A highly specialised computer modelling technique developed at The University of Nottingham has been instrumental in the design of a revolutionary new swimsuit which is now being hailed as the fastest in the world.

Dr Herve Morvan, a lecturer in fluid mechanics in the School of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, is working as an advisor to the AQUALAB, Speedo’s competition research and development department, responsible for the development of Speedo’s new LZR Racer swimsuit.

Within a week of its launch athletes wearing the new swimsuit had broken three world records.

Differences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry can affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections, say researchers in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

They used Affymetrix exon arrays to show that expression levels for nearly five percent of the 9,156 human genes they studied varied significantly between individuals of European and African ancestry. The research team took an unbiased whole genome approach and found significant differences in several unrelated processes, especially among genes involved in producing antibodies to potential microbial invaders.

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, February 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, today announced the promotion of Marian Hollingsworth to the role of Director of Publisher Relations, reporting directly to Jim Testa, senior director, editorial development.

A report in a recent New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at the New England Newborn Screening Program (NENSP) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), indicates a declining incidence of a genetic disease, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link between two independent population-based screening programs.

The state of Massachusetts has offered universal newborn screening to detect cystic fibrosis (CF) since 1999. Independently, recommendations for nationwide (adult) carrier screening for CF were introduced in the U.S. around 2002, coming from the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Medical Genetics.

Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered how roots find their way past obstacles to grow through soil. The discovery also explains how germinating seedlings penetrate the soil without pushing themselves out as they burrow.

“The key is in the fuzzy coat of hairs on the roots of plants” says Professor Liam Dolan. “We have identified a growth control mechanism that enables these hairs to find their way and to elongate when their path is clear”.

Root hairs explore the soil in much the same way as a person would feel their way in the dark. If they come across an obstacle, they feel their way around until they can continue growing in an opening.

SAN MATEO, California, February 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- NS-BOS Enables ISVs to Create and Distribute Vertical Business Applications Built on NetSuite

- NetSuite SuiteScript D-Bug Provides First Real-time, Interactive Debugger For Server-Resident SaaS Applications

LONDON, February 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Vertical Application Helps Ecommerce Businesses Do More With Less

SACRAMENTO, California, February 28 /PRNewswire/ --

ROBODOC, a Curexo Technology Company, and newly formed division of Curexo, Inc., announced today that they will be exhibiting at the upcoming American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Conference being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, March 5th through the 7th; Hall D, Booth #4470.

"Because the ROBODOC Product brand has a strong worldwide recognition, Curexo Inc. has decided to name the company ROBODOC, a Curexo Technology Company," said Dr. Ramesh Trivedi, President and CEO.

SAN MATEO, California, February 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Former Oracle Executive Michael Ni Leads New NetSuite Program