China and Australia close to a big Free Trade Deal and could be the basis for a China-US deal which would be a big global economic boost

April 7, 2017December 7, 2014 by Brian Wang

Last month saw the agreement, in principle, for the conclusion of the China-Australia FTA (ChAFTA [Free Trade Agreement]), nearly 10 years after the start of negotiations. Hailed by Prime Minster Tony Abbott as “the most comprehensive agreement China has concluded with anyone,” ChAFTA does indeed appear to be groundbreaking. Bridging the Pacific looks at progress …

Carnival of Nuclear Energy 179

April 7, 2017October 22, 2013 by Brian Wang

The Carnival of Nuclear Energy 179 is up at ANS Nuclear Cafe. Atomic Insights – First hand report from trained US Navy radiation worker about experience associated with Fukushima Rod Adams found two first hand reports from nuclear trained US Navy sailors stationed in Yokosuka, Japan on the USS George Washington in March 2011. They …

Graphene sensors will be 1000 times more sensitive to light, use ten times less energy and will be five times cheaper when mass produced

April 7, 2017June 4, 2013 by Brian Wang

Cameras fitted with a new revolutionary sensor will soon be able to take clear and sharp photos in dim conditions, thanks to a new image sensor invented at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) This will lead to cameras that use ten times less battery and will be five times cheaper. The new sensor made from graphene, …

Russia space program budgets $69 billion for a Soyuz replacement

April 7, 2017January 21, 2013 by Brian Wang

Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has begun the process of designing and building a replacement for its ageing Soyuz rocket and space capsule system, with the aim of putting it into operation by 2020. The Russian budget for a new rocket and capsule has been set at 2.1 trillion rubles (£43 billion), according to the …

Upconverting Spectrum could lead to 40% efficient solar power

April 7, 2017April 18, 2012 by Brian Wang

Low cost solar cells suitable for rooftop panels could reach a record-breaking 40 percent efficiency following an early stage breakthrough by a University of Sydney researcher and his German partners. “We are able to boost efficiency by forcing two energy-poor red photons in the cell to join and make one energy-rich yellow photon that can …

ORNL process improves catalytic rate of enzymes by 3,000 percent

April 7, 2017April 18, 2012 by Brian Wang

ight of specific wavelengths can be used to boost an enzyme’s function by as much as 30 fold, potentially establishing a path to less expensive biofuels, detergents and a host of other products. “When light enters the eye and hits the pigment known as rhodopsin, it causes a complex chemical reaction to occur, including a …

RFID tags made on paper could be five times cheaper which is as cheap as barcodes

April 7, 2017February 15, 2012 by Brian Wang

Eurekalert- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are an essential component of modern shopping, logistics, warehouse, and stock control for toll roads, casino chips and much more. They provide a simple way to track the item to which the tag is attached. Now, researchers in France have developed a way to deposit a thin aluminum RFID …

Intel will introduce 50 core processor in 2012

April 7, 2017June 21, 2011 by Brian Wang

The Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture is a key addition to the company’s existing products, including Intel Xeon processors, and expected to help lead the industry into the era of exascale computing. The first Intel MIC product, codenamed “Knights Corner,” is planned for production on Intel’s 22-nanometer technology that featuring innovative 3-D Tri-Gate transistors. …

Beneq Launches Roll-to-Roll atomic layer deposition System for Wide Flexible Substrates

April 7, 2017June 17, 2011 by Brian Wang

Thin Film System TFS 200R for continuous mode ALD research (precursor to the WCS500) Following the pioneering work in spatial atomic layer deposition and the launch of the revolutionizing research and development tool TFS 200R for continuous ALD in 2009, Beneq has closed the deal for a roll-to-roll ALD system, the Web Coating System WCS …

Japan has a massive 8.9 earthquake with hundreds killed and energy impacts

April 7, 2017March 11, 2011 by Brian Wang

1. ANS nuclear cafe is tracking reports on the nuclear power stations in Japan. World nuclear news has a report The magnitude 8.9 quake hit at 2.46pm, centred offshore of the Sendai region, which contains the capital Tokyo. Serious secondary effects followed including a significant tsunami and a major fire at a fossil fuel installation. …

Rice University scientists model tiny rotors, key to future nanomachines

April 7, 2017February 1, 2011 by Brian Wang

Kolomeisky and Rice graduate student Alexey Akimov have taken a large step toward defining the behavior of these molecular whirligigs with a new paper in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Physical Chemistry C. Through molecular dynamics simulations, they defined the ground rules for the rotor motion of molecules attached to a gold surface. American …