Monthly Archives: July 2012

Summer weather brings jellyfish to San Diego County beaches

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Warm weather has brought the annual influx of those gelatinous marine animals known as jellyfish to the beaches of San Diego County.

Dozens of beach patrons have reported being stung by the creatures in recent days at beaches stretching from La Jolla Shores to Oceanside. The jellyfish venture close to shore in search of plankton to eat.

Folk remedies abound about alleviating the pain inflicted by the poisonous nettles. One common remedy is to douse the area with vinegar and then remove the nettles very carefully while wearing gloves.

Beachgoers beware: Even in death, a jellyfish can sting.

While it is no comfort to those who have stepped on orbrushed against a jellyfish,large numbers of jellyfish have been spotted at some of the world's glamour beaches of late, including the French Riviera, Spain's Costa del Sol and the sandy beaches of Australia.

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Summer weather brings jellyfish to San Diego County beaches

Beaches: Britain's best kept secret

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Beaches might not be the first thing that spring to mind when you think of Britain, but our coastline is worth exploring.

You don't have to venture far from home to find long stretches of sandy beach. Mainland Britain's coastline is over 11,000 miles long and as we Brits are never more than 70 miles from the sea, there really is no excuse not to head to the seaside this summer.

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR FULL GALLERY OF BRITAIN'S BEST BEACHES

And Britain's coast is on the up. This year the prestigious international Blue Flag award has been given to 79 British beaches - nine more than in 2011. The Blue Flag guarantees high levels of cleanliness, water quality and safety - blue flag beaches can be found dotted up and down the British coastline.

And with the weather set totake a turn for the better next week, there's no better time to pack a picnic, dig out your bucket and spade and hit Britain's best beaches.

Bamburgh, Northumberland Bamburgh is a vast stretch of 3 miles of white sand is surrounded by glossy, grassy dunes and is overlooked by the ancient Bamburgh Castle, an imposing castle perched on a basalt outcrop. What the beach lacks in sun-bathing opportunities and warm inviting waters, it makes up for with its spectacular setting and abundant surrounding nature birdwatchers, photographers, kite-flyers and fishermen alike will not be disappointed. Views from the beach extend to The Farne Islands on the North Sea and inland to the dramatic Northumberland moors.

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire Surrounded by a nature reserve, Barafundle Bay might be the closest you'll get an exotic paradise in the UK. Its golden sands and clear waters can only be accessed by a cliff path which winds down to the beach through grassy dunes and picturesque pine trees. This award winning, pristine beach suits those with a sense of adventure - once you're there, you won't find any facilities which means it stays relatively quiet, even during the summer. Granny in tow?Visit one of the Pembrokeshire coasts many charming seaside towns instead such as medieval, walled Tenby.

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Beaches: Britain's best kept secret

Astronomy: Astronomy: The Crescent Nebula

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Jul 17 2012 By David Moulton - North Wales Astronomy Society

Crescent Nebula

Without doubt it has been a difficult summer for Astronomy, not only the light nights, but the dreadful weather has put the handbrake on my pursuit of Astrophotography.

I did however manage just one night under the stars in the middle of June during a gap in the fronts coming in for m the Atlantic. The skies cleared that evening and stayed clear until dawn so I took full advantage and was up imaging until the dawn chorus.

The target for the night was a wide field view of NGC 6888 common name The Crescent Nebula. This object is located in The heart of the milky way in the constellation of Cygnus, I imaged this target in Natural colour several years ago now in close up (see image), but I have also been aware that the area is worth looking at in wide field as there is plenty going on. This wide field image was taken using my ED80 Refractor telescope using Narrowband filters in a cooled QSI 583 Astro camera. The resulting data on the night totalled 2.5hrs of exposure and has been colour mapped to the Hubble palette colours to produce the image

The Crescent is estimated to be 5000 light years distant and is an estimated 400,000 years old. The Nebula itself has been formed from material expelled from a dying Red Giant star; this material has fallen under the spell of the stellar wind emitting from a neighbouring Wolf- Rayet star, this interaction has resulted in the dramatic shock fronts seen in the Crescent Nebula. The wide field view does however illustrate just how active whole region is, showing large swirls of emission nebulosity that are present in the area.

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Astronomy: Astronomy: The Crescent Nebula

Research and Markets: US Aerospace Sector: Industry Profile

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/379qcd/us_aerospace_secto) has announced the addition of the "US Aerospace Sector: Industry Profile" report to their offering.

