Monthly Archives: June 2012

Bodies in space | Bad Astronomy

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The door to the airlock closes behind you before you can stop it. You turn slowly to face the outer doors, and with growing dread you realize you are face to face with the worst fear of every astronaut since the dawn of the space age: when the outer doors open, youll experience explosive decompression. Youre about to be introduced to the hard vacuum of space.

What would that be like? If you watch movies, you might get a somewhat confused view of this. Your head will explode like a balloon full of pizza ("Outland"), your eyes and tongue will bug out as you choke to death ("Total Recall"), youll freeze instantly ("Mission to Mars").

The problem is that none of these things is right.

Artist Nathan Hoste got as tired as I was of Hollywoods depiction of getting tossed out the airlock, so he decided to draw a series of comic book-like panels showing the fact and fiction of breathing vacuum. Hes calling the series Bodies in Space, and the drawings are really cool.

This one is called "Radiation". I love the retro feel to it, and his caption is great: "Another thing that happens in space, away from an atmosphere or space ship, is being bombarded by cosmic rays. Many many years after he dies of oxygen deprivation, he will die of cancer." Ha!

The other drawings are equally excellent (though some are arguably NSFW). His science is good, and he plans on doing several more in the near future. I cant wait! I love stuff like this, and its great that hes using this medium of comic art to show real science which in this case is both scarier and more interesting than fiction.

If you want to know more, Ive written on this topic several times, including my reviews of Mission to Mars and Star Trek (the reboot), and twice on my old website: in a short article as well as answering a readers question.

I also talked about this in an episode of Q&BA:

So there you go. The bottom line: stay out in the vacuum of space and youll die, in a horribly unpleasant way. Just not in the horribly unpleasant way shown in movies!

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Bodies in space | Bad Astronomy

Landing on Mars: Seven minutes of terror | Bad Astronomy

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This. Is. AWESOME! How the bat-guano crazy engineers at NASA and JPL are going to land the Curiosity rover onto the surface of Mars:

Holy crap. NASA, throw lots more money at the production company that made this video! You want to excite the public? They did it right.

Now think about this: the rover weighs get this 890 kilograms, nearly a ton. The Mars air is thick enough that engineers have to deal with it, but too thin to bring Curiosity all the way to the surface safely. So they need a heat shield to slow it initially, a parachute to brake even more, and then rocket motors to drop it the rest of the way.

Craziness. But no worse, I suppose, than using a bouncy ball made of airbags to protect it, like Spirit and Opportunity used (Curiosity is way too heavy to use that method of landing). Its funny landing on Mars is harder than getting stuff back to Earth from space, or landing on the Moon. Our air is thick enough to make it relatively simple to slow something down enough for a comfortable landing, and since the Moon has no air, you just use rockets the whole way.

But you know what? I think theyll do it, and thisll work. Why? Because theyve landed probes on Mars before. Many times. We hear a lot of about failed attempts to get to Mars, but in fact JPL and NASA have done an amazing job of getting ever-increasingly sophisticated probes down to the surface of the Red Planet. Heck, Spirit and Opportunity were only supposed to work for a nominal period of 90 days, but Spirit kept going for over six years, and Opportunity is still going strong after more than eight years!

Curiosity is due to land on August 6, 2012, at 05:31 UTC. Thats before midnight in Boulder, so I plan on staying up and watching. I missed most of the fun stuff for the SpaceX mission to the space station because it all happened in the middle of the night, so itll be great to finally watch another space event live. This will be very exciting, and Ill post more info here as I hear it.

Related Posts:

- Curiosity on its way to Mars! - NASA lets go of Spirit - Mars Science Lab gets a name - Sunset on Mars

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Landing on Mars: Seven minutes of terror | Bad Astronomy

Surreal Arctic time lapse | Bad Astronomy

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Oh, wow. Were having a heat wave here in Boulder which isnt helping the fire situation so Im really glad I watched this time lapse video by Tor Even Mathisen. It is, quite literally, cool.

He filmed this in Troms (specifically Kvalya and Tromsya), in northern Norway, which is apparently a mecca for aurorae (see Related Posts below). Mathisen is an editor and cameraman for Norwegian Broadcasting, and clearly has an excellent eye for the sky. He has another aurora video he shot in 2010.

