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The article reports on the upcoming 21st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering in Chengdu, China, in 2013.

The article reports that China's National Energy Administration expects the country to increase its annual coal production capacity by 740 megatons during the current Five-Year Plan period, which ends in 2015.

The article reports on China's high-speed rail project. It is said that China expects to add about 3,500 kilometers to its high-speed rail system in 2012. Earlier, shortage of funding had halted construction of high-speed railways. The high-speed service is expected to reduce the time of train travel between Beijing and Shenzhen to eight hours from 24.

The article reports that China's Ministry of Water Resources has warned that stresses on the country's water supply could affect the nation's growth.

The article focuses on a report published in "The People's Daily," newspaper which states that Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in China has become leading importer of coal after handling more than 27 million metric tons in 2011.

The article offers information on the developments in the deign of the light-weight reactors and pressurized heavy water reactors, after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan. It states that small designs have less inventory of nuclear material, and they are cost saving due to factory fabrication and less construction times. It mentions that around 50 too 60 designs for small and medium size have been presented by organizations in the U.S., China and France, and some of them are expected to be used in the near future. It presents that in a molten salt reactor, the main coolant is one or more molten salts, generally fluorides, and other graphite moderator.

The article presents an analysis on the implications of the strategies of various U.S. companies on business process outsourcing. It cites the perils of small American companies on outsourcing operations in China due to the undervalued currency, low wages, and good technology of Chinese manufacturers. It cites the decrease of employment and increase of industrial output due to outsourcing in the U.S. It states the initiative of some manufacturers to outsource operations near the U.S. for easier management. It projects the continuity of the outsourcing processes of various U.S. manufacturers.

The article discusses issues related to outsourcing manufacturing by the U.S. companies. China's unusual combination of low wages, modern technology, and an enormous internal market of more than one billion people has forged the world's lowest-cost modern manufacturing infrastructure. It is easy to see that labor and materials costs are cheaper in China, but it is harder to pin down the costs of stolen intellectual property, complex supply chains, inflexible manufacturing schedules, and project management overhead. INSET: STILL WAITING FOR THE BOUNCE.

The article offers information on the codes and standards of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) that supports nuclear industry in the U.S. It offers information on several ASME nuclear standards which includes, Operations and Maintenance (OM), Qualification of Mechanical Equipment (QME), Nuclear Quality Assurance Requirements (NQA-1). It presents information on the codes and standards workshops organized by ASME to educate and promote the use of ASME Nuclear Codes and Standards and Conformity Assessment Programs. It states that International System of Units (SI) has been introduced by ASME to simplify ASME standards outside the U.S. It mentions that the offices of ASME has been opened in Beijing, China; Delhi, India and Brussels, Belgium.

The article offers news briefs related to fluid handling and fluid power in the U.S. Concepts NREC Inc. launched a new program, Pump 2010, devoted to pump design and software workshops from January to August 2009. NOx Control World Markets has reported that China will be the number supplier of catalyst substances.

The article discusses the weak economy of the U.S. manufacturers of critical materials. It notes that manufacturers that rely on the imports of materials from nations that dominate global production may at risk and use export restrictions as an economic weapon, according to a report from nonprofit global policy think tank Rand Corp. It states that Congo, the dominant cobalt producer has arisen from political instability exacerbated by corruption while China's government is effective enough to assert control over production. Several charts are also presented depicting the Chinese two-tier pricing of rare earth materials for the fourth quarter of 2011 and export restrictions and market share as well as the percentage of global mining production of key materials within a single country.

The article reports that number of overseas scientists and engineers employed in the U.S. to carry out research and development (R&D) work has increased. It states that hiring of overseas researchers hired by multinational companies doubled between 2004 and 2009. It mentions that main growth took place in developing countries of Asia, which have invested in engineering and science education. It highlights that overseas R&D workforce increased by three percent per year at multinational companies from 1994-2004. It reports that apart from investing in education, Asian countries have also invested in science and engineering infrastructure, especially in China.

The article presents the economists' observations of the world's oil production demand at the end of a decade or two. The notion that oil demand would reach its peak and would eventually decline is highly improbable because of some developing countries like China and India including the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) disregard the calls for conservation. Efforts by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development to lessen the demand are also presented.