Featured Articles

The “U” In Computer

The “U” In Computer

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

A normal-sized, black coffee cup with a handle, of course, sitting in the middle of a wooden picnic table, is filled with hazelnut coffee. While one many view this simply as a cup on a table, it is possible that another will view the cup as a metaphor for the fresh beginning of a new day. In the cyber world, Kine Dorum, a PhD Student at the University of Leicester, in Great Britain, analyzes the way humans use images from past experiences as a guide when using the computer rather then directly associating computer images to real-life. Dorum hopes to develop a set of common attributes in predicting individuals’ behaviors and performances while on the computer through her notion that the universe on screen is similar to perceptions of “real life” based on past experiences.
Catholic? Mainline Protestant? You'll Probably Live Longer

Catholic? Mainline Protestant? You'll Probably Live Longer

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LSU associate professor of sociology Troy C. Blanchard recently found that a community's religious environment – the type of religious congregations within a locale – affects mortality rates, often in a positive manner. These results were published in the June issue of Social Forces.

This result, he says, is particularly timely in the context of presidential candidate Barack Obama's recent call for expanding the roles of such religious groups.

Along with co-author John Bartkowski from the University of Texas at San Antonio and other researchers from the University of West Georgia and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Blanchard found that people live longer in areas with a large number of Catholic and Mainline Protestant churches. He offers two key reasons for these findings.

Current Mindset Impacts Future Perception Also

Current Mindset Impacts Future Perception Also

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

It is well known that a powerful perceptual experience can change the way a person sees things later. If you are startled to discover a mouse in your kitchen, you may suddenly you see mice in every dark corner - or at least think you do. Is it possible that imagining something, just once, might also change how you perceive things?

To test how imagery affects perception, the researchers had subjects imagine simple patterns of vertical or horizontal stripes, which are strongly represented in the primary visual areas of the brain. They then presented a green horizontal grated pattern to one eye and a red vertical grated pattern to the other to induce what is called binocular rivalry.

During binocular rivalry, an individual will often alternately perceive each stimulus, with the images appearing to switch back and forth before their eyes. The subjects generally reported they had seen the image they had been imagining, proving the researcher's hypothesis that imagery would influence the binocular rivalry battle.

CSC Signs New US$22 Million IT Outsourcing Contract With Urenco

CSC Signs New US$22 Million IT Outsourcing Contract With Urenco

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Agreement Adds Support for New U.S. Commercial Nuclear Facility

CSC (NYSE: CSC) announced today that it has signed a new information technology (IT) outsourcing contract with Urenco, a leading supplier of enriched uranium to nuclear power utilities worldwide. The new six-year agreement, which is valued at US$22 million (10.9 million pounds sterling), follows a seven-year, 23 million pounds sterling IT outsourcing contract Urenco awarded to CSC in March 2007.

/C O R R E C T I O N -- Unite The Union/

/C O R R E C T I O N -- Unite The Union/

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In the news release, "Union Outrage at Bridlington Ward Closure" issued on 3 Jul 2008 15:16 GMT, by Unite the Union over PR Newswire, we are advised by a representative of the company that the third paragraph of this release has been amended. "DVT" has been changed to read "D&V (diarrhoea and vomiting)" as originally issued inadvertently. Complete, corrected release follows:

Unite, the UK's largest union, has expressed outrage and concern at the sudden and unexpected closure today of 28 bed acute Kent Ward at Bridlington Hospital.

Cellectis And Regeneron Sign An Agreement Over The Use Of Homologous Recombination Technology

Cellectis And Regeneron Sign An Agreement Over The Use Of Homologous Recombination Technology

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

BIOCITECH, France, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellectis SA today announced the signature of an agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. over the use of Cellectis' patents covering certain uses of homologous recombination for the generation of innovative human therapies, including the development of fully human monoclonal antibodies. As part of the agreement, Cellectis will receive an upfront of 12,450,000$ from Regeneron. In addition, Regeneron will invest in Cellectis' equity.

