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X ewsAutomation and AtomicSpectroscopyThere are few societies whose roots lie inautomation. One of them, the AutomaticMethods Group of the Chemical Society,London Analytical Division, is holding itsannual general meeting on December 7th1978 in conjunction with the AtomicSpectroscopy Group. Afterwards therewill be a meeting entitled Automationand Atomic Spectroscopy. This will be at2 p.m. in the Geological Society LectureTheatre, Burlington House, London W 1.The papers will include: The determina-tion of trace metals in foods using anautomated digestion and extractionsystem followed by plasma emissionspectrometry by Dr J. Warren; Compu-ter assisted geochemical analysis with aPye U nicam SPg00 by Dr Baxter; and theautomatic analysis of solid samples bylaser evaporation coupled to plasma-emission spectroscopy by Dr M. D.Silvester.

Further information may be obtainedfrom D. G. Porter, Laboratory of theGovernment Chemist, Cornwall House,Stamford Street, London, SEI 9NQ,UK.

Automation at SAC 80The Chemical Society, London, Analyti-cal Division have distributed the firstcircular giving information about SAC80, their international conference to beheld at the University of Lancaster, July20-26, 1980. Included in the scientificprogramme will be a session on automa-tion, including the use of microproces-sors and mini-computers.

Further information is available fromThe Secretary, Analytical Division, TheChemical Society, Burlington House,london WIV 0BN, UK.

Solutions to informationhandlingA Seminar on In-house computersolutions to information handling is to beheld on October 31 and November 1,1978 at the National Computing Centrein Manchester, U K. The programme willinclude practical aspects of on-linecomputing and will answer the followingquestions: have you got an internalinformation handling problem? Do youneed to know more about terminals andother equipment used in on-line search-ing? Are you familiar with on-linejargon? How do you adapt in-house databases for on-line searching? What areminicomputers? How can they be used inon-line systems? The ability to retrieve

complete papers on-line, instead ofabstracts seems, an attractive proposi-tion, do microforms provide an answer?What of the future? Will microprocessorsbe the in-house on-line computers of thefuture and what part will word processors play in information handling? If youwould like full details contact theSeminar Secretary, Mr G. Cousins,Technical Information Unit, ICI Phar-maceuticals Division, Mereside, AlderleyPark, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SKI04TG, UK.

Selecting small motors forcontrol applicationsThe Electrical Research Association isorganising one of its regular technologytransfer seminars to review the basiccharacteristics of small control motors.The seminar is a one-day event and willbe held at the Royal Garden Hotel,London, UK, on Wednesday, 31stJanuary 1979.The continuing development of small

control motors has resulted in situationswhere equipment designers frequentlyhave a choice between two or moremotors with widely different principles ofoperation and yet similar performancecharacteristics. The basic characteristicsof four main types of small motor forcontrol applications, namely, permanentmagnet, d.c. torque, stepping, and d.c.pancake motors, will be considered andthe special drive circuits required bysome of these motors will be examined.The main theme will be an investigationof the real advantages and limitations inthe use of differing motors, and discus-sion of some typical and unusualapplications. Consideration of the inter-action of the motor with the drive systemand the mechanical load will be included.The programme for the seminar will be

of interest to all concerned with thedesign, procurement and installation ofcontrol systems incorporating smallmotors, and will cover equipment design,hardware specification, environmentallimitations, and future developments.Further information may be obtainedfrom Michael Webb or Muriel Hunns,Seminar Organisers, Electrical ResearchAssociation Limited, Cleeve Road,Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7SA, UK.

Design of microprocessor-based systemsA series of courses, aimed at designersand engineers entitled, The Design ofMicroprocessor-based Systems has beenbooked to take place at four differentlocations throughout England duringNovember 1978. Each complete coursewill last three days; each day’s sessionscomprising a self-contained package,able to stand alone, yet complementary

to the other sessions. Participants canattend one, two or three days although,of course, the complete three-day sylla-bus offers the most comprehensivegrounding on the topic. Booking forms, adetailed course programme and furtherinformation is available from the Organi-sers; Prodex (Seminars) Ltd., 79 HighStreet, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1XZ,UK.

