[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 196 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52684-52686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26712]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Applications for Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Instruments

    Pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Educational, Scientific and 
Cultural Materials Importation Act of 1966 (Pub. L. 89-651; 80 Stat. 
897; 15 CFR part 301), we invite comments on the question of whether 
instruments of equivalent scientific value, for the

[[Page 52685]]

purposes for which the instruments shown below are intended to be used, 
are being manufactured in the United States.
    Comments must comply with 15 CFR 301.5(a) (3) and (4) of the 
regulations and be filed within 20 days with the Statutory Import 
Programs Staff, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 20230. 
Applications may be examined between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. in Room 
4211, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, 
N.W., Washington, D.C.
    Docket Number: 97-077. Applicant: University of Washington, School 
of Oceanography, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195-7940. Instrument: 
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer, Model DELTA<SUP>plus</SUP>. 
Manufacturer: Finnigan MAT, Germany. Intended Use: The instrument will 
be used in a diverse group of geochemical studies of oceanic, 
atmospheric and terrestrial problems. Isotope and gas ratio 
measurements will be used to help determine the following: (1) Rates of 
anthropogenic CO<INF>2</INF> uptake by the ocean, (2) rates of oceanic 
productivity, (3) organic matter cycling in the Amazon basin, (4) the 
source of increase of atmospheric methane and carbon monoxide, (5) 
denitrification rates in the water column and shelf sediments, (6) 
terrestrial versus marine sources of organic matter in shelf sediments, 
(7) the diet of juvenile polychaetes and (8) the impact of food web 
structure on carbon export in the equatorial Pacific. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: August 28, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-078. Applicant: University of Missouri at Kansas 
City, School of Biological Sciences, Room 417 BSB, 5007 Rockhill Road, 
Kansas City, MO 64110. Instrument: Free-Flow Electrophoresis Device. 
Manufacturer: Dr. Weber GmbH, Germany. Intended Use: The instrument 
will be used in several research projects for: (1) The separation of 
cells, for example, B lymphocytes from whole blood, to be used for 
immortalization by Epstein-Barr virus, (2) the separation of 
intracellular organelles and vesicles from cells to study protein 
expression and secretion and (3) the separation and purification of 
protein subunits in denaturing solvents for further studies of protein 
function. In addition, the instrument will be used for training 
undergraduate, graduate and professional students and postdoctoral 
fellows in the technique of free-flow electrophoresis. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: September 5, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-079. Applicant: Pennsylvania State University at 
Erie, The Behrend College, 5091 Station Road, Erie, PA 16563-1702. 
Instrument: Thermodynamic Measurement Equipment, Model pvT 100. 
Manufacturer: SWO Polymertechnik GmbH, Germany. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to assist students in researching pressure, 
volume and temperature phenomena to better identify polymer material 
behavior. The objectives of the experimentation will be to provide 
students in the Plastics Engineering Technology program with basic 
fundamental material characterization properties to further enhance 
their understanding of material flow. Application accepted by 
Commissioner of Customs: September 5, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-080. Applicant: Cornell University, 335 Savage 
Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. Instrument: Rapid Mixing Accessory, Model SFA-
20/Spex. Manufacturer: Hi-Tech Scientific, United Kingdom. Intended 
Use: The instrument will be used to obtain quantitative information 
regarding the rates by which Vitamin A derivatives interact with 
binding proteins and with biological membranes. The aim of this study 
is to clarify the mechanisms by which retinoids move between cells and 
sub-cellular compartments in vivo and the factors that regulate the 
distribution of these compounds. Application accepted by Commissioner 
of Customs: September 8, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-081. Applicant: University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 141 Phillips Hall CB# 
3255, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255. Instrument: X-Ray Diffractometer with 
Accessory, Model DIP-2020 V. Manufacturer: Nonius-Enraf, The 
Netherlands. Intended Use: The instrument will be used to perform in-
situ and ex-situ x-ray diffraction experiments in conjunction with 
property measurement. The materials to be studied will include 
C<INF>60</INF> derivative compounds, carbon nonotubes, new 
semiconducting materials based on Si/Ge clathrates, noncrystals, high 
temperature superconductor films and novel magnetic multilayers. In 
addition, the instrument will be used to teach x-ray diffraction 
techniques and its applications in materials science. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: September 9, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-082. Applicant: University of Minnesota, 
Department of Biochemistry, Medical School, 4-225 Millard Hall, 435 
Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. Instrument: Stopped-Flow 
Reaction Analyzer, Model SX.18MV. Manufacturer: Applied Photophysics, 
Ltd., United Kingdom. Intended Use: The instrument will be used to 
study the reaction rates of enzymes and proteins with their substrates 
of other small molecules that they bind. The instrument can measure the 
optical and fluorescence changes that occur during the binding and 
shape change processes and assign rates to these changes. In addition, 
the instrument will be used for educational purposes in the course 
Biochemistry 5-528 ``Kinetics of Biological Systems.'' Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: September 10, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-083. Applicant: Indiana University-Purdue 
University at Indianapolis, 402 North Blackford Street, Indianapolis, 
IN 46202. Instrument: Stopped-Flow Spectrometer, Model SX-61DX2. 
Manufacturer: Hi-Tech Scientific, United Kingdom. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used for educational purposes in the following 
courses: (1) C363 Experimental Physical Chemistry--experimental work to 
illustrate the principles of physical chemistry, (2) C411 Principles of 
Chemistry Instrumentation Laboratory--laboratory instruction in 
instrument analysis techniques, (3) C435 Inorganic Chemistry 
Laboratory--synthesis, characterization and study of chemical and 
physical properties of inorganic and organometallic compounds and (4) 
C486 Biological Chemistry Laboratory--introduction to the important 
techniques currently employed by practicing biological chemists. 
Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: September 10, 1997.
    Docket Number: 97-084. Applicant: Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, 
New York, NY 10027-6598. Instrument: Electron Microscope, Model EM208S. 
Manufacturer: Philips, The Netherlands. Intended Use: The instrument 
will be used to visualize cellular detail and relate it to some aspects 
of cellular or organismal structure or function in research projects on 
plant, animal, microbial and viral subjects. In addition, the 
instrument will be used for educational purposes in laboratory courses 
in cells and tissues, microbiology, plant physiology and neurobiology 
providing higher magnification and permitting finer cellular detail to 
be seen. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: September 10, 
1997.
    Docket Number: 97-085. Applicant: University of Minnesota, 
Department of Biochemistry, Medical School, 4-225 Millard Hall, 435 
Delaware Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Instrument: Electron 
Paramagnetic Resonance Spectrometer, Model E500. Manufacturer: Bruker, 
Germany. Intended Use: The instrument will be

[[Page 52686]]

used for the study of materials with electronic spins which are due to 
unpaired electrons associated with atoms in the material under study. 
These materials are biological materials and analogs with unpaired 
spins, either organic free radicals, metals bound to proteins or 
enzymes or materials in small chelate complexes used as models for 
biological systems. In addition, the instrument will be used for 
teaching the principles underlying EPR purposes in the biophysics 
courses MdBc5-526 and MdBc5-527.
Frank W. Creel,
Director, Statutory Import Programs Staff.
[FR Doc. 97-26712 Filed 10-8-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P