Pharmacy Is Ready For The Primary Care Challenge

Pharmacy Is Ready For The Primary Care Challenge

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to the NHS next stage review, Our vision for primary and community care, Howard Duff, Director for England at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, said:

"The challenge that this strategy lays down to all healthcare professionals is to help people live healthier lives. Pharmacy is ready to take up this challenge and to play its part in delivering preventative services such as:

- vascular risk assessments - helping people stop smoking - tackling obesity - the management of long-term conditions

Union Outrage At Bridlington Ward Closure

Union Outrage At Bridlington Ward Closure

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite, the UK's largest union, has expressed outrage and concern at the sudden and unexpected closure today of 28 bed acute Kent Ward at Bridlington Hospital.

Unite official, Terry Cunliffe, has written to Margaret Edwards, Chief Executive of the Yorkshire and Humberside Strategic Health Authority, expressing the union's grave concerns and reminding her that assurances had been given by the outgoing Chief Executive that there would not be any closures due to staff shortages.

Unite is also concerned about the safety of transferring patients that have infections and DVT to a clean surgical ward.

Brattle Group Review Recommends Radical Reform Of Energy Industry Governance Structure In Great Britain

Brattle Group Review Recommends Radical Reform Of Energy Industry Governance Structure In Great Britain

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

An independent review commissioned by Ofgem and prepared by economists at The Brattle Group, with legal input from Simmons & Simmons, has recommended radical reforms to the industry code governance arrangements that set the technical and commercial rules for participation in Great Britain's gas and electricity sectors.

Solcara Appoints Marketing Director

Solcara Appoints Marketing Director

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Solcara, the market-leading provider of software for the control, management and searching of digital information, announces the appointment of Andrew Yuille as marketing director to the Solcara Board.

Andrew joins Solcara with over 15 years experience in the software and services sectors, gained in senior roles at Rubus, Tetra, The Sage Group and most recently with SmartPoint Technologies and Strategix. Andrew specialises in B2B marketing, targeting organisations in both commercial and public sectors.

Northrop Grumman Introduces New Desktop Marine Radar

Northrop Grumman Introduces New Desktop Marine Radar

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has recently unveiled a new integrated desktop marine radar designed to meet the latest International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) performance standards.

Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008 Finals Showcase Tomorrow's Technology Leaders

Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008 Finals Showcase Tomorrow's Technology Leaders

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

PARIS, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Largest technology competition in the world kicks off its finals today in Paris.

Competition begins today for 370 students from 61 countries and regions competing for US$240,000 in prize money at the Imagine Cup 2008, an annual competition that gives students round the world the chance to unlock their creative genius and create technology solutions that can help address some of the world's toughest social challenges.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Selects Manpower Software's MAPS Healthroster

Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Selects Manpower Software's MAPS Healthroster

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Manpower Software plc, the leading provider of workforce optimisation software applications and rostering solutions in the UK healthcare market, is pleased to announce that Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has selected Manpower Software's MAPS Healthroster solution for nurse rostering, with the intention of Trust-wide rollout to over 2,000 staff.

Senetek Announces Termination Of Invicorp(R) License Agreement With Ardana Bioscience Limited

Senetek Announces Termination Of Invicorp(R) License Agreement With Ardana Bioscience Limited

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

NAPA, California, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

Senetek PLC (OTC Bulletin Board: SNKTY), a Life Sciences company engaged in the development of technologies that target the science of healthy aging, today announced termination of the Invicorp(R) License Agreement with Ardana Bioscience Limited ("Ardana"). The Agreement was a license to manufacture, market, sell and distribute Invicorp(R) in Europe and was terminated pursuant to the Company's contractual rights, precipitated by Ardana's entry into voluntary administration on June 27, 2008.

The Color Of The Sun, Part II

The Color Of The Sun, Part II

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

We learned from the prior blog that the Sun is much too bright for normal viewing with our sensitive eyes. A white “color” results when we observe objects that are both extremely bright and bright at all or most visible wavelengths. Please allow me to elaborate a little more on this issue.