This industry profile helps to gain an insight into the evolution of the industry and competitive dynamics prevalent in the market. It discusses the significant developments in the industry and analyzes the key trends and issues. The profile provides inputs in strategic business planning of industry professionals.

Key Topics Covered

Industry Snapshot

This section gives a holistic overview of the industry. It starts with defining the market and goes on to give historical and current market size figures. It also clearly illustrates the major segments of the market which would be discussed later on in the report.

Industry Analysis

It involves a comprehensive analysis of the industry and its market segments. This section discusses the key developments that have taken place in the industry. It also identifies and analyzes the driving factors and challenges of the industry. A description of the regulatory structure tells us about the major regulatory bodies, laws and government policies.

Country Analysis

This section presents the key facts & figures of the country. It also discusses the political environment and the macroeconomic indicators. It analyzes government stability and economic growth of the country.

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Research and Markets: US Aerospace Sector: Industry Profile

Aerospace firm Heroux-Devtek sells chunk of business to focus on landing gear

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By LuAnn LaSalle, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL - Quebec aerospace manufacturer Heroux-Devtek Inc. will focus on its landing gear division with the $300 million sale of about one-third of its business to a U.S. firm in a cash deal that sent the company's stock soaring on Tuesday.

Shares in Heroux-Devtek (TSX:HRX.TO - News) jumped 32 per cent, or $2.50, to $10.35 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Earlier they traded as high as $11.75 and beat a record high of $10 per share set at the end of 2001.

Precision Castparts Corp. of Portland, Ore. (NYSE:PCP - News), will acquire Heroux-Devtek's Aerostructure and Industrial Products division, which had about $130 million of annual sales about one-third of its total revenue.

Chief executive Gilles Labbe said Heroux-Devtek will focus on growth and possible acquisitions in its landing gear business.

"Our vision is to continue to build Heroux-Devtek into a Quebec-based world-class organization in this core market," Labbe told analysts on a conference call to discuss the deal.

Heroux-Devtek is one of the Canadian companies that's involved in the Lockheed Martin F-35 jet fighter program, a multi-country initiative led by the United States, which has faced cost and timetable overruns.

"We are big players in the F-35," Labbe said of the radar-evading fighter jet.

"We design and build all of the outlook system for the F-35 in Canada and we also build some structural components in Canada, but of course our structure business will be sold. So all of the structure business we do on the F-35 will be taken over by Precision Castparts."

The Montreal-area company will remain significantly involved in the F-35 program through the landing-gear business that it's keeping, he said.

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Aerospace firm Heroux-Devtek sells chunk of business to focus on landing gear

3M aerospace division takes flight

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by Martin Moylan, Minnesota Public Radio

July 17, 2012

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ST. PAUL, Minn. Maplewood-based 3M has turned its aerospace business into a separate division, meaning the business will get more attention and investment as 3M products increasingly show up inside and outside the planes we fly on.

Creating a separate division is a sign that 3M wants to elevate its role with aircraft manufacturers and airline maintenance operations.

"We've really taken our business into looking at 'how can a material science company like 3M play a broader role for the aerospace industry, enabling them to build lighter, safer, quieter aircraft faster,' " said Denise Rutherford, vice president of 3M's Aerospace and Aircraft Maintenance Division.

The company sees lots of opportunity in the sector to increase sales of products for which 3M is well-known adhesives, sealants and protective films.

For instance, Rutherford said 3M can help make planes lighter by providing low-weight compounds that reinforce lightweight components, making a plane's structure stronger.

"Every 50 to 100 pounds you can take out of an aircraft enables either fuel efficiency or more luggage or another passenger to go into that plane," she said.

3M sound insulation kits make plane cabins quieter for passengers. And the company's films and tapes help prevent corrosion of aircraft frames and protect wings, nose cones and underbellies. Rutherford said corrosion costs the airline industry about $2 billion a year.

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Ball Aerospace Announces Five Payloads for STPSat-3 Satellite

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BOULDER, Colo., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. STPSat-3 spacecraft built for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) will host five payloads and a de-orbit module when it launches in 2013.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120717/LA41140)

The STPSat series of satellites successfully proves the concept of a standard interface vehicle for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development & Test Directorate (SMC/SD). The STPSat-3 spacecraft is able to support a variety of experimental and risk reduction payloads at different low-Earth orbits and is compatible with multiple launch vehicles by utilizing the flight-proven Ball Configurable Platform 100 (BCP-100) standard interface bus.

