Monthly Archives: April 2013

Council backs down over freedom campers

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Holidaymakers will have the freedom to park on the side of the road in Westland again, after a backdown from the local council.

The Westland District Council has announced it will stop enforcing a local bylaw which prevented freedom camping in the region.

The decision comes after a legalchallenge from the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZCMA), who in January fileda lawsuit in the High Court over the issue.

The bylaw, which came into effect in November, banned freedom camping within one kilometre of 18 West Coast towns and settlements.

NZMCA general manager Bruce Lochore says that the "hard-fought" victory reflected how illegal and unreasonable the bylaw was.

"This decision by the council is a victory for our members. This is a win for us and for the motor caravan community," he says.

"Workable bylaws strike the proper balance between protecting local authority areas and respecting the rights of responsible freedom campers."

The NZCMA claimed the law was in violation of the Freedom Camping Act, as it limited the right to freedom of movement. But Westland District Mayor Marueen Pugh says that fighting the law wasn't an option with the council's current budget, as it could be expensive to defend.

"It was going to cost us around $50,000," she says. "It simply wasn't worth it to us, we're too small to take [on] an organisation the size of NZMCA."

Ms Pugh says the council has stopped enforcing the bylaw but hasn't removed it, meaning it could be brought back into action quickly. The bylaw will be subject to a review but there is no deadline on that process, as the council is planning to wait and see if a legal precedent is set as freedom campers take on other councils.

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Council backs down over freedom campers

Shoelace Killer Sprints to Freedom from Texas Prison

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Two inmates one accused of strangling someone with a shoelace used their feet to make a mad dash to freedom Tuesday when they successfully broke out of a Texas prison. The Associated Press reports45-year-old capital murder suspect Brian Allen Tucker (above at left) and 40-year-old suspected burglarJohn Marlin King (right) escaped through the Hopkins County Jail female recreation yard Tuesday in Sulphur Springs, Texas, about 75 miles northeast of Dallas. Tucker was being held on $1 million bond for allegedly "strangling a 63-year-old man with shoelaces then stole his musical instruments in May 2011," according to the Dallas Morning News. The schools in the surrounding Sulphur Springs area have been placed on lockdown.

RELATED: Salary for a Year of Wrongful Texas Prison Time: $160,000

The scariest part is how easy their escape seemed. It was just two guys away from everyone else making a break for it. The Deputy Alvin Jordan told WFAA Dallas the two prisoners were separated from the rest of the inmates when they slipped between a gap in the prison gate and fence after fleeing through the rec yard. Somehow the guy in charge on monitoring the prison's video surveillance missed the whole escape go down. "Undoubtedly, they slipped out and he looked and they were gone," Jordan told WFAA.

RELATED: Texas District Attorney's Death Could Be Part of Larger Plot

So the two men are now out roaming the free world and they're not even in their prison suits, but the Texas Rangers and local authorities helping with the hunt already lost at least one obvious clue. Authorities found the black and white prison jumpsuits on the train tracks near the prison. So now the two men are either naked or in plain clothes, instead of the really obvious prison stripes. But they've got shoes, presumably, and those shoes are important.

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Shoelace Killer Sprints to Freedom from Texas Prison

Freedom award for Olympic gymnast

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2 April 2013 Last updated at 11:53 ET

Gymnast Beth Tweddle has been given the Freedom of the Borough of Cheshire East.

Borough mayor George Walton presented the Olympic bronze medallist with the award at a nursery school in Sandbach.

The 28-year-old also opened an adventure playground at the school.

The council has already announced that a road on a new housing development in Bunbury, where she grew up, will be called Beth Tweddle Close.

Ms Tweddle, who won bronze on the uneven bars at London 2012 to add to her four world titles, said she was "proud" to receive the honour.

The most decorated GB gymnast in history said: "I do gymnastics because I love it.

"I don't expect the recognition that you get from it but when your local community comes together and gives you something like the freedom of the borough [and] my street that's been named after me it is a very proud moment.

"It's only when you take a step back that you realise you do have an impact.

"I don't see myself as anyone different.

