Ohio State University researchers have developed a new method of measuring school quality based on schools’ 'impact on learning' and their results say that summer vacations and parent incomes have more to do with low test scores than the quality of the schools.

Using this 'impact' measure, about three-quarters of the schools now considered “failing” because of their low test scores would no longer would be failing.

A school system measuring tool where everyone is above average even if they have poor test scores and where good test scores can still mean failure? Is that legitimate or is it just Outcome Based Education for education?

New advances in DNA sequencing technology have been receiving a lot of press, but mostly in the context of how DNA sequencing is going to make personalized medicine possible. Your physician will some day be able to prescribe drugs and give you advice on disease prevention, all based on a reading of your DNA. Obviously that day is not here quite yet; however, the amazing power of next-generation DNA sequencing is already transforming what goes on in a biology lab.

To see this, we can take a look at an old technology and look at the changes it has gone through, from its pre-genome-era state in the 80's and 90's, to its transformation into a genome-scale tool around the turn of the millennium, to its latest incarnation during this emerging era of massive, cheap DNA sequencing. This technology, called chromatin immunoprecipitation (or ChIP), has been a critical tool in studies of how genes are regulated. ChIP, in its current, next-generation DNA sequencing form, is opening up some stunning new approaches to studying gene regulation.

As the puck was cleared to the other end of the ice, my 9-year old son's hockey teammates raced after it. Then, I saw him. He was lying motionless and face down at the blue line. He had slid headfirst into the boards to make a play. By the time our coach made it over to him, he had started to move. After a few minutes, they both skated to the bench where I saw the two talking. Coach looked up at me in the stands with a grim look and motioned for me to come down. The next four hours were my introduction to sports concussions.

A concussion, clinically known as a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI), is one of the most common yet least understood sports injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are as many as 300,000 sports and recreation-related concussions each year in the U.S., yet the diagnosis, immediate treatment and long-term effects are still a mystery to most coaches, parents and even some clinicians. The injury can be deceiving as there is rarely any obvious signs of trauma. If the head is not bleeding and the player either does not lose consciouness or regains it after a brief lapse, the potential damage is hidden and the usual "tough guy" mentality is to "shake it off" and get back in the game.

The recent suicide of Army scientist Bruce E. Ivins, shortly after being implicated, brought a likely end to the Anthrax scare of 2001 but, while information on this specific case remains sealed, the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland is unclassified and available online to researchers. It contains more than 85,000 terror incidents since 1970. Hundreds of details associated with each incident are included to make the tool most useful to social scientists.

It shows that the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States may be the only ones on record.

Bio-chemical terrorist attacks are very rare, according to Gary LaFree, director of the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-funded National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).

Male circumcision has been performed as far back as ancient Egypt, and the practice has continued through the ensuing centuries for religious, cultural and sociopolitical reasons.

Performing circumcision for potential health benefits gained momentum in the 19th century with the advent of anesthesia and the initial epidemiological studies demonstrating lower rates of venereal diseases in circumcised men. Recent studies have shown that circumcised men are at significantly lower risk of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and chancroid.

Additional studies point to lower risk of invasive penile carcinoma, gonorrhea and chlamydia (in female partners).

Mayo Clinic endocrinologist James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., has laid out some environment-changing innovations with a six-month study of a real-life office that was re-engineered to increase daily physical activity, a program called NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).

The study began in late 2007 and ended in 2008 at SALO, LLC, a Minneapolis-based financial staffing firm. Of the 45 employee volunteers involved in the scientific study, 18 were studied for weight loss and other changes.

KYIV, Ukraine, August 1 /PRNewswire/ --

The Government of Ukraine (GoU) continues to pursue an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Vanco International and its affiliates (the "Vanco Companies"), including Vanco Prykerchenska Ltd. The Vanco Companies present a complex network of offshore entities, the owners of which have yet to be fully disclosed. Through this investigation and possible related legal steps in Ukraine and abroad, the GoU is determined to ensure transparency and the observance of Ukrainian law, and to encourage and protect legitimate foreign and domestic investment. The following points should be clarified in relation to the current dispute with the Vanco Companies:

LONDON, August 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- Swimming in Luxury

LONDON, August 1 /PRNewswire/ --

Cascal N.V. (NYSE: HOO) ("the Company"), a leading provider of water and wastewater services in seven countries, has scheduled the release of its 2009 first quarter results after the close of the market on August 11, 2008.

Cascal will host a conference call at 9 a.m. Eastern Time/ 2 p.m. BST on August 12, 2008. On the call, Stephane Richer, CEO of Cascal, and Steve Hollinshead, CFO, will discuss the Company's results, and review operational highlights and other business developments.

The Company invites you to participate on the call at the following telephone numbers:

+1-877-375-4189 (local) +1-404-665-9923 (international) +0800-032-3836 (UK Freephone)

CALGARY, Canada, August 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Addax Petroleum Corporation (TSX: AXC and LSE: AXC) ("Addax Petroleum" or the "Corporation") will announce its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 on Wednesday, August 6, 2008, and will discuss its financial results in a conference call on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 4:00 p.m. London, U.K. time. Mr. Jean Claude Gandur, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. James Pearce, Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Michael Ebsary, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the Corporation's most recent financial and operating results.