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Induction Chemotherapy Followed By ChemoRadiotherapy Increased Time-to-Treatment Failure Compared To ChemoRadiotherapy Alone In Patients With Unresectable Locally Advanced Head Neck Cancer

Induction Chemotherapy Followed By ChemoRadiotherapy Increased Time-to-Treatment Failure Compared To ChemoRadiotherapy Alone In Patients With Unresectable Locally Advanced Head Neck Cancer

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

MADRID, May 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- Phase 3 study has demonstrated that Induction Chemotherapy prior to ChemoRadiotherapy significantly increased time-to-treatment failure in comparison to standard ChemoRadiotherapy alone -

Geek Off 1.0 Answers

Geek Off 1.0 Answers

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

D'you dig the Geek Off? Did you email your answers to geekoff@gmail.com? If not, too late sucka! That is, too late until Monday morning, when we play another round of the feud. Yep, every week there's a Geek Off and every week you can win a free Geeks' Guide to World Domination: Be Afraid, Beautiful People. Check the quiz Monday, email your answers 'til Friday at midnight EST, then check the answers and fight about corrections starting Saturday morning.
Random Noise #12 : Freedom of Speech and of the Press

Random Noise #12 : Freedom of Speech and of the Press

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

Random Noise #12 : Freedom of Speech and of the Press


Freedom of speech is a right and a duty.

Faced with injustice, we have both a right and a duty - a duty-right - to speak out against it.

Politically motivated censorship can only do its dirty work in absolute secrecy.  But once that censorship becomes public knowledge, it achieves the opposite of its desired effect when it amplifies and unifies the voice of outrage.
Living Forever

Living Forever

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

Nanobots seem to be well on their way to drastically expanding human life. Clusters of them are already regenerating the spinal cords of mice (Project, 2007), and soon it should be possible to program them to repair all of our aging and defected cells (Lindsay, 2005). But nanotechnology is not the only thing in our favor. Scientists have recently even begun to conquer the telomere problem (Mann, 2009).
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Phase III “ATLAS” Trial Results

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Phase III “ATLAS” Trial Results

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

A new, international study found that the combination of two drugs delays disease progression for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results from the Phase III “ATLAS” trial were presented today by Dr. Vincent Miller of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2008 the estimated number of new lung cancer cases (non-small cell and small cell combined) was 215,000 and the number of deaths was 161,840. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common among all lung cancers and is usually associated with a history of tobacco use.
Cell Phone Ringtones - Familiar Songs Impair Learning

Cell Phone Ringtones - Familiar Songs Impair Learning

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

Recent research says that talking on a cell phone poses a dangerous distraction for drivers and others whose attention should be focused elsewhere and now a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology finds that just the ring of a cell phone may be equally distracting, especially when it comes in a classroom setting or includes a familiar song as a ringtone.

Students exposed to a briefly ringing cell phone scored 25 percent worse on a test of material presented before the distraction.
True Muonium - A 'What If ...?' Conversation In Physics

True Muonium - A 'What If ...?' Conversation In Physics

May 30 2009 | comment(s)

'True muonium' is a long-theorized but never-seen tiny atom that was first proposed more than 50 years ago.  True muonium, which unlike "muonium" (an atom made of an electron and an anti-muon) is made of a muon and an anti-muon.   Both muons and anti-muons are created frequently in nature when energetic particles from space — cosmic rays — strike the Earth's atmosphere yet their existence is fleeting and their combination, 'true muonium,' decays naturally into other particles in a few trillionths of a second. This has made observation impossible.

But it might be observed even in current collider experiments, according to theoretical work published recently by researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Arizona State University.
The Daytime Astronomer says Not My Field

The Daytime Astronomer says Not My Field

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy.
  - Richard Feynman

I just read a neat HST result on dark matter on slashdot.org. I also enjoy peeking at Astronomy Picture of the Day to find out about stuff I don't know. Basically, I get my fix from the same sites I recommend to others curious about astronomy.  So I'm not just a professional astronomer. I'm an astronomer fan when it comes to fields other than what I work on.
Hadronic Dibosons Seen. Next Stop: The Higgs!

Hadronic Dibosons Seen. Next Stop: The Higgs!

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

This is going to be a rather long piece, so for the lazy and the absent-minded among you I decided to put together an executive summary at the top, and not at the bottom of the article as I usually do. It is a bit of a spoiler, but those of you who can invest some time reading about particle physics will not be deterred by the first few lines of text. Besides, an executive summary is needed because we are discussing real news here: so here it is.
Stick It In Your Ear!

Stick It In Your Ear!

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

Stick It In Your Ear!

People's reports of inner mental processes are not considered to be reliable enough to validate theories.  (Some would say formulate, even.)  Such reports are only accepted in general, as when a medicine is reported by a patient to alleviate the pain of migraine.  Theories in psychology based on the detailed 'inner awareness' of phenomena are often dismissed as 'mentalese'.

It would be very useful to be able to look directly at the human brain's many operations and so discover if our 'mentalese' theories have any scientifically demonstrable validity.  Over the course of time, methods and instruments have evolved to test these theories by proxy.
Do You Have A Liberal Or Conservative Brain?

