Citystates: How Cities are Vital to the Future of Sustainability

This report explores a new take on the concept of "citystates" and how the sustainability of cities and business are inextricably linked.
Produced in partnership with GreenBiz and sponsored by Ford Motor Company, the paper lays out seven characteristics or "states" for sustainable cities that can enable both cities and businesses serving them to flourish.
"The purpose of 'Citystates,' " say report authors Chris Guenther and Mohammed Al-Shawaf, "is to seed a dialogue, the central question of which is: How might business and others come together to strengthen and leverage the unique characteristics and advantages of cities to accelerate progress on sustainability?"
The idea of cities as catalysts for sustainability will be the focus of a panel talk at VERGE DC 2012 this week. The topic will be in the spotlight at further VERGE events this year.

5 Management Principles to Modernize Cars, Buildings & the Grid

Industry is radically reframing how it can increase productivity and improve the efficiency and stability of our vehicles, buildings, and electric grids. Cities, campuses, and corporations need to manage energy use more actively and in a more connected way. The first step in navigating the opportunities -- for both buyers and sellers of products and services -- is to start from within.
This report, created by PwC in partnership with GreenBiz Group, looks at the possibilities for lower costs, lower carbon and expanded busines in this connected future, including:
• Analyzing energy use for pricing and sourcing options with the lowest cost and the least environmental damage;
• Identifying which facilities should produce their own energy supply or manage their own water use;
• Tailoring logistics and fleet management to match the needs of each type of route and geographic region; and
• Examining use of office space, fleets, and other assets to eliminate waste and maximize utilization

Technologies Where China Has the U.S. Beat

I've been watching China's ascent in cleantech for a couple of years. In that time China's potential to leapfrog the U.S. has gone from talk to substantive examples of leadership. Even so, I've been surprised by the increasing frequency with which China is pushing ahead in new fronts of cleantech development.
Earlier this week, the latest surprise came from energy secretary Steven Chu, who's been talking up China's green progress in an effort to boost Washington's resolve on clean tech policy.
In a talk at the National Press Club, with characteristic forceful clarity (PDF of slides), Chu illuminated the growing list of sectors where China's emerging leadership threatens U.S. players, and added leadership in supercomputing as the most recent Sino-superlative. China's success in these technologies represents a "Sputnik Moment" for the United States, Chu said.
"When it comes to innovation, Americans don't take a back seat to anyone -- and we certainly won't start now," said Secretary Chu at the event. "From wind power to nuclear reactors to high-speed rail, China and other countries are moving aggressively to capture the lead. Given that challenge, and given the enormous economic opportunities in clean energy, it's time for America to do what we do best: innovate."
China's ascent to the top of the list for supercomputing speed reveals a new front in this race. Last month China's Tianhe-1A, developed by Chinese defense researchers, became the world's fastest supercomputer, with a performance level of 2.57 petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second, for all the geeks in our audience, based on a standard test), substantially eclipsing the U.S. DOE's Cray XT5 "Jaguar" system at Oak Ridge national labs in Tennessee, which runs at 1.75 petaflop/s. Third place is also held by a Chinese computer.
