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Rapidly expanding bioplastics production capacity trends
Don Rosato EngineeringInterest in bio-based plastics is closely connected to the price of oil and is a key driver for demand of bio-based polymers. Government legislation and incentives are also strong drivers, and many companies have mandated increased use of "renewably sourced" materials in their products.
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Drones are evolving into worker bees
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsThe use of drones — or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — is increasing on large construction projects. Cheaper, less risky and more flexible than helicopters or other types of surveillance, drones currently can perform a variety of routine and specialized tasks. They can survey and map sites, monitor and document a project's progress, track the location and use of materials and equipment, and check that crews are adhering to work and safety standards.
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Clean cold marches on in Europe
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingThe technology of cryogenic cooling is continuing to live up to its billing of being one of the most disruptive technologies the industry, following a high-profile launch event in London earlier this month. The Birmingham Energy Institute Policy Commission — the organization backing the technology — is proving equally disruptive in the often-low-key world of refrigeration by gaining support among academics, politicians and commercial interest alike for its aim to take a systems approach to low-emission cooling.
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Teaching behavior safety is just ‘common sense’
Michael S. Haro, Ph.D. Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementBehavior safety is "common sense." To understand why, let's start by comparing computer hardware and software — another common-sense issue. For a computer, hardware makes it an object. Sitting there, it gives an appearance of significance. It even scares some people by its appearance, and what we've been told it can do. Yet it has little value if it only occupies space on a desk. Without software, it's worthless.
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Cutting-edge plastic electronic devices coming of age
Don Rosato EngineeringE/E devices keyed to polymer-based technology are being developed for the nanophotonics market that could make computers and the Internet 100 times faster. Researchers at Samsung have discovered a method that could allow a single crystal of graphene to retain its electrical and mechanical properties across a large area. The process could allow graphene to be used at its full potential in future electronic devices.
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How linear cities can help us boost sustainable living
Michael Lipkan Waste Management & EnvironmentalBurgeoning human populations are causing many problems to the Earth's biosphere — the network of life some call Gaia. James Ephraim Lovelock saw the biosphere of Earth as a self-regulating entity able to respond to imbalances or traumas caused to ecosystems such that balance becomes restored.
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How the federal government helps additive manufacturing costs
Alan Kelsky EngineeringManufacturing firms are using additive manufacturing (AM) more than ever before. The cost of the AM technology is motivated by a number of factors, including research and development tax incentives. Most businesses using AM, also known as 3-D printing, are eligible for large R&D tax credits.
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The stories told by BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy for 2014
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesBP's Statistical Review of World Energy for 2014 — for which analysts, policymakers and anyone trying to make sense of an extraordinary year on world oil markets had been impatiently awaiting — was released in June. 2014 was certainly a remarkable year. BP described it as one of "tectonic shifts," after what chief economist Spencer Dale called a period of "eerie calm" in recent years. While the supply-and-demand dynamics that have led to the collapsing prices are broadly understood, the statistics provided in this year's review add much flesh to the bones of those theories.
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Plastic material and process advances define new E/E frontier
Don Rosato EngineeringIn commercial applications, polymer material and process development advances are pushing plastic properties in response to ongoing demand for smaller electronic devices that call for smaller, thinner electrical components in hotter environments at higher electrical frequencies. High flow grades permit more intricate, miniaturized parts in electronic applications. Part cost reduction and faster production cycle times are increasingly the new norm.
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Europe building upon building efficiency
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsEuropean policymakers and researchers alike are putting their collective minds to the challenge of reducing the energy produced by cooling and heating in buildings. The research funding comes in response to new momentum for efficiency improvement from the European Commission whose Energy Union framework policy aims to transform both energy supply and consumption.
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