[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 144 (Tuesday, July 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44936-44938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18450]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Application(s) 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, as amended 
by Pub. L. 106-36; 80 Stat. 897; 15 CFR part 301), we invite comments 
on the question of whether instruments of equivalent scientific value, 
for the 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 postmarked on or before August 17, 2015. Address 
written comments to Statutory Import Programs Staff, Room 3720, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, Washington DC 20230. Applications may be 
examined between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the U.S. Department of 
Commerce in Room 3720.

    Docket Number: 15-015. Applicant: University of Pittsburgh, 100 
Technology Drive, Suite 350, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Instrument: 
Oxygraph-2K. Manufacturer: Oroboros Instruments Corp, Austria. Intended 
Use: The instrument will be used to evaluate the various putative 
antidotes to reverse the effects of cyanide or sulfide toxicants on 
mitochondria in cultured cells. The instrument will be used to measure 
changes in oxygen consumption rates correlated with either changes in 
mitochondrial inner-membrane depolarization, changes in calcium fluxes 
between endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, or prevailing levels of 
hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide. The instrument is unique in its 
ability to allow routine measurements to be made with specifications 
summarized under the term ``high-resolution respirometry'', meaning the 
limit of detection of O2 flux is as low as 0.5 
pmols-1 cm-3, signal noise at zero oxygen 
concentration is <0.05 [mu]M O2, oxygen back-diffusion at 
zero oxygen at <3 pmols-1 cm-3, and oxygen 
consumption at air saturation and standard basic barometric pressure 
(100kPa) at 2.7  0.9 SD in at 37 degrees Celsius. The dual 
measurement capability of the instrument is also critical for the 
experiments. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no 
instruments of the same general category manufactured in the United 
States. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 1, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-019. Applicant: Oregon State University, 2900 SW 
Campus Way, LPSC 145, Corvallis, OR 97331-2140. Instrument: Electron 
Microscope. Manufacturer: FEI Company, Czech Republic. Intended Use: 
The instrument will be used to identify genus and species of small 
biological samples such as pollen, diatoms, and dead bacteria, as well 
as study novel life science and materials science samples. 
Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same 
general category manufactured in the United States. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: April 23, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-021. Applicant: The City University of New York, 
205 East 42nd Street, Room 11-64, New York, NY 10017. Instrument: 
Electron Microscope. Manufacturer: FEI Company, Japan. Intended Use: 
The instrument will be used to visualize macromolecular complexes 
composed of protein, nucleic acids and lipids, organelles and cells in 
vitrified ice, to understand the structural mechanism by which 
macromolecular complexes, organelles and cells carry out their actions. 
Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same 
general category manufactured in the United States. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: May 8, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-022. Applicant: Purdue University, 701 West 
Stadium Ave., ARMS, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Instrument: Conical twin 
screw minicompounder. Manufacturer: Xplore, the Netherlands. Intended 
Use: The instrument will be used to find improved formulations of 
polymer resins with improved mechanical, thermal, electrical and other 
properties using compounding, recirculation, master-batch mixing and 
additive mixing. The instrument satisfies several requirements for the 
experiments, including surface hardness of components at 2000 Vickers 
hardness, operational temperature to 450 degrees Celsius, conical twin 
screw design, capability of both co- and counter-rotating, expandable 
to specialized screws for nanomaterial compounding, expandable to film 
line, fiber line, and injection molder, corrosive material tolerance 
(pH 0-14) and the ability to track viscosity. Justification for Duty-
Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same general category 
manufactured in the United States. Application accepted by Commissioner 
of Customs: June 12, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-023. Applicant: Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 
Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83415. Instrument: Focused Ion Beam 
(FIB) Microscope. Manufacturer: FEI, Czech Republic. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to analyze materials including nuclear fuels 
used in research and power reactors as well as irradiated structural 
materials associated with the operation of nuclear reactors, to obtain 
insight on the microstructure stability of nuclear materials, including 
the effects of radiation on the microstructure of nuclear fuels and 
structural materials and the effects of porosity due to fission gas 
and/or helium production. The instrument is used to create a pristine 
sample surface, void of damage crated by standard sample preparation 
techniques for microstructure characterization. Additionally, it can be 
used to create samples from irradiated fuel that have radiation levels 
that are less than the detection limits of standard radiation counters, 
which lowers the dose received to personnel when handling FIB'ed 
samples. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments of 
the same general category manufactured in the United States. 
Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 15, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-024. Applicant: Institute for the Preservation of 
Cultural Heritage, Yale University, 300 Hefferman Drive, Bldg. 900, 
West Haven, CT 06516. Instrument: Willard Multi-Function Table. 
Manufacturer: Willard, United Kingdom. Intended Use: The instrument 
will be used to carry out conservation processes, for conservation 
fellows to develop and research methodologies of treatment and to 
instruct student conservators in structural conservation techniques. 
The surface of the table can be heated very precisely and evenly, air 
can be circulated under the surface to create downward pressure, air 
can also be passed through ducts which can be heated and can produce 
precisely controlled humidity, a vacuum system can be used to hold 
objects in place and can be operated independently of the 
humidification system, which is a unique feature of the instrument.

