna-led nationwide anti-graft upsurge had initiated a welcome and much needed conversation between political representatives and civil society groups on critical governance issues. But now with Anna Hazare - the movement's leading light - pitching a string of idiosyncratic demands, the campaign is going astray.

Consider Anna's latest proposal for instituting a 'referendum commission' along the lines of the Election Commission, for a popular vote to precede every legislative initiative. Or, the quintessential Gandhian suggestion for a law placing gram sabhas above assemblies and Parliament.

Both would be tantamount to dismantling India's electoral democracy as it stands now. Anna has attracted most support from the urban middle class, which will be put off by the bizarre turn his thinking has taken. With limited support drawn by his Mumbai fast, the signs are already evident.

Furthermore Anna has endorsed the 'slapping' of derelict politicians, thereby raising a question mark over his commitment to peaceful means of protest. Such flamboyant statements do not serve the interests of either the anti-graft crusaders or larger civil society movements.

It's simply impossible for a country of India's size to conduct a referendum on every significant law, not to mention its mind-boggling financial implications. Besides, Anna seems to have ignored that the government is currently debating critical issues like the Lokpal Bill and electoral reforms.

Instead of contributing productively to these discussions, Team Anna has unilaterally demanded fresh laws, none of which are pragmatic or feasible. This can only add to the spate of criticism about the team's authoritarian functioning. Let's not forget that the Jan Lokpal Bill, seeking to create an overarching, supreme anti-corruption ombudsman, is itself authoritarian in character.

So much so that leading civil society groups like Aruna Roy's National Council for People's Right to Information have called for a scrapping of the Bill's draconian provisions.

Team Anna needs to show a more flexible face. But it can't achieve this makeover by shooting arrows in the dark. For taking the anti-corruption movement forward, Anna needs to transform his approach to politics and scale down the campaign's strident tenor. Instead of coming up with quixotic proposals, the anti-crusaders should urgently revert to their original mandate - that is - ensuring the passage of a viable and effective Lokpal Bill.

In the interest of better governance, it's important that the government and civil society should continue their dialogue. In this context, Anna would do well to remember that civil society is larger than a particular individual, however popular he may be.

Two new commissioners – Bob Miller and John Kotarski – attended the art commission's first meeting of 2012, and joined other AAPAC members in approving two public art projects.

The group unanimously recommended selecting Ed Carpenter of Portland, Oregon for a $150,000 art project in the lobby of the city's Justice Center, located at the corner of East Huron and Fifth Avenue. A task force had recommended the selection of Carpenter's proposal from three finalists. It's a sculpture called "Radius".

Carpenter plans to create a hanging sculpture of dichroic glass, aluminum, stainless steel and lighting, including LED spot and flood lighting. Among the reasons for recommending Radius, the task force cited the sculpture's metaphor: That the activities in the Justice Center have a "rippling" effect throughout the community, which echos the water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl that's located in the plaza outside the building.

The Justice Center, a new building next to city hall, houses the 15th District Court and the Ann Arbor police department. The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for approval.

In other action, the art commission voted to select Ann Arbor muralist Mary Thiefels for a mural project to be located on pillars at a building in Allmendinger Park. A task force had recommended her selection from among four finalists.

Her proposal entails asking neighborhood residents for artifacts to create mosaics at the top and bottom of the pillars. The task force recommended that they continue to work with Thiefels on designing the remainder of the mural in the middle sections of the pillars.

Commissioners liked the concept of "found object" mosaics, but questioned whether the $10,000 budget was sufficient. They ultimately voted to approve selecting Thiefels for the project, contingent on her submission of a revised proposal and budget, with additional input from the task force. This project is the first one in a pilot mural program started last year by former commissioner Jeff Meyers.

AAPAC also discussed possible artwork for four sites connected to the East Stadium bridges, which are being reconstructed. The two commissioners who serve on a task force for that project – Wiltrud Simbuerger and Bob Miller – indicated that the budget recommendation will likely be at least $250,000 for artwork there. The task force is currently developing a request for proposals to be issued in the coming weeks.

In the context of developing their annual art plan for fiscal 2013, which by ordinance must be delivered to the city council by April 1, commissioners decided to hold a retreat next month.

