Although the industrial compounds known as polychlorinated biphenols or PCBs have been found in previous air samples collected in the city of Chicago, a University of Iowa researcher says that a new study of Chicago air sampled between November 2006 and November 2007 found PCB11, a byproduct of the manufacture of paint pigments and a potentially toxic substance, present throughout the city.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report of PCB11 in ambient air," said Keri Hornbuckle, UI professor of civil and environmental engineering, in the Sept. 24 online issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Shape is the most important factor affecting Christmas tree selection, followed by needle retention, species, and price, according to M. Elizabeth Rutledge, a graduate student in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University.

How many of you out there remember your father negotiating over tree shape? None of us either. But Rutledge says that is the case so we'll let it go and assume everyone picks the best tree and then looks at the price tag, rather than the other way around.

Traditionally, Americans have also preferred dense trees, she writes, whereas Europeans have preferred more natural, or "open" trees. Open trees have more space to hang ornaments, holding up to two-thirds more decorations than heavily sheared trees, and tend to weigh less than dense trees, providing advantages for growers and consumers alike.

MILTON KEYNES, England, September 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

A reminder has gone out to rabbit owners who took part in the first ever National Vaccination Month (March 2008) that they will need to vaccinate their pets this month in order to maintain immunity to myxomatosis.

Under the National Vaccination Month campaign owners of unvaccinated or overdue pet rabbits were offered a free dose of vaccine to protect their pets against myxomatosis - the first was given in March and the second is due now.

Currently less than one in ten owners ensure their rabbit is vaccinated against myxomatosis, a devastating killer disease spread by biting insects, which appears to be on the increase.

LONDON, September 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Businessman Launches Campaign to Ban Bullet Points and Give Work More Wit

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Businessman Jon Moon today launched a nationwide campaign to ban bullet points from work. "We all use bullet points because we always have, yet they don't work. They don't break up dull text. They are dull text," he says. Jon, who advises companies on clarity in written and visual communications, wants us to end our love affair with black dots and instead use WiT (Words in Tables), his new way of showing information in reports and slides. "WiT has three times more impact than bullets, and it does a fantastic CV too," Jon continues.

MONTPELLIER, France, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- AwoX, a leading provider of network entertainment solutions, today announced the signature of a distribution agreement with Japan-based Network Technology Co., Ltd.. Under the terms of this agreement, Network Technology will sell, distribute and support AwoX middleware solutions for networked audio/video applications in Japan.

It used to be that being buried under a pile of large, sweaty men was the worst thing that could happen to you playing Rugby - but then it turned out a herpes virus can cause a skin disease called "scrumpox" and it spreads through physical contact.

Researchers have discovered that a new strain could be even more pathogenic - and it's now also found among sumo wrestlers in Japan.

"Scrumpox", or herpes gladiatorum, is a skin infection caused by the herpes virus, which can cause coldsores. It is spread through direct skin-to-skin contact so it is common among rugby players. Symptoms can start with a sore throat and swollen glands and the telltale blisters appear on the face, neck, arms or legs. The disease is highly infectious, so players who are infected are often taken out of competition to stop the virus from spreading.

In the fall of 2006, a strange design mysteriously appeared amongst the rows of crops in a farmer’s field. And this time, there was some serious product placement.

The large Firefox logo appeared in a farmer’s oat field outside of Amity, Oregon. But far from being a mysterious extraterrestrial communication, the design was carefully planned and executed by a group of Oregon State University students.

Two Mozilla video interns came up with the idea. Supported by the enthusiasm of fellow Mozilla staff members, things really started to take shape when the idea was presented to members of the Oregon State Linux Users Group (OSLUG). A local farmer offered up his field as the “canvas” for the creation, and the stage was set.

A team of scientists has identified a gene in rice that controls the size and weight of rice grains. The gene may prove to be useful for breeding high-yield rice and, thus, may benefit the vast number of people who rely on this staple food for survival.

The researchers first searched for and identified mutant strains of rice that exhibited underweight grains. "We found a particular mutant that is defective in its ability to produce normal-sized grains," said Zuhua He, a biology professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the leader of the team. The group then examined the mutant and found that it carried a mutation within the GIF1 gene. "The GIF1 gene is responsible for controlling the activity of the enzyme invertase, which is located in the cell wall and converts sucrose to substances that then are used to create starch," said He. "Invertase is important in the formation of starch within developing grains of rice. If invertase is not active, the rice plant cannot produce edible grains."

Instead of using a flat microchip as the light sensor for their new camera, a team of engineers has developed a sensor that is a flexible mesh of wire-connected pixels. The mesh is made from many of the same materials as a standard digital-camera sensor, but has the unique ability to conform to convoluted, irregular surfaces.

The technology breakthrough is a novel approach that bypasses a traditional planar sensor of adjacent pixels and instead relies upon an array of pixels interconnected by small wires. Using a flexible, temporary backing, the researchers can form the array into a curved shape and then transfer the array to its permanent location affixed to a glass lens.

Over the last 20 years, many researchers have tried to manufacture such electronic eye systems, but until now, none were able to create a working camera.

A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed. An apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation.

The protein beta-catenin acts like a Velcro strap, fastening cells' internal skeletons to proteins on their external membranes that connect them with other cells. In species ranging from flies to frogs to mice, it also can transmit early signals that separate an embryo into front and back or top and bottom.