Supercomputers may seem long way from grid-competitive solar panels, long-range electric car batteries, or other cleantech gizmos, but advanced computational simulation is the keystone of most leading-edge scientific research, including nuclear energy, nanotech and materials science, proteomics and other advanced biotech applications. Basically, any very advanced science these days needs big computing horsepower. Leadership on the fastest-computer league tables has been traded off many times, between U.S., Japanese and European computing centers. China is a relative newcomer to the race, but is clearly the new elite.
Chu highlighted several crucial technologies -- mostly in the areas of power generation and  transportation -- where China is already outpacing U.S. efforts, adding the U.S. must innovate or risk falling far behind. The following is from the DOE:
• High Voltage Transmission. China has deployed the world's first Ultra High Voltage AC and DC lines -- including one capable of delivering 6.4 gigawatts to Shanghai from a hydroelectric plant nearly 1300 miles away in southwestern China. These lines are more efficient and carry much more power over longer distances than those in the United States.
• High-Speed Rail. In the span of six years, China has gone from importing this technology to exporting it, with the world's fastest train and the world's largest high-speed rail network, which will become larger than the rest of the world combined by the end of the decade. Some short distance plane routes have already been cancelled, and train travel from Beijing to Shanghai (roughly equivalent to New York to Chicago) has been cut from 11 hours to 4 hours.
• Advanced Coal Technologies. China is rapidly deploying supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal combustion plants, which have fewer emissions and are more efficient than conventional coal plants because they burn coal at much higher temperatures and pressures. Last month, Secretary Chu toured an ultra-supercritical plant in Shanghai which claims to be 45 to 48 percent efficient. The most efficient U.S. plants are about 40 percent efficient. China is also moving quickly to design and deploy technologies for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants as well as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
• Nuclear Power. China has more than 30 nuclear power plants under construction, more than any other country in the world, and is actively researching fourth generation nuclear power technologies.
• Alternative Energy Vehicles. China has developed a draft plan to invest $17 billion in central government funds in fuel economy, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric and fuel cell vehicles, with the goal of producing 5 million new energy vehicles and 15 million fuel-efficient conventional vehicles by 2020.
• Renewable Energy. China is installing wind power at a faster rate than any nation in the world, and manufactures 40 percent of the world's solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. It is home to three of the world's top ten wind turbine manufacturers and five of the top ten silicon-based PV manufacturers in the world.
• Supercomputing. Last month, the Tianhe-1A, developed by China's National University of Defense Technology, became the world's fastest supercomputer. While the United States -- and the Department of Energy in particular -- still has unrivalled expertise in the useful application of high performance computers to advance scientific research and develop technology, America must continue to improve the speed and capacity of our advanced supercomputers.

