Washington — A coalition of roadway safety advocacy groups, in conjunction with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation challenging a controversial final rule FMCSA claims will add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida, argues that Florida’s ban violates the Constitution’s provisions that prohibit protectionist measures designed to favor in-state businesses at the expense of out-of-state competitors. 

Since its inception, Armored Fresh has been committed to breaking the stereotype that plant-based cheese is a bland, unsatisfactory solution made only for vegans. 

SWAP's 'Umisation' protein platform employs a technique to transform plant proteins into structured fibers without high heat or pressure. The approach uses just eight familiar ingredients and no artificial flavors, colorants, or texturizers.

Dave Munson learned the flooring business from the ground up working in his parents’ two stores in North Dakota.

Dreams are what homes are made of.

One of the best moves Floors and More ever made was a year into the company’s life when its founders Dan and Brenda Billingsley decided to take their tile store from a city address to its current location on Interstate 30, a direct link between Dallas and Memphis, Tenn.

Küberit USA will debut its new integrated process for profile selection, sample acquisiiton, and resources for specification support at this week’s TISE. 

Laticrete, a leading manufacturer of globally proven construction solutions for the building industry, is adding profiles and trim to its growing roster of tile, stone and flooring installation products, making it the industry’s first manufacturer to provide a complete tile installation system including trim options.

The newest flooring accessories for 2023 check all the boxes: they are great looking, easier to install, and have better functionality than ever before. 

Versatrim's new Quick Ship program offers seven trim profiles in 60 stock colors ready to ship next business day with no minimums. 

Laticrete coordinates their profiles and trims pieces to their most popular grout colors and caulks, designers, installers and homeowners giving the ability to create seamless looks across an entire installation.

Laticrete’s Ben Lampi offers advice on pairing color and finishes to take a tile installation to the next level. 

Four new profiles come in 114 color options as well as digitally printed designs to match any aesthetic. 

Versatrim introduces the VersaCap Round Profile, designed to enhance the aesthetic appeal and functionality of stair applications, providing a seamless finish that complements any interior design. 

A Minnesota man who served nearly 20 years in prison before his murder conviction was vacated last year has filed a claim for nearly $2 million from the state.

Update to BGS’s AGS file utilities tool released  British Geological Survey

New software capabilities in RMCProfile allow researchers to study the structure of materials by combining machine learning interatomic potentials and reverse Monte Carlo.

Structure refinement with reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) is a powerful tool for interpreting experimental diffraction data. To ensure that the under-constrained RMC algorithm yields reasonable results, the hybrid RMC approach applies interatomic potentials to obtain solutions that are both physically sensible and in agreement with experiment. To expand the range of materials that can be studied with hybrid RMC, we have implemented a new interatomic potential constraint in RMCProfile that grants flexibility to apply potentials supported by the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) molecular dynamics code. This includes machine learning interatomic potentials, which provide a pathway to applying hybrid RMC to materials without currently available interatomic potentials. To this end, we present a methodology to use RMC to train machine learning interatomic potentials for hybrid RMC applications.

In a photoinjector electron source, the initial transverse electron bunch properties are determined by the spatial properties of the laser beam on the photocathode. Spatial shaping of the laser is commonly achieved by relay imaging an illuminated circular mask onto the photocathode. However, the Gibbs phenomenon shows that recreating the sharp edge and discontinuity of the cut profile at the mask on the cathode is not possible with an optical relay of finite aperture. Furthermore, the practical injection of the laser into the photoinjector results in the beam passing through small or asymmetrically positioned apertures. This work uses wavefront propagation to show how the transport apertures cause ripple structures to appear in the transverse laser profile even when effectively the full laser power is transmitted. The impact of these structures on the propagated electron bunch has also been studied with electron bunches of high and low charge density. With high charge density, the ripples in the initial charge distribution rapidly wash-out through space charge effects. However, for bunches with low charge density, the ripples can persist through the bunch transport. Although statistical properties of the electron bunch in the cases studied are not greatly affected, there is the potential for the distorted electron bunch to negatively impact machine performance. Therefore, these effects should be considered in the design phase of accelerators using photoinjectors.

A confiscated package of street drugs was characterized by the usual mass spectral (MS) and FT–IR analyses. The confiscated powder material was highly crystalline and was found to consist of two very different species, accidentally of sizes convenient for X-ray diffraction. Thus, one each was selected and redundant com­plete sets of data were collected at 100 K using Cu Kα radiation. The selected crystals contained: (a) 1,2-diphenyl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethanone hy­dro­chloride hemihydrate or 1-(2-oxo-1,2-di­phenyl­eth­yl)pyrrolidin-1-ium chloride hemihydrate, C18H20NO+·Cl−·0.5H2O, (I), a synthetic cathinone called `α-D2PV', and (b) the sugar myo-inositol, C6H12O6, (II), probably the only instance in which the drug and its diluent have been fully characterized from a single confiscated sample. Moreover, the structural details of both are rather attractive showing: (i) inter­esting hydrogen bonding observed in pairwise inter­actions by the drug mol­ecules, mediated by the chloride counter-anions and the waters of crystallization, and (ii) π–π inter­actions in the case of the phenyl rings of the drug which are of two different types, namely, π–π stacking and edge-to-π. Finally, the inositol crystallizes with Z' = 2 and the resulting diastereoisomers were examined by overlay techniques.