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Freedom award for Olympic gymnast

‘Tax Freedom Day’ is April 13 in Utah

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(Mike Mergen | Bloomberg News) So-called "Tax Freedom Day" will come a little later for Utahns this year.

This year, Utahns would need to work from Jan. 1 through April 13 just to earn enough to pay all their taxes but that, at least, is five fewer days than the national average.

That news came as "Tax Freedom Day" for the nation and each state was announced Tuesday by the Tax Foundation, a conservative but nonpartisan Washington, D.C., tax research group.

The national Tax Freedom Day this year is April 18, which is five days later than last year indicating tax burdens have increased.

William McBride, chief economist for the Tax Foundation, said Americans will pay 29.4 percent of their income this year in federal, state and local taxes. That "amounts to more money than is spent on food, clothing and housing combined," he said during a webinar.

Converting that to calendar terms, McBride said that means Tax Freedom Day does not come until day 108 in the 365-day year.

McBride said three major factors raised tax burdens this year.

"The biggest one is the fiscal cliff deal that raised federal payroll and income taxes. Second, there is the Affordable Care Acts taxes that go into effect this year. Lastly, despite these increases, the economy is continuing to grow. As incomes grow, people are boosted into higher tax brackets so their tax rates go up," he said.

Tax Freedom Day varies greatly among the states, depending on state and local tax burdens.

Mississippi has the earliest Tax Freedom Day, arriving on March 29 slightly earlier in the same day than Louisiana, followed by Tennessee on April 2.

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‘Tax Freedom Day’ is April 13 in Utah

Sterilising people with disabilities: eugenics or common sense?

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The rights of women with mental disabilities to bear children is the subject of intense public debate.

NO, my disabled daughter should never have a child!

There are those who believe everyone should have the right to become a parent, and those who do not.

The law in Queensland is clear on the subject. Under current legislation, it is possible for a third party to decide whether a woman can ever give birth, or a man can ever father a child.

That legislation relates to people with a disability. It's a law some people say has a foundation in eugenics. For others, a court ruling in favour of parents seeking to sterilise their child is seen as a common sense solution to a very complex problem.

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But an Australian senate inquiry currently underway into the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of people with disabilities could change all that.

Hopefully for the better, says Karin Swift, president of Women with Disabilities Australia.

To force someone to remove perfectly functioning organs is basically an abuse of their human rights, she says from her Brisbane office.

There are other options, but too often the most severe course of action is pushed to the front.

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Sterilising people with disabilities: eugenics or common sense?

Sea lion pups washing up on SoCal beaches at alarming rate

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CAPTIONS

Stranded sea lion A juvenile sea lion sits on shore near the Huntington Beach Pier. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times /March 31, 2013)

April 1, 2013, 2:32 p.m.

Federal marine wildlife officials said that a mass stranding of malnourished sea lion pups along the Southern California coast since January has intensified in recent weeks and researchers remain unsure of the cause.

Officials declared an "unusual mortality event" for the California sea lion, a designation that prompts immediate federal response after a significant die-off of a marine mammal population.

The declaration comes as sea lion pups have been found stranded on Southern California beaches -- from Santa Barbara to San Diego -- at rates exponentially higher than in years past.

In Los Angeles, for instance, nearly 400 pups have been stranded since the beginning of the year. Last year, just 36 were reported stranded.

As of March 24, officials said, 214 were reported stranded in San Diego County; 189 in Orange County; 108 in Santa Barbara County; and 42 in Ventura County.

The pups that survived have filled marine mammal sanctuaries along the coast, which have taken in record number of pups for this time of year.

The young pups have shown up lethargic and severely underweight, with their bones showing through their slick fur. It takes months of nursing to build up their health and their weight in order to be returned to the wild.

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Sea lion pups washing up on SoCal beaches at alarming rate

Restoring Delaware Bay beaches in time for return of horseshoe crabs and shorebirds

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Sandy Bauers, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Tuesday, April 2, 2013, 3:01 AM

The sand trucks are running. The bulldozers are spreading.

A nearly $1 million effort is under way to restore Delaware Bay beaches that are - or were, before Hurricane Sandy ravaged them - crucial turf for spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds that depend on crab eggs for refueling.

