of this easing in the cost situation in 1978 has been a strong surge in general business volume, especially outside the U.S. The overall 11% sales gain includes a 17% increase in nonU.S. sales through the first nine months. Foreign earnings rose 73%. Du Pont's big overall profits increase in 1978 will allow the company to raise funding easily for capital projects and research and development. Company senior vice president Richard E. Heckert predicted that capital spending, which has simmered at a bit over $800 million in 1978, will rise to about $1 billion in 1979. R&D funding is now approaching $400 million a year off Du Pont's R&D plateau of about $350 million for the past half-decade. Last week, Du Pont made another move to strengthen top-level R&D management by placing its entire Shapiro: earnings per share up 40 % R&D effort directly or indirectly under one executive. The new R&D which puts Du Pont firmly on top in chief is Edward G. Jefferson, a Ph.D. profits in the U.S. chemical industry, physical chemist. A senior vice presare several good breaks in 1978. The ident and company director, Jeffermost important for the future may be son will have direct responsibility for a pickup in plant capacity use. Mov- the company's central R&D departing higher than basic chemicals in- ment. He also will be responsible for dustrywide, Du Pont's capacity use is broad direction and coordination of now about 81% of nameplate capacity all other Du Pont R&D. maximum. The rationale for the R&D manAt the same time, Du Pont has agement change is that the corporate benefited from an easing in the me- hand in R&D direction has been inteoric rate of cost increases for energy creasing because of influences from and raw materials. Senior vice presi- outside the company. These infludent Harold E. May predicted that ences include changes in the cost of the company faced moderate further energy materials, environmental increases in these costs. considerations, and government reg• Helping Du Pont to take advantage ulations.
New balances reflect trends in weighing A line of three top-loading electronic balances with built-in microprocessors, just introduced by Ohaus Scale Corp., Florham Park, N.J., is the newest entry in what has become a major advance in balance technologyIt comes at a time of peak activity by users to replace existing balances and by manufacturers to expand markets in nonlaboratory applications. The new generation of "smart balances" has stepped out well ahead of its predecessors in capability. In addition to weight in grams, the new generation can read directly in such nonmetric units as ounces, carats, or grains. Live, moving animals can be weighed accurately by averaging hundreds of weighings over several minutes. With the balances, less experienced people can weigh samples, while data are analyzed elsewhere by more experienced persons. Balances may be
used in hazardous atmospheres and computations done remotely. Capacities of the three Ohaus balances are 300 grams readable to 0.01 gram, 1500 grams readable to 0.1 gram, and a dual-range 1500 grams readable to 0.1 gram, with the first 150 grams readable to 0.01 gram if the user so elects. Optional binary coded decimal converters interface with users' own programers and/or printers. Coupling of microprocessors to electronic balances was pioneered in 1977 by West Germany's SartoriusWerke, whose balances are marketed in the U.S. by Brinkman Instruments. In addition to use with an operator's own calculators, Sartorius balances can be used with the firm's programers, each dedicated to one function—for example, animal weighings—for easier use by less-welltrained persons. Dual range is now common in electronic balances. Mettler Instru-
ment recently introduced a 400-gram balance readable to 0.01 gram, with a 0.001-gram fine scale movable over the 400-gram range in 40-gram increments. A 4000-gram balance readable to 0.1 gram has a 0.01-gram fine scale movable in 400-gram increments. The balances interface with dedicated programer units. Ohaus product manager Richard Ohaus says the firm counts on price as well as the company's reputation in mechanical balances to gain shares of existing markets and open new ones. The decline of the dollar against West German marks and Swiss francs has caused steep price rises in competing imported balances, he says. •
AAAS analyzes 1979 federal R&D budget The American Association for the Advancement of Science has published a unique analysis of Congress' final action on the fiscal 1979 federal R&D budget. In cooperation with six other professional societies, AAAS is attempting to fill the gap created by the lack of a Congressional or Administration analysis that details the annual budget as approved by Congress and that is analogous to the President's January budget submission. Although noting that its figures are only estimates, AAAS has dug out data on Congressional support for basic research—one of the major thrusts in the Administration budget proposal. According to the report, overall funding for basic research in fiscal 1979 has been increased 3.3% over the budget request to $3.8 billion. This represents an increase of 15% over fiscal 1978 levels. For the National Institutes of Health, the report notes, the Ad-
Congress approves 15% increase for basic research in fiscal 1979 $ Millions
HEW NSF NASA Energy Defense Agriculture Interior Smithsonian Commerce EPA Other TOTAL
Budget request
Approved by Congress
$989.1 754.9 519.8 467.5 363.9 251.9 164.3 33.0 31.7 30.0 30.6 $3636.7
$1142.5 741.9 513.1 465.5 354.7 256.2 164.3 33.0 30.4 24.0 30.6 $3756.2
% increase from 1978
