Search Results for: Research

BY JANE MOIR, in Hong Kong

TAIWAN’S paint and coatings industry is holding steady as the economy remains solid and demand for high-quality products increases, although smaller players are finding it tougher to compete in a market dominated by a few big firms.…

BY MARK ROWE, in Munich

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s independent research body has been told its funding is likely to be frozen in the next round of funding, but the head of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) has insisted this will have little impact on its projects or future status.…

BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, in New Delhi

ALARM bells are ringing in India’s scientific establishment as an increasing number of the country’s undergraduates are opting for lucrative jobs in its booming information technology sector, in place of moving onto higher studies.

"It is a very serious problem," said Professor G Krishnamoorthy, (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT) Dean of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), in Mumbai.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has unveiled a new strategy to reduce the environmental health impact of pesticides, still profound, despite being controlled by various European Union (EU) laws. Brussels wants more research into more effective and safer substances, especially non-chemical plant protection.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

ENERGY study projects of all kinds could tap earmarked energy research budgets of Euro 2.2 billion from 2007-13 under a draft rewritten European Union (EU) seventh framework programme for research. Other relevant budgets include Euro 1.8 billion on environmental studies.…

BY MONICA DOBIE

RECENT research has shown that smokers who receive supportive phone calls from counsellor have a 50% greater chance of quitting than smokers who only receive self-help materials and/or brief counselling; with three calls being particularly effective. This result comes from an assessment of 48 trials worldwide by the independent Oxford-based Cochrane Collaboration Secretariat.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON

ACCOUNTANTS who feared that a change in UK rules would curb the growing trend in environmental accounting need not worry. Although the Business Review, which replaced the Operating and Finance Review (OFR) earlier this year, only requires quoted and large private companies to report significant environmental issues, the business case for companies and organisations to keep track of their environmental footprint continues to grow.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) research project has developed special technology to coat aluminum auto parts, making them tough enough to replace the steel that is usually employed, reducing vehicle weight and hence boosting fuel economy.

Automakers have long looked to use aluminum and related alloys where they can, but coating surfaces to make this non-ferrous metal sufficiently strong and durable to withstand the pressures exerted in a working auto has long been too expensive.…

BY MONICA DOBIE, in Ottawa

SCIENTISTS have gathered in Quebec City, Canada, to discuss ways of fighting plant diseases that threaten to destroy cocoa production. At the Cacao Diseases: Important Threats to Chocolate Production Worldwide symposium members of the American Phytopathological Society, Canadian Phytopathological Society, and the Mycological Society of America listened to experts warn of the grave threat to cocoa plants posed by three deadly diseases: black pod, frosty pod, and witches’ broom.…

BY MARK ROWE, in Munich

NANOTECHNOLOGY is on the verge of dramatically improving the efficiency of hydrogen fuels, according to scientists at a major European conference. The move could pave the way for commercially viable nanotechnology fuel-cell powered cars within 15 years, experts told the EuroScience [NOTE: CAP ‘E’ AND ‘S’] Open Forum conference in Munich.…