On beaches where there was once ample sand for the crabs to dig into and deposit their eggs, biologists surveying the area after the storm found rugged tufts of sod, which had underlain the sand - part of $50 million in damage to bird habitats affected by Sandy.

"We saw somewhere between a 50 and 70 percent loss of breeding beaches for horseshoe crabs in just one storm," said Larry Niles, a New Jersey biologist who has been studying the red knot and horseshoe crab connection for decades.

Months ago, he was worried that when the birds and crabs arrived in May, as they do every year, "we'd have a real problem." The crabs would have no place to spawn, and the birds would have no food.

In a race against time, he and others set out to try to find enough money to restore the beaches.

While some homeowners on the Atlantic shore still wait for insurance money to come through for their properties, private foundations came to the rescue of the wildlife habitat.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers expedited the permitting process.

The work will restore a 2.5-mile stretch of beach between Moores Beach and Pierces Point, both in Cape May County.

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Restoring Delaware Bay beaches in time for return of horseshoe crabs and shorebirds

Eclipse Aerospace moves ahead with production of very light jet

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Eclipse Aerospace, based in Albuquerque, N.M., continues to move forward with the Eclipse 550 twin-engine very light jet.

The company last week received Federal Aviation Administration approval for an amended production certificate that authorizes the final assembly, test and certification of the plane.

The amended certificate allows Eclipse to manufacture, flight test and grant airworthiness certificates for the Eclipse 550 under the FAAs approved quality system, the company said.

Manufacturers are typically required to build their first group of aircraft under the supervision of the FAA, Mason Holland, Eclipse Aerospace CEO, said in a statement. The fact that every new Eclipse 550 will be delivered under a full FAA production certificate speaks volumes about our team and our systems.

Eclipse has jets moving down the production line as the company works toward customer delivery in the third quarter of this year.

The company was founded in 1998 by former Microsoft executive Vern Raburn.

Although investments in the effort reached $1 billion, production of the Eclipse 500 was halted in 2008 because of lack of funding.

The next year, Eclipse filed for bankruptcy, and one bidder, headed by Holland and Mike Press, bought the assets of the company.

About 260 of the very light jets were produced.

Eclipse Aerospace officially restarted the aircraft production line in June.

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Eclipse Aerospace moves ahead with production of very light jet

Financial Assessment of the Global Aerospace & Defense, Airlines and Airport Services Industries

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NEW YORK, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Financial Assessment of the Global Aerospace & Defense, Airlines and Airport Services Industries http://www.reportlinker.com/p01056003/Financial-Assessment-of-the-Global-Aerospace--Defense-Airlines-and-Airport-Services-Industries.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Airport

This financial assessment study analyses the financial ratios of public companies across the globe in the aerospace and defense, airlines and airport services industries. To assess the financial performance, ratios are divided into four categories: profitability, liquidity, activity, and solvency. Weights are assigned to different ratios based on the industry, and an overall rank is determined. Top performers in each sector are highlighted as well. The study also presents a portfolio analysis, wherein key indicators such as Sharpe's ratio and portfolio risk of top companies in each sector have been computed.

Executive Summary

In the current economic scenario, maintaining healthy financials plays a key role in determining a company's future prospects. This study analyzes the financial health of public companies in the global aerospace & defense, airline, and airport services industries. Companies are ranked based of four broad categories of ratios profitability, activity (reflecting financial management) and liquidity, and solvency (reflecting risk management). Top companies are plotted based on their risk management rank and financial management rank. Top performers are identified and their key financials are presented. The study also discusses key challenges and issues faced by industry participants.

Executive Summary Definition of Key Terms Research Objectives and Scope Research Methodology Key Issues/Challenges Faced by Industry Participants Aerospace & Defense Airlines Airport Services Markowitz Portfolio AllocationDetermination of Industry Sharpe Ratios The Frost & Sullivan Story

To order this report:Financial Assessment of the Global Aerospace & Defense, Airlines and Airport Services Industries

__________________________ Contact Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US:(339) 368 6001 Intl:+1 339 368 6001

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Financial Assessment of the Global Aerospace & Defense, Airlines and Airport Services Industries