In addition to shaping the annual plan, the aim of the retreat is to develop a master plan that would provide a broader conceptual framework to guide AAPAC's decisions. Input from an online survey of the public will also be used – the survey remains open until Feb. 20, and has garnered more than 400 responses so far.

Delta Electronics is introducing the world's lightest 1000lm light bulb at Lighting Japan 2012 - the new omni-directional LED bulb weighs only 130g. Delta is also exhibiting LED lighting products with new high-lumen and dimming technologies, as well as the group's system integration capabilities in renewable energy, energy-saving and high-quality products. In addition, Delta is demonstrating new tube solutions for railway train stations and indoor applications for the Japanese market.

"We are putting Delta's mission "To provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow" into practice with our advanced LED lighting collection. With the addition of the 1000lm-bulb, we have not only expanded our product range but have also upgraded its features and technology depth.

LightingJapan also offers us a great chance to demonstrate the capabilities of Delta as a group to evolve from a product provider to a system integration provider. Combining our in-house energy-saving, safe and reliable products, we have different teams within the company cooperating comprehensively to offer a total solution package that includes a user-friendly interface that ensures products and expertise perform to their maximum," said Roland Chiang, Director of the Solid-state Lighting Business Unit, Delta Electronics.

With a beam angle of 120° and 240° the new bulb aims to replace 100W and 80W incandescent bulbs. Delta's renowned thermal expertise has succeeded in developing this remarkable product and technology. For the market, the new bulb's light weight accompanies improved product performance and longer product life which also means higher energy-savings and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Delta is also demonstrating its remarkable solar-LED streetlight and wind-powered LED streetlight solutions at the exhibition. The wind-powered LED streetlight solution includes a 400W-system with a safety breaker for wind speed exceeding an upper limit of 42.5m/s and a programmable controller.

Delta has transformed from a component provider to a solutions provider to ease the problems customers have in parceling out requirements to different suppliers and solving compatibility issues. Solutions include products, customized design to meet the application environment, as well as service and maintenance. The wind turbine generates 400W at a wind speed of 11m/s and may power up to 1300W to light up an LED streetlight of 6000lm.

The entire system conforms to IP65 standards and may be dual-powered by both wind and the city power grid. You can now see several projects applying Delta's solar-streetlight and wind-power streetlight in operation worldwide.

The solar-LED streetlight solution includes a solar panel to power a 5500lm LED streetlight that has an analog programmable dimming function. A 150W solar power input can support such a system of 90lm/W for three days autonomously. Similar to the wind-powered LED streetlight solution, this system may be dual-powered by both solar panel and the city power grid.

French gear manufacturer Petzl has unveiled its new headtorch featuring its reactive lighting technology.

The company said the NAO features two LED beams that automatically adjust depending on what the user is doing, with minimal manual adjustment.

The 187g unit features a lithium ion rechargeable battery with an integrated USB connector which means it can be charged through a laptop or other equipment with a USB socket.

Petzl said the NAO's battery life can be extended significantly due to the Reactive Lighting system. Its optional extra belt kit is also available to reduce the weight on the head and keep the battery warmer in cold conditions.

The headtorch features a focused LED and a wide-angle LED, which both sit below a light sensor which is at the heart of the system.

The company, with a long heritage in producing headtorches, said "A built-in light sensor adapts the headlamp's beam pattern and light output instantly and automatically to suit the user's needs."

"This means the user gets an ideal amount of light with minimal manual adjustment required." This self-adjusting lighting mode also results in longer burn times, due to more efficient use of the rechargeable battery.

"The shape of the beam and the power of the headlamp instantly adapt to the need – lighting for close, medium or long-range vision – so the user always has the right amount of light."

"The headlamp automatically adapts to changes in surrounding light conditions, allowing the user to remain focused on the activity at hand without worrying about adjusting the headlamp."

The automated system can be overridden to give full power constantly when needed, though Petzl said this is likely to reduce battery charge length.

Petzl added: "One of the big problems with today's head torches is the relationship between high-performance LED power consumption and battery capacity. The choices are limited; either unregulated light, giving rapidly diminishing light output, or regulated output where maximum power is only available for relatively short periods.

