WIESBADEN, Germany, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Parasites on their way north: Increasing risks for man and dog

Has climate change already altered the geographical spread of blood-sucking parasites and therefore the risk of parasite-transmitted diseases? A question relevant for humans and -- even more so -- their domestic animals. Ticks, for example, pose a special threat to dogs. Dogs naturally spend a lot of time in zones of highest risk: grassland and forests. The tiny arachnids can transmit infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis. Dogs in warmer regions, such as the Mediterranean area, which stay outside at night are additionally exposed to sand flies looking for a blood meal -- potential transmitters of leishmaniosis.

We're a long way from machine cognition but scientist are making improvements, mostly in recognition. Researchers have managed to teach a computer’s vision system to recognise up to 100 objects.

But there is another radically different approach available that European researchers have applied to the study of robotics and AI. The MACS project does not attempt to get robots to perceive what something is, but how it can be used.

This is an application of the cognitive theory of ‘affordances’, developed by the American psychologist James J. Gibson between 1950 and 1979. He rejected behaviourism and proposed a theory of ‘affordances’, a term signifying the range of possible interactions between an individual and a particular object or environment. The theory focuses on what a thing or environment enables a user to do.

NOVATO, California, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Patient Dosing Underway in Company's First Clinical Program

Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. ("Raptor" or the "Company") (OTC Bulletin Board: RPTP), today announced that its clinical development subsidiary, Bennu Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Bennu"), has initiated the Company's first clinical-stage program after dosing the first cohort in a Phase IIa study of oral 4-methylpyrazole ("4-MP") in subjects with ALDH2 deficiency, or ethanol intolerance, as the initial development stage of its Convivia(TM) program. Convivia(TM) is Bennu's proprietary, oral formulation of 4-MP designed to reduce peak systemic acetaldehyde levels in ALDH2 deficient persons following alcohol consumption.

LONDON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Digital Realty Trust Survey Also Finds that Vendors Need to Articulate Green Datacentre Strategies in the Next 24 Months

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Diamyd Medical AB (publ) has decided on, and successfully executed, a direct placement of in total 991,000 series B shares. The shares have been placed with a limited group of professional investors at a price of 73 SEK per share. The issue raises 72.3 MSEK in total for the Company before issue costs. For each issued and paid new share one warrant is received free of charge, which gives the right to subscribe for a series B share at a price of 100 SEK during April 2009. Full use of the issued warrants will generate an additional 99.1 MSEK in proceeds to the Company.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080314/297194 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080421/301418 )

GRANGEMOUTH, Scotland, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- INEOS Disappointed at Union Refusal to Attend ACAS Talks

- INEOS Writes to all Employees Urging Union to Call off Strike and Return to the Negotiating Table

- INEOS Urges Union to Keep Open Deep-Water Jetty and Allow Tankers to Supply Scotland's Fuel During Dispute.

INEOS is disappointed that the UNITE Trade Union have today turned down an invitation by ACAS to attend talks to help solve the Grangemouth dispute that will disrupt fuel supplies to Scotland and the north of England.

HELSINKI, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Mobidiag Releases First Microarray Based Rapid Test for Bacterial Detection

The Finnish biotechnology company Mobidiag announced today the Prove-it(TM) Bacteria test that sets a world record by being able to detect 50 dangerous bacteria simultaneously - including the widespread "superbug" MRSA. This is an important milestone in the battle against infectious diseases, most importantly life-threatening sepsis.

GRANGEMOUTH, Scotland, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Grangemouth Union's Strike Threatens Fuel Supplies to Scotland and North of England for at Least a Month

INEOS has warned that the Unite trade union's proposed strike at Grangemouth, Scotland's only crude oil refinery will close its plant for at least a month. The strike has been called by the Unite trade union, on the 27th and 28th April. The union action has left INEOS with no option but to begin shutting down the site immediately. Fuel shortages are likely to begin in Scotland as early as Friday, April 25th, and the whole of Scotland could be without fuel for at least a month.

KEIGHLEY, England, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,500 major retailers have partnered with a new website to help UK shoppers offset one million tons of carbon by 2012, free of cost to consumers.

New consumer community portal froggybank.co.uk will buy carbon credits over the next four years in its Million Ton Carbon Offset Campaign.

Some of the retailers that partner with the site include Currys, Comet, Marks and Spencer, Tesco, John Lewis and Dell.

Shoppers simply log onto froggybank before buying from big name stores as normal. The website passes on 100% of the referral commission it receives back to its members as cashback. They can choose to keep this money or donate some of it to carbon offset or charity of their choice.

DUBLIN, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The modern world is entrenched in a love hate affair with sugar. It proliferates throughout our daily diet, we crave it, we adore it and yet it destroys our health.

To view the Multimedia News Release go to:

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/zsweet/32699

Our passion for the substance has created epidemic levels in such areas as diabetes and obesity. It seems an addiction beyond the control of its victims.

There is a solution. Zsweet(R) is a sugar alternative that is proven harmless to blood sugar levels. A clinical study by the Glycemic Index Laboratories in Toronto has shown that Zsweet has an ultra low glycemic response in humans. This means that diabetics can use Zsweet safely.