This is exactly what I needed as temperatures here push 40C. Its nice to know that while were sizzling here, the atmosphere is sizzling with cold light elsewhere.

Tip o the parka hood to John Markus Bjrndalen.

Related Posts:

- Fire, water, and ice - Real time footage of aurora shows them dancing and shimmering - Will you see the lights tonight? - The softly glowing night sky

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Surreal Arctic time lapse | Bad Astronomy

Astronomy, T-shirt design at Red Lion library

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Kaltreider-Benfer Library, 147 S. Charles St., Red Lion, has two events this week.

* The York County Astronomical Society's Darrell Frey will present Star Lab at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Frey will be in the library's planetarium and will show real photos taken from space, and much more. Ages 7 to 12. Registration is required.

* From 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, you can design your own pillowcase or T-shirt. Bring a plain, light-colored or white cotton pillowcase or T-shirt and create your own one-of-a-kind design using special crayons and the T-shirt machine. One item per person.

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Astronomy, T-shirt design at Red Lion library

Upstream Commerce Ensures Magento eCommerce Retailers have Access to Real-Time Competitive Intelligence

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Upstream Commerce today announced the integration of its Retail Intelligence Suite with the leading e-commerce platform, Magento, a division of eBay. For the first time, Magento users will be able to easily track their competitors prices and assortments in real-time to give them a competitive advantage in todays crowded online marketplace.

Upstream Commerces Retail Intelligence Suite includes the recently-announced Assortment Intelligence tool, as well as its flagship automated Pricing Intelligence tool, which currently tracks millions of products and has billions of quality intelligence data points. The Upstream Commerce solution is a sophisticated cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology that uses advanced artificial intelligence, semantic analysis, data-mining, and image-recognition algorithms. Customers worldwide are using the Upstream Commerce Retail Intelligence Suite in the United States, Europe and Australia, including leading companies on the Internet Retailer 500 list.

As a result of the integration with Magento, Upstream Commerce will automatically extract product, pricing and assortment data directly from the Magento platform and import it into the Upstream Commerce system, matching and comparing it with data collected from competitors. Future capabilities include the ability for retailers to change the prices in their storefront directly from the Upstream Commerce system, as well as competitive intelligence data appearing directly in Magentos admin panel. This will deliver a full actionable cycle where data is automatically extracted from Magento, analyzed in Upstream Commerce's application, and delivered back to Magento.

Upstream Commerce is proud to apply its advanced intelligence gathering technology to the Magento platform users to help retailers compete more effectively," said Upstream Commerce CEO, Amos Peleg. This integration is yet another step toward making real-time automated competitive intelligence capabilities broadly available to the online retail community.

The Upstream Commerce Retail Intelligence Suite is ideally suited for Magento businesses with annual revenues of $1 million and above. For a demo of the solution, please visit: http://upstreamcommerce.com/demo.

About Upstream Commerce

Upstream Commerce was founded in 2010 by seasoned retail technology experts, Amos Peleg and Shai Geva, on the premise that automated retail intelligence capability should simplify and streamline the highly-complicated data-gathering process so retailers can concentrate on optimizing their merchandising and marketing.

Upstream Commerce is dedicated to helping retailers around the world compete more effectively, increase sales, and grow profit margins through the use of advanced automated real-time intelligence gathering and analysis.

To find out more about the Upstream Commerce Retail Intelligence Suite, including the new Magento integration capability, please visit http://www.UpstreamCommerce.com.

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Upstream Commerce Ensures Magento eCommerce Retailers have Access to Real-Time Competitive Intelligence

Google artificial intelligence 'invents' cat

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The computer is based on a neural network of 16,000 processing cores with more than a billion interconnections, each very roughly simulating a connection in a human brain.

A team from Googles cutting-edge research lab, Google X, and Stanford University, fed the system 10 million thumbnail images taken from YouTube as training and then tested whether it was able to recognise 20,000 objects in new images.

It performed more than twice as accurately as any previous neural network, The New York Times reports. Among the objects the system learned to recognise was a cat, one of the most regulars star of viral clips uploaded by YouTube members.

We never told it during the training, This is a cat, said Google fellow Dr Jeff Dean. It basically invented the concept of a cat.

Overall, the neural network achieved 15.8 per cent accuracy. As well as cats faces, it learned the concepts of human faces and bodies, by compiling a ghostly image of their general features.