The Medicinal Benefits Of Artichokes

The Medicinal Benefits Of Artichokes

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

The French like their artichokes fried, the Italians like them on pizza, in Spain they are used in frittata and the best artichokes are supposedly found in Greece. Meanwhile, at the University of Reading, a research University in Great Britain, the flower is being used for medicinal purposes connected to reducing cholesterol. High cholesterol levels related to cardiovascular disease have been shown to improve with the help of Artichoke Leaf Extract, or ALE, therefore minimizing the need for prescription drugs. By stabilizing cholesterol before it becomes a problem, researchers at University of Reading found yet another dietary supplement beneficial to healthy cholesterol levels.
VTech Announces FY2008 Annual Results

VTech Announces FY2008 Annual Results

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

HONG KONG, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Record Revenue and Profit Despite Difficult Economic Conditions

-- Record revenue and profit -- Group revenue increased by 6.0% to US$1,552.0 million -- Profit attributable to shareholders rose by 17.9% to US$215.7 million -- Net profit margin expanded 1.4% points to 13.9% -- Net cash topped US$285.4 million -- Final dividend of US51.0 cents per share, total dividend per share for the year (exclude a special dividend of US30.0 cents per share in the financial year 2007) up 26.0%

VTech Holdings Ltd (HKEx: 303; LSE: VTH; ADR: VTKHY) today announced its annual results for the year ended 31st March 2008, reporting record revenue and profit, as net profit margin again expanded.

Reshape Disk 'On The Fly' Free Of Charge, Without Destroying Data.

Reshape Disk 'On The Fly' Free Of Charge, Without Destroying Data.

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

CHENGDU, China, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

EASEUS is releasing its Personal Partition Manager v. 1.6.4 for free. Create, delete, format or move a logical disk to reallocate free space or simply comply with system requirements. Sooner or later, most of us face the need to reshape our hard disks. Now all that is possible without having to wipe out the entire disk and reinstall all the software.

EASEUS Partition Manager performs all types of basic and advanced file system functions: resizing and moving partitions, creating new and deleting (one or all) partitions, formatting partitions and "sticking" labels to them, viewing disk or partition properties, marking partitions as active, hiding and un-hiding partitions.

The Institut De La Vision And Iris Pharma Join Forces To Strengthen The Bond Between The Private And Public Sectors, And Between

The Institut De La Vision And Iris Pharma Join Forces To Strengthen The Bond Between The Private And Public Sectors, And Between

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

NICE, France, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institut de la Vision, a research center exclusively dedicated to eye diseases, has been the industry's benchmark on vision-related issues since its opening in March 2008. Consequently, it attracts a large number of industrialists looking to test the therapeutic effectiveness of their molecules intended to fight blindness. Thus, Iris Pharma took the logical step of joining forces with the Institut, with several objectives in mind: encourage industrial/academic cooperation, develop research programs and adapt certain specific procedures to the industrial field.

PSR J0737-3039A/B - Precessions, Pulsars And Wobbling In Space

PSR J0737-3039A/B - Precessions, Pulsars And Wobbling In Space

Jul 03 2008 | comment(s)

If you're a long-time reader of this site, you might get the idea that Albert Einstein was a pretty smart guy - that comes across because he tends to proven right a lot even today.

PSR J0737-3039A/B is a unique system of two dead stars, pulsars, and one of the pair is 'wobbling' in space just like a spinning top, according to a team of researchers. The effect, called precession, was predicted by Albert Einstein and is yet another confirmation of his theory.

The binary pulsars were formed when a pair of massive stars exploded and their cores collapsed to create objects whose mass is greater than that of our Sun, but compressed to the size of a city. They are spinning at incredible speeds and emit powerful beams of radio waves which sweep across our radio-telescopes like cosmic lighthouses producing regular pulses of energy - hence their name, pulsars. PSR J0737-3039A/B is the only known system in our galaxy where two pulsars are locked into such close orbit around one another - the entire system could fit inside our Sun.