"Petzl's Reactive Lighting technology allows your battery to optimise its output, only providing the power you need for the environment you are operating in.The result is that battery life can last at least three times longer than it would do under constant full power."

The Petzl NAO features a front headset with twin LEDS and sensor, linked to the rear-mounted battery by the new Zephyr cord-lock headband.

The battery is a 2300 mAh lithium-ion unit, rechargeable via its integrated USB plug. There is a belt kit version for the battery, plus a detachable top strap for additional stability when running.

In Reactive Lighting mode the headset uses a single high-output LED in a wide-angled beam. In Static mode the headset uses both the wide-angled beam and a second high-output LED configured for a focused beam. Maximum power output is 355 lumens. Performance profiles can be customised via Petzl's OS 2.0 on computers.

According to Greenbiz's Michael Ellis, the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured a wide assortment of home energy management systems. As Ellis put it, "the home energy management ecosystem is rife with competition across the entire value chain, creating a range of viable solutions for consumers".

Savant Systems is just one company among many to showcase their residential energy management system at the CES.

Their system, called Smart Energy, is a whole-home platform designed for Apple devices, including iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches, rather than control panels.

Savant's Smart Energy System has many automated and controllable features for saving energy.

The system automatically adjusts lighting not only based on motion and occupation sensors, but also in coordination with the amount of sunlight. Residents can use their Apple devices to turn off all intelligent lights when they're not home.

The Smart Energy platform also regulates the home's thermostat based on the outdoor temperature. The system can close the window shades to block out sunlight and keep the home cool in warm weather.

Aside from these automated and intelligent features, residents can control their home's systems remotely using their Apple devices. Also, they can use their iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to track their energy consumption, meaning that they can make adjustments that will optimize their energy savings.

The Savant Smart Energy home energy management system applies to the LEED for Homes rating system. While the LEED for Homes rating system does not currently address home energy management systems, they could contribute points in Innovation in Design (ID).

Clearly, LEED for Homes projects have used home energy management systems for ID credits in the past, because USGBC has created an Innovative Design Request Form specifically for energy management and monitoring systems. A system can contribute 1 or 2 points to a LEED certified home based on its functions.

According to the form, "an energy management system that provides the occupant automated control over various loads in the home" will receive 1 point toward ID.

If the system "provides the occupant with clear and regular feedback on their energy and/or resource usage", it will receive 1 point.

If the system both provides automated control AND provides feedback on energy/resource usage, it will be awarded 2 points.

Since Savant's Smart Energy system can provide both automated control and feedback, it can earn up to 2 points in the LEED for Homes ID credit category.

Arman Ahnood, a researcher at the London Centre for Nanotechnology at University College London is working toward a simple goal: "We can have a mobile phone [that] requires charging less often," Ahnood told a November session at the Materials Research Society's fall meeting in Boston. It might soon be possible to go a week or more without charging a smartphone. And eventually, we might see a phone that never needs to be plugged in.

To extend the time between charges, the London group built a prototype device that converts ambient light into electricity using an array of  solar cells made of thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon that's 
designed to sit beneath the phone's screen. The photovoltaic (PV) cell takes advantage of the smartphone display's large footprint.

In a typical organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, only about 36 percent of the light generated is projected out of the front of the screen, says Ahnood. Much of it escapes at the edges of the OLED, where it is useless. So Ahnood and his colleagues set out to harness this wasted light by putting thin-film PV cells around the display's edges as well.

Making the device work required sidestepping another problem: fluctuations in the voltage provided by the solar cell, which could have damaged the phone's battery. The researchers designed a thin-film transistor circuit to smooth out voltage spikes and extract electricity more efficiently.

And instead of charging the battery directly, which would have involved adding complex circuitry, the London group included a thin-film supercapacitor for intermediate energy storage. This combination of photovoltaics, transistors, and supercapacitor yielded a system with an average efficiency of 11 percent and peak efficiency of 18 percent.

If the PV array converts 5 percent of ambient light to electricity, the energy-harvesting system can generate as much as 165 microwatts per square centimeter under the right lighting conditions. For a typical 3.7-inch smartphone screen, that equates to a maximum power output of 5 milliwatts, "which is quite useful power," says Ahnood, though that's only a fraction of a smartphone's power needs.