The research differed from how most artificially intelligent systems are trained, in that it was given no help by human supervisors labelling features.

The idea is that instead of having teams of researchers trying to find out how to find edges, you instead throw a ton of data at the algorithm and you let the data speak and have the software automatically learn from the data, said Andrew Ng of Stanford University.

Neural networks have myriad potential applications, including in speech recognition software and image search, which Google is working to improve.

The firms secretive Google X Lab works on cutting-edge technologies such as self-driving cars and augmented reality.

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Google artificial intelligence 'invents' cat

Skytronics and Beaver Aerospace & Defense to Showcase Total Lifecycle Support for Flight Control Components at the …

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Skytronics, Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), will showcase its FAA overhaul and repair capabilities for commercial and military aircraft actuation systems and ball screw assemblies at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow. During these uncertain economic times, MRO personnel who oversee the operation of commercial and military aircraft must develop effective cost-management strategies to maintain their fleets. Established in 1956, Skytronics has been a reliable, cost-effective FAA-approved Repair Station for over 50 years, holding approvals from the EASA, CAAC and Boeing. In addition, Skytronics holds licensed parts manufacturing authority (PMA) on stabilizer ball screws for Boeing 747/737/727/707 aircraft.

At the Farnborough International Airshow, Skytronics will exhibit with another PSI subsidiary, Beaver Aerospace & Defense of Livonia, MI. For six decades, Beaver has been a global leader in the design and manufacturing of unique and broad-range actuation technologies. Beaver offers cost-effective design and manufacturing solutions on its world-class ball screws, actuators, ball splines and gears. Beaver is also the industry leader in customer satisfaction, with a track record for on-time delivery that exceeds 99%.

"Skytronics is always proud to partner with the actuation design and manufacturing specialists at Beaver Aerospace & Defense," said Brad Duschak, Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Skytronics, Inc. "Together, Skytronics and Beaver offer total lifecycle support for flight control components, from design, engineering and manufacturing, to aftermarket sales and repair/overhaul services."

The Farnborough International Airshow takes place July 9-15, 2012 in Farnborough, United Kingdom. Skytronics will be exhibiting in the US Pavilion in Booth 2/A14. For more information, visit http://www.farnborough.com/airshow-2012.

For more information on Skytronics, visit http://www.skytronicsinc.com. You can also follow Skytronics on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/skytronicsinc, as well as on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/skytronicsinc.

About Skytronics, Inc. (www.skytronicsinc.com)

Skytronics, Inc., a SDVOSB and subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Inc., is a leading manufacturer and provider of repair and overhaul services for commercial and military aircraft ball screw assemblies and actuation systems. Skytronics is the OEM for the horizontal stabilizer trim ball screw assembly for Boeing 747/737/727/720/707 and KC-135 aircraft, as well as the trim tab actuator for the KC-135. We have been an FAA-approved Repair Station for over 50 years, and also hold approvals from EASA, CAAC and Boeing. Our repair and overhaul capabilities include horizontal stabilizer trim actuators (HSTAs) and ball screw assemblies, flap transmissions and leading-edge actuators for a wide range of Boeing commercial aircraft, as well as trim tab actuators and horizontal stabilizer trim ball screw assemblies for the Boeing KC-135 military aircraft.

In addition, Skytronics manufactures, repairs/overhauls and distributes both new and overhauled components for general aviation aircraft, such as ignition harnesses, alternators, regulators and ignition lead conduit.

About Beaver Aerospace & Defense, Inc. (www.beaver-online.com)

Beaver Aerospace & Defense, Inc., a SDVOSB and subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Inc., is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of unique and broad-range actuation technologies for the aerospace and defense industries, serving commercial and military markets, as well as the alternative energy industry. Our award-winning actuation systems and components (e.g. ball screws, gears and splines) are custom designed to fit virtually any application, and can be found on some of the most advanced aircraft, missile applications and mission-critical space exploration systems in the world. And, to top it off, Beaver is the industry leader in on-time delivery, with current performance exceeding 99%.

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Skytronics and Beaver Aerospace & Defense to Showcase Total Lifecycle Support for Flight Control Components at the ...

