Accurate measurement of thermal performance is crucial if legislation aimed at producing dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions is to be successful. The UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is offering construction companies a way of meeting this mandate.

Two factors are making the need for accurate measurement of the thermal performance of building products ever more important. Firstly, the Code for Sustainable Homes published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2006 set a target of producing zero carbon homes by 2016. The second is the draft Climate Change Bill with its declared intention of setting a legal framework for ensuring a specific reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and a 60% reduction of 1990 levels by 2050. This will result in a constant stream of legislation and regulations aimed at minimising energy use in new buildings.

REDMOND, Washington, July 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- A new era of growth and expansion includes software plus services.

NEW YORK, July 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Castle Harlan, Inc., the New York private equity investment firm, announced today that it had agreed to sell AmeriCast Technologies, Inc., a North American leader in the design and manufacture of large, complex steel castings, to Bradken Ltd., a leading publicly-traded Australian manufacturer of cast steel and other products, primarily for the mining and railroad industries, in a transaction valued at approximately US$288 million.

According to research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention one in three Americans age 65 and older fall. Recent findings by experts at the University of Tel Aviv, Israel, found that Ritalin improves cognitive impairments in seniors, which may greatly contribute to a decrease in falls.

The findings may be a step into the treatment of falls within the senior population, but Prof. Jeffrey M. Hausdorff, of Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University isn’t counting chickens before they hatch. “While the notion of treating fall risk with a pill is an intriguing concept it is not likely to be a silver bullet solution, and it is still too early to recommend Ritalin on a wide scale basis,” he said.

In 2005, the CDC analyzed 16,000 deaths in the elderly population in which unintentional falls were the fundamental cause of death making it among the top ten leading causes of death in senior citizens, a statistic that holds true today.

LONDON, July 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Commenting on the announcement that BP has made approximately GBP4 billion ($7.8 billion) in profits in the last quarter, Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite said:

"While ordinary working people struggle to make ends meet, BP's boardroom is wading through knee-deep profits. It is high time that our government moved to stop these fuel corporates picking the pockets of the poor and needy.

"A windfall tax now would ensure that the money was there to help the old and vulnerable through these tough times. Tax the fuel companies now so that those who helped to create these mega-profits get their rightful share of them."

For further information call Pauline Doyle, Unite press office, on +44-(0)7976-832-861

By the age of 18 years, two in every five South African schoolboys report being forced to have sex, mostly by female perpetrators. A new study, reported in International Journal for Equity in Health, reveals the shocking truth about endemic sexual abuse of male children that has been suspected but until now only poorly documented.

Some 28% of victims said a non-family member or teacher was the perpetrator. Another 28% had been forced by a fellow student, while 20% had been abused by a teacher and 18% by an adult family member.

Until 2007, forced sex with males in South Africa did not count as rape but as ‘indecent assault’, a much less serious offense.

MOUNT DORA, Florida, July 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Sundrop Systems, Inc. announced today that it has signed two separate licensing agreements under Sundrop's "Live and Work in America" program (http://www.sundropsystems.com/lwa) with successful entrepreneurs from the United Kingdom. The deals were closed in private transactions and grant each licensee an exclusive license to sell Showcast(R) managed digital signage solutions to businesses in defined central Florida territories. Additionally, each licensee received a non-exclusive license to sell Sundrop's other products and services.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, July 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Partnership Will Modernize All Regional Hospital Laboratories to Improve Access to Care Across the Country

At a ceremony today, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, United Republic of Tanzania, and Abbott Fund commemorated the latest step in a nationwide initiative to upgrade Tanzania's health care system, laying the cornerstone for the first of 23 hospital laboratories to be built or modernized across the country. The laboratory at Amana Regional Hospital is the first of four laboratories targeted in 2008, with the remaining laboratories scheduled for completion by 2010.

BOSTON, July 28 /PRNewswire/ --

RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, today announced the addition of new tissue grade data to their Cost Benchmarking Service, along with a new information delivery method via the Analytical Cornerstone software platform.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521/NEW122LOGO )

"Whether a client chooses a single grade or multiple grades of data, the potency of the Analytical Cornerstone platform allows clients to thoroughly analyze each mill's production process down to the machine-level in most cases, manipulate that data as needed, then export it to Excel," noted Surya P. Raina, Vice-President of Mill Intelligence.

MUMBAI, India, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE:SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715) reported a quarter of strong growth for the first quarter ending June 30, 2008. There is significant one-time sales and profit component in these financials linked to the sales of products that enjoy limited duration marketing exclusivity in the US.

Highlights of Q1FY09 consolidated financials