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Older Arctic Sea Ice Replaced By Young, Thin Ice

Older Arctic Sea Ice Replaced By Young, Thin Ice

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

A new study by University of Colorado at Boulder researchers indicates older, multi-year sea ice in the Arctic is giving way to younger, thinner ice, making it more susceptible to record summer sea-ice lows like the one that occurred in 2007.

The team used satellite data going back to 1982 to reconstruct past Arctic sea ice conditions, concluding there has been a nearly complete loss of the oldest, thickest ice and that 58 percent of the remaining perennial ice is thin and only 2-to-3 years old, said the lead study author, Research Professor James Maslanik of CU-Boulder's Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research.

Worm Study Helps To Understand The Evolution Of Sleep

Worm Study Helps To Understand The Evolution Of Sleep

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

The roundworm C. elegans, a staple of laboratory research, may be key in unlocking one of the central biological mysteries: why we sleep.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report in this week’s advanced online edition of Nature that the round worm has a sleep-like state, joining most of the animal kingdom in displaying this physiology. This research has implications for explaining the evolution and purpose of sleep and sleep-like states in animals.

In addition, genetic work associated with the study provides new prospects for the use of C. elegans to identify sleep-regulatory genes and drug targets for sleep disorders.

Pfizer, Novartis, Wyeth, GSK, Bayer To Discuss Latest Tactics And Strategies To Improve Patient Compliance And Communication

Pfizer, Novartis, Wyeth, GSK, Bayer To Discuss Latest Tactics And Strategies To Improve Patient Compliance And Communication

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 11 /PRNewswire/ -- eyeforpharma, the global source of information and education for the pharmaceutical industry, announced today that the 5th annual Patient Compliance & Communication conference, London, 11-12 June 2008 has secured its full speaker faculty including leading executives from Pfizer, Novartis, Wyeth, GSK, Bayer, AstraZeneca and Merck Serono.

The full detailed brochure is available to download now at http://www.eyeforpharma.com/pceu2008/brochure.shtml

IET Names UK's Top Young Women Engineers

IET Names UK's Top Young Women Engineers

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 11 /PRNewswire/ --

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has today named the UK's top young women engineers in its Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards.

The Awards are the most prestigious of their type within the engineering profession and recognise success and talent among women engineers. This year the awards celebrate their 30th anniversary.

The main prize, the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year, went to an electrical engineering programme co-ordinator with power company E.ON. Another winner began her career working on some of the world's most popular toys.

The winners are:

- Alice Delahunty, age 26 from Nottingham, won the 2007 IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards. Alice works for E.ON

Kirtas Technologies Introduces New Products To Accommodate The Growth And Diversity Of The Book Digitization Market

Kirtas Technologies Introduces New Products To Accommodate The Growth And Diversity Of The Book Digitization Market

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

PHILADELPHIA, January 11 /PRNewswire/ --

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ALA) MIDWINTER MEETING -- Kirtas Technologies, the leader in quality, high-speed, nondestructive book digitization, today introduced three new systems to round out its product offering to the growing number of organizations and businesses digitizing their works and bringing information to a new generation of digital users.

The Kirtas APT BookScan 2400RA(TM) is a new, high-volume machine that provides remote access allowing users to capture raw images in one location and process them at another. It is equipped with a high-performance blade server, which enables the remote capability as well as providing increased storage capacity and a faster processing speed.

CEVA Announces Retirement Of Former CEO David Kulik

CEVA Announces Retirement Of Former CEO David Kulik

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

HOOFDDORP, The Netherlands, January 11 /PRNewswire/ --

- Kulik Continues Chairing Board of Chinese Joint Venture

The Board of Directors of CEVA Group plc. announced today that David G. Kulik, CEVA's Vice Chairman and former CEO, has advised the Company of his retirement, effective February 22nd, 2008. The Company also announced that they have entered into an agreement with Mr. Kulik wherein he will be a consultant to management as well as continue in his position as Chairman of the Board of ANJI-TNT, the joint venture between CEVA Logistics and Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation - SAIC.

Study: Cranberries Cure Everything, Unless You're A Man

Study: Cranberries Cure Everything, Unless You're A Man

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

Cranberry juice, long dissed as a mere folk remedy for relieving urinary tract infections in women, is finally getting some respect.