Simrit's Low-Density Silicone Achieves First Aerospace Application Success

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ELGIN, Ill., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --In response to evolving operational and environmental conditions, weight reduction has become a critical element in aircraft design and has created an increasing customer demand for weight-conscious sealing components. As a result, Simrit, a global supplier of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace industry, recently developed a proprietary, low-density silicone material that was successfully used in nacelle systems developed by a leading full-service independent nacelle system supplier.

Nacelle systems, housings that contain aircraft engines, are critical to the overall efficiency of aircraft, as well as a key area for weight savings and fuel economy improvements. Simrit developed its cost-effective AMS 3302 and AMS 3303 silicone material to provide a 15 to 20 percent weight savings over similar materials. With a specific gravity of less than one, it has the same physical properties of traditional silicone materials, but at a reduced weight.

"As our customers encounter changing operating conditions, Simrit strives to be a partner that they depend upon to offer forward-looking solutions that can be customized to fit precise application needs," said Todd Blair, business / product development manager, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies. "Our innovative low-density silicone material is just one example of how Simrit is working to anticipate industry changes, so we can provide customers with solutions when they need them."

Simrit's low-density silicone material is an ideal solution for numerous aerospace sealing applications, including airframe seals and pressure and environmental sealing applications of nacelle systems. Developed to meet widely accepted international specifications, the material withstands extreme low and high temperatures, is resistant to common aircraft fluids and can be combined into fireproof constructions.

"In the ever competitive commercial aerospace market, airlines are being required to do more for less," said Vinay Nilkanth, vice president global sales aerospace, Simrit. "Our low-density silicone material provides the critical weight saving benefits customers seek, without compromising other physical properties."

The material is produced at Simrit's Nadcap-approved Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada plant, which is one of the most experienced facilities in the aerospace industry. It designs and manufactures aerodynamic seals and sealing products, including engine seals, thrust reverser seals, and door and window seals, for commercial aircraft and jet engines. The facility was recently awarded United Technologies Corp.'s Supplier Gold status for the third consecutive year, as well as 3M's Superior Performance Award for the second time. The plant is certified to the AS9100 Revision C quality management system including design for the aerospace industry.

For additional information about Simrit's low-density silicone, visit the Simrit booth (hall 4, booth D10) during the Farnborough International Airshow show from July 9 to 13 in England.

Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreation markets. Simrit's global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at http://www.simrit.com.

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Simrit's Low-Density Silicone Achieves First Aerospace Application Success

Beaver Aerospace & Defense and Skytronics to Showcase Total Lifecycle Support for …

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Livonia, Michigan - Beaver Aerospace & Defense, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI) and global leader in the design and manufacturing of unique and broad-range actuation technologies, will showcase its refined design and engineering capabilities of flight control components at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow. During these uncertain economic times, commercial and military aircraft manufacturers look for cost-effective solutions that don't sacrifice quality. For six decades, Beaver has set the bar high on designing and manufacturing cost-effective actuation solutions that meet the highest quality standards in the industry. Beaver's ball screws, actuators, ball splines and gears are custom designed to fit virtually any application with superior performance and precision. Furthermore, Beaver is the industry leader in customer satisfaction, with a track record for on-time delivery that exceeds 99%.

At the Farnborough International Airshow, Beaver will exhibit with another PSI subsidiary, Skytronics, Inc. of El Segundo, CA. Skytronics is a leading provider of repair and overhaul services for commercial and military aircraft actuation systems and ball screw assemblies. Established in 1956, Skytronics has been an FAA-approved Repair Station for over 50 years, and also holds approvals from the EASA, CAAC and Boeing. In addition, Skytronics holds licensed parts manufacturing authority (PMA) on stabilizer ball screws for Boeing 747/737/727/707 aircraft.

"Beaver Aerospace & Defense is always proud to partner with the aftermarket specialists at Skytronics," said Lee Pichan, Sales Director at Beaver Aerospace & Defense. "Together, Beaver and Skytronics offer total lifecycle support for flight control components, from design, engineering and manufacturing, to aftermarket sales and repair/overhaul services."

The Farnborough International Airshow takes place July 9-15, 2012 in Farnborough, United Kingdom. Beaver Aerospace & Defense will be exhibiting in the US Pavilion in Booth 2/A14. For more information, visit http://www.farnborough.com/airshow-2012. For more information on Beaver Aerospace & Defense, visit http://www.beaver-online.com. You can also follow Beaver on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/beaveraerospace, as well as on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/beaveraerospace.

