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Hope In The Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Hope In The Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

Almost fifty percent of people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer’s disease, an illness that is not considered part of the normal aging process by the U.S. National Institute on Aging. Statistics on the NIA website also reveal that there is no cure for the degenerative disease. Recently, according to scientists at University of York and Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, tricking the brain into halting the degeneration of neurons could be a dramatic step in finding a remedy for neurodegenerative diseases—especially Alzheimer’s disease. Research in the latest issue of Nature Chemical Biology looks at Alzheimer’s disease in relation to neurodegeneration involving the death of neurons.
FDA Approves Abbott's XIENCE(TM) V Drug Eluting Stent

FDA Approves Abbott's XIENCE(TM) V Drug Eluting Stent

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- XIENCE V, Only Drug Eluting Stent to Demonstrate Superiority Over Market-Leading Stent in Clinical Trials, Now Available in United States for Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease

Abbott today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the XIENCE(TM) V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System for the treatment of coronary artery disease. XIENCE V is the only drug eluting stent to have demonstrated superiority over Boston Scientific's TAXUS(R) paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system in two randomized head-to-head clinical trials. XIENCE V will be launched in the United States immediately.

Patheon Reaches Agreement With BSP Pharmaceuticals For Development And Manufacture Of Cytotoxics

Patheon Reaches Agreement With BSP Pharmaceuticals For Development And Manufacture Of Cytotoxics

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

TORONTO, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Patheon (TSX:PTI), a global provider of drug development and manufacturing services to the international pharmaceutical industry, has completed a shareholders agreement and a sales and marketing agreement with Italy's BSP Pharmaceuticals, a company focussed on the development and manufacturing of cytotoxic pharmaceutical products. Under the terms of the sales and marketing agreement, Patheon will promote BSP's cytotoxic manufacturing capacity and development services. Mr. Aldo Braca, President, Patheon Europe will be President and Chief Executive Officer of BSP Pharmaceuticals. Patheon is in the process of identifying a successor to Mr. Braca and for a transitional period, Mr. Braca will fill both roles.

A bloody wish list.

A bloody wish list.

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

Depending on the animals in question, the amount of DNA per cell may be associated with body size, metabolic rate, developmental rate, or other traits. With an old fashioned cytogenetic staining method (the Feulgen reaction) and a new image analysis densitometry setup, we can estimate genome size for vertebrate species quite readily with only an air-dried sample of blood cells on a microscope slide. Getting the blood is the limiting step in many instances -- in particular from cool and recently discovered critters like these that are now officially on my blood smear wish list.

The Leiden 8 -- no buttons, though.

The Leiden 8 -- no buttons, though.

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

So, over at Rationally Speaking, Massimo Pigliucci asks "Is there fundamental scientific disagreement about evolutionary theory?".  This is a reply to creationists who are making a big deal of the upcoming get-together of 16 theorists at the Konrad Lorenz Institute in Altenberg -- referred to in the media as the "Altenberg 16" (you see, because that's where it is and how many will be in attendance).

 Is this a secret meeting about the dire condition of evolutionary science?  Is it an overthrow of Darwinian natural selection as a mechanism of evolution? Is it about sharing doubts that evolution occurred on earth?

Thoughts On The UCSD Conference On New Communication Channels For Biology

Thoughts On The UCSD Conference On New Communication Channels For Biology

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

I'm back from the UCSD workshop on New Communication Channels for Biology held June 27-28, 2008. The talks were recorded and are now available here. The first day mainly consisted of talks while the second was very heavy on breakout sessions (see agenda). Probably the most beneficial part for me was seeing old friends or meeting in person several people I had only interacted with online previously. For example was nice to finally meet Dan Gezelter from the OpenScience project and Hilary Spencer from Nature Precedings. I also had a blast over enchiladas on Friday night with Mike Nieslen and Jen Dodd. Mike gave a very engaging talk on the Future of Science on Thursday night. The presentations were recorded and should be available within a week on the wiki link above - I'll post an update here when I am made aware of it.
Is There Fundamental Scientific Disagreement About Evolutionary Theory?

Is There Fundamental Scientific Disagreement About Evolutionary Theory?

