OXFORD, England, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmaVentures Ltd, announced today that it has been engaged by Merck Co, Inc. to advise and assist in divesting its world class research centre, the IRBM, located near Rome, Italy. The engagement will utilise PharmaVentures' pharmaceutical transactions experience in the healthcare and investment business sectors. The IRBM is an integrated, state-of-the-art small molecule and biological discovery centre. IRBM has an outstanding record of drug discovery including Isentress(R), the first approved HIV integrase inhibitor and winner of the Prix Galien USA 2008 award for the best pharmaceutical agent. The centre has received significant investment since 2000 and is staffed with exceptional, experienced pharmaceutical scientists.

BRUSSELS, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueBackUp is the first online backup service that caters for the needs of big businesses. By developing innovative data recovery functionalities and thanks to the drop of disk prices, the Oodrive subsidiary is able to help organisations that manage large volumes of data to deal with the new IT challenges thrown up by the economic crisis.

Faced with ever-tougher demands in terms of data security (faster times for backups and recovery, frequency of backups, backup window issues, etc.), businesses now need to find a reliable solution to the problem of securing data without having to increase their budgets. The current economic crisis has a lot to answer for...

SAN MATEO, California, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Message of Hope Considered 'Too Important Not To Be Heard'

LONDON, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Telnic Limited (http://www.telnic.org), the registry operator for the new communications-focused .tel top level domain (TLD), today announced that its free and open source My.tel iPhone application is now available for download from the Apple App Store.

The arrival of My.tel allows .tel owners with iPhones to manage their .tel domains without having to log on to a computer. Now they can quickly update information just before boarding a plane, travelling on a road trip, or just to quickly tell their friends which bar they are in. The My.tel application enables .tel owners to:

VEENENDAAL, The Netherlands, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Strong Product Offerings and Leadership in Brachytherapy Contribute to All-Time High

Nucletron, a global leader in radiation oncology, today announced strong financial results in 2008 with net sales of EUR112.4 million (US $165 million). EBITDA in 2008 ended at an all time high (in constant currencies) of EUR17 million with a strong fourth quarter contributing significantly to the year-end success. Despite challenging global economic conditions, Nucletron surpassed projections in 2008 due in large part to a renewed focus on brachytherapy treatment and an expanding product offering in external beam treatment planning software solutions.

PARIS, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- SAFRAN announced today that it has acquired 81% of GE Homeland Protection, a wholly owned affiliate of the General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). GE Homeland Protection is a leader in tomography-based detection systems for hazardous or illicit substances in baggage. Through this acquisition Sagem Sécurité, a wholly owned subsidiary of SAFRAN becomes a leading global player in airport security solutions.

HANOI, Vietnam, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Harvey Nash Wins Coveted 'Sao Khue Awards'

 Deteriorating screws in bridges, fish that listen in the dark, medical devices that use sound to treat disease, the detected comeback of a long-gone whale, the sound of hyenas, cheese, and bagpipes, and what evolution can teach us about cowardice.

These are just a few of the topics that will be covered at the 157th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), which convenes from May 18-22 at the Hilton Portland&Executive Tower in Portland, Oregon. There, acoustical scientists and engineers will present more than 1,000 talks and posters related to acoustics, a cross-section of diverse disciplines devoted to architecture, underwater research, psychology, physics, animal bioacoustics, medicine, music, noise control, and speech.

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A new study challenges long-standing expectations that men are promiscuous and women tend to be more particular when it comes to choosing a mate. The research in Trends in Ecology and Evolution suggests that human mating strategies are not likely to conform to a single universal pattern and provides important insights that may impact future investigations of human mating behaviors.

SACRAMENTO, California, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- California Air Resources Board votes to recognize sugarcane ethanol's carbon reduction levels

Sugarcane ethanol passed a critical test today as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved its long-awaited, first-of-its-kind Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). While the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) continues to provide evidence that sugarcane ethanol's carbon intensity is even lower than initially calculated by CARB, today's decision means sugarcane ethanol will be in greater demand in California in the years to come.