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Kodak printers top magazine survey

Printers by Eastman Kodak Co. topped a survey by PC Magazine.
“Kodak’s appeal seems to come from readers’ perception of the quality of Kodak’s inks for documents and photos, where it scored an 8.7, and the cost of ink, where they granted it an 8.9—second best is Brother, at a distant 5.9 for ink/toner value,” the magazine said.
Kodak also was given the honor of Readers’ Choice by the magazine.
To see how Kodak compared with other printers, visit pcmag.com.
Separately, Kodak said its imaging technology continues to enable the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which Aug. 12 celebrates its third anniversary in space, to explore the red planet.
Using images captured by Kodak CCD Image Sensors, the orbiter will soon fulfill one of its primary mission objectives—the collection of a full Martian year of weather data for the planet— and has already mapped over one-third of the planet’s entire surface, Kodak officials said.
Launched Aug. 12, 2005, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is searching for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars by closely scanning the surface of the planet, analyzing minerals, searching for subsurface water, observing dust and water patterns in the atmosphere, and monitoring daily weather.
Kodak Image Sensors are used in two key components of the orbiter: the Mars Color Imager, used to provide daily weather reports for the planet, and the Context Camera, which captures wide-area views of the surface to help provide a context for high-resolution analysis of key locations on the planet. Both of these systems, designed and operated by Malin Space Science Systems Inc., are based on Kodak CCD Image Sensors used in applications on earth.
Daily weather data for Mars is collected by the orbiter using the Mars Color Imager (MARCI), a camera which monitors the surface and atmosphere of the planet across five visible and two ultraviolet wavelengths. Find weekly weather reports based on this data at www.msss.com.

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First Niagara breaks ground in Greece

Representatives of First Niagara Financial Group Inc. and Brighton commercial builder the DiMarco Group broke ground Wednesday on a First Niagara Bank branch to be relocated in Greece.
The new branch will be at DiMarco-owned Hampton Ridge on West Ridge Road. The bank’s current offices are in the Elmridge Plaza. First Niagara has two branches in Greece, the other on Latta Road, and nine in the Rochester area.
The relocated branch is expected to open this fall, officials said.

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Officials allow China to block some Web sites

Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive Web sites despite promises of unrestricted access, Reuters reported a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday. Persistent pollution fears and China’s concerns about security in Tibet also remained problems for organizers nine days before the Games begin.

June bankruptcy filings increase 8%

Bankruptcy filings in the Rochester division of the Western District of New York rose 8 percent in June, figures compiled by the Western District Bankruptcy Court Clerk show. Filings for the first six months of the year were down, however, showing a 4 percent drop.

Mulcahy makes list of highest-paid women

Anne Mulcahy, Xerox Corp. chairman and CEO, was the third highest paid women executive in 2007, a new study by Forbes shows.
Mulcahy’s total annual compensation last year was some $11 million, the magazine reported.
First on the list was Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Inc., who brought home $12.7 million, including $4.5 million in bonus pay. Second place went to Andrea Jung, chairman and CEO of Avon Products Inc.
Despite the multimillion dollar salaries, CEO compensation at America’s 500 largest companies decreased overall last year for the first time since 2002, Forbes reported.
In 2007, CEOs of the 500 largest companies in the U.S. — as measured by a composite ranking of sales, profits, assets and market value— saw their compensation dwindle an average 15percent. However, the 13 women on the list saw their pay jump an average of 27 percent.
The magazine noted a pay gap between men and women. The average take, including salary and bonuses, for all 500 CEOs was $12.8 million — double the female average of $6.5 million.

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Groups rally to support tax cap

Representatives of local and state business organizations rallied Tuesday at the SUNY College at Brockport MetroCenter in support of a cap on school property taxes.