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

Creationists and their intellectual cousins, intelligent design proponents, keep saying that scientists disagree as to “the truth” of evolution, and that the field is therefore in crisis, despite official attempts by scientists to deny any problem and unite under the evil cause of fighting “the truth” about Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As is common in these circumstances, some creationist claims are in fact correct, but trivially so, while the use that creationists attempt to make of the claims themselves is highly (and possibly willfully) misleading. As a case in point, I am about to leave the United States for a trip to Vienna where I will be chairing a workshop on the status and future of evolutionary theory, the anticipation of which has been providing delight to creationists for the past several months.

The so-called “Woodstock of evolution” (not my term, and a pretty bad one for sure) will see a group of scientists, by now known as “the Altenberg 16” (because there are sixteen of us, and we’ll meet at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for theoretical biology in Altenberg, near Vienna) has been featured on blogs by a variety of nutcases, as well as the quintessential ID “think” tank, the Discovery Institute of Seattle. They have presented the workshop that I am organizing in collaboration with my colleague Gerd Müller, and the proceedings of which will be published next year by MIT Press, as an almost conspiratorial, quasi-secret cabala, brought to the light of day by the brave work of independent journalists and “scholars” bent on getting the truth out about evolution. Of course, nothing could be further from the (actual) truth.
Rotrex Launches Electrical Driven Fully Variable Supercharger For Fuel Cell, Hybrids, And Downsizing

Rotrex Launches Electrical Driven Fully Variable Supercharger For Fuel Cell, Hybrids, And Downsizing

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

Rotrex has developed a fully variable electrical driven supercharger for automotive and transportation markets.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080702/NYW048LOGO )

The first project is for a fuel cell hybrid solution, but the product is also targeted mild and full hybrids for normal combustion engines, whether based on gasoline, diesel, or bio-fuels.

The fuel cell hybrid solution is developed together with a German customer for a 25kW system based on a PEM fuel cell in combination with a battery and a supercapacitor. The cost efficient scalability and the modular development approach secure cost efficient solutions from 10kW up to 300kW.

Redline And Tranzeo Collaborate On WiMAX Interoperability

Redline And Tranzeo Collaborate On WiMAX Interoperability

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

TORONTO, Canada, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Tranzeo's WiMAX Subscriber Units Achieve Silver Status in Redline Ecosystem Verification(TM) Program

Redline Communications Group Inc. (TSX and AIM: RDL), a leading provider of WiMAX broadband wireless products, today announced the addition of the Tranzeo Wireless Technologies' (TSX:TZT) WiMAX subscriber units to the Redline Ecosystem Verification(TM) ('REV') program. The Tranzeo products have achieved Silver status in the REV program which is designed to accelerate the deployment of interoperable WiMAX networks around the globe.

Natural Selection Before Darwin

Natural Selection Before Darwin

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) opened his first notebook about "the species question" in 1837, not long after his return from the voyage of the Beagle.  By 1838, he had developed the basic outline of his theory of natural selection to explain the evolution of species.  He spent the next 20 years developing the theory and marshalling evidence in favour of both the fact that species are related through common descent and his particular theory to explain this.  After receving word that another naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), had independently come upon the same theory, he assembled his work for publication, first in a joint paper with Wallace presented to the Linnean Society of London in 1858 and then his "abstract", On the Origin of Species, in 1859.

Some authors have argued that Edward Blyth (1810-1873), an acquaintance of Darwin's, developed the central idea of selection in an 1835 paper in the Magazine of Natural History.  For example, Eiseley and Grote (1959) claimed that "the leading tenets of Darwin's work -- the struggle for existence, variation, natural selection and sexual selection are all fully expressed in Blyth's 1835 paper", from which they then quoted the following:

CADNA's Paris Forum: Brand Owners Working Together To Curb Domain Name Abuses And Improve The Internet

CADNA's Paris Forum: Brand Owners Working Together To Curb Domain Name Abuses And Improve The Internet

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

This past week, the 3rd Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) international domain abuse forum was held in Paris to coincide with one of the most contested ICANN meetings in years. Brands from around the world gathered at the CADNA forum with academic and business leaders to discuss the future of the domain name space and what can be done to improve the landscape for consumers and brand owners alike.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070724/DCTU006LOGO )

SunGard Acquires Delphi Technologies Limited

SunGard Acquires Delphi Technologies Limited

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

DUBLIN, Ireland, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

SunGard has acquired Delphi Technologies Limited (http://www.delphi.ie ), a Dublin-based provider of consulting services and managed professional services to Ireland's financial services, insurance and telecommunications industries. Delphi Technologies Limited (Delphi) will become part of SunGard's European Consulting Services business. The transaction, the terms of which were not disclosed, is not expected to have a material impact on SunGard's financial results.

