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SOFTWARE WATCH | Green Tea, Anyone? Scientists who have unlimited hardware budgets, a dedicated IT staff versed in the arcana of networks, and lots of time on their hands probably find setting up a computer cluster a breeze. Everyone else knows it's difficult and expensive. A new Java software program called GreenTea (www.greenteatech.com) offers an alternative. Instead of a cluster, GreenTea works as a peer-to-peer client, chopping large computing tasks into smaller, more workable fragments, each of which runs on one peer. Researchers have only to set up a simple network and then install the software, making the system simpler to install and easier to administer, though probably less efficient, than a standard cluster. And because GreenTea is Java-based, peers can run Linux, Mac OS, or Microsoft Windows. Chief programmer Chris Xie says he will offer limited free phone help to scientists in need, under certain conditions: "If scientists have no money and if we are interested in the project, we can provide [some services] for free," says Xie. But if a scientist has grant funding for software licensing, Xie adds, "We'll gladly accept their donations." --Sam Jaffe PATENT WATCH | Counting Viral Vectors Quantifying virus particles is an important part of gene-therapy experiments, but researchers need more sensitive methods of doing so, according to C. Richter King, vice president of research at GenVec. The company's latest patent (US patent 6,630,299) is based on work by head of protein chemistry Miguel Carrion, who says that the new method is roughly two orders of magnitude better than existing methods such as those that utilize UV absorption. "We found that a number of viral proteins have intrinsic fluorescence," Carrion says, which led him to develop a fluorescence-based metric. "It allows quantification not just by whole particles, but also quantification of individual proteins." The method could be especially important when the proposed viral vector dose falls below that of traditional quantification methods, says Carrion. "As we do more clinical testing of all of our projects and establish the appropriate dose, it's possible that some of the doses may be in the range where fluorescence detection will offer advantages," says King. The company has not licensed the method to others, as it is part of a group of patents they use in their own projects, but it would consider doing so, King says. --Ivan Oransky GADGET WATCH | Two Thumbs Up for 'Thumbless' Tube Opener Courtesy of Drummond Scientific You're all thumbs when it comes to uncapping a microcentrifuge tube: It's so small, and your hands are so big. The process is like trying to open a beer bottle without a can opener and is only slightly easier on the thumbs. The task is made no less tricky by the fact that most people do it with one hand; one slip, and your sample is as useless as yesterday's brew. And because sample tubes are often kept on ice, they can get very slippery indeed. Inventors at Drummond Scientific of Broomall, Pa., had this uncapping conundrum in mind when they created a tool for prying off the lid. Like an old wall-mounted bottlecap opener, the Decapitator 2 is designed to allow a person to open the tube with one hand. Just secure the tube in a slotted plastic holder and push downward to open it. "This allows them freedom of sliding it in, so it's easier on the thumb," says Larry Piccirilli, plant production manager for Drummond. "[Technicians] don't have to put on pressure ... [and the Decapitator] eliminates any chance of spray." The tool comes with a bench stand to stabilize it and can accommodate most tubes, from 0.2 ml to 2.2 ml. The suggested list price is $62.50 (US). --Paula Park function sendData() { document.frm.pathName.value = location.pathname; result = false if (document.frm.score[0].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[1].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[2].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[3].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[4].checked) result = true; if (!result) alert("Please select") return result; } .myradio{background-color : #94bee5} Please indicate on a 1 - 5 scale how strongly you would recommend this article to your colleagues? Not recommended 1 2 3 4 5 Highly recommended Please register your vote

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