Merger and Acquisition Trends in the Global Aerospace and Defense Industry

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NEW YORK, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Merger and Acquisition Trends in the Global Aerospace and Defense Industry http://www.reportlinker.com/p01155342/Merger-and-Acquisition-Trends-in-the-Global-Aerospace-and-Defense-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Aerospace_and_Defense

Uncertainty over the Future of Defense Spending is Cause for Concern

Post 2011, merger and acquisition activity in the global aerospace and defense industry has been restrained due to economic slowdowns triggered by trouble in the Eurozone. This study analyzes the mergers and acquisitions that have taken place in the global aerospace and defense industry from January 2007 to September 2012. Deals are analyzed from both the target and the buyer's perspective. Analyses by deal value and volume across geographies and sub-segments have been covered, along with analyses of cross-border transactions and transaction multiples such as EV/revenue and EV/EBITDA. Also included are lists of transaction advisors to target and buyers by transaction value and volume.

Executive Summary

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the aerospace and defense industry has remained suppressed in 2012, with both deal volumes and deal values dropping. Deal values declined sharply by X percent to $X billion as of September 2012 compared to $X billion in 2011. In the same time frame, the number of deals dropped X percent to X as of September 2012. Aerospace and defense maintenance and services and aircraft systems, components, and equipment are the sectors that have dominated M&A activity in the study period. The percentage of transactions involving "100.0 percent of stake bought" has decreased from X percent in 2007 to Xpercent as of September 2012. Weaker defense budgets anticipated in the next two years are likely to result in cross-border collaborations, which is expected to be a key driver for M&A activity. With the possibility of sequestration being delayed as late as the end of Q1 2013, the overall deal environment is expected to be restrained owing to uncertainties regarding the expected changes.

Research Objective

This research service analyzes the merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in the global aerospace and defense industry from January 2007 to September 2012. Deals are analyzed by segment and geography. Cross-border deals are also analyzed. The outlook for M&A is also provided. (In charts and tables, wherever 2012 is mentioned, it refers to analysis of data as of September 2012 unless stated otherwise).

Geographic Scope

Global Study

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Merger and Acquisition Trends in the Global Aerospace and Defense Industry

Composite Insights’ Report Analyses Global Aerospace Composites Industry: Demand to Reach $4.2 Billion in 2018

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HYDERABAD, India, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The demand for composite materials in global aerospace industry has increased double digits in 2012 - primarily attributable to the continued ramp up of new and existing large commercial aircraft production and increased build rates across the military, civil helicopters and certain aircrafts within the business jet market.

Overall the commercial aerospace industry continues to utilize a greater proportion of advanced composite materials with each new generation of aircraft. As both Airbus and Boeing increase the production rates for their newest aircraft programs, including the A380, B787 and A350, the demand for composite materials is expect to grow rapidly during the forecast period. New aerospace programs such as Comac C-919, Bombardier C Series, Mitsubishi MRJ21, Comac ARJ21, Sukhoi Superjet-100 expect to contribute to the growing demand for composite materials in civil aerospace. The growth in military aircraft and helicopter production that has occurred in recent years is expect to continue the same trend driving the demand for composite materials.

Some of the market segment in aerospace industry have been, to varying degrees, cyclical and have experienced downturns in the past. The broad aerospace industry for composite materials is highly competitive, and companies that focus on both specific submarkets and specialty products within markets would gain competitive advantage. Depending upon the material and submarkets, relevant competitive factors include product approvals, technology, product performance, delivery, service and pricing. Although growth rates for composite materials amongst the aerospace segments vary, the overall demand for composite materials is forecast to grow steadily to $4.2 billion in 2018.

Composite Insights, a leading full service Custom & Syndicated Research firm, has conducted a market analysis on the industry and presents its findings in "Global Aerospace Composites Industry 2013-2018: Trend and Forecast Analysis."The report provides comprehensive analysis with accurate market size estimates for composite materials by market segments (commercial aircrafts, regional jets, military aircrafts, general aviation aircrafts, helicopters and spacecrafts).

Composite Insights is a full service Custom and Syndicated Research firm based in Hyderabad,India. For more information on this innovative research, please visit http://www.compositeinsights.com.

Contact: Phone: +91-406-569-6318