"The STPSat-3satellite demonstrated its outstanding agility by accommodating additional payloads after the spacecraft was completed," said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. "Built in only 47 days, the versatility of this common spacecraft will be evidenced once again when five payloads are flown aboard STPSat-3 two more than carried by SPTSat-2 when it launched in 2010," said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace.

The payloads for STPSat-3 will include:

In addition, the spacecraft has new capability, the MMA Design LLC De-Orbit Module used to de-orbit the satellite in less than 25 years.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information visit http://www.ballaerospace.com.

Ball Corporation (BLL) is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates, " "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at http://www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

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Ball Aerospace Announces Five Payloads for STPSat-3 Satellite

Marana Aerospace Solutions Completes Heavy Maintenance Checks for Turkmenistan Airlines

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MARANA, Ariz., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Marana Aerospace Solutions announced that it has recently completed Heavy Maintenance checks on two Boeing 717-200 aircraft for Turkmenistan Airlines. The Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) facility located just north of Tucson is regarded as one of the world's largest aviation service resources. For more than three decades it has delivered award-winning solutions for nearly every type of commercial aircraft, including Boeing, Airbus, McDonnell Douglas, Bombardier, Embraer and more.

"This program actually represents two important firsts for Marana Aerospace Solutions," said Colin Buxton, the facility's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "It was the first time that we performed heavy maintenance on this particular aircraft type, and also our first opportunity to work with Turkmenistan Airlines. We look forward to building on both of these significant events."

Marana Aerospace Solutions is internationally recognized as one of the industry's most reliable aviation MRO service facilities. It provides comprehensive full-life aircraft care, including heavy maintenance, overhaul, and component repairs, as well as expert painting, interior, detailing, and end of life options to passenger and cargo airline and leasing clients from around the world.

With its ideal low-humidity climate, the expansive 1,200 acre facility can accommodate storage for more than 400 aircraft. The FAA-certificated technicians, crews, and on-site customer satisfaction teams at Marana Aerospace Solutions are dedicated to continuous improvements in operational excellence. The facility has received the prestigious FAA Diamond Award and numerous industry certificates and recognition for its outstanding maintenance services.

About Marana Aerospace Solutions

Located in Marana, Arizona, Marana Aerospace Solutions provides a broad range of customized maintenance, component services, painting and storage solutions to some of the world's largest commercial airlines, aircraft leasing companies, and government agencies.

Privately owned and operated, Marana Aerospace Solutions is a Federal Aviation Administration Approved FAR Part 145 Repair Station with a FAA Class IV Airframe Rating. It is ISO 9001-2008 registered and holds numerous international maintenance certifications including EASA. More information is available at http://maranaaerospace.com/.

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Marana Aerospace Solutions Completes Heavy Maintenance Checks for Turkmenistan Airlines

Lewisham NHS Trust Adopts CSC’s NextGen Pathology Solution

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FALLS CHURCH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust has become one of the first trusts to adopt CSCs (CSC) next-generation laboratory solution under a project to overhaul cellular pathology services across the new organization, formed by the merger of acute and community services in Lewisham.

Under a three-year contract won in open tender during the first quarter of CSC fiscal year 2013, CSCs Healthcare Group will replace a Radius system for cellular pathology with its current laboratory solution. The agreement will immediately allow doctors to request cellular pathology tests and view all results online.

As an early adopter, Lewisham will also use current NextGen modules for cellular pathology and mortuary plus tools for vital cancer registry reporting.

The move supports calls for modern, efficient pathology services across the 450-bed University Hospital Lewisham and 10 community health centers.

Following this implementation we will be better placed to support the cellular pathology services now being offered across the trust in a more effective and efficient manner, said Alex Singer, Lewishams pathology manager. CSCs laboratory solution is known for being robust and flexible. Having a solution that is reliable, easy to maintain and easy to customize was vital. It also allows us to develop and test new interfaces without impacting the core system or existing users and migrate gradually to CSCs next-generation solution.

Our NextGen solution is designed to meet demands on modern pathology services to do more for less and is another example of the work we are doing with our customers to develop solutions that meet their exact needs, said Andrea Fiumicelli, chief operating officer of CSCs Healthcare Group. These and other innovations will help cement our position as the UKs largest provider of laboratory information systems.

Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust was formed in August 2010 after the merger of Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust and NHS Lewisham, and is one the first trusts to integrate acute and community services under one organization.

About CSC

CSC is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., CSC has approximately 98,000 employees and reported revenue of $15.9 billion for the 12 months ended March 30, 2012. For more information, visit the companys website at http://www.csc.com.

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Lewisham NHS Trust Adopts CSC’s NextGen Pathology Solution

Jamba Juice Unveils New Healthy Beverage for Schools

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EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The ongoing effort to improve nutrition and access to good-for-you food and beverage choices for kids in schools just got a healthy boost. Jamba Juice Company (JMBA), with nutrition guidance from National Dairy Council, today announced a new fruit and dairy beverage for K-12 schools. The healthy smoothie, naturally sweetened with fruit and fruit juice, combines the nutrient-rich benefits of fat-free milk with real fruit. The beverage will be unveiled this week at the School Nutrition Association conference in Denver.

School nutrition professionals, the USDA and parent/teacher groups have been working to improve the nutrition in school meals, but also have wrestled with cost considerations and finding options kids will actually consume. This is an important step in the right direction, said Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, a nutrition and food, author and member of the Jamba Healthy Living Council. This project moves us closer towards the goal of providing schools with nutritious food and beverage solutions at a reasonable cost per-serving.

Kids should love the natural sweetness of this healthy smoothie, continued Zelman. Its made with nutrient-rich real fruit and fat-free milk that not only tastes great, but also helps address the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and can be offered as an a la carte item at school meal.

Jamba is entering the second year of its JambaGO initiative, a program aimed at bringing better nutrition to kids with full fruit and vegetable servings in smoothie beverages. We believe the program needed a dairy component to reach its full potential as a relevant healthy option in school foodservice programs, said Julie Washington, chief brand officer, Jamba Juice Company. Jamba reached out to National Dairy Council and Dairy Research Institute, founded by Americas dairy farmers, for help with dairy nutrition expertise and in formulating a new dairy and fruit drink. They responded with a dedicated team of nutrition and product development experts. JambaGO smoothies are being served in about 100 schools around the nation and the company expects that number to grow to between 400-500 installations by year end.

According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines, sodas, energy and sports drinks are a top source of added sugars in the American diet. Public health officials are concerned about the steady rise of empty calories consumed by young people and are seeking ways to curb the intake of excess calories to address obesity and the health of the nation. Dairy farmers and dairy companies want to help students get the benefits of essential nutrients found in products made from fat-free milk, such as calcium, potassium and protein, said Jean Ragalie, RD, president, National Dairy Council. Adding dairy to the fruit-based JambaGO smoothie offerings demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation to develop healthy food and beverage choices that children will enjoy.

Schools continue to be a vital link in providing better nutrition for kids. The current JambaGO program has been a huge success for us, said Ken Llewellyn, food service director and nutrition specialist for the Crane School District, Crane, MO. We like it because were offering kids beverages that deliver the nutrient benefits of real fruit, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. The new option coming with real fruit and fat-free milk will be a great addition. The JambaGO program has helped us boost student involvement in our breakfast program by over 10 percent and as a result we are now experiencing 72 percent participation.

The new fat-free dairy and fruit beverage is available in berry and peach flavors and is expected to be available to schools starting in September 2012.

Made with fat-free milk blended with fruit juices and apple, strawberry, and blueberry fruits, the Berry Fruit Smoothie contains one serving of fruit and one-half serving of fat-free dairy per eight fluid ounces, is fat-free, cholesterol free, low sodium food , and is formulated to be a good source of protein, potassium and phosphorus and an excellent source of calcium and vitamin C.

The Peach Fruit Smoothie is made with fat-free dairy blended with fruit juices and peach fruits. It contains one serving of fruit and one-half serving of fat-free dairy per eight fluid ounces and is fat-free, cholesterol free, and low sodium food. It is formulated to be a good source of protein, potassium, vitamin C, and phosphorous and an excellent source of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and calcium.

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Jamba Juice Unveils New Healthy Beverage for Schools

Schiff Nutrition Int'l (): Zacks Rank Buy

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Schiff Nutrition International (SHF) has reported positive earnings surprises in two out of the past three quarters, and is scheduled to deliver fiscal fourth-quarter results on July 23. Earnings estimates for this nutritional supplement company have been trending higher, which made it a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stock on July 13, 2012.

