The leader of Boeing's 737 Max programme, Ed Clark, is leaving the company after nearly 18 years following a recent incident where a piece of one of its jets blew off during a passenger flight. This departure is part of a wider shake-up of the commercial airplane division aimed at improving quality and safety. The incident has raised concerns about manufacturing processes for the 737 Max planes, which have faced scrutiny since the crashes in 2018 and 2019. Boeing is making changes as it prepares to meet with regulators and address flaws in production, including the creation of a new senior vice president for quality.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warning letters to three infant formula makers, ByHeart Inc, Mead Johnson Nutrition (a unit of Reckitt Benckiser Group), and Perrigo's Wisconsin unit, for failing to establish adequate manufacturing processes to prevent bacterial contamination. The FDA does not anticipate any impact on the supply of infant formula. The warning letters were issued following recalls by the companies between December and March, which aimed to remove potentially contaminated products from the market. The FDA believes that the recalls were effective in addressing the issue. Infant formula manufacturing has faced increased scrutiny since last year's shortage caused by bacterial infections and recalls at Abbott Laboratories' facility in Michigan.
Researchers from the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, Iowa State University, and Peking University have used electric fields to control the motion of material defects in zinc sulfide crystals. The study provides direct evidence of dislocation dynamics controlled by a non-mechanical stimulus, which has been an open question since the 1960s. The researchers observed dislocations moving back and forth while changing the direction of the electric field. The electric-field-controlled dislocation motion may be used to enhance the mechanical reliability and formability of semiconductors and reduce defect density in semiconductors, insulators, and aged devices.