Do You Have A Liberal Or Conservative Brain?

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

Liberals and conservatives don’t just think differently, they also feel differently. This may even be a result, in part, of divergent neural responses.


I don't know much about the science behind this, but the NY Time's Nicholas Kristof points readers to an online survey set up by some psychologists to study morals and political beliefs:
The Art Of Torture

The Art Of Torture

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

The Art Of Torture


More than 28 million Americans, and many more people throughout the world, suffer from migraine headaches, one of the most debilitating of pain disorders. Symptoms like excruciating pain, visual disturbance and disorientation are often compounded by long-term emotional, physical and financial costs.

I am a migraine sufferer.  A migraine attack can trigger visual hallucinations of great beauty, but all too often accompanied by great agony.  It is absolute torture.
Dutch Appeals Court Orders Royal Dutch Shell To Begin Paying US$381 Million Settlement To Pan-European/Global Investor Group

Dutch Appeals Court Orders Royal Dutch Shell To Begin Paying US$381 Million Settlement To Pan-European/Global Investor Group

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

AMSTERDAM, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Binding declaration covers largest securities fraud settlement on record in Europe - Shell to pay foundation representing 150+ institutional investors in nineteen countries stemming from company's prior misstatements of proven oil gas reserves; US law firm Grant Eisenhofer represents international investor group

Officially approving the largest securities fraud settlement ever reached in Europe, a Dutch appeals court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell plc. to begin payment of US$381 million plus interest to a foundation representing a group of institutional investors from 17 European countries, plus Canada and Australia.

Alcatel-Lucent: Annual Shareholders' Meeting Of May 29, 2009

Alcatel-Lucent: Annual Shareholders' Meeting Of May 29, 2009

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

PARIS, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) annual ordinary and extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting held on May 29, 2009 approved all the proposed resolutions. Shareholders present or represented by proxy had in the aggregate a total of 1,152.6 million shares, which represented a quorum of 51.008 per cent.

The Shareholders' Meeting thus approved the 2008 financial and consolidated statements.

For 2008, there was no dividend distribution.

Aristotle Onassis Prize For The Protection Of The Environment

Aristotle Onassis Prize For The Protection Of The Environment

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

HAMBURG, Germany, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- International Environmental Prize to be Awarded in Future in Hamburg

Hospital Car Parking Fees Top The List Of Life's Biggest Injustices

Hospital Car Parking Fees Top The List Of Life's Biggest Injustices

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

MANCHESTER, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Having to pay and display whilst visiting loved ones in hospital is life's biggest injustice payment according to new research released by The Co-operative ISA's.

Hospital parking charges head the top 20 of raw deals, with 1 in 6 (17 per cent) people citing fees for visiting sick friends and relatives as the thing they hate to pay most for, making some so angry that they deliberately risk being clamped by refusing to pay.

Having to pay to spend a penny at public toilets also makes the list of fees which get the public's back up, along with prescription charges, dentist bills and surcharges when booking flights.

El Salvador's Fixed And Mobile Data Markets Will Double By 2014, Pyramid Research Finds

El Salvador's Fixed And Mobile Data Markets Will Double By 2014, Pyramid Research Finds

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --

El Salvador's fixed and mobile data markets will double in size by 2014 as mobile data services, fixed broadband, and pay-TV drive growth, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network (www.lightreading.com).

Frost Sullivan Celebrates Growth And Innovation At Awards Banquet

Frost Sullivan Celebrates Growth And Innovation At Awards Banquet

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Frost Sullivan celebrated the success of outstanding business achievement at the 2009 Growth Excellence Awards Banquet on Wednesday 20 May.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

Movers and shakers from around the world were honoured during this event which was held at the Sofitel St. James in London. The evening also included a keynote address from Frost Sullivan Chairman David Frigstad, who spoke about the complex business universe and the mileage gained from the evening's event/impact of the evening's awards. The Frost Sullivan Best Practices Award can best be captured in three words - inspire, influence and impact - with the overarching goal of accelerating growth for recipient companies, he said.

European environment becoming

European environment becoming "more permissive" for type 1 diabetes

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

A study published in the Lancet suggests that the number of children under 15 years of age with type 1 diabetes will rise to 160,000 in Europe by 2020, a relative increase of 70 percent from 2005.
Amsterdam Court Of Appeals Declares Shell Settlement Binding

Amsterdam Court Of Appeals Declares Shell Settlement Binding

May 29 2009 | comment(s)

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hague - Today, the Amsterdam Court of Appeals has declared the Non-U.S. Settlement Agreement concerning the recategorisation by Shell of certain of its oil and gas reserves binding. The agreement provides relief in the amount of US$352.6 million to qualifying non-U.S. shareholders who bought Shell shares on any stock exchange outside the United States from 8 April 1999 through 18 March 2004. The settlement amount includes a US$12.5 million payment which is to be distributed equally to all shareholders who submit a valid claim for relief, regardless of the number of shares held by the person or entity submitting a claim.