While many home, garden and construction-related trade shows still are struggling to pick up steam and return to pre-recessionary growth, the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo enjoyed a second consecutive year of increases in attendee and exhibitor participation. Held Nov. 2-4 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the annual trade show and conference for the pool, spa and backyard... 

Delegates at the Durban Summit would be well advised to consider the role IT can play in cutting emissions and mitigating the impact of climate change, the UN’s own technology body has said. IT is estimated to be responsible for between two and five per cent of global emissions, and businesses and governments are well aware of how to lessen that impact, Dr Bilel Jamoussi, chief of the International... 

The standard controllers used in industrial processes generally have derivative and integrative control actions with whole, preset orders. In contrast, the new type of controller that these scientists propose is based on a generalization of those whole orders and others which are not whole, known as fractionary, which allow for an increase in the number of control parameters that can be auto-tuned.... 

A fire has been set in a three story building at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, where firefighters hone their skills and test equipment. In this case they’re testing a device they hope will save firefighters’ lives. Everyone taking part in the drill knows how difficult and dangerous it is to locate a missing firefighter in a smoky inferno. This video is not supported by... 

The test material, called High-Density Reactive Material (HDRM), is designed to replace steel in warhead casings with little or no compromise in strength or design. “Today’s test demonstrates this new material’s potential and the ability of NAVSEA Warfare Center engineers and scientists to move it from the laboratory to full scale working prototype in under a year to meet technology... 

“This is the most crucial connection in the building, but there is really not much known about how they behave in earthquakes,” said Amit Kanvinde, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis and leader of the project. The research is among the latest in a long list of innovative earthquake-related studies at UC Davis, which is home to the largest geotechnical centrifuge... 

The findings are detailed in a report* from a research study sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration and Department of Homeland Security. The work is an important step toward improving what may be the most vulnerable component of a firefighter’s protective gear in high-heat conditions: the facepiece lenses of the so-called self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA. Failure of the lens... 

Press release; Jackie Chang, DIGITIMES Tuesday 6 December 2011 The global average retail price for LED lamps has steadily decreased on a monthly basis from US$30 in September to US$28 in Novembe, according to... 

Ingrid Lee, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES Tuesday 6 December 2011 Taiwan-based Chin-Poon Industrial and Unitech Printed Circuit Board have obtained orders for automotive PCBs shifted from Thailand’s KCE... 

Press release; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES Wednesday 7 December 2011 Silterra Malaysia has announced it will work with Symetrix, a materials and device innovation company, to offer non-volatile ferroelectric random...