MicroTest ’79Arrangements for MicroTest ’79 are nowunder way and a first announcement andcall for papers will be circulated topotential participants. MicroTest ’79 willdeal with the testing, maintenance andreliability of equipment using micro-processors and similar LSI circuitry.

Organised by the Society of Electronicand Radio Technicians, in associationwith the Microprocessor ApplicationGroup of the Institution of ElectricalEngineers and The Institution of Electri-cal and Radio Engineers, this residentialsymposium will be held from 2nd to 4thApril 1979 at the University of Sussex,Brighton, UK. For further informationcontact C. R. Holland, Society ofElectronic and Radio Technicians, Fara-day House, 8-10 Charing Cross Road,London WC2H 0HP, UK.

Communications systemsolves medical centre’santicipated growth needsA minicomputer serves as a communica-tions concentrator’for the Bowman GraySchool of Medicine at the NorthCarolina Baptist Medical Centre. TheData General NOVA 3 allows terminalsto be added at various clinics in thehospital without increasing terminalresponse time. In addition to verifyinginsurance information in a time-sharingenvironment, the computer system printsout claim forms in a batch,sequence, andprovides complete patient histories frompr,evious admissions. It also performsaccounting, general ledger, accountspayable, and accounts receivable func-tions.

Baptist Hospital/Bowman Gray is aregional medical centre with 650 bedsand 23,123 patient admissions a year. Anadditional 206,547 ambulatory patientvisits were made to the centre last year.The medical centre is involved in theeducation of 379 students pursuing theMD, MS, or PhD degrees as well asstudents studying in several allied healthprogrammes.

Anticipated future growth at themedical centre created the need for acomputer system which could adapt toincreasing demands on its capabilities.The computer system consists of a DataGeneral NOVA 3 minicomputer con-

48 The Journal of Automatic Chemistry

News

figured as a communications concentra-tor for a Honeywell 6000 host computer.The system presently provides 55 termi-nals with a two-to-five-second responsetime. The medical centre can expand thesystem with the simple addition ofterminals cabling and minor additions tothe NOVA, without increasing theterminal response time.Communications between the NOVA

3 and the Honeywell 6000 host isaccomplished synchronously on two 9.6K-baud lines. The NOVA 3 can com-municate asynchronously with up to 75DASHER display terminals and anadditional 80 printers.

Approximately half of the terminalsare located in doctors’ clinics in themedical centre, where they are used forprofessional billing, retrieving pertinentpatient information, and verifying insur-ance claim information. Since each clinicoperates as an individual entity as part of

the Bowman Gray School of Medicine,the computer system must handle 26different clinics staffed by a total of 130doctors, each of whom can bill patients.

Future plans at the medical centre areto add on-line admissions, medicalrecord retrieval, dietary restrictions,laboratory tests, and other departmentsto the system, .and to use some oftheresulting data for statistical surveys.

Automatic methods ofanalysisA summer school on AutomaticMethods of Analysis is being organisedby the Chemical Society, UK at Swansea,Wales, July 9-13 1979. Automation isreceiving increasing interest in analyticalchemistry. This summer school is de-

signed to acquaint laboratory managers,technical staff etc. with both the recentdevelopments in the field as well as withthose important aspects of backgroundphilosophy and the economic rationale.In addition to lectures, the residentialcourse will provide laboratory sessions inwhich the student can use a range of themost up to date equipment. There willalso be tutorial sessions and a groupproblem will be set, and students willcarry out a systems study on a real andcomplicated analytical problem. Experi-ence of the laboratory, who havecalculated the problem will be madeavailable to participants so that they candiscuss in depth the various strategies.Lectures and tutorials will be given byinternational experts in automation.

Further information is available fromD. G. Porter, Laboratory of theGovernment Chemist, Cornwall House,Stamford Street, London SEI 9NG, UK.

Calendar1978

Automation in MicrobiologyNovember 20-21, Chicago, USA.Robert S. First Inc., 405 Lexington,4 venue, New York, N Y I0017, US,4.

