Applied Physics

Researchers at the Ruhr University in Bochum (RUB) say they have discovered the secret of electron heating in low temperature plasmas. The Bochum researchers at the Center of Excellence “Plasma Science and Technology” (CPST) at the Ruhr University say this is the answer to a question which has been puzzling scientists for decades; why the electrons in such plasmas are so hot. The answer: the non-linear behavior of the boundary sheath causes the electric current flowing in the plasma to oscillate. This results in an increase of the electrical current, and thus in the heating of the plasma.…

Engineers at Georgia Tech have used skin cells to create artificial bones that mimic the ability of natural bone to blend into other tissues such as tendons or ligaments. The artificial bones display a gradual change from bone to softer tissue rather than the sudden shift of previously developed artificial tissue, providing better integration with the body and allowing them to handle weight more successfully. "One of the biggest challenges in regenerative medicine is to have a graded continuous interface, because anatomically that's how the majority of tissues appear and there are studies…

DETROIT, LONDON and MUMBAI, India, August 28 /PRNewswire/ -- - 'INCAT is defining the global landscape,' CEO says INCAT, a global leader in Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO) and Product Development IT services, today announced the worldwide release of a new booklet, "Global Delivery - An Essential Guide to Engineering Services Outsourcing." The 50-page guide provides readers a definitive summary of the business of Global Delivery and how to approach it, as well as what - and where - to deploy. It is available in both print and electronic versions. "Product development is going global,"…

BOCHUM, Germany, August 27 /PRNewswire/ -- GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft has further strengthened its Refrigeration Division through the acquisition of the International Cooling Group (ICG), headquartered at Fareham near Southampton, UK. ICG manufactures evaporators and condensers for the industrial refrigeration markets under the brand names Searle, Raffel and Dawmec. In 2007 ICG generated sales of approximately 70 Mio. EUR with 500 employees. The transaction will take effect after approval from the German Federal Cartel Office. "ICG represents an excellent, profitable, technological and…

ROCHESTER, New York, August 26 /PRNewswire/ -- - Aggressive Three Week Deployment Schedule Brings Advanced, International Signalling Capabilities to Fiji Performance Technologies (Nasdaq: PTIX), a leading developer of communication platforms and systems, today announced that Fiji International Telecommunications Limited (FINTEL) has implemented the company's SEGway(TM) STP Signalling Solution with Point Code Emulation(TM) (PCE) technology to meet its high-growth, international signalling requirements. FINTEL, partially owned by Cable & Wireless, provides international telecommunications…

YOQNEAM, Israel and SAN RAMON, California, August 26 /PRNewswire/ -- UltraShape, the global leader in non-invasive fat reduction and body contouring, announced today the appointment of Assaf Eyal as President and Chief Executive Officer. Assaf most recently served as Executive Vice President at NUR Macroprinters, a manufacturer of super-wide format digital printers and inks, While at NUR, Assaf was a member of a small leadership team that led to a successful sale to HP. Previously, he served in various positions at Orbotech Ltd., (NASDAQ: ORBK) over a seventeen year period, most recently as…

Conservation zones, or 'No-take areas' (NTAs), that were set up to protect fish in the late 1960s and early 1970s are in the wrong place to protect vulnerable coral reefs from the effects of global warming, an international team of scientists warned today. Now the team, led jointly by Newcastle University and the Wildlife Conservation Society, say that urgent action is needed to prevent the collapse of this important marine ecosystem. The research is the largest study of its kind to have been carried out, covering 66 sites across seven countries and spanning over a decade in the Indian Ocean…

SANDVIKA, Norway, August 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC) is pleased to announce Becancour, Quebec as the site of choice for the next phase of silicon materials expansions. The site will be developed in stages and could potentially hold four production units similar in size of the factory currently under completion in Moses Lake, Washington, USA. REC has today decided to establish its next silicon materials manufacturing expansion in Becancour, Canada and has simultaneously signed agreements with Hydro Quebec, and Societe du Parc industriel et portuaire de Becancour…

Overton's Rule says that the easier it is for a chemical to dissolve in a lipid (fat) the easier and faster it will be transported into a cell. The Rule was first outlined in the 1890s by Ernst Overton of the University of Zürich. He declared that substances that dissolve in lipids pass more easily into a cell than those that dissolve in water. He then set forth an equation that predicted how fast that diffusion would happen. One of the key parameters in that equation is K which defines the lipophilicity (oil-liking nature) of the chemical. The higher the value of K, the faster the predicted…

The perfect clean, renewable energy will utilize the sun's light energy for efficient conversion into fuels and electric power and so attention is focusing on one of the most ancient groups of organism, the cyanobacteria. 3.7 billion years ago photosynthesis evolved in cyanobacteria that used water molecules as a source of electrons to transport energy derived from sunlight, while converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. The light harvesting systems gave the bacteria their blue ("cyano") color, and paved the way for plants to evolve by "kidnapping" bacteria to provide their photosynthetic…