Solid Third Quarter

On March 22, Schiff Nutrition reported adjusted earnings per share of 16 cents for its fiscal third quarter of 2012, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 33.3% and the year-ago result by 14.3%. Net income increased 14.5% year over year to $4.6 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $9.3 million, up 25.7% from a year ago.

Net sales climbed 25.0% to $72.2 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.9%. The growth in top-line partly reflects new offerings and progression of key brands. Selling and marketing expense amounted to 25% of revenue in the reported quarter, higher than 14% in the year-ago period.

The company raised its revenue guidance for fiscal 2012 to between 16% and 19% from the earlier projection of 12% to 15%. The gross margin range has been lifted to between 44% and 46% from 43% to 45% earlier. Schiff Nutrition continues to project operating margin in the upper single-digits for the fiscal year.

Earnings Estimates on an Incline

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2012 has risen 4% in the last two months to 52 cents per share, representing an estimated year-over-year growth of 20.9%. For 2013, the Zacks Consensus Estimate moved up 12.5% in three months to 72 cents, reflecting an implied growth of 38.9%.

Stretched Valuation

Schiff Nutrition trades at a premium to its peers by most metrics, such as price-to-earnings and price-to-sales. The stock is currently trading at a forward P/E of 26.3x, an 81.7% premium to the peer group average of 14.5x. Similarly, on a price-to-sales basis, the stock is trading at 1.7x, 36.0% higher than its peer group average of 1.25x. The trailing 12 month return on equity (:ROE) of 14.4% is in line with the peer group average.

Chart Reveals Strength

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Schiff Nutrition Int'l (): Zacks Rank Buy

Novavax will help develop new malaria vaccine

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ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Drug developer Novavax Inc. said Monday that it will work with the government of India to develop a new malaria vaccine.

Novavax said it will work with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and CPL Biologicals. India's Department of Biotechnology will fund the project, which will be managed by the not-for-profit Malaria Vaccine Development Program, based in New Delhi. The company said around 210 million cases of malaria are diagnosed every year and 650,000 people die of the disease.

Novavax, based in Rockville, Md., develops vaccines that are genetically engineered virus-like particles. The particles resemble a virus but do not have the genetic material a virus needs to reproduce itself. The company is conducting clinical trials of vaccines for seasonal and pandemic influenza and for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which can cause life-threatening respiratory infections in infants.

CPL Biologicals is a joint venture of Novavax and privately held Cadila Pharmaceuticals, based in Ahmedabad, India.

Shares of Novavax lost 3 cents to $2.04 in afternoon trading.

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Novavax will help develop new malaria vaccine

DNA test request backfires against convicted Flint rapist

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So Ferguson enlisted the help of a national group that works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and successfully petitioned a Genesee Circuit judge to order DNA tests -- a now-common practice that was not in use by Flint police at the time Ferguson was convicted.

The result? Ferguson was told there was only a 1 in 2.2 quadrillion chance that the DNA found at the crime scene wasn't his.

DNA evidence cuts both ways, said Donna McKneelen, co-director of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Innocence Project, which helped Ferguson with his DNA request.

"We caution them before we move forward: Do you really want to take this chance?" said McKneelen, who said she was not prepared to discuss specifics of Ferguson's case. "That's something I don't understand (cases in which DNA testing confirms a prosecutor's case) because it causes more problems" for the accused. Ferguson, now 47, was sentenced to 60 to 90 years in prison in 1986 after a jury convicted him of robbing and raping the 32-year-old postal worker from Clio on her first day on a new route on Flint's north side.

The late Donald Freeman, a county Circuit Court judge, called Ferguson a "predator" during sentencing, even though the Benton Harbor native protested he was innocent.

Only 21 at the time he was sentenced, Ferguson's criminal record already included two prior adult convictions beginning at age 9, according to Flint Journal files.

Ferguson, aided by The Innocence Project at Cooley, petitioned for a Genesee Circuit Court order to carry out DNA testing on decades-old vaginal swabs, panties and uniform pants that were collected from the victim after the attack.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said some inmates convince themselves they are not guilty in a case, even though all evidence suggests otherwise.

"A lot of folks in prison say (they) didn't do it," Leyton said. "In this case, he did do it. I don't believe there are many innocent people locked up."

Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld, the Innocence Project, was established to assist prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing.

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DNA test request backfires against convicted Flint rapist

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Synthetic Biology Scorecard finds federal agencies responding to bioethics report

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Public release date: 16-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Aaron Lovell aaron.lovell@wilsoncenter.org 202-691-4320 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars/Science and Technology Innovation Program

WASHINGTON Federal agencies have started taking steps to address the recommendations in a 2010 report from the presidential bioethics commission to improve the governance of synthetic biology research and development, though the government has not fully addressed any of the report recommendations, according to a scorecard tracking the efforts.

The Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars launched the web-based Synthetic Biology Scorecard in February to track federal and non-federal efforts to implement the recommendations in New Directions: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology and Emerging Technologies, a December 2010 report from the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. The recommendations seek to minimize risks from the technology while ensuring that social and economic benefits are realized.

Eighteen months after the release of the report, information collected by the Project and submitted by users finds that steps have been taken by the U.S. government over the past four months to continue addressing the report recommendations. These measures include a new White House-led interagency working group looking at government work on the issue; a recent six-party meeting at the National Academy of Sciences (the last in a series of three meetings between the United States, United Kingdom and China); and the development and release of the National Bioeconomy Blueprint.

Still, the Scorecard finds that none of the recommendations have been fully addressed, including six recommendations that called for federal action within 18 months, or by mid-June 2012. Of the six recommendations calling for action within 18 months, five of the recommendations saw some level of government activity.

Of the 17 recommendations tracked by the Scorecard, 13 had some level of federal activity and four had no activity, including a recommendation calling for risk assessments before research organisms or commercial products involving the technology are released into the environment and a recommendation calling for the identification of reliable containment and control mechanisms.

President Obama requested the Commission's report more than two years ago in response to important advancements in the field of synthetic biology. On May 20, 2010, scientists at the J.C. Venter Institute unveiled a bacterial cell controlled by a synthetic genome. The same day, the president asked the Commission to study "the implications of this scientific milestone . . . [and] consider the potential medical, environmental, security, and other benefits of this field of research, as well as any potential health, security, or other risks."

The Scorecard has new features to improve usability. People are encouraged to submit work by agencies, organizations, states and others that fulfill the Commission recommendations. The Project plans to continue to highlight the progress towards implementing the recommendations.

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Synthetic Biology Scorecard finds federal agencies responding to bioethics report

Bank won’t fund my medical course in England

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The Irish Times - Tuesday, July 17, 2012

DOMINIC COYLE

Q&A:Last June I completed a biochemistry degree in Dublin and moved to England to start graduate medicine. When I started to look for ways to finance the degree, I hit about a 100 brick walls. My parents are not in a position to fund me.

I went to the local branch of the bank, where I have always banked, and was told there were no such loans for graduate students but to apply for a student loan with a reduced rate APR. Although a four-year course, I was told to apply for the funds for year one and to review it in year two.

The initial 11,000 interest- only facility proved to be too little. When I went to top up my loan to 20,000, the student officer became involved. She was surprised that a loan for the four years wasnt put in place, but when I tried to get a four-year plan in place for a loan of 80,000, I was told I would need to put up front some sort of security. They released the extra money for first year but are looking for that security before releasing more funds and that they will probably want me to start full repayments on the loan.

The bank said they could look at topping up my parents mortgage on an interest-only basis and they could give me that money, but their mortgage isnt with the AIB. I cannot afford to make full repayments either until I am a qualified doctor in 2015. Essentially, I am making the interest repayments from the loan money.

I need to find a solution as my funds will dry up in August and if I cannot get the financial support I will have to quit college to get a job and pay back this 20,000 the bank has already given me.

Ms S.OB., England

There are two issues here. First, you are in an incredibly difficult position because of the rules covering grant aid across national boundaries; second, your bank appears to have been, at best, unhelpful in the mixed messages it has given on funding options, especially in your original application for financial support.

Desperate to fund your course, you have embarked without a clear four-year funding plan. I dont have a clear answer for you and am running your query as much in the hope that someone may provide an answer to your plight as anything else. If colleges are accepting cross-border students, I would assume there must be some funding options available as not everyone is in a position to fund 80,000 or more from their own, or their parents, resources.