There are existing CMOS-based voltage regulators that offer higher efficiency, says Ahnood, but they aren't compatible with the thin-film technology used in smartphone displays. Furthermore, Ahnood's thin-film devices can be fabricated at temperatures below 150 °C on lightweight plastic, making them much more attractive for use in mobile phones, where every gram and every penny is a big deal.

The cellular handset prototype is just one example of such small-scale wireless energy harvesting. Another plug-free power source might be magnetic resonance coupling via an induction coil. Alternating current is run through a coil of conductive material, generating an oscillating magnetic field. That field, in turn, generates a current in a coil embedded in, say, a phone or an MP3 player.

Jun Yu, another researcher with the London Centre for Nanotechnology, told scientists at a separate session of the MRS meeting that the team had designed a flat thin-film coil that could be used as a receiver in a display. It was initially conceived for larger displays, such as those in desktop computers, Yu says. But he doesn't foresee the coil producing enough power to run an entire computer. "A computer has a lot of components, so it requires a lot of power," he says. It should, however, be possible to scale down the magnetic coupling scheme for use in mobile devices.

Jaguar is launching its most economical model ever manufactured, a 2.2 litre turbo diesel XF sports sedan.

At $90,000 the XF 2.2D Luxury provides the entry to the XF model range which has three diesel and three petrol engine variants in 2012.

"This is the best entry price we have ever offered into the XF range," said Jaguar New Zealand's Brand Manager Paul Ricketts. "And with a comprehensive specification and great fuel economy it is a compelling package."

"Our five other models offer various performance and luxury options at different price points," he said. "Compared to our German rivals, Jaguar makes a lot of sense in 2012 and you get a beautiful, fast, refined sports sedan."

The XF 2.2D does not skimp on luxury features, with full leather upholstery and electrically adjustable front seats, and electrically adjustable steering column, xenon headlights, keyless entry and start, Bluetooth, iPod, MP3 and USB connectivity, satellite navigation, rain sensing wipers, rear parking aid, six air bags and traction and dynamic stability control.

This new XF model also has the same revised features that all other models in the XF range have gained with new exterior styling echoing the XJ. Revised automatic levelling Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, a bigger bonnet power bulge, a larger more upright and aggressive grille, new side power vents and new panels forward of the A pillar complete a comprehensive facelift of the front of the 2012 XF.

At the rear there are full LED tail lights which extend onto the boot lid which now has power closing. New paint colours and 17 inch alloy wheels complete the package.

Inside all new XFs have improved seats offering more support, the same 7 inch touch screen with DVD operation as introduced recently on the larger XJ luxury sedan, new instrument panel and satin rosewood veneers as debuted on the C-X75.

The four cylinder motor produces 140kW and 450Nm of torque and complies with the latest Euro 5 emission regulations. It is combined with a new ZF eight speed electronic automatic gearbox – especially adapted by Jaguar engineers to suit the motor – with sequential paddle operation and intelligent stop start to return the outstanding economy figures.

The stop start system shuts the engine down within 300 milliseconds of the car stopping and restarts the motor as soon as the driver's foot leaves the brake pedal.

The eight speed automatic transmission is also used on both three litre V6 engined twin turbo diesel models in the XF range.

The still higher specification 3.0D S gets adaptive dynamic suspension, a performance brakes package with larger front discs fitted inside 19 inch Aquila alloy wheels and an aerodynamic package that includes a restyled front bumper and black grille, side sill extensions, rear spoiler and sculptured rear valance. This car will retail for $115,000.

The adaptive dynamics offers Jaguar's unique comfort and sporting appeal with shock absorbers that control vertical body movement, roll and pitch rates. The system analyses inputs which determine ride and handling characteristics and adjust the dampers accordingly. Switching to the dynamic mode increases body control, sharpens throttle response and reduces gearshift times for even more sporting performance.

Kathy Ledtke and her husband, Steve, found themselves on a rescue vessel off the coast of Italy. What led them into the lifeboat started on-board just a few hours after boarding the Costa Concordia. Dinner was served at 9:40 p.m., but then there was a loud noise. The ship tilted and dinner tables came slamming into Steve.