Technologies Where China Has the U.S. Beat

I've been watching China's ascent in cleantech for a couple of years. In that time China's potential to leapfrog the U.S. has gone from talk to substantive examples of leadership. Even so, I've been surprised by the increasing frequency with which China is pushing ahead in new fronts of cleantech development.
Earlier this week, the latest surprise came from energy secretary Steven Chu, who's been talking up China's green progress in an effort to boost Washington's resolve on clean tech policy.
In a talk at the National Press Club, with characteristic forceful clarity (PDF of slides), Chu illuminated the growing list of sectors where China's emerging leadership threatens U.S. players, and added leadership in supercomputing as the most recent Sino-superlative. China's success in these technologies represents a "Sputnik Moment" for the United States, Chu said.
"When it comes to innovation, Americans don't take a back seat to anyone -- and we certainly won't start now," said Secretary Chu at the event. "From wind power to nuclear reactors to high-speed rail, China and other countries are moving aggressively to capture the lead. Given that challenge, and given the enormous economic opportunities in clean energy, it's time for America to do what we do best: innovate."
China's ascent to the top of the list for supercomputing speed reveals a new front in this race. Last month China's Tianhe-1A, developed by Chinese defense researchers, became the world's fastest supercomputer, with a performance level of 2.57 petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second, for all the geeks in our audience, based on a standard test), substantially eclipsing the U.S. DOE's Cray XT5 "Jaguar" system at Oak Ridge national labs in Tennessee, which runs at 1.75 petaflop/s. Third place is also held by a Chinese computer.
Supercomputers may seem long way from grid-competitive solar panels, long-range electric car batteries, or other cleantech gizmos, but advanced computational simulation is the keystone of most leading-edge scientific research, including nuclear energy, nanotech and materials science, proteomics and other advanced biotech applications. Basically, any very advanced science these days needs big computing horsepower. Leadership on the fastest-computer league tables has been traded off many times, between U.S., Japanese and European computing centers. China is a relative newcomer to the race, but is clearly the new elite.
Chu highlighted several crucial technologies -- mostly in the areas of power generation and  transportation -- where China is already outpacing U.S. efforts, adding the U.S. must innovate or risk falling far behind. The following is from the DOE:
• High Voltage Transmission. China has deployed the world's first Ultra High Voltage AC and DC lines -- including one capable of delivering 6.4 gigawatts to Shanghai from a hydroelectric plant nearly 1300 miles away in southwestern China. These lines are more efficient and carry much more power over longer distances than those in the United States.
• High-Speed Rail. In the span of six years, China has gone from importing this technology to exporting it, with the world's fastest train and the world's largest high-speed rail network, which will become larger than the rest of the world combined by the end of the decade. Some short distance plane routes have already been cancelled, and train travel from Beijing to Shanghai (roughly equivalent to New York to Chicago) has been cut from 11 hours to 4 hours.
• Advanced Coal Technologies. China is rapidly deploying supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal combustion plants, which have fewer emissions and are more efficient than conventional coal plants because they burn coal at much higher temperatures and pressures. Last month, Secretary Chu toured an ultra-supercritical plant in Shanghai which claims to be 45 to 48 percent efficient. The most efficient U.S. plants are about 40 percent efficient. China is also moving quickly to design and deploy technologies for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants as well as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
• Nuclear Power. China has more than 30 nuclear power plants under construction, more than any other country in the world, and is actively researching fourth generation nuclear power technologies.
• Alternative Energy Vehicles. China has developed a draft plan to invest $17 billion in central government funds in fuel economy, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric and fuel cell vehicles, with the goal of producing 5 million new energy vehicles and 15 million fuel-efficient conventional vehicles by 2020.
• Renewable Energy. China is installing wind power at a faster rate than any nation in the world, and manufactures 40 percent of the world's solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. It is home to three of the world's top ten wind turbine manufacturers and five of the top ten silicon-based PV manufacturers in the world.
• Supercomputing. Last month, the Tianhe-1A, developed by China's National University of Defense Technology, became the world's fastest supercomputer. While the United States -- and the Department of Energy in particular -- still has unrivalled expertise in the useful application of high performance computers to advance scientific research and develop technology, America must continue to improve the speed and capacity of our advanced supercomputers.

Is Apple Really Planning Self-Charging iPhones?

With short battery life a major hassle for smartphone owners, researchers industrywide are continually seeking easier ways to recharge gadgets and prolong their life between charges.  An interesting Apple patent, filed in July and published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, hints at an interesting self-charging idea.
The patent describes as system of printed coils on a circuit board, and moveable magnets. The motion of shaking the phone or walking would move the magnets over the coils, producing electricity. No word on how long it might take such an idea to prove practical. And, of course, Apple patents lots of things.
A number of other efforts aim to attack the problem. These include tricks to use photovoltaics built into displays (see “Energy Harvesting Displays”). A collaboration between Intel and IDT is pursuing wireless charging (see "Intel's Wireless Power Play") and so is the startup Witricitity (see “Charge Your Phone and Your Car from Afar”).
Those last two ideas would be extensions of something already possible--charging specially-equipped electronics by sitting them directly on charging pads. Among recent smartphone product releases (most of which boasted of some effort to reduce consumption) the new Nokia phone took a somewhat radical step to include such a pad with the device (see “New Smartphones May be Nokia’s Last Stand.”  

