Sugar-frosting isn’t just for livening up corn flakes; it can also preserve important therapeutic proteins. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a fast, inexpensive and effective method for evaluating the sugars pharmaceutical companies use to stabilize protein-drugs for storage at room temperature, according to their presentation(1) at the 236th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition.

Protein-based drugs such as insulin and vaccines must be stabilized after manufacturing in order to be used safely. For the past 30 years, researchers have been preserving therapeutic proteins by freeze-drying them and coating them with a thin layer of various formulations of glass-like sugars that act to stabilize their molecular structures. This allows them to be safely stored for extended periods of time.

KIRKLAND, Washington, August 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- In Challenging Broadcast Environments, New Product Allows Engineers to 'See' Digital Audio Loudness & Surround Information

Neural Audio Corporation announced today Neural Audio Analytics, an advanced loudness monitoring software solution designed to visually display perceived loudness in real-time for today's difficult broadcast environments. The new product will be on display at the 2008 International Convention (IBC), Amsterdam, September 12-16 at the Harris Corporation Booth, Stand 7.G20, RAI Centre.

A $2500 bottle of Château Latour wine that scored a 98 on the Wine Spectator point scale is not for amateurs. The sobering business of the high end wine trade involves scientists on a variety of different levels. One big problem is that wine—especially superb wine—goes bad. A chemist at U.C. Davis has found a way to tell if a bottle is fit for the Queen of England, or for the Queen of Wishful Thinking.

In the basement of the chemistry building at U.C. Davis, associate professor Matthew Augustine works with a unique nuclear magnetic resonance device of which there are only two in the U.S. Besides being able to do things like locating liquid explosives in sealed containers such as turpentine and nitro glycerin, Augustine has used the NMR to test the quality of wine.

As I was sitting patiently in Long Beach waiting to exit the plane and listening to that weird sawing sound that I hear every time I fly on an Airbus A320, I was wondering two things:

1) Why does it sound like Paul Bunyon is attacking my plane with a drywall saw, and

2) Who is going to be the first person to make some stupid joke, like “Oh no, Paul Bunyon is attacking our plane with a drywall saw!” Would it be the young woman to my right in 20D — we’ll call her “Cathy” — with whom I was fiercely trying not to make eye contact for the duration of the flight, for fear that I would be not only subjected to the inordinate flow of words streaming from her mouth, but also socially obliged to smile and nod at the relevant pauses in her soliloquy?

SOFIA, Bulgaria, August 18 /PRNewswire/ --

Direct Petroleum Exploration Inc. (DPE) has finished the initial phase of the completion of its Deventci R1 gas discovery well in northern Bulgaria. Limited flow testing was undertaken on the high pressure Lower Jurassic Ozirovo zone on Sunday 17-August at the well site some 150 kilometers northeast of the capital, Sofia. Substantial gas and rich condensate flows were observed at the surface though no verifiable measurements were taken due to the limited availability of testing equipment for the high pressures encountered. The 12 hour shut-in tubing pressure was measured at 8,000 psi. The indicated BHP was ~ 11,500 psi.

LONDON, August 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Agents looking to reach the influx of Brits, who are looking towards Australia for a better life, can now market their properties and related services via http://www.propertyindex.com­ - a 'pay for results' property portal, free of commission, monthly subscriptions, set-up fees and minimum term contracts. Despite being less than a year old, PropertyIndex.com has over 150,000 overseas property listings from a client base of 850 agents and developers across 4,000 destinations.

LONDON and PHILADELPHIA, August 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- Quarterly Reports use Market Intelligence and Competitive Analysis from Thomson Reuters to Explore Various Aspects of the Pharmaceutical Pipeline

Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, has announced the availability of the Pharma Matters reports covering the time period January-March 2008. Launched more than two years ago, the quarterly Pharma Matters reports cover all aspects of the pharmaceutical pipeline, leveraging strategic intelligence and competitive analysis from Thomson Pharma(R), Newport Horizon Premium(TM) and the Thomson Messaging Mapping System(SM).

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, August 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- Mike Bartlett to Lead Mazu Networks' Aggressive Growth in the Application Performance Management Market for Enterprise IT -

Mazu Networks, the leading provider of behavior-based, enterprise-class performance and availability solutions, today announced the addition of Mike Bartlett to the management team as vice president of sales. Bartlett joins Mazu Networks from HP Software where he continued his executive leadership position as vice president of sales after the acquisition of Mercury Interactive Corp(1). Bartlett will lend his strong background in executing successful sales campaigns in the application performance management market to his new role leading the Mazu Networks sales organization.

BOCA RATON, Florida, August 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- London Hotel Implements InfoGenesis POS(TM) by Agilysys to Streamline Food and Beverage Operations

Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative IT solutions, including specifically-designed hospitality software solutions, has announced that Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London has selected the InfoGenesis POS(TM) system from Agilysys to streamline food and beverage operations and enhance guest service at the award-winning 200-room property, which is owned and managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030915/AGLSLOGO )

PARIS, August 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- Deployment Includes CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A Technology and IP Backhaul Solution

PARIS, August 18 /PRNewswire/ --

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel) (NASDAQ: SHEN) and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced an agreement valued at more than USD 30 million for equipment, services and software to upgrade Shenandoah Personal Communications Company's network in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.