Applied Physics

A breakthrough barrier technology from Singapore A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) protects sensitive devices like organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and solar cells from moisture 1000 times more effectively than any other technology available in the market, opening up new opportunities for the up-and-coming plastic electronics sector. A team of scientists from Singapore’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) has developed a new patented film that has the highest reported water vapour barrier performance to date, as tested by the UK Centre…

Nanotubes are the big hope for the first decade of the 21st century. They offer promise to produce a new class of composite materials that are stronger than conventional composites for use in aircraft and vehicles. Now researchers at Purdue University say they can precisely measure the forces required to peel tiny nanotubes off of other materials, opening up the possibility of creating standards for nano-manufacturing and harnessing a gecko's ability to walk up walls. So-called "peel tests" are used extensively in manufacturing. Knowing how much force is needed to pull a material off of…

BIRMINGHAM, England and SAARBRÜCKEN, Germany, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- - ABN Amro and Alenia / Finmeccanica Report on the Positive Impact of Process Management on Strategic Decision Making and Business Performance Two customers of IDS Scheer, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM), will speak at Gartner's BPM Summit in London, UK, from April 28 to 30, 2008. In an executive keynote and an end-user case study, ABN Amro and Alenia Aeronautica report on how strategic process management using ARIS Platform can leverage business performance. This year's theme at Gartner's…

GREENWICH, Connecticut and LONDON, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- - Solar power focused, with operations based in Spain and Italy First Reserve Corporation, the leading private equity firm specialising in the energy industry, has completed the acquisition of Gamesa Solar, the leading solar energy company in Spain, for a total consideration of euro 261 million. Together with the acquisition in Italy of Ener3, which has an established track record of designing and building photovoltaic power plants, First Reserve has created a European renewable energy group with the ability to deliver solar…

LONDON, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Andy's industry knowledge, customer experience and proven leadership make him ideally suited to drive Premier Farnell's strategy for profitable growth through focusing on the global high service EDE segment whilst leveraging Premier Farnell's regional multi-channel capabilities. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080428/302310 ) Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), the leading multi-channel, high service distributor supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals globally, has announced the appointment of Andy King as President of Farnell…

BERLIN, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Processes and products based on biomass and industrial biotechnology offer significant business potential for the chemical industry in a wide range of applications such as bioplastics. A panel on developments in the field of industrial biotechnology in Germany will be held at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing (April 27-30, 2008) in Chicago, Illinois. The panel runs from 10:45am to 12:15pm on April 28th at the Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Ave. Research institutes play a pivotal role in biotechnology investments, and they…

LONDON, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- - Award-Winning Online Optician Gets the Hosting and Scalable Platform to Support Exponential Growth Through Innovative Start-Up Program Glasses Direct has signed up as a member and customer of the hosting offer in the Sun Start-Up Essentials program in the UK. As part of the program, the online glasses retailer has outsourced the management of its hosted platform to NTT Europe Online. The Sun Start-Up Essentials (SSE) program helps start-ups conserve cash, accelerate their development and get up and running quickly through discounts on a range of both Sun's…

PLANO, Texas, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- - Germany's HighQ-IT deepens company's expertise and capability to support expanding global clients Perot Systems Corporation (NYSE: PER) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire HighQ-IT for the manufacturing industry GmbH (HighQ-IT), a leading German IT services provider with SAP expertise. The Munich-based company is one of nine special expertise partners in the automotive industry to be globally certified by SAP. With a delivery center in Bratislava, Slovakia, HighQ-IT is a business driven, IT innovation partner for…

WAALWIJK, The Netherlands, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- 2007 Annual Report DOCDATA N.V. today publishes the 2007 Annual Report. The 2007 Financial Statements included in the 2007 Annual Report correspond with the figures for the 2007 financial year, which DOCDATA N.V. already announced on 14 February 2008. General Meeting of Shareholders In addition, DOCDATA N.V. today publishes the agenda for the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, to be held on Thursday 15 May 2008 at 2.00 PM CET in Hotel NH Waalwijk, Bevrijdingsweg 1 in Waalwijk (Sprang Capelle). The agenda for this General Meeting of…

Eighteen-year-old Sören Wolf was born with only one hand but when it comes to a prosthetic second one, he's enthusiastic about both the “i-LIMB” and the ”Fluidhand.” The new “i-LIMB” prosthetic hand developed and distributed by Scottish company “Touch Bionics” has distinct advantages over similar competitive models. Complex electronics and five motors contained in the fingers enable every digit of the i-LIMB to be powered individually. A passive positioning of the thumb enables various grip configurations to be activated. The myoelectric signals from the stump control the prosthetic hand;…