Although still relatively unknown to the general public, an archaeological method called a regional settlement pattern survey is being practiced at several locations around the world.

Rather than focusing on city centers and their easilt serviceable sites, it involves walking systematically over a large landscape to find traces of archaeological sites on the surface of the ground. This field procedure can yield a holistic, integrated view of how settlement has shifted in a region over the course of history.

For the past 13 years, archaeologists from The Field Museum and Shandong University have used this method to develop a multifarious overview of an important but understudied region along the northeastern coast of The People’s Republic of China.

Two cell proteins that relax the gut and help accommodate a big meal have been identified by UCL (University College London) scientists. The proteins could offer a future drug target against weight gain, by preventing the stomach from expanding.

In a Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics paper, Dr Brian King and Dr Andrea Townsend-Nicholson explored the molecular basis of relaxations of the gut. In the study, the authors identified two protein receptors – P2Y1 and P2Y11 – involved in fast and slow relaxations of the gut. These proteins were identified in the guinea pig, but are also present in the human gut, and thus offer the potential as a future target for drug treatment.

HELSINKI, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Wärtsilä has been awarded two contracts by Scottish and Newcastle (S&N), the major international brewing group, to supply and install equipment for two biomass-fuelled combined heat and power plants (CHP). The contracts are for two CHP plants to be located on the premises of the company's UK breweries in Manchester, for which the order was received in the end of 2007, and Tadcaster, for which the order was received in the beginning of 2008.

These Wärtsilä BioPower plants will be the first power plants in the world ever to produce, with high efficiency, both electricity and heat using spent grain as fuel. Spent grain is a by-product of the brewing process.

LONDON, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Manpower Software plc, a leading provider of workforce optimisation and electronic rostering solutions, is pleased to announce that Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, the largest employer in the area, has selected Manpower Software's MAPS Healthroster solution to more effectively manage its nursing staff, with the intention of eventual roll-out to other staff groups in the organisation.

Carolyn Mills, Director of Nursing at Northern Devon Healthcare commented: "We chose MAPS Healthroster after assessing its use on a number of wards. Staff found it easy to use and it made their lives simpler, with less paperwork. By implementing Manpower Software's MAPS Healthroster solution we anticipate both financial and qualitative benefits. "

KARLSRUHE, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Web Conferences for Customer Support at SAP Save Time and Money

Global Customer Support at SAP supports more than 42,000 customer organisations that use over 320,000 systems worldwide. To effectively support the customers in a timely and cost-efficient manner, SAP decided to augment the collaboration functions in SAP Solution Manager with Web collaboration tools from Netviewer. When a customer needs assistance, Netviewer enables rapid interaction with the customer by making Web conferences as natural as picking up the telephone.

PRINCETON, New Jersey, March 3 /PRNewswire/ --

BioWa, Inc. announced today that it has expanded the license agreement with Genentech, Inc. providing Genentech additional access to BioWa's POTELLIGENT(R) Technology for the research and development of select antibodies for potential therapeutic applications that require enhancement of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

"BioWa is pleased to extend this license with Genentech, which is a market leader in the field of antibody therapeutics," commented Dr. Masamichi Koike, President and CEO of BioWa. "We feel this alliance will strongly aid in the development of more effective targeted treatments for cancer and other diseases."

EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Aircraft Medical, the UK medical devices company is delighted to announce it is sponsoring the prestigious 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (the "Congress" or "WCA") in South Africa, alongside Baxter and Draeger. Held every four years, the WCA is the foremost world conference for anaesthesia professionals.

Not only is Aircraft Medical sponsoring the event, but the company's McGRATH(R) Series 5 Portable Video Laryngoscope will play a key role at the international congress, being demonstrated by a panel of US and European experts. The sponsorship decision underlines Aircraft's growing significance to the field of airway management, and the emerging Video Laryngoscope market.

NEW YORK, March 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Avon and UNIFEM Announce Partnership to End Violence against Women and Launch of the Women's Empowerment Bracelet

HANNOVER, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Germany's ICT market is strong for all industry sectors. It offers investors possibilities in hardware, software, and services as well as access to one of the world's leading R&D locations. ICT in Germany will be a major focus of the CeBIT 2008, the world's largest trade fair in the IT and telecommunications industry. The trade show runs from March 4-9 at the Hannover Convention Center in Hannover, Germany.

HAMBURG, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Software Upgrade Increases Security of Live Scanner ZF1 by DERMALOG

Hamburg biometrics specialists DERMALOG are unveiling a newly developed software upgrade for the company's fingerprint scanner ZF1 at the CeBIT 2008 that makes fake finger detection and or live recognition a reality. The security of the device, which has been successfully used by German registry offices since November 2007, is significantly increased thanks to the new module.