Applied Physics

SUNNYVALE, California, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- - Spirent TestCente(TM) Enables Interoperability Testing of Carrier Ethernet in Real-World Network Environments Spirent Communications plc (LSE: SPT), a global provider of performance analysis and service management solutions, advances Carrier Ethernet networks and services by supporting the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) Interoperability Showcase at Carrier Ethernet World Congress 2008 in Berlin, Germany. Spirent, with its award-winning Spirent TestCenter(TM) platform collaborated with EANTC and over 2 dozen vendors to…

INDIANAPOLIS, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertellus Specialties Inc. (Vertellus) today announced plans to expand its vitamin B3 manufacturing capacity in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. Given the growing need for vitamins related to animal and human nutrition in the Chinese and Asian markets, Vertellus has developed an aggressive strategic plan to increase its presence in the region. As part of this plan, Vertellus is proceeding with the engineering and permitting work to build a 3-cyanopyridine production unit at Nantong with capacity of 7,000 metric tons per year. Vertellus expects to break…

BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- - Receives Recognition in Two Leading Industry Publications InNexus Biotechnology Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: IXSBF; TSX VENTURE: IXS; http://www.ixsbio.com), a drug development company commercializing the next generation of monoclonal antibodies based on its Dynamic Cross Linking (DXL(TM)) technology, announces Jeff Morhet, CEO and Chairman, to present during BioContactQuebec 2008. The company also announces the featuring of Mr. Morhet in two leading publications, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News and The PharmaVoice List of…

In research conducted at the University of Calgary, climate change scientist David Keith and a team of researchers showed it is possible to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, using a relatively simple machine that can capture the trace amount of CO2 present in the air at any place on the planet. The research is significant because air capture technology is the only way to capture CO2 emissions from transportation sources such as vehicles and airplanes. These so-called diffuse sources represent more than half of the greenhouse gases emitted…

Although the industrial compounds known as polychlorinated biphenols or PCBs have been found in previous air samples collected in the city of Chicago, a University of Iowa researcher says that a new study of Chicago air sampled between November 2006 and November 2007 found PCB11, a byproduct of the manufacture of paint pigments and a potentially toxic substance, present throughout the city. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report of PCB11 in ambient air," said Keri Hornbuckle, UI professor of civil and environmental engineering, in the Sept. 24 online issue of the…

Researchers are reporting that new insights into the composition of human breast milk may lead to new ways to prevent and treat stomach illnesses and other diseases in babies and adults, according to an article in the Sept. 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News. In the story, Jyllian Kemsley notes that human breast milk is a complex fluid composed of several key components, including lactose, a sugar that provides energy for the infant, and lipids, which are thought to provide healthy fats to infants. But scientists are just now beginning to understand the composition and function of…

Instead of using a flat microchip as the light sensor for their new camera, a team of engineers has developed a sensor that is a flexible mesh of wire-connected pixels. The mesh is made from many of the same materials as a standard digital-camera sensor, but has the unique ability to conform to convoluted, irregular surfaces. The technology breakthrough is a novel approach that bypasses a traditional planar sensor of adjacent pixels and instead relies upon an array of pixels interconnected by small wires. Using a flexible, temporary backing, the researchers can form the array into a curved…

University of Utah engineers have devised a new way to slice thin wafers of germanium for use in efficient solar power cells. They say the new method should lower the cost of such cells by reducing the waste and breakage of the brittle semiconductor. Germanium solar cells are expensive and so are only now used mainly on spacecraft but with the improved wafer-slicing method, "the idea is to make germanium-based, high-efficiency solar cells for uses where cost now is a factor," particularly for solar power on Earth, says Eberhard "Ebbe" Bamberg, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering…

We read a lot about kids not being as good in science as we were back in the day. And we read a lot about women being missing from science too. You wouldn't know it by these outstanding young scientists in this year's EU contest for Young Scientists, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark and rewarded contestants aged 14 - 19 who shared a €46,500 prize pot. The contestants represented 39 countries across Europe - as well as special guests Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand and the USA - and they presented 87 winning projects from national competitions covering a wide range of…

Scientific happenings, big and small, on this day in history But first: today’s quiz. What inventor, who died on this day in 1902, developed and patented a highly popular (and much beloved) item of clothing in 1873? Trust me, you most likely have this item of clothing in your wardrobe, and in fact may be wearing it right now – especially since it’s Friday. The answer can be found at the end of this article. On to other historic happenings… EVENTS 1580 Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation of the world Late in 1577, Francis Drake left England with five ships, supposedly on a trading…