Increased Calories Necessary For Victims Of Traumatic Brain Injury

Increased Calories Necessary For Victims Of Traumatic Brain Injury

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

Starve a fever, feed a traumatic brain injury. Recent studies by clinician-scientists from New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center found that patients with traumatic brain injury, or TBI, have a higher survival rate when their caloric intake is increased. Patients of TBI are fed through a gastric feeding tube inserted through a hole in the stomach for long-term eternal nutrition. The sooner the supplemental nutrition plan is initiated the better chance a patient has for survival, up to four times, researchers say.
Orange Business Services Launches Unik For Corporate

Orange Business Services Launches Unik For Corporate

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

PARIS, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Fixed-Mobile Convergence Innovation Increases Employee Productivity and Lowers Cost

Orange Business Services is launching Unik for corporate, a fixed-mobile convergence solution that seamlessly integrates mobile and office phones. Employees can be reached anywhere by dialing one number, which rings their office and mobile phones at the same time.

Employees can effortlessly move from desk phone to mobile, and back. Voice messages go to one mailbox simplifying life. In addition, international calls from employees' mobile phones can be routed through their IP PBX to their Business Talk Global voice network, saving money. Business Talk Global is Orange Business Service's international voice offering.

Yoono Raises Additional US$4 Million From AGF

Yoono Raises Additional US$4 Million From AGF

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

PARIS and SAN FRANCISCO, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Yoono Comes Out Of Private Beta in Time for Release of Firefox 3

Dresser-Rand Completes The Acquisition Of Peter Brotherhood Assets

Dresser-Rand Completes The Acquisition Of Peter Brotherhood Assets

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

HOUSTON, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

Dresser-Rand Group Inc. ("Dresser-Rand" or the "Company") (NYSE: DRC), a global supplier of rotating equipment, announced today that its UK subsidiary, Dresser-Rand Company Ltd., has completed the acquisition of certain assets of Peter Brotherhood Ltd. The Company issued a news release on June 30, 2008, announcing that its subsidiary had entered into the acquisition agreement. Details of the transaction were disclosed at that time.

Nearly 1,600 Participants Gather At Euro Camp Jeep(R) In Northern Germany To Celebrate All Things Jeep

Nearly 1,600 Participants Gather At Euro Camp Jeep(R) In Northern Germany To Celebrate All Things Jeep

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

LAND FLEESENSEE, Germany, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Euro Camp Jeep(R) is the largest single-brand 4x4 customer event in Europe - Jeep enthusiasts from 22 countries set to arrive in Germany for eighth annual event - First carbon-neutral Euro Camp Jeep reinforces the brand's Tread Lightly! philosophy - Hard-working multipurpose Jeep J8 makes its consumer debut at Euro Camp Jeep - The Jeep Renegade concept vehicle, an all-new Jeep Wrangler image vehicle and the full-line of Jeep models will be on display

Contex Acquires Scanner Distribution Division Of US Distributor IDEAL

Contex Acquires Scanner Distribution Division Of US Distributor IDEAL

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

ALLEROED, Denmark, July 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Improves Ability to Increase Customer Value

- Enhances Opportunities for Industry Partners

Corporate Express Reduces Packaging And Carbon Emissions With Launch Of New Box Sizes

Corporate Express Reduces Packaging And Carbon Emissions With Launch Of New Box Sizes

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

BIRMINGHAM, England, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Express Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Corporate Express NV (Euronext: CXP and NYSE: CXP) and one of the world's largest business-to-business suppliers of essential business supplies and services, announced today that the Company is introducing two new box sizes into its delivery operations.

In addition to the current small, medium and large boxes and biodegradable jiffy bags for smaller orders, Corporate Express is adding two corrugated board boxes that are the same height as the current small and medium boxes, but half of the base size.

Voyager 2: To Infinity And Beyond

Voyager 2: To Infinity And Beyond

Jul 02 2008 | comment(s)

A few years ago Voyager 1 entered the final frontier, that place where the solar wind becomes denser and hotter and pressure from gas between stars causes it to slow - the Termination Shock.

Now that Voyager 2 has reached its edge of the solar system, just under 7 billion miles from Earth, it has confirmed what astrophysicists had believed - the conflict between the solar wind and the interstellar wind has made that part of the solar system slightly squashed.