There has been greatly increasing attention given to the potential of ‘biochar’, or charcoal made from biological tissues (e.g., wood) to serve as a long term sink of carbon in the soil. This is because charcoal is carbon-rich and breaks down extremely slowly, persisting in soil for thousands of years.

This has led to the suggestion being seriously considered by policy makers worldwide that biochar could be produced in large quantities and stored in soils. This would in turn increase ecosystem carbon sequestration, and thereby counteract human induced increases in carbon-based greenhouse gases and help combat global warming.

PARIS, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Analysis of ASCOT-BPLA Data Identifies Major Predictors of NOD Among Hypertensives

A new analysis of data from the landmark Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial - Blood Pressure Lowering Arm (ASCOT-BPLA) published today in Diabetes Care has identified the major predictors of new-onset diabetes (NOD) in patients with hypertension. In particular, the data show that hypertensive patients allocated to amlodipine and the ACE inhibitor perindopril (Coversyl(R), Servier) were 34% (HR 0.64 95% CI 0.59 to 0.74) less likely to develop NOD compared with those allocated to a beta-blocker/diuretic combination (atenolol plus or minus thiazide).(1)

KENT, Washington, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

ARI Technologies, Inc., a leading waste management technology developer has signed an agreement granting exclusive licensing rights for its patented thermochemical conversion technology to Pectel Group; a leader in the asbestos removal industry in the UK and Ireland. This innovative technology was developed, patented and commercialized by ARI. It destroys asbestos fibers through a thermal and chemical process, producing an inert, non-toxic, recycled, construction aggregate. This ground-breaking technology is revolutionary in that it costs less than half that of other available processes that melt the waste.

LONDON, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Limited, the licence holder of Aricept(R) (donepezil hydrochloride) and Pfizer Limited, its co-promotion partner, welcomed today's landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal. The Court found that the process by which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) decided to restrict anti-dementia medicines for newly diagnosed patients with mild Alzheimer's disease was procedurally unfair.

HOUSTON and ABERDEEN, Scotland, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- Leader in swellable elastomer expands into important new markets of North, South and Central America

Swellfix B.V., a leader in swellable elastomers for zonal isolation, announced today it has expanded its product and service offerings into the important new markets of North, South and Central America.

With its global base in Aberdeen, Scotland and its Americas headquarters in Houston, Swellfix provides a range of zonal isolation products and services, including cement assurance and other cost-effective swellable elastomer applications for the oil and gas industry. The overall global zonal isolation market is estimated at nearly US$4 billion.

In a series of mate choice experiments with Phintella vittata (the Chinese jumping spider), a group researchers has found that female spiders would rather mate with males that reflect ultraviolet B (UVB) rays than those that do not. This is the first evidence of an animal using UVB rays to communicate with other members of its species.

“It has long been recognized that solar UVB has direct deleterious effects on a wide range of living organisms; for example, it can cause skin cancer and damage the retinal tissues of the eyes of mammals,” said Daiqin Li of National University of Singapore, who is also an Adjunct Professor in Hubei University, China.

SAN DIEGO, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- Molecular Technology Aids Hospitals in the Prevention of Vancomycin- Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Transmission and Infection

BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), announced today the CE marking of the BD GeneOhm(TM) VanR assay for the rapid detection of vanA and vanB genes, which are associated with vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). BD will immediately begin commercializing this important new assay throughout Europe.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 08 LightAir was exhibiting at the International Home + Housewares Show held in Chicago. Twenty-five innovative products were named as 2008 Design Defined Honorees; LightAir IonFlow 50 air purifier was one of the selected.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080312/297040 )

Teams of young designers, experienced practitioners and educators called Design Finders researched hundreds of exhibitors. A Design Defined Honoree 2008 is an innovative product that has exemplified a commitment to design while achieving an environmentally friendly solution to common household cleaning, storage and home décor issues.

HONG KONG, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

The clinical impact of the first-ever pro-healing stent, OrbusNeich's Genous Bio-engineered R stent, is the subject of a symposium at next month's 16th Annual Scientific Congress of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology.

Scheduled for May 3 at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel, the one-hour session will include:

LONDON, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Cattle at Bixley Farms in Norfolk were today (1 May) the first animals in the country to be vaccinated against Bluetongue serotype 8 as over one million doses are delivered for animals in the Protection Zone on the first day of the vaccine roll-out.

Intervet, the animal health company behind this new vaccine, isolated the Bluetongue serotype 8 virus in September 2006, soon after the first European outbreak, and started an emergency programme to develop a suitable vaccine. The vaccine has gone from research & development to full-scale production in a record-breaking 20 months rather than the usual five to ten years and its delivery is ahead of schedule.