Thanks to Prof. Itzhak Ofek, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the world now knows that science supports the folklore. Prof. Ofek's research on the tart berry over the past two decades shows that its juice indeed combats urinary tract infections.

And, he’s discovered, the refreshing red beverage has additional medicinal qualities as well. Prof. Ofek has found that cranberry juice exhibits anti-viral properties against the flu, can prevent cavities, and lessens the reoccurrence of gastric ulcers.

Novel Treatment For Heroin Addiction: Prescribing Heroin

Novel Treatment For Heroin Addiction: Prescribing Heroin

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

Methadone can be dangerous for some patients but is heroin a good idea for heroin addicts?

Maintenance treatment with heroin is appropriate for heroin misusers under certain circumstances, argue Jürgen Rehm from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and Benedikt Fischer from the University of Victoria, British Columbia.

They point to trials in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany, which found heroin assisted maintenance treatment feasible and effective for those resistant to treatment.

Chronic Diarrhea From Sorbitol May Force 9 Out Of 10 Dentists To Stop Recommending Sugarless Chewing Gum

Chronic Diarrhea From Sorbitol May Force 9 Out Of 10 Dentists To Stop Recommending Sugarless Chewing Gum

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

In this week’s BMJ, doctors warn of excess sorbitol intake, a widely used sweetener in “sugar-free” products such as chewing gum and sweets.

Sorbitol has laxative properties and is poorly absorbed by the small intestine.

Their advice follows the cases of two patients with chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and severe weight loss. Although extensive investigations were carried out, final diagnosis was only established after detailed analysis of eating habits.

How Ancient Glaciers Survived In A Greenhouse Climate

How Ancient Glaciers Survived In A Greenhouse Climate

Jan 11 2008 | comment(s)

New research challenges the generally accepted belief that substantial ice sheets could not have existed on Earth during past super-warm climate events.

The study by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego provides strong evidence that a glacial ice cap, about half the size of the modern day glacial ice sheet, existed 91 million years ago during a period of intense global warming.

Posted in Science, “Isotopic Evidence for Glaciation During the Cretaceous Supergreenhouse” examines geochemical and sea level data retrieved from marine microfossils deposited on the ocean floor 91 million years ago during the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum.

CSS Informatics Signs Solutions Partner Agreement With Nimbus Partners

CSS Informatics Signs Solutions Partner Agreement With Nimbus Partners

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

WILMINGTON, North Carolina, January 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Business process management supports success in technology-focused projects

PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) today announced that CSS Informatics, the clinical and safety data management consulting services and proprietary e- technologies division of PPD, has entered into a solutions partner agreement with Nimbus Partners, a provider of process management software and services.

Mannatech To Open Centralized-Management Office In Switzerland

Mannatech To Open Centralized-Management Office In Switzerland

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

COPPELL, Texas, January 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- New office to assist in maximizing growth initiatives outside of North America

Mannatech, Incorporated (Nasdaq: MTEX), a leading developer and provider of dietary supplements and skin care solutions, announced today it will open a management office in Switzerland to assist in maximizing international growth initiatives.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051213/MANNATECHLOGO)

If Intelligent Design advocates are so insistent that most o

If Intelligent Design advocates are so insistent that most o

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

If Intelligent Design advocates are so insistent that most of the human genome is functional, why aren't they doing any research like this? Eric Lander's group at MIT devised a way to test whether the thousands of non-conserved, putative protein-coding genes are likely to be spurious or true protein-producing genes. From the paper, here is their rationale: The three most widely used human gene catalogs [Ensembl, RefSeq, and Vega] together contain a total of 24,500 protein-coding genes. It is broadly suspected that a large fraction of these entries is simply spurious ORFs, because they show no evidence of evolutionary conservation.
HSBC, Other European Banks Receive Top Scores In First-Ever Ranking Of 40 Leading Banks On Climate Change Strategies

HSBC, Other European Banks Receive Top Scores In First-Ever Ranking Of 40 Leading Banks On Climate Change Strategies

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

BOSTON, January 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Citigroup and Bank of America Post Highest Scores Among 16 US Banks

While encouraging progress is being made, the banking sector still has a long way to go in confronting the business challenges posed by global climate change, according to a first-ever report issued today by the Ceres investor coalition that analyzes climate change governance practices of 40 of the world's largest banks.

