Contracts for future construction in the Pittsburgh region got a major boost from commercial projects last month. The value of nonresidential contracts jumped by 748 percent, from $46.4 million in January to $393.3 million in February. Residential contracts slipped by 5 percent from $62.7 million a year ago to $59.8 million. For the year to date, the total value of residential and nonresidential contracts rose by 51 percent, to $575.4 million from $382.2 million for the first two months of 2007. The Pittsburgh region includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

U.S. home prices fell 10.7 percent in January, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 metropolitan areas. It was the steepest decline in the index's two-decade history. Pittsburgh is not included in the index. Worst-hit were Las Vegas and Miami, both reporting 19.3 percent drops, as the regions are still paying the price for rampant speculation and overbuilding during the boom years. Those cities and 14 others, including Phoenix, San Diego, and Detroit, posted record lows. Only Charlotte, N.C., squeaked by as a gainer in the Case-Shiller index, with a 1.8 percent rise in January compared to a year earlier.

The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center has awarded more than $500,000 in funding to two Harmarville companies that have nanotechnology projects in the works. NanoLambda Inc., was awarded $258,238 to develop a computer chip-sized spectrometer, and Plextronics Inc. was awarded $250,000 for work on organic photovoltaic devices. A third company, Philadelphia-based Y-Carbon Inc., was awarded $243,835 to develop superapacitors using carbon electrodes.

Shadyside-based Wizzard Software said yesterday that it had signed a content licensing and advertising agreement with YouTube. The new channel, www.youtube.com/wizzarddottv, will showcase the best video content from the Wizzard Media Network, a podcast hosting network.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing said its analysis of Economic Policy Institute data found that Pennsylvania lost 78,200 jobs from 2001 through 2006 as a result of the U.S. trade deficit with China.