Automation and Atomic SpectroscopyDecember 7, London, UK.D. Porter, Laboratory of the Govern-ment Chemist, Cornwall House, Stam-ford Street, London SEI 9NQ, UK.

8th Technicon International Congress:Laboratory Management and Automa-tionDecember 12-14, London, UK.Technicon Instruments Co. Ltd., EvansHouse, Hamilton Close, Houndmills,Basingstoke, RG21 IBZ, Hampshii’e,UK.

1979

6th Annual Reports on AnalyticalAtomic Spectroscopy SymposiumJanuary 4, Sheffield, UK.Miss P. E. Hutchinson, The ChemicalSocieO’, Burlington House, LondonWI V OBN, UK.

Optical Data Display Processing &StorageJanuary 23-26, Orlando, Florida, USA.SocieO’ of Photographic Scientists andEngineers, 1411 K Street, N W, Suite930, Washington, D. C. ?0005, USA.

Microsystems ’79: an overview of micro-processor technology and applicationsJanuary 31-February 2, London, UK.

lliffe Promotions Ltd., Dorset House,Stamford Street, London, SEI 9LU, UK.

The Applications of Microprocessors:A review lecture by Professor J. H.WestcottFebruary 8, London, UK.The Executive Secretary, The RoyalSociety, 6 Carlton House Terrace,London S WI Y 5A G, UK.

Use of the Microprocessor as aComponent in Measurement and ControlEquipmentFebruary 13-15, Stevenage, Herts., UK.Carole Meads, Sira Institute, South Hill,Chislehurst, Kent, UK.

30th Annual Conference on AnalyticalChemistry and Applied Spectroscopy5-9 March, Cleveland, USA.Mrs. L. Briggs, 437 Donald Road,Pittsburgh, Passadena 15235, USA.

International Conferences on Spectro-scopy29-30 March, Miami, USA.Vijay Mohan Bhatnagar, ,4lena Enter-prises of Canada, P.O. Box 1779,Cornwall, Ontario, Canada K6H 5V7.

Kongress der Deutschen Geselischaftfur LaboratoriumsmedizinMarch 29-April 3, Berlin, Germany.Wilhelm Syborg, Kongresshall Berlin,John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 1000 Berlin21, West Germany.

3rd International Symposium on Capil-lary ChromatographyApril 30-May 3, Hindelang/Allgau, W.GermanyR. E. Kaiser, P.O. Box 1308, D-6702Bad Durkheim 1, German),.

3rd European Congress of ClinicalChemistryJune 4-8, Brighton, UK.Dr P. J. N. Howarth, Department ofChemical Pathology, Guy’s Hospital,Medical School, London, SEI 9RT, UK.

2nd World Chromatography ConferenceJune 5-6, Lisbon, Portugal.V. M. Bhatnagar, P.O. Box 1779,Cornwall, Ontario K6H 5 VL Canada.

lOth International Symposium onChromatography and ElectrophoresisJune 19-20, Venice, Italy.Dr ,4lberto Frigerio, Instituto diRiccerche Farmacologiche "MarioNegri", Via Eritrea 62, 201.57 Milan.

8th International Conference on AtomicSpectroscopyJuly 1-6, CambridgeAssociation of British Spectroscopists,P.O. Box 109, Cambridge, CBI 2HY,UK.

2nd Canadian World ChromatographyConferenceJuly 5-6, To.ronto, Canada.V. M. Bhatnagar, P.O. Box 1779,Cornwall, Ontario K6H 5V7, Canada.

Summer School on Automatic Methodsof AnalysisJuly 9-13, Swansea, UK.D. Porter, Laboratory of the Govern-ment Chemist, Cornwall House, Stam-ford Street, London SE1 9NQ, UK.

Analysis ’79: Automation in Industrialand Clinical Chemistry.July 16-18, London, UK.Scientific Symposia Ltd., 33-3.5 BowlingGreen Lane, London, EC1R ODA, UK.

Volume No. October 1978 49

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X ews - Hindawi Publishing Corporationdownloads.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/1978/825381.pdfbus offers the most comprehensive groundingonthetopic. Bookingforms,a detailed course programme