About Beaver Aerospace & Defense, Inc. (www.beaver-online.com) Beaver Aerospace & Defense, Inc., a SDVOSB and subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Inc., is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of unique and broad-range actuation technologies for the aerospace and defense industries, serving commercial and military markets, as well as the alternative energy industry. Our award-winning actuation systems and components (e.g. ball screws, gears and splines) are custom designed to fit virtually any application, and can be found on some of the most advanced aircraft, missile applications and mission-critical space exploration systems in the world. And, to top it off, Beaver is the industry leader in on-time delivery, with current performance exceeding 99%.

About Skytronics, Inc. (www.skytronicsinc.com) Skytronics, Inc., a SDVOSB and subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Inc., is a leading manufacturer and provider of repair and overhaul services for commercial and military aircraft ball screw assemblies and actuation systems. Skytronics is the OEM for the horizontal stabilizer trim ball screw assembly for Boeing 747/737/727/720/707 and KC-135 aircraft, as well as the trim tab actuator for the KC-135. We have been an FAA-approved Repair Station for over 50 years, and also hold approvals from EASA, CAAC and Boeing. Our repair and overhaul capabilities include horizontal stabilizer trim actuators (HSTAs) and ball screw assemblies, flap transmissions and leading-edge actuators for a wide range of Boeing commercial aircraft, as well as trim tab actuators and horizontal stabilizer trim ball screw assemblies for the Boeing KC-135 military aircraft. In addition, Skytronics manufactures repairs/overhauls and distributes both new and overhauled components for general aviation aircraft, such as ignition harnesses, alternators, regulators and ignition lead conduit.

About Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) (www.psi-online.com) Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) oversees a diverse set of technology-based subsidiaries, which serve a wide variety of industries, from automotive, aerospace and defense, to energy, security and semiconductor. Established in 1967, our award-winning products and services help reduce costs and maximize efficiency for many Fortune 500 companies, as well as the U.S. military. PSI pushes the bounds of technology on critical programs like Homeland Security, Defense research and space exploration. Simply put, PSI is one of the most innovative companies in the world. PSI: Always innovating. Everywhere.(TM)

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NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Meeting 20 Jul 2012

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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 26, 2012)] [Notices] [Page 38090] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2012-15546]

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 12-044]

Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel; Meeting.

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a forthcoming meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

DATES: Friday, July 20, 2012, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Debus Center, SR 405, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Harmony Myers, Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Executive Director, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC 20546, (202) 358-1857.

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NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Meeting 20 Jul 2012

AP State News Briefs

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Published 6/26/2012 in News

AP: KU Med gets $1 million for physiology professor

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas Medical Center will use a $1 million gift to create a physiology professorship.

The university's endowment announced the gift Monday from Jim Osborn of Honolulu.

The gift honors Osborn's daughter, who worked in physiology at the medical center in 1968 and 1969 before dying in a car accident in 1970. At the time of her death, Kathleen Osborn was a junior at the University of Missouri.

Paul Cheney, chairman of the molecular and integrative physiology department, is the first recipient of the Kathleen M. Osborn Chair in Molecular and Integrative Physiology.

Osborn and his wife, Marion, already established the Kathleen Osborn Lectureship at the medical center. And Osborn established the Marion M. Osborn Professorship for Reproductive Science at the Kansas School of Medicine.

AP: Dodge City preparing to welcome disabled riders

DODGE CITY (AP) Dodge City is preparing to welcome 16 physically challenged veterans who are riding bicycles across the country to show people that they aren't defined by those challenges.

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AP State News Briefs

A Product and Pipeline Analysis of the U.S. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Market

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NEW YORK, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A Product and Pipeline Analysis of the U.S. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Market

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0920065/A-Product-and-Pipeline-Analysis-of-the-US-Type-2-Diabetes-Mellitus-Market.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Pathology

This research service presents a marketed and pipeline analysis of the U.S. type 2 diabetes mellitus market. According to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 25.8 million children and adults (or 8.3 percent of the population) in the United States suffer from diabetes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most common form of diabetes; approximately 90 to 95 percent of diabetes patients suffer from type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study is to highlight the current market landscape, and provide a competitive analysis of all marketed and pipeline drugs in development for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Dashboard slides are provided for all marketed and Phase 3 drugs in development for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

2. Introduction

Market Overview - Segmentation

3. Competitive Landscape

Type 2 Diabetes Competitive Landscape - Orals

Type 2 Diabetes Competitive Lanscape - Parenterals

Product Analysis - Orals

Product Analysis - Parenterals

Link:
A Product and Pipeline Analysis of the U.S. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Market

AccelPath, Inc. Working with Three Pathology Laboratories

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GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

AccelPath, Inc. (ACLP) (AccelPath or the Company) announced today that the Company is working with three pathology laboratories in Texas.