DNA Sequencing Leader Buys into Prenatal Testing

Beyond base pairs: Jay Flatley is CEO of San Diego-based Illumina.
Brevin Blach

DNA analytics company Illumina announced today that it has acquired BlueGnome, a diagnostics company based in Cambridge, U.K., that specializes in chromosomal screening for reproductive health and cancer. The news comes after a flurry of announcements from Illumina in the last two weeks, many of which emphasize the company's expansion from the world of basic research into medicine.
"We've been moving very deliberately toward diagnostics," says Illumina CEO Jay Flatley, who adds that the acquisition will allow the company to combine its existing expertise in research with the clinical evaluation of patients. The two major areas of focus for Illumina's diagnostic work are oncology and reproductive health, he says.
Today, doctors performing in vitro fertilization use various techniques to check embryos for genetic problems, such as mistakes in chromosome number, before they are transferred to the uterus. A single cell is removed from each IVF-produced embryo and tested so that only the embryos with the greatest chance of leading to a successful pregnancy are used. An abnormal numbers of chromosomes, known as aneuploidy, is thought to be a cause of miscarriage and failed IVF implantation. It is also linked to developmental problems.
BlueGnome manufactures genetic screening kits based on microarray technology that let fertility doctors screen IVF embryos for chromosomal abnormalities such as extra copies of chromosomes, as seen in people with Down syndrome. Some experts think that within five years, doctors may be able to sequence the entire genome of an embryo from a single cell. Flatley calls this approach a huge opportunity for Illumina and says it is brought closer by today's acquisition.
"Sequencing is the more powerful tool to do these types of analyses," he says. "Arrays are great if you know exactly what content it is that you are looking for, but not for spontaneous variations or mutations that occur. Sequencing gets you at everything. Even if you don't know that a variant is present, sequencing will find it."
BlueGnome's technology is useful not only in IVF but in other areas of reproductive health, such as determining whether potential parents are carriers of inherited disease. It can also be used to screen cancer cells for genetic changes and to diagnose the genetic basis of developmental delays in children.

William Hulsey, HULSEY, P.C., Intellectual Property Lawyers (HULSEYIP)

Topic

Global IP Issues

Presenter

• William N. Hulsey III, Esq

Location

United States

Description

HULSEYIP takes great pride in serving emerging growth companies competing in global markets with products and services relating to renewable and sustainable energy technologies, life sciences, electronics, environmental innovations, software, and aerospace technologies. As broad as are HULSEYIP’s technology proficiencies, the firm is yet tightly focused in providing its clients with the highest quality in patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark legal services. As a practicing patent attorney, Mr. Hulsey has developed and implemented complete intellectual property protection and licensing programs for numerous companies.

Clients receiving HULSEYIP services range in geographic diversity north-to-south from Norway to New Zealand and east-to-west from Siberia to Singapore. HULSEYIP represents clients before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, as well as other intellectual property offices of nations around the globe via a network of foreign associates with whom the practice daily collaborates. Through his legal work, as well as with teaching through the IC2 Institute, Mr. Hulsey has taught intellectual property rights formation, protection, and commercialization in over 34 countries and on all continents, except Antarctica.

Mr. Hulsey has committed his law practice and professional endeavors to promoting entrepreneurship and the protection and commercialization of his clients’ intellectual property rights. His range of legal representation covers initial IP portfolio development work through litigation in enforcing clients IP rights. Bill has represented clients in intellectual property matters before Federal District Courts in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, Texas, as well as in San Jose, California and Rochester, New York.

Mr. Hulsey serves on the Selection Committee for the Central Texas Regional Center for Innovation & Commercialization under The State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund Program. He also frequently serves as a Judge in the internationally recognized Idea to Product (I2P®) UT Competition at the University of Texas campus. Most recently, He served as a judge for The I2P® Portugal Competition 2010, which has organized by COTEC Portugal.

Bill also is the author of CREATING, MANAGING, AND LICENSING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSETS, a major work of over 30 hours of streaming video courses providing intellectual property education and training, through Stanford University.

Through his work with the IC2 Institute and personal travel, Mr. Hulsey has visited and worked in over 37 countries throughout the world. An avid singer, Bill is a tenor with the Texas Choral Consort, one of Texas’ leading audition-only choruses, and the St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Chancel Choir. He has sung an extensive variety of choral works from a broad array of composers over a ten-year period. Presently, he sings as a tenor in the Austin Civic Chorus, the Conspirare Symphony Chorus, and the Texas Choral Consort.