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Bank won't fund my medical course in England

Doping With Muscle-Building Drugs: FAQ

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Latest Exercise & Fitness News

Why Athletes Risk Using Human Growth Hormone, Anabolic Steroids

By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

July 13, 2012 -- As in previous years, the 2012 Olympics likely will be marred by at least one doping scandal, experts predict.

Many athletes abuse human growth hormone and/or steroids to build muscle and strength. While elite athletes are in the spotlight, the problem is much greater in recreational athletes. For example, at least 1 in 16 high school students admits to using performance-enhancing steroids. And users rarely take just one kind of drug.

Why do athletes and young people do this? Are there any benefits? What are the risks? WebMD's FAQ is based on an Endocrine Society webinar featuring two experts on athletic doping:

Human growth hormone, HGH, is produced by the pituitary gland. It's not really a single hormone, Rogol says, but a mixture of several "isoforms" coded by several different genes.

Children do not develop normally if their bodies don't make enough growth hormone. Fortunately, researchers have used recombinant gene technology to produce large amounts of recombinant HGH, or rHGH, to treat them.

More recently, rHGH has been used for other reasons.

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Doping With Muscle-Building Drugs: FAQ

Karma® Wellness Water is a Fresh, New Way to Drink Vitamins

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PITTSFORD, N.Y., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The principle of karma is based on cause and effect. If you do something positive, you'll get something positive in return. Born from this belief is Karma Wellness Water, the delicious line of natural, nutrient-enhanced water introduced nationwide today that has been meticulously formulated to deliver health benefits to your mind, body, spirit, balance, and vitality.

The driving force behind Karma is the fact that water-soluble vitamins lose their potency while sitting in water or when they are exposed to moisture. Additionally, those vitamins suffer degradation when they are subjected to UV rays, oxygen, or heat. The loss of strength is greater when the vitamin contents are spread across the full contents of bottled beverages, causing premixed vitamin drinks to lose their potency over time. The supplemental information printed on most premixed vitamin drinks is based on the ingredients at the time of bottling, not at the time of consumption.

"Many people are trying very hard to take responsibility and make the right choices when it comes to their health," said CJ Rapp, CEO and co-founder, Karma Culture LLC. Citing the recent actions of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to address this concern, Rapp said, "Consumers need to know that after just 90 days on a shelf, premixed drinks may have only 30 to 50 percent of their vitamins remaining and Karma's goal is to bring back the freshness of vitamins and truly transform water into wellness."

Introducing KarmaCap TechnologyKarma uses its proprietary KarmaCap Technology to keep vitamins and other essential ingredients protected and separate from water until it's time to drink. By introducing the vitamins only seconds or minutes from actual consumption, it optimizes the effectiveness of the nutrient-rich ingredients in Karma. The cap uses opaque plastic and a UV blocker to limit the vitamins' exposure to the elements and this breakthrough packaging also has a hermetic (airtight) seal between the cap and base, ensuring freshness and delivering maximum vitamin potency. Plus, it's easy to usewith just a push of a button, consumers control their own beverage destiny.

Delivering Nutrition with Substance & StyleKarma Culture is working with three of the country's top nutrition and fitness experts as advisorsDr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Dr. Melina B. Jampolis, and Dr. Michael D. Maloney. Dr. Blumberg is a professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University. Dr. Jampolis isan internist and board certified physician nutrition specialist and currently serves as the diet and fitness expert forCNNHealth.com. Dr. Maloney is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon, and director of the Orthopaedics' University Sports Medicine and professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

"Scientific advances in our understanding of ways to formulate wellness beverages now provide us with the capacity to deliver functional ingredients that contribute to the promotion of health," said Blumberg, who will be involved in directing the formulation of Karma."It is exciting to have this opportunity to help a company committed to this objective."

Each functional variety of Karma has been carefully designed with a mix of seven essential vitamins, superfruits, antioxidants, herbal extracts, amino acids, minerals, and electrolytes to deliver tangible benefits to a consumer's health and wellness. This powerful combination of fresh and natural ingredients provides up to six times more nutrients for people than they would receive from competing brands.

"Karma's commitment to real nutrition science is noteworthy," said Dr. Jampolis. "The strive for excellence is apparent and I chose to play an advisory role for this product because Karma gives equal importance to both substance and style."