[[Page 44937]]

Research into new techniques and the testing of adhesives and 
consolidants will be undertaken. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: 
There are no instruments of the same general category manufactured in 
the United States. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: May 
21, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-025. Applicant: The Rockefeller University, 1230 
York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Instrument: Electron Microscope. 
Manufacturer: FEI Company, the Netherlands. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to determine three-dimensional structures of 
single proteins or multi-protein complexes, complexes between proteins 
and nucleic acids, which can be either RNA or DNA, as well as lipids, 
detergents or inhibitors of certain proteins. Justification for Duty-
Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same general category 
manufactured in the United States. Application accepted by Commissioner 
of Customs: May 27, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-026. Applicant: University of Delaware, 201 
DuPont Hall, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Instrument: 
Electron Microscope. Manufacturer: FEI Company, Brno, Czech Republic. 
Intended Use: The instrument will be used to obtain structural and 
elemental information of materials such as polymers, colloids and 
biomaterials, including morphology, size distribution, and crystal 
structure and their correlations with material processes and 
properties. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments 
of the same general category manufactured in the United States. 
Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 16, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-027. Applicant: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 
1700 Y St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0645. Instrument: Photonic Professional 
GT-upgrade. Manufacturer: Nanoscribe GmbH, Germany. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to research micro/nano 3D printing, micro/nano 
technology, materials, and novel laser-material interactions, using 3D 
laser lithography techniques integrating both two-photon polymerization 
(TPP) and multi-photon ablation (MPA). The instrument integrates both a 
precise piezo stage and a galvano scanner for a large-are and fast 
micro/nano-structuring. Multi-photon polymerization and multi-photon 
ablation will be investigated and applied for printing 3D micro/nano-
structures of arbitrary geometries, especially those on plasmonics, 
photonics and microelectromechanical systems. The influence of degree 
of polymerization on the micro 3D printing will be studied for further 
3D fabrication. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no 
instruments of the same general category manufactured in the United 
States. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 16, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-028. Applicant: University of California, Irvine, 
816 F Engineering Tower, Irvine, CA 92697-2575. Instrument: Electron 
Microscope. Manufacturer: JEOL Ltd., Japan. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to determine nanoparticle size, crystal 
structure, interface and defect structure, surface structure, 
composition, electronic state, bad-gap, cell structure, magnetic domain 
structure, 3D-structure and phase transformation of materials such as 
metals, ceramics, semiconductors, superconductors, polymers, magnetic 
and electronic materials, nanomaterials, tissues and cells. 
Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same 
general category manufactured in the United States. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 12, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-030. Applicant: Washington State University, 220 
French Administration Building, P.O. Box 641020, Pullman, WA 99164-
1020. Instrument: MSM400 Yeast Tetrad Dissection Microscope. 
Manufacturer: Singer Instruments, United Kingdom. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to gain a basic molecular understanding of how 
cells repair DNA damage, how different chromosome features (i.e. DNA 
sequence, transcription, replication, protein association) impact the 
efficiency of repair and ultimately the production of mutation due to 
failure of repair, using the instrument to isolate haploid yeast with 
specific genetic backgrounds that can most easily be generated in 
heterozygous diploid yeast. In addition the instrument will be used to 
determine on which chromosomes genetic alterations took place in 
diploid yeast treated with DNA damaging agents, as well as to document 
the growth and cell cycle stage of yeast. The instrument has a robotic 
stage that automatically places dissected spores on a grid to ensure 
correct cataloging of spores, and also allows control of the dissecting 
needle along 3 axes. No domestic manufactured instruments have these 
required capabilities. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no 
instruments of the same general category manufactured in the United 
States. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: July 10, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-032. Applicant: The Trustees of Princeton 
University, 701 Carnegie Center, Princeton, NJ 08540. Instrument: 
Helios Dual Beam. Manufacturer: FEI Company, Czech Republic. Intended 
Use: The instrument will be used to perform imaging on cross sections 
of nanoscale, biological, photonic and multifunctional materials, made 
at precise geometric locations at a very small scale. Additionally, it 
is used to cross-section through the exact center of an impression, or 
along planes parallel to a set of microstructural features. Standard 
methods are incapable of preparing cross sections with the requisite 
spatial precision. With its unique triple detection system located 
inside the column and immersion mode, the system is designed for 
simultaneous detector acquisition for angular and energy selective SE 
and BSE imaging. Fast access to very precise, clear information is 
guaranteed, not only top-down, but also on titled specimen or cross-
sections. Additional below-the-lens detectors and a beam deceleration 
mode unsure that all signals are collected and no information is left 
behind. The instrument extends characterization with a versatile 110mm 
goniometer stage with tilt capability up to 90 degrees and optimal 
tripe in-column detection. Unique features of the instrument include 
the shortest time to nanoscale information using best in class Ga ion 
gun and Elstar Schlottky FESEM high resolution, stability and 
automation, sample management tailored to individual application needs, 
with the high flexibility 110mm and high stability 150mm piezo stages, 
the focused ion beam can mill any material to a very fine scale, and 
can make features with a high degree of accuracy at the nanoscale, with 
critical dimensions of less than 50 nm, rapidly design, create and 
inspect micro and nano-scale functional prototype devices and create 3D 
Nanoprototyping with a DualBeam, sharp, refined and charge-free 
contrast obtained from up to 6 integrated in-column and below-the-lens 
detectors, can mill difficult charging samples with charge neutralizer. 
Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same 
general category manufactured in the United States. Application 
accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 18, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-033. Applicant: Battelle Memorial Institute, 790 
6th Street, Richland, WA 99354. Instrument:

[[Page 44938]]

Electron Microscope. Manufacturer: FEI Company, the Netherlands. 
Intended Use: The instrument will be used to understand the structure-
property or structure-activity of materials such as catalysts, 
semiconductors, battery materials, and minerals at high spatial 
resolution under realistic conditions in order to design better 
materials. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments 
of the same general category manufactured in the United States. 
Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 16, 2015.

    Docket Number: 15-034. Applicant: Purdue University, 401 S. Grant 
St., West Lafayette, IN 47907. Instrument: Diode-Pumped Solid-State 
Laser. Manufacturer: Edgewave GmbH, Germany. Intended Use: The 
instrument will be used to enhance the fundamental understanding of 
propellant combustion so that safer and higher performance solid 
propellants can be designed and developed. The instrument is to be used 
for the measurement of flame radical species in propellant flames in 
real-time, using high-frame-rate (10-40kHz) imaging of the flame 
radical OH, produced in the reaction zone. The OH distribution is used 
to determine the burning mode for the propellant, and the laser system 
will give the capability to obtain high-frame-rate images of other 
propellants. The primary technique is high-frame-rate planar laser-
induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging. The UV laser from a Credo dye 
laser, pumped by the Edgewave DPSS laser, is formed into a focused 
sheet using a combination of spherical and cylindrical lenses. The 
frequency of the UV beam is then tuned to a resonance transition for 
the OH radical and the OH radical is pumped from the ground state to an 
excited electronic state by absorbing a photon from the laser sheet. 
Once in the excited state, the OH radical can decay by emitting a 
photon (fluorescence). The fluorescence light is imaged using a high-
frame-rate intensified CMOS camera to produce an image of the OH 
distribution in the laser sheet, providing both time-and space-resolved 
information on the laser process. No domestic instruments have the 
required power, rep rate, and pulse length on the order of 10 
nanoseconds. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no 
instruments of the same general category manufactured in the United 
States. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: June 23, 2015.

    Dated: July 21, 2015.
Gregory W. Campbell,
Director of Subsidies Enforcement, Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2015-18450 Filed 7-27-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P