Firm buys NaturalNano material

NaturalNano Inc. Tuesday said Noble Polymers, a division of Michigan-based Cascade Engineering Inc., has purchased its halloysite nanotubes material.
The HNT material is to be used to produce 10 tons of NaturalNano’s nanocomposite Pleximer, company officials said.
“This sale is a major milestone in the product development process we began with Cascade more than a year ago,” said Cathy Fleischer, president of NaturalNano, in a statement.
NaturalNano is a local developer of advanced nanomaterials and extended release nanotechnologies. By using Pleximer’s characteristics in surface quality, durability enhancement and weight reduction in concert with Cascade Engineering’s compounding and molding capabilities, Fleischer said NaturalNano expects to directly affect the performance of a wide variety of industrial and consumer products.
NaturalNano said the current shipment represents the initial manufacturing-scale sale of Pleximer to Cascade Engineering. The local firm expects to continue to provide material as the two companies work together to develop accreditation testing, application definitions and formula optimization that will be used to produce Pleximer-based products.
“Our joint development effort with NaturalNano has resulted in a product that is stronger, lighter and less expensive and will enable Cascade to offer a superior molded product first in office furniture products and then in other markets and applications,” said Tim Patterson, general manager of Noble Polymers.
Cascade Engineering is a manufacturer that markets to a mix of industries such as the estimated $40 billion polymer composites industry.

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Sydor gets $3M contract from U.K.

Sydor Instruments LLC has been awarded a contract to supply nine Optical Streak Cameras to the U.K. government as part of a $3 million order, the Chili-based firm said Tuesday.
The cameras will be part of Project Orion, a new research center at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, England.
Project Orion is a laser facility for the creation and study of hot dense matter and is the successor to the High Energy Laser Embodying Neodymium, which is reaching the end of its useful life.
Sydor Instruments, a division of Sydor Optics Inc., was chosen as the preferred supplier to manufacture the technology necessary to ensure accurate results for the project’s advancement, company leaders said.
“Sydor Instruments is the only company that could provide the critical calibrated software, which measures the power balance of high-intensity lasers used in high-energy physics, to assist the U.K. with the research,” said Michael Pavia, president of Sydor Instruments, in a statement.
The Sydor Optical Streak System is the only self-calibrating streak camera, Pavia said. The company delivered the first of two camera systems this year. This order represents an additional nine systems.
Sydor Instruments is the exclusive manufacturer of the Rochester Optical Streak System platform, which was manufactured through a licensing agreement with the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The ROSS camera system high-speed “snapshot” occurs in less than a billionth of a second.

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Sydor gets $3M contract from U.K.

Sydor Instruments LLC has been awarded a contract to supply nine Optical Streak Cameras to the U.K. government as part of a $3 million order, the Chili-based firm said Tuesday.

3 attorneys switch firms, make partner

Three Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel LLP attorneys have moved to Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP.
Dennis Danella, Ronald Kisicki and Katherine McGuire are joining Woods Oviatt as partners in the firm’s intellectual property group, Woods Oviatt said.
Danella concentrates on all aspects of IP law and has worked with technologies including fuel cells, reclining chair mechanisms, boat hull systems and drug-testing devices.
Kisicki is a litigator concentrating in IP and emerging-company law. He previously worked as an engineer and manager with General Motors Corp.
McGuire concentrates on negotiating and drawing up agreements, including licensing pacts, confidentiality and consulting contracts. She previously was an in-house IP counsel with Bausch & Lomb Inc.

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Groups rally to support tax cap

Representatives of local and state business organizations rallied Tuesday at the SUNY College at Brockport MetroCenter in support of a cap on school property taxes.
“New York’s unsustainable property tax burden is driving both residents and businesses out of the state,” said Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, chairman of the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief.
“By controlling the growth of the property tax burden, voter anger over property taxes will be redirected where it belongs: on the quality of our schools. Regardless of any other factors, property taxes cannot be increased above a capped amount. I urge all state legislators to support Gov. (David) Paterson’s program bill.”
Paterson wants to wants to limit the growth in school property tax levies to 4 percent or 120 percent of the rate of inflation, whichever is less.
The proposal is being supported by the Rochester Business Alliance Inc. and the Business Council of New York State Inc.
Some in Tuesday’s audience of roughly 75 people, including Paychex Inc. founder and chairman Thomas Golisano, argued the cap does not go far enough to reduce a state tax burden that is 79 percent above the national average– highest in the nation.
Rochester was the first stop on a statewide tour by the property tax relief commission.

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