Discover Five Natural VarietiesKarma Wellness Water is available in five natural varieties, each containing 110 percent of the recommended daily allowances of vitamins A, B3, B6, B12, Niacin, D, and E:

Karma Wellness Water begins with a gift from Mother Nature in the form of pristine spring water, while many competing brands use filtered municipal water. Karma is naturally sweetened with a blend of stevia and pure cane sugar. Each 18-ounce bottle contains only 20 calories and is free of preservatives, gluten, and lactose.

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Karma® Wellness Water is a Fresh, New Way to Drink Vitamins

HBO's 'Newsroom': Am I watching 'Grey's Anatomy'?

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Am I watching "Grey's Anatomy"? Because for a good 40 minutes of Sunday's episode of "The Newsroom," I was watching people make puppy-dog eyes at people they are in love with but can't be with.

Associate producer Maggy Jordan pretended she wasn't attracted to senior producer Jim Harper, while Jim hooked up with her roommate. Executive producer MacKenzie McHale pretended she wasn't still in love with anchor Will McAvoy while he hit on multiple women. In the last climactic moments of the "I'll Try to Fix You" episode, an emo rock pop love song played while people exchanged long glances fraught with emotional subtext. Here is that technique, applied to a "30 Rock" episode in the video below.

Several women threw drinks in Will's face. The drinks were not a "Grey's" plot device that was borrowed from the musical drama "Smash." And no one, not even last night's "Newsroom" guest star Hope Davis, can sling the contents of a martini glass like Anjelica Huston's character on "Smash." Here is a video of Huston doing just that.

Producer Aaron Sorkin used this episode to criticize celebrity tabloid journalism. Davis played a writer for TMI magazine, and she was about to write a "takedown" piece on a Housewives reality show character, which McAvoy ripped into her for. The magazine then published a "takedown" piece on McAvoy himself.

And finally, there was a totally solid moment when the McAvoy was about to go on the air to report that U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., had been shot, and the network's president was goading him into reporting Giffords was dead. He held off.

We don't know have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight when news is breaking in real time. I now work for the editorial department but I was a Web producer in the newsroom hub for nine months. When a shooting story breaks in The Seattle Times newsroom, often times other news outlets will start correctly or incorrectly reporting a person has died, and there is intense pressure to confirm and report. It happened during the Cafe Racer shootings when the newsroom knew police had shot the suspect in West Seattle but didn't know whether he was dead. It happened when law enforcement officials found the North Bend bunker where the man suspected of killing his wife and her daughter was hiding.

The tension in our newsroom is never about when to push print on a story for the paper or for the website. It is always about one thing: Twitter. So and so has "tweeted he's dead." "Is he dead?" "Do we know he's dead?" "Are we reporting he's dead?" No one ever thinks to put on Nickelback.

Considering the competition on national news, it's not surprising that CNN and Fox News both made errors reporting on the Supreme Court health-care ruling. CNN and Fox initially reported the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act had been struck down, then had to issue corrections, which came 90 minutes later. Here is the recap from the Poynter Institute.

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HBO's 'Newsroom': Am I watching 'Grey's Anatomy'?

Gaius Charles Joins 'Grey's Anatomy' And More Casting News

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From Dillon to Seattle Grace, "Friday Night Lights" alum Gaius Charles will appear in Season 9 of "Grey's Anatomy" as a young doctor, but the details of his character are still under wraps, according to TVLine.

In addition to "FNL," Charles' other TV credits include "Necessary Roughness," "NCIS," "Pan Am" and "Law & Order: SVU."

When we last saw the doctors at Seattle Grace in the shocking "Grey's Anatomy" Season 8 finale, Mark (Eric Dane), Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Derek (Patrick Dempsey), Christina (Sandra Oh) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) were in a terrible state after a plane crash killed Lexie (Chyler Leigh) and left the others stranded and wounded in the woods. Time will tell how Charles and the rest of the cast will fare in "Grey's Anatomy" Season 9.

In other casting news...

Mark Consuelos joins the cast of "American Horror Story." The "All My Children" vet is headed to the asylum as a patient named Spivey in Season 2 of the FX series. [EW]

"Dancing With The Stars: All Stars" casting news is coming. The cast of the buzzed-about special edition of "DWTS" will officially be announced during the ABC presentation at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on July 27. [THR]

"Castle" actress will voice Supergirl. Molly Quinn is set to play Supergirl in a still-untitled animated project based on a popular DC Comics storyline. [TV Guide]

Season 11

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Season 14

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Gaius Charles Joins 'Grey's Anatomy' And More Casting News