Banks and financial institutions, with nearly US$6 trillion in market capitalization, are a key player in combating the impacts of climate change and supporting the investments necessary to move the world economy on a pathway to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Trans-Orient Petroleum Building Executive Team

Trans-Orient Petroleum Building Executive Team

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

VANCOUVER, Canada, January 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Recent Executive Appointments Provide Additional Corporate Strength and Industry Expertise, Expanding Foundation for Faster Growth in Australasia

Oil and gas exploration company Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd. (OTCBB/TOPLF) is pleased to announce that Mr. Garth Johnson has accepted the position of President, effective immediately. To facilitate this appointment, Mr. Peter Loretto has resigned as President, retaining his leadership role as Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company.

Keratin In Human Hair May Speed Up Nerve Regeneration

Keratin In Human Hair May Speed Up Nerve Regeneration

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

When nerve damage occurs, there are a few treatment options; microsurgery to sew two ends of the nerve together, using a nerve from another part of the body to replace a damaged section, or placing an empty tube between the cut ends so that nerve fibers can grow through it and back into the muscle.

Grafting a nerve from another part of the body is usually the most effective option, but it creates another injury site and isn’t possible in all patients. The tubes, known as nerve guidance conduits, cannot be used in gaps longer than three or four centimeters. In addition, nerve regeneration with this method is not always successful.

Astronomers Present First Detailed Map Of Dark Matter In Abell 901/902

Astronomers Present First Detailed Map Of Dark Matter In Abell 901/902

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

For the first time astronomers are able to see indirect evidence of dark matter and how this invisible force impacts on the crowded and violent lives of galaxies. University of British Columbia researcher Catherine Heymans has produced the highest resolution map of dark matter ever captured before.

Scientists believe that dark matter is the invisible web that houses galaxies. And as the universe evolves, the gravitational pull of this unseen matter causes galaxies to collide and swirl into superclusters.

Heymans and the University of Nottingham’s Meghan Gray led an international team to test this theory that dark matter determines the location of galaxies.

Shuttle Launches Mini-PC-Barebone With Intel X38 Express Chipset

Shuttle Launches Mini-PC-Barebone With Intel X38 Express Chipset

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

ELMSHORN, Germany, January 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Two PCI-Express 2.0-Slots for Two Graphics Cards / Ideal for the Latest Intel 45nm Processors

Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the Mini-PC sector and manufacturer of Multi-Form-Factor solutions, is now launching its first Mini-PC-Barebone designed for 45nm Intel processors and which can accommodate two graphics cards. Also available for the XPC Barebone SX38P2 Pro is a highly-efficient 450 watt power supply with 80 PLUS certification. This enables the two PCI-Express graphics cards and the fastest processors to run smoothly.

Global Oil Supply Challenges Will Drive Crude Prices To US$150: CIBC World Markets

Global Oil Supply Challenges Will Drive Crude Prices To US$150: CIBC World Markets

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Modest Russian Production Growth to be Gobbled up by Domestic Demand

CIBC (CM: TSX; NYSE) - Consumers should brace for a 50 per cent jump in oil prices in the near future as global oil supply will increasingly have trouble keeping pace with demand, forecasts a new energy report from CIBC World Markets.

The report predicts that surging demand in developing economies combined with accelerated depletion of existing supply and widespread delays in getting new oil fields up and running will see the global supply of oil fall as much as eight million barrels a day below International Energy Agency estimates by 2012.

Reduction Of Carbon Footprint At TNT Express With Help Of More Efficient Planning Of Collection And Delivery

Reduction Of Carbon Footprint At TNT Express With Help Of More Efficient Planning Of Collection And Delivery

Jan 10 2008 | comment(s)

'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, The Netherlands, January 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The worldwide express delivery services provider TNT Express has signed an agreement with Quintiq to take further steps in its effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Through the use of the advanced planning software of Quintiq in the collection and delivery of parcels TNT Express hopes to further give shape to its program called "Planet Me" with the aim to reduce the emission of CO2. The Quintiq system will replace a large number of discrete planning systems that are now used throughout TNT Express's 900 depots in the world.