Applied Physics

Superconductivity was discovered in 1911 and has perplexed, astounded and inspired scientists since, but to most it can be thought of as "frictionless" electricity. In conventional electricity, heat is generated by friction as electrons (electric charge carriers) collide with atoms and impurities in the wire. This heating effect is good for appliances such as toasters or irons, but not so good for most other applications that use electricity. In superconductors, however, electrons glide unimpeded between atoms without friction. If scientists and engineers ever harness this phenomenon at or…

ZAPORIZHIA, Ukraine, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- ZaporozhTransformator OJSC (ZTR), (Berlin: ZRTFq.BE; Frankfurt: ZRTFq.F; PFTS: ZATR), one of the largest Ukrainian manufacturers of electrical transformer equipment, announced today that as of May 20, its 2008 sales portfolio had reached US$610 million, 80% more than for the comparable period of 2007 (US$340 million). ZTR's sales target for 2008 is US$700 million. According to the company's commercial plans ZTR's order portfolio for 2008 has already reached 85% of the target. The company's sales department expects to reach the full-year sales…

CRANBURY, New Jersey, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackLight Power Inc. today announced the successful testing of a new energy source. The company has successfully developed a prototype power system generating 50,000 watts of thermal power on demand. Incorporating existing industry knowledge in chemical and power engineering, BlackLight Power (BLP) is pursuing the immediate design and engineering of central power plants utilizing the BlackLight Process. BLP plans on developing pilot plants with architecture and engineering firms with anticipated delivery in approximately 12 to 18 months. The BLP…

Amyloid deposits in tissues and organs are linked to a number of diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type II diabetes, and prion diseases such as BSE. However, amyloids are not just pathological substances; they have potential as a nanomaterials. Amyloid fibrils are bundles of highly ordered protein filaments made of ladder-like strands and can be several micrometers long. In cross-section, amyloids appear as hollow cylinders or ribbons. Although amyloid fibrils are proteins, they more closely resemble synthetic polymers (plastics) than the usual globular proteins. Amyloids can…

As fossil fuel emissions continue to climb, reducing the amount of sunlight hitting the Earth would definitely have a cooling effect on surface temperatures. The reduction in sunlight can be accomplished by geoengineering schemes. There are two classes: the so-called “sunshade” geoengineering scheme, which would mitigate climate change by intentionally manipulating the solar radiation on the earth's surface; the other category removes atmospheric CO2 and sequesters it into the terrestrial vegetation, oceans or deep geologic formations. However, a new study from Lawrence Livermore National…

BEACHWOOD, Ohio, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Aleris International, Inc. announced today that Galdino Claro will join Aleris as Executive Vice President and CEO, Aleris Americas, reporting to Steven J. Demetriou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, on June 3, 2008. In this role, Mr. Claro will be responsible for all Aleris business operations in the Americas. Throughout his career in the metals industry, Mr. Claro, 49 has held key operational, marketing and product development roles with broad global responsibilities. Since September 2007, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of…

GREENSBORO, North Carolina and LONDON, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- - Strategic Supply Agreement for Aerospace & Defense Market Valued at Approximately US$20 Million Through 2013 RF Micro Devices, (Nasdaq: RFMD), a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components, and SELEX GALILEO, one of Europe's leading defense electronics suppliers, today announced the two companies have signed a strategic supply agreement. The strategic supply agreement expands upon a former agreement signed in 2001 between SELEX GALILEO and a division of the former Filtronic…

ADLINGTON, England, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fairport Engineering Group (FEG) today announces a strategic investment by affiliates of ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC (ArcLight) in two of its group subsidiaries Orchid Environmental Limited (Orchid) and Fairport Engineering Limited (FEL). Under the terms of the transaction, ArcLight will become a significant shareholder of Orchid and FEL and will support both entities through additional equity capital investment. Orchid and FEL will be owned by Orchid Bioenergy Group Limited, a new holding company organized to facilitate the growth and…

The best places to get accurate data about the world's ice shelves are not exactly the safest. Using satellites is not an accurate solution. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University have created specially designed robots called SnoMotes to traverse these potentially dangerous ice environments. The SnoMotes work as a team, autonomously collaborating among themselves to cover all the necessary ground to gather assigned scientific measurements. Data gathered by the Snomotes could give scientists a better understanding of the important dynamics that…

Scientists of the University of Almeria are developing a new system to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions using microalgae photosynthetic activity. This project, called CENIT CO2, is being developed by Spanish electricity company Endesa and is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Industry. At the pilot plant, Las Palmerillas, Almeria-based researchers are trying to prove the validity of this new method for eliminating CO2 emissions. They expect to begin testing on an industrial level in the next year. Researchers say that ENDESA, which is promoting this research line, may test its…