32.9% 7.8 9.6 7.6 10.8 9.0 4.6 5.8 10.9 14.2 10.1 15.0%
Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Dec. 4, 1978C&EN
5
ministration had proposed a substantial "tilt" toward basic research amounting to an increase of 12.2% over fiscal 1978, but it proposed to accomplish this largely by a reorientation from applied research and demonstrations within a total budget for NIH that would increase only 3.5%. Congress enthusiastically accepted the new thrust for basic research, but as usual was reluctant to cut other NIH R&D funding. The result, according to the AAAS estimates, is that Congress has increased NIH appropriations for basic research 19% over the Administration's request and 33.6% over fiscal 1978. The report points out that the combined basic research budget for the other agencies is 1.6% less than the budget requests. Total funding for basic research in these agencies is still 9.3% above fiscal 1978. Perhaps hardest hit by the reductions was the National Bureau of Standards. Congress reduced total appropriations for the group of agencies that includes NBS only $7.8 million, but it mandated a $7 million increase within the reduced total for the Federal Computer Standards Programs, which NBS runs, thereby putting a total squeeze of almost $15 million on all other activities. In a significant but nondollar action relating to R&D, the report points out, Congress passed new legislation requiring the President and the Department of State to give special attention to science in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Title V of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal 1979 specifies at length the findings and policies of Congress on the importance of science and technology in international affairs, lays down a number of reporting requirements, and authorizes the State Department to make grants or contracts for studies and training with respect to the application of science and technology to foreign policy problems. Congress also stated its intention that at least $4 million be spent by the department on such activities. •
Purchasing managers optimistic about 1979 Next year generally will be a good business year, but there are some worrisome signs, according to E. F. Andrews, chairman of the Business Survey Committee of the National Association of Purchasing Management and vice president for materials and services at Allegheny Ludlum. Speaking at NAPM's annual busi6
C&EN Dec. 4, I978
NASA takes first x-ray photo of star The first x-ray picture of a star other than the sun is this one of Cygnus X-1 taken by the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's second High Energy Astronomy Observatory, HEAO 2. The observatory, launched in mid-November (C&EN, Nov. 20, page 22), is in orbit 290 nautical miles above the earth—high enough to avoid the atmospheric interference that makes x-ray photography of celestial objects impossible from the ground. This image has been reconstructed by a computer from data from the satellite. Light dots represent x-rays. The raw data include scattered background radiation from other sources. Only the small white, central portion represents the x-ray counts received from the star itself. X-ray photographs of Cygnus X-1 are of particular interest because it is a "black hole candidate"—one of four stars considered most likely to contain black holes if black holes exist.
ness forecast press conference in New York City, Andrews said that the economy will be better in 1979 than in 1978, but the growth rate will be less. Andrews forecasts about a 2% or less growth in real gross national product next year. Last year at this time he forecast 4% real growth in GNP for 1978 over 1977. The NAPM business forecast is based primarily on a survey of more than 200 purchasing managers in various industries. The survey is weighted so that the results reflect the relative importance to the economy of each industry and each geographic region. Andrews says that he does not believe that there will be a recession in 1979, but if it happens, it will be around midyear or beyond and it will be light and short and over by 1980. He also says that it will be spotty, affecting mainly large-value consumer items, such as housing and automobiles. One of the things that worries Andrews in his forecast is prices. A very high percentage—92%—of the respondents to NAPM's survey indicated that they believed that prices will increase in 1979. However, he finds some consolation in that 85%
said that they think that price increases will be moderate. One of the responses in the survey that is affecting the forecast is that 52% in the November poll said that they are optimistic about the future. This is down substantially from 70% who said they were optimistic in NAPM's September survey. Prices in 1979 will continue to rise, according to 92% of the purchasing managers surveyed, and the increase may be widespread, Andrews says. In the survey, 64% of the respondents thought that price increases will be "across the board," whereas 46% said that they believe increases will be "highly selective." However, 85% of the purchasing managers answering the survey said that they believe that price increases will be moderate. Andrews took the opportunity of the press conference to warn against mandatory government price controls, in spite of his fear of continuing inflation. If the government puts limits on prices, he says, there will be greater exports of U.S. goods to uncontrolled economies, which could result in shortages here. And imports of goods on which prices cannot be controlled will rise, thus increasing prices, despite controls. •
