Daily News Briefs

Bruker Daltonik GmbH, a Breman, Germany, subsidiary of Bruker BioSciences Corp. (Billerica, Mass.), and VWR International Europe BVBA's Scientific Instruments business unit, in Brussels, Belgium, announced they will jointly market benchtop mass spectrometers, including software, through their European distribution channels. VWR International will market the Bruker Daltonik esquire4000 LC/MS/MS ion trap mass spectrometer in Europe in combination with its LaChrom Elite HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) system. Bruker will offer the LaChrom Elite with its benchtop LC/MS Ion Trap and Time-Of-Flight systems. . . . Acton Research Corp. has launched a new Web site, at www.acton-research.com, offering online purchase of or customized quotes for optics including excimer laser optics, VUV/UV mirrors and optical filters; spectroscopy components or systems; and reduced-price excess inventory. The site also features reflectance and transmission curves of standard coatings, product literature, spectroscopy and optics technical notes and FAQs. . . . Optical Research Associates, an optical software developer based in Pasadena, Calif., is accepting entries for its optical design competition. Awards totalling $4,000 will be granted. Candidates must be currently enrolled in a post-secondary degree program in North America and working toward a bachelor's, master's, or PhD. Students may enter an optical design class assignment or thesis work; the work must have been completed using CODE V or LightTools software and must demonstrate knowledge of optics, optical engineering and optical design software. The deadline for submissions is June 15; winners will be announced in July. For more information, visit: www.opticalres.com