The three pathology laboratories are located near Houston, Texas. Interpretations for these laboratories are provided by the Company's interpretation partner, which has the exclusive rights to interpret all tissue pathology slides processed in these laboratories. In addition, the Company provides consulting services to the laboratories as they transition from non-digital, physical transportation of slides (to the interpretation partner) to eventually complete transmission of both slide and patient information digitally to remote reading site. These laboratories recognize the cost, logistical and other advantages of moving to digital transmission of pathology information and recognize that AccelPath provides the only available practical solution for digital telepathology. These laboratories provide AccelPath with an estimated initial total revenue base of approximately $250,000 per year.

The Company has begun to install and use modules of its proprietary workflow software AccelSlideTM in these laboratories. Eventually, these laboratories will utilize AccelSlideTM fully to digitize the transport of patient records and digital slide images to reading centers anywhere in the United States and internationally. This workflow software continues to develop, improve and expand while being used by these laboratories. Also, they use AccelSlideTM, the laboratories provide valuable user feedback to the Company to further improve the workflow software.

"We believe that there are significant benefits to transitioning to digital pathology for our laboratory practice, stated Dr. RM. After our extensive research into digital telepathology solutions and service providers, we were convinced that AccelPath was the company that had the only viable digital solution. They currently provide us with remote pathology services through a very reputable institutional partner, while we utilize their workflow software solution to transition our practice to become fully digital. Our experience with the Company has been exemplary and we look forward to continuing our relationship.

We are very pleased with our commercial and collaborative relationship with these three pathology laboratories, stated Shekhar Wadekar, AccelPaths Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. It is important to have customers who provide exclusive rights to their pathology, while assisting us improve AccelSlideTM with real-time feedback on our workflow software in addition to generating current revenues for the Company. We plan on expanding our product offerings in this region while we also continue to discuss other regional relationships both in the US and abroad.

About AccelPath

AccelPath provides technology solutions that play a key role in delivering information required for diagnosis of diseases and other pathologic conditions with and through its associated institutional pathologists. The medical institutions, with whom the Company partners, prepare comprehensive diagnostic reports of a patients condition and consult with referring physicians to help determine the most appropriate treatment. Such diagnostic reports enable the early detection of disease, allowing referring physicians to make informed and timely treatment decisions that improve their patients health in a cost-effective manner. The Company seeks out referring physicians and histology laboratories in need of high-quality pathology interpretations and manages HIPAA-compliant digital case delivery and reporting while developing comprehensive solutions for managing medical information.

AccelPath is currently focused on the $14 billion anatomic pathology market in the US. The Companys business model builds upon the expertise of experienced pathologists to provide seamless, reliable and comprehensive pathology and special test offerings to referring physicians using conventional and digital technologies. The Company establishes longstanding relationships with the referring physicians as a result of focused delivery of its partners diagnostic services, personalized responses and frequent consultations, and its proprietary flexible information technology, or IT, solutions that are customizable to the referring physicians or laboratories as well as the pathologists needs. Such diagnostic reports often enable the early detection of disease, allowing referring physicians to make informed and timely treatment decisions that improve their patients health in a cost-effective manner. AccelPaths IT and communications platform enables it to efficiently and securely deliver diagnostic reports to referring physicians. In addition, AccelPaths IT platform enables close tracking and monitoring of medical statistics.

AccelPath is focused on the design, research, development and integration of three-dimensional imaging devices and systems primarily in the healthcare industries which it contributes to the Company. The Company will also exploit its three-dimensional imaging technology for use in intelligent surveillance devices and systems, as well as three-dimensional facial recognition systems for security and law enforcement agencies through future strategic partnerships. Historically, the Companys largest customers have been the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

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AccelPath, Inc. Working with Three Pathology Laboratories

Abbott Introduces New Limited Ingredient Nutrition Bar – Perfectly Simple™ by ZonePerfect®

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ABBOTT PARK, Ill., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott's ZonePerfect brand introduces a new line of nutrition bars, Perfectly Simple. With 10 or fewer ingredients and an excellent source of protein, the bars are free of gluten, preservatives and added coloring.

Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect is a bar built by consumers. In market research activities, consumers were given more than 50 ingredients and asked to construct their ideal nutrition bar that included 10 grams of protein, flavors they enjoy and limited ingredients. Perfectly Simple is the result.

Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect is available in Peanut Crunch, Cranberry Almond and Toasted Coconut flavors.

To celebrate the launch, ZonePerfect is sampling the new bars in early July via its web site at zoneperfect.com, while supplies last.

News Facts:

Commentary on Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect:

Heather Bauer, RD, CDN; CEO, NuTrain:

"As a nutritionist who coaches everyone from top CEOs to celebrities and fellow moms, I always see the same thing: everyone wants a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for life. Delicious nutrition is essential for on-the-go consumers. Whether fueling your work day, running to sporting events or playing with your children, Perfectly Simple is a nutritious, gluten-free, protein-packed snack under 200 calories that helps keep you going."

From Tobe Cohen, division vice president and general manager, Performance Nutrition, Abbott Nutrition:

"At ZonePerfect, we are committed to innovation and introducing new flavors each year that meet our consumers' ever-changing needs and taste preferences. This year, we asked consumers to help design the new bars. Given a variety of ingredients, consumers constructed their ideal nutrition bar with 10 grams of protein and flavors they enjoy. The result is Perfectly Simple and they're simply delicious."

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Abbott Introduces New Limited Ingredient Nutrition Bar - Perfectly Simple™ by ZonePerfect®

Research sheds new light on kinky DNA

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(Phys.org) -- A breakthrough in DNA research from the University of Reading could be used to devise new therapeutic treatments for cancer.

Professor Christine Cardin, from the Department of Chemistry, has seen for the first time how one group of metal-containing molecules interacts with DNA. The molecules create new steps in its structure that fluoresce or glow under the microscope. This sheds new light on how and why our DNA changes shape.

The double helix could be justifiably called a scientific icon. Graphics showing the intertwined strands are used to market everything from hair shampoo to high-tech medical equipment. Yet we know remarkably little about exactly how molecules which are known to bind to DNA change its structure.

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She said: "We now know that when molecules bind to DNA symmetrically within the minor groove they can't form other interactions, while those which go in at an angle can, linking to further segments of DNA and creating a kink. How molecules bind to DNA is important for designing probes for specific DNA sequences. Many genes are switched on and off when the right protein creates a kink in the DNA double helix, and a drug which could do this selectively could be a used to further medical research.

"This kinking behaviour probably occurs with other molecules, but this is the first time it has been directly visualized with a small molecule."

More information: The paper, Crystal structures of L-[Ru(phen)2dppz]2+ with oligonucleotides containing TA/TA and AT/AT steps show two intercalation modes', by Niyazi, H, et al., appears in Nature Chemistry, DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1397

Journal reference: Nature Chemistry

Provided by University of Reading

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Research sheds new light on kinky DNA

Posted in DNA

DNA match leads Arkansas man to plead guilty to 1993 New Orleans rape

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Faced with a DNA match, a 43-year-old man pleaded guilty Mondayin Orleans Parishto a rape he committed 18 years ago. Reginald Berry pleaded guilty to forcible rape and second-degree kidnapping, and Criminal District Judge Laurie White sentenced him to 22 years in prison under the deal.

Authorities pinned Berry to the crime through a federal DNA database. He had been living and working in Arkansas before his arrest on April 28, 2011, said his attorney, Aris Cox VI.

Authorities also had Berry pegged to another sexual assault, Cox said. A state grand jury indicted him in June, 2011.

"They had evidence. There was another allegation they were going to bring in should he have survived this trial," Cox said. "I'm sure they would have charged him with that."

Under the plea deal, that case goes away, Cox said.

According to Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office, the woman said Berry forced her into his residence in the 6700 block of Tara Lane in eastern New Orleans and raped her.

She called police and identified the perpetrator through a description of his apartment, but the investigation went nowhere, Cannizzaro's office said.

