Applied Physics

Stem cells, the body's wonder tool, are extremely versatile. They can develop in 220 different ways, transforming themselves into a correspondingly diverse range of specialized body cells. Biologists and medical scientists plan to make use of this differentiation ability to selectively harvest cardiac, skin or nerve cells for the treatment of different diseases. However, the stem cell culture techniques practiced today are not very efficient. What proportion of a mass of stem cells is transformed into which body cells? And in what conditions? “We need devices that keep doing the same thing…

Photosynthesis is of great interest outside biology, specifically in the energy industry. Using photosynthesis, green plants are able to harvest energy from sunlight and convert it to chemical energy at an energy transfer efficiency rate of approximately 97 percent and if scientists can create artificial versions of photosynthesis, the dream of solar power as the ultimate green and renewable source of electrical energy could be realized. However, a potential pitfall for any sunlight-harvesting system is that if the system becomes overloaded with absorbed solar energy, it most likely will…

Like video games? Want to also solve puzzles for science? A new game, named Foldit, turns protein folding into a competitive sport. Introductory levels teach the rules, which are the same laws of physics by which protein strands curl and twist into three-dimensional shapes – key for biological mysteries ranging from Alzheimer's to vaccines. After about 20 minutes of training, people feel like they're playing a video game but are actually mouse-clicking in the name of medical science. Screesnhot. Courtesy: Fold.it The game was developed by doctoral student Seth Cooper and postdoctoral…

LONDON, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulfsands Petroleum plc (AIM: GPX) ("Gulfsands", "the Group" or "the Company"), the oil and gas production, exploration and development company with activities in Syria, Iraq and the USA, is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Andrew Rose as Chief Financial Officer and Director. Andrew Benedict Rose, 51, was the former Chief Financial Officer of Burren Energy ("Burren"), the UK independent oil and gas company which was acquired by ENI S.p.A. ("ENI"), the Italian oil major, for US$3.6 billion in January 2008. Mr. Rose, who holds a BSc in Engineering from…

SAN JOSE, California, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- - Application-Optimized Server Leader Celebrates Over 14 Consecutive Years of Profitability and Consistent Growth Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI), a leader in application-optimized, high performance server solutions, today announced that the company has surpassed the US$2 billion milestone in cumulative sales revenue since it was founded in 1993. Supermicro's annual growth rate during the last five fiscal years was several times faster than the server industry growth rate, as the company has consistently posted double-digit growth figures…

ORSK, Russia, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces that its subsidiary, Southern Urals Nickel Plant OAO, and Bateman Engineering have signed a contract on the construction of a new melting complex for Mechel's nickel plant. The contract, which is signed in accordance with the investment program of Southern Urals Nickel Plant, provides fundamental re-equipment of the plant and includes the design and supply of a 12 MW DC furnace. The furnace will be erected at Southern Urals Nickel's existing facility. The total…

EDINBURGH, Scotland and LEBANON, New Hampshire, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- - Shorter Run Times, Faster Data Analysis, Rapid Visualization DEM Solutions today announce the latest release of EDEM that will set a new benchmark in particle simulation modeling software. Already offering the most advanced graphic user interface, EDEM 2.0 is now the fastest and most highly parallelized Discrete Element Modeling software on the market, providing users with increased scope and scale of particle simulation applications. EDEM is already established in the design and analysis of particulate handling,…

SANTA CLARA, California, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Finesse Solutions, LLC, Santa Clara, CA, a manufacturer of measurement and control solutions for life sciences process applications, announced the appointment of Basil Zimmo as its Vice-President of Software. Basil brings over 19 years of international program and senior management experience, with a focus on implementing high efficiency engineering, resource optimization, and global performance metrics. Basil was most recently a Senior Program Manager for handheld products at Research in Motion (RIM). Prior to joining RIM, Basil held senior…

LONDON, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has announced the appointment of Eldar Hauge as managing director of its Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems operations in Norway. Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems is a leading provider of communication, navigation and surveillance systems for air-space operations worldwide. A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://media.primezone.com/noc/ In this role, Hauge will be responsible for establishing and maintaining Northrop Grumman's relationships with existing and potential customers in Norway and for…

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- - Investment highlights growth in worldwide railway control, command and signaling technology Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, and Prover Technology AB today announced that Synopsys has invested in Prover, which supplies signaling design automation solutions for engineering the safety critical systems that control trains, switches and signals. The funds will enable Prover to accelerate its research and development efforts and expand its operations…