Stanford University engineers have created strained lattice organic semiconductors that conduct electricity twice as well as any existing organic material. The ‘straining’ process essentially involves packing the molecules closer together as the semiconductor crystals form — a technique currently used in silicon electronics, which has so far proved difficult in organics.

Wide-scale adoption of organic electronics is hoped to lead to devices that are cheaper, lighter, more robust and more flexible compared with their silicon counterparts. However, it is believed they can never compete with silicon in terms of performance because the organic materials fundamentally limit the mobility of electrons and thus the speed of operation.

Nevertheless, it may be possible to considerably speed up their action through fabrication modifications such as straining.

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As posted on Technohub

Small and medium-sized enterprises often hold back when it comes to using new products and services, and this is reasonable enough; non-Walmarts don't have billions of dollars with which to experiment, after all. However, a new report suggests that SMEs should definitely embrace ERP solutions.

The report comes from the Aberdeen Group, and its title is "ERP in SME: Fueling Growths and Profits," which provides a good hint about the exact findings.

A formal statement then explained, "[T]op performing SMEs . . . are 50% more likely to have real-time visibility on the status of all processes from quote to cash. Informed small- and mid-size companies understand that a stable, efficient and versatile infrastructure is essential to meeting the expectation of sustainable future business growth. These companies are finding that the seeds for growth must be planted now in order to remain competitive in the years of prosperity ahead."

Also, people who appreciate solid figures should know that "top performing ERP implementations slash operating costs by 22%, administrative costs by 20% and inventory by 17%. They also improve complete and on-time shipments by 19% and internal schedule compliance by 17%."

That's sure to add up to a lot of money even at a small firm. Maybe especially for a small firm, in fact, if the organization's got less money to spare than a huge corporation. So the Aberdeen Group's study counts as a significant win for the ERP industry. SMEs looking to get ahead may speed up their rate of adoption as a result.

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The 515kWp solar-power system on the roof of UNEP headquarters in Nairobi was recently connected to the grid by the UN Global Ministerial Environment Forum. With this project, Energiebau has created the first climate-neutral office building in Africa.

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In 1970, the East African Institution of Engineers was jusr budding from creating the initial outline of the Kenyan (and East African) landscape. In Commemorating their first 25 years, they had but one question to ask: ‘What will East Africa be in the year 2000?’ In 2011, we not only answer that question ten years later, but we look ahead and ask  ‘What will Kenya be like in the year 2030? We all have the vision, but do we have the capacity and resources to see it through? We shall explore the developments, changes and strides made in the last forty years Engineering in Kenya. We shall consider each decade, each sector - analyze the ups and downs, seeking expert opinions on key issues and display corporate, government and other institution’s, individual profiles.

The Apple iPad 2 has been unveiled, and kenyaengineerr has spent some time with the hottest piece of kit so far in 2011. Make no mistake, this is a seriously cool piece of kit, bringing a whole host of improvements that, individually, may not sound like much, but put together take the iPad onto a whole new plane.

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