This work introduces a completely rewritten version of the program RMCProfile (version 7), big-box, reverse Monte Carlo modelling software for analysis of total scattering data. The major new feature of RMCProfile7 is the ability to refine multiple phases simultaneously, which is relevant for many current research areas such as energy materials, catalysis and engineering. Other new features include improved support for molecular potentials and rigid-body refinements, as well as multiple different data sets. An empirical resolution correction and calculation of the pair distribution function as a back-Fourier transform are now also available. RMCProfile7 is freely available for download at https://rmcprofile.ornl.gov/.

Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks in the film "Spiral."; Credit: Lionsgate

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Review the information, including new ingredients, equipment, technology and more, from the following companies, which will be exhibiting at the Tortilla Industry Association Convention & Trade Exposition, taking place May 16 to 19 in Southern California

Dorner’s new AquaGard Low Profile (LP) conveyor is designed to fit in tight spaces, making it the ideal sanitary conveyor for dry or wipedown applications within the packaging, pharmaceutical, confectionary, bakery, and other packaged food industries. 

M.O.L.E. EV6 delivers handheld thermal profiling control, freeing bakery operators from time-consuming, offline PC download.

BNP Media Plumbing Group Multimedia Editor Nadia Askar recently sat down with Michael Whiteside, president and owner of Chicago-based MIFAB.

Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had a chance to sit down with Billy Stevens, founder and CEO of Sera Systems, a subscription software provider for the home service industry, to discuss current trends with contractor software.

Resideo announced the launch of the Resideo Home app, which will make whole-home monitoring possible for the four critical networks of the home – water, air, energy and security – during its Resideo Live event, held in Austin, Texas, this past December. 

From celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2018 to investing another $6 million to its joint venture company, Phyn, in 2019 to the release of the Phyn Plus Pro Edition at the 2020 International Builders Show, Uponor has certainly been busy the past few years.

MarginPoint, a provider of mobile-enabled, collaborative inventory management and field management solutions, is focused on helping plumbing industry pros to manage inventory replenishment, optimize business processes and drive revenue. 

MCAA’s spring meeting and conference schedule screeched to a halt this year, much like many other contractor organizations in the industry, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After a stint as a top producer at Morgan Stanley, Andrew Ettinger was faced with years of struggling with business initiatives and eventually filed for bankruptcy. 

Founded in 2017, Schedule Engine is a customer service support solution for home service contractors.

Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke recently chatted with PHCC—National Association’s newly elected President Hunter Botto regarding his goals for the coming year as well as the organization’s legislative agenda and areas of focus for its members. 

In August, Nexstar Network announced Julian Scadden would replace Jack Tester as president and CEO, effective Nov. 1. Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke recently chatted with Scadden about his background and leadership goals for the organization.

While 2020 has been a year of uncertainty for most businesses, Mr. Rooter Plumbing is celebrating its 50th anniversary by adding more franchises to its lineup. 

Earlier this year, Leonard Valve announced David Brakenwagen as its new chief executive officer. 

As an extension of the QuickDrain USA total shower solution, aimed to reimagine how drains should look and perform, the company recently launched its new SquareDrain point drain. Plumbing & Mechanical attended the virtual product launch event in April. 

In April, Niagara held a virtual launch event, announcing its new Niagara Wholesale Program and more than 100 new products designed to help wholesalers serve the needs of their plumbing professional clients by offering advanced technology and high performance for those looking for a wide variety of water-efficient products.

There is a changing of the guard (so to speak) every fall during PHCC’s annual conference and trade show.

Established as a foundry of brass fixtures in 1851, Oventrop has since evolved into a global manufacturer of balancing valves and thermostatic radiator valves for the building industries. The family-owned company is now expanding into the American market, and Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had the chance to chat with Nicola Schannath, CEO of Oventrop-US, about the company’s plans in the United States and current PHCP-PVF market trends.

Johnson Controls celebrated National Skilled Trades Day by confirming a second cohort of schools receiving funding as part of its Community College Partnership Program. Last year, Johnson Controls agreed to fund $15 million over the span of five years to help support the community college’s HVAC, fire, security and digital academic programs.

This month, PHCC — National Association President Joel Long, owner of Gastonia, North Carolina-based GSM Services, will pass the baton to Dave Frame, fourth-generation owner of Bob Frame Plumbing Services, South Bend, Indiana. Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had a chance to chat with Frame about what he hopes to accomplish during his term and the many opportunities for PHCC members over the next year.

Grundfos announced the launch of the next generation of small circulators for the residential heating market with the introduction of the Grundfos Digital NEXT range — starting with the UPSe 15-58 in late 2022, followed by the release of the new, digital ALPHA 15-58 in early 2023.

On Feb. 1, NIBCO announced it acquired Matco-Norca and its subsidiary SVF Flow Controls.
NIBCO Chairman Rex Martin stated, “This acquisition supports our strategic long-range goal of growth through acquisition, expanding our market reach and providing customers with access to a broader portfolio of products.This is an extraordinary time in NIBCO’s evolving history.”

This month, PHCC — National Association President to Dave Frame, owner of Bob Frame Plumbing Services, South Bend, Indiana will pass the torch Joe Cornetta, third-generation co-owner of Elmont, New York-based Cornetta Bros.

Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had the chance to chat with Magda Elizondo, Hero Helps coordinator for Rooter Hero Plumbing & Air, about the company’s charitable efforts, not just during the giving season, but throughout the entire year.

Plumbing & Mechanical recently had the chance to interview International Code Council CEO Dominic Sims about the current landscape for codes and standards and the plumbing industry overall.