The woman submitted to a rape exam kit, and in 2007 a database hit identified Berry as a match. Again, the case lagged, Cannizzaro's office said, until New Orleans police laterstarted clearing up a backlog of unconfirmed DNA hits.

The victim was not eager to participate in a prosecution, according to a news release from Cannizzaro's office.

"It is always difficult to prosecute a case that is nearly two decades old and it is even harder when the victim feels as though she was not treated with respect during the initial rape investigation," Cannizzaro said in a news release.

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DNA match leads Arkansas man to plead guilty to 1993 New Orleans rape

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DNA match results in arrest

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla - A DNA match stemming from blood left on curtains three years ago during a home burglary helped police arrest a local man in connection with the case, according to a detective and records obtained Monday.

Ruben Toussaint, now 21, was arrested earlier this month on charges including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft stemming from the June 2009 incidents, said Port St. Lucie police Detective Christopher Fulcher.

At the time, a woman living in a home in the 5800 block of Northwest Hann Drive told police she had returned from visiting her sister and noticed her residence had been burglarized, a report states.

A sliding door was shattered and some electronics were reported stolen. Police noticed what appeared to be blood on a curtain and took portions for DNA testing.

Fulcher said that in March 2011 Toussaint was arrested in Port St. Lucie in connection with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting without violence. In November, Fulcher said, Toussaint was convicted of those charges.

"Once convicted, they took a DNA sample from him and placed it into this national database or databank," Fulcher said. "DNA from the curtain ... hit on that in the system."

Fulcher said Toussaint wasn't a suspect at the time of the 2009 burglary.

"We didn't even know who he was," Fulcher said.

Fulcher said Toussaint, who at the time lived near the burglarized home, denied being in the residence.

"DNA works," Fulcher said. "Where ever you step, where ever you go, there will be scientific evidence to find you later."

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DNA match results in arrest

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Kevin Densmore Enhances DNA Seattle’s Strategic Media Capability as New Director of Media & Analytics

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SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DNA Seattle, an independent full-service agency with expertise in brand strategy, advertising, digital strategy and media, announced today the hiring of Kevin Densmore as director of media & analytics.

With a 24-year career in media planning and buying, Densmore brings Effie Award-winning experience for his work on AAA/Washington and DIRECTV to DNA Seattle.

Densmore will oversee media planning and buying for all DNA Seattle clients, with a focus on innovative thinking fueled by great strategy, solid research tools for planning and state-of-the-art platforms for executing. His media expertise ranges from traditional broadcast, print and outdoor media to non-traditional that includes viral, online, mobile, events and trade.

I was attracted to DNA because they have a great track record of producing differentiating creative that is informed by great strategy. My focus is making sure that media first remains a discipline of innovating and not merely optimizing. We can support DNAs great creative work by developing innovative media ideas that on their own can produce big changes for clients, said Densmore.

Kevin is smart, thoughtful and a natural leader who brings a significant strategic strength to DNA. His depth of experience in traditional media planning, along with his thought leadership in new media and analytics will keep our media capability ahead of the curve in the market, said Alan Brown, principal and managing director at DNA Seattle.

Previously, Densmore was VP/director of media and analytics at HL2, where he oversaw media planning/buying and analytics for all accounts, including Microsoft HealthVault, Microsoft Response Point, Bing, Windows Phone, HTC, Overlake Hospital, H&R Block, Pike Place Market, and Vail Resorts. He has also served in various media positions with Draftfcb, Foote Cone & Belding and Campbell-Ewald/Los Angeles.

Densmore has a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a love of golf and basketball, which has led him to attend the March Madness of the NCAA basketball tournament 23 years in a row.

About DNA Seattle

Founded in 1998, DNA is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Seattle, Washington. The agency provides services in brand strategy, advertising, interactive and design. As one of the fastest growing agencies on the West Coast, DNA has a talent and passion for transforming brandsand helping their client partners win unreasoning loyalty from their customers and prospects in the process. Some of DNAs clients include: Group Health Cooperative, PEMCO Insurance, BECU, The Avon Foundation, F5, Executive Travel Magazine, GlobalScholar and University of Washington. Visit DNA on the Web atwww.dnaseattle.com, on Twitter at @dnaseattle and on Facebook.

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Kevin Densmore Enhances DNA Seattle’s Strategic Media Capability as New Director of Media & Analytics

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