HAARLEM, The Netherlands and DUSSELDORF, Germany, November 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Within the framework of this year's medical fair MEDICA, the international manufacturer of vibration machines, VibroGym International, held a seminar among experts on responsible training with vibration platforms in practice. Practitioners, physiotherapists and sports scientists swapped their knowledge with independent experts such as Prof. Dr. Klaus Baum (Cologne), Dr. Med. Gernot Felmet (Villingen-Schwenningen) and qualified sports scientist Clifford Opoku-Afari (Cologne). 50 participants had been invited and signed up to this exclusive private seminar on Dusseldorf's exhibition site.

BROMSGROVE, England, November 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Usportstar.com, the exclusive website where anyone can show off their sporting prowess with the possibility of being discovered, has moved out of the beta version into a new, innovative and feature rich version.

The new look site includes increased functionality and easier-to-use interactive features, making it quicker, easier and more complete. Streamlined searches, featured Scouts and faster speeds throughout, make UsportStar.com a joy to use for all, especially teams, brands and professional organisations that visit the site to find new sporting talent.

NEW YORK, November 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Company's Business Transaction Management Software Recognized as Most Innovative Financial Services Technology of the Year

OpTier(R), the leader in Business Transaction Management(TM) (BTM) (http://www.optier.com/) for the enterprise, today announced that it has received the 2008 Financial Innovation Award for Most Innovative Financial Services Technology Solution for its CoreFirst(R) product. Presented by the ifs School of Finance, the prestigious Financial Innovation Awards (http://www.financialinnovationawards.com/) recognize financial services organizations and technology providers that demonstrate excellence in one of 22 categories.

SAN DIEGO, November 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- New, CE-Marked Molecular Assay May Help Identify Women with Cervical Cancer or Pre-Cancer More Accurately than Competing Technologies, Studies Show -

Gen-Probe's (Nasdaq: GPRO) CE-marked APTIMA(R) HPV assay may be an important new molecular tool to more accurately detect high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections that are associated with cervical cancer or precancerous lesions, according to nine oral presentations and two scientific posters presented last week by independent and Gen-Probe researchers at the international conference of the European Research Organization on Genital Infection and Neoplasia (EUROGIN) in Nice, France.

SAN DIEGO, November 21 /PRNewswire/ --

ZURICH, Switzerland, November 21 /PRNewswire/ --

Corum Group Ltd. today announced the acquisition of its client, Logos a.s., a Czech-based leading IT services and consulting company, by Ness Technologies (Nasdaq: NSTC). Logos' strong presence in the financial and telecom industries will complement Ness' position in the utilities, manufacturing and public sectors.

Women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. 

The study is the first to show a significant link between hairspray and hypospadias, one of the most common birth defects of the male genitalia, where the urinary opening is displaced to the underside of the penis. The causes of the condition are poorly understood.

Beta Pictoris is one of the best-known examples of stars surrounded by a dusty 'debris' disc.  Only 12 million years old, the 'baby star' Beta Pictoris is located about 70 light-years away towards the constellation Pictor (the Painter).

Debris discs are composed of dust resulting from collisions among larger bodies like planetary embryos or asteroids. They are a bigger version of the zodiacal dust in our Solar System.

When a flow reaches a certain speed, things get turbulent: The fluid or the gas no longer flows in an orderly fashion but whirls around wildly.  

Turbulent flows in pipes are of importance for many every-day applications. What they all have in common is their appearance: They travel down the pipe bubbling and gurgling like a mountain stream. The flow only calms down when its speed is reduced. Scientists call this calmer state laminar. Crucial for the difference between laminar and turbulent flow are the inner forces that link the water molecule to each other. Only if the influence of these inner forces is smaller than the influence of the forces that accelerate the flow can turbulence appear.

Slow-moving ocean and river currents could be a new, reliable and affordable alternative energy source. A University of Michigan engineer has made a machine that works like a fish to turn potentially destructive vibrations in fluid flows into clean, renewable power.

The machine is called VIVACE. A paper on it is published in the current issue of the quarterly Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering.

VIVACE is the first known device that could harness energy from most of the water currents around the globe because it works in flows moving slower than 2 knots (about 2 miles per hour.) Most of the Earth's currents are slower than 3 knots. Turbines and water mills need an average of 5 or 6 knots to operate efficiently.