"They pinned me on the port side, all these tables, because they just all of a sudden were ... listing to the port side of the boat, and then to add to the confusion, the lights went out. It's pitch black," Steve Ledtke explained.

An announcement followed telling the passengers not to panic. They said it was an electric problem, but the Ledtkes didn't buy that. It was the first strike in their minds against the way this cruise ship was handling disaster.

They're lucky and happy to be back at their Port Huron lakefront home, but they are remembering some of the lessons from this particular accident. They say the instructions on the overhead at one point told everybody to go back to a theater or their rooms when the ship started listing. They decided to head elsewhere.

"We heard from the other lifeboats around there, one they couldn't get the door open to the lifeboat. One they tried to move down and the chain was rusted. They were using the hammer to try and loosen the chains so they could drop it. So, we thought we'd better do something here," said Steve Ledtke.

He was one of the heroes, in a sense, that helped get people to the lifeboats starting with five children and their parents. All of them made it to safety on the Tuscan coast, and then eventually the Ledtkes to the American Embassy in Rome.

However, while on the lifeboat uncertainty loomed. With seemingly no leader, the survivors locked arms and prayed.

"We all decided we're going to lock arms and we started saying 'Our Father' and that helped. It really did. You're fast friends with people that you meet in those circumstances," Kathy Ledtke told us.

The captain is now accused of abandoning ship and taking the Costa Concordia off its planned route. He faces possible jail time. With the death count at ten or more and more than two dozen people missing, this is bigger than that.

"I would say may God have mercy on your soul. I'm not impressed with the Italian police or any systems. I can envision that he's not going to have to do much time, but I hope he does," said Steve Ledtke.

"We were spared by the grace of God, so we are very fortunate," said Kathy Ledtke.

We asked the Ledtkes whether they plan to ever go on a cruise again. They said not any time soon. If they do, perhaps this is God's message to stay local and go cruising somewhere in metro Detroit instead.

A half-dozen North Charleston police officers walked hurriedly down the middle of Kimbell Road. One broke into a jog. Yards along the cracked roadway were littered with abandoned vehicles, discarded beer bottles and shattered windows.

The Midland Park neighborhood near Interstate 26 suffers some of the area's highest crime rates. On Friday, a man was shot on an unincorporated property along the roadway and showed up bleeding at a stranger's doorstep.

On this day, officers from the North Charleston Police Department branched from their pack, scurried down driveways and pounded on doors: "North Charleston police!" Dogs barked on the end of taut chains. Residents hesitantly opened doors.

But the officers didn't have search warrants Thursday. They were making no arrests.

Instead, they carried fluorescent light bulbs. Giving residents a cost-effective way to light their entryways is one of the police department's ideas for stemming a recent tide of burglaries in the community.

"It's nice to see the public on good terms," said Pfc. Maria Leahy, the officer directing the effort. "We're having that interaction we wouldn't have otherwise, to let them know we're here."

It's operations like this one, which distributed nearly 1,000 bulbs last week, that Police Chief Jon Zumalt partly credited for reducing the city's violent crime rate to its lowest level since 1985, the first year for which complete statistics are available. The rate has fallen by 75 percent since its peak in 1996.

With a 3 percent increase from 2010, burglary was the only crime that North Charleston saw more of last year. But with the city's drop in violence, Zumalt said he could dedicate more resources to property crimes, which he sees as surging amid a continually depressed economy.

"Violent crime in this city is a perception that developed over a long period," said Zumalt, who has led the department for a decade. "That's one thing that challenged us. But violence has subsided significantly, and we've been able to do that without alienating our community."

To deflect North Charleston's stereotype as one of the Lowcountry's most crime-ridden cities, Zumalt has focused on aggressively reacting to crime in recent years.

Every two weeks, at the department's headquarters, commanding officers gather for "CompStat" meetings in which they map out computer-tracked crime trends and discuss how to address them. It's a program modeled after similar ones in Miami and Newark, N.J.

Their response methods range from increasing patrols in problematic areas to distributing the lights bulbs.

After a shooting, for example, a team of detectives, chaplains and victims advocates are sent into the neighborhood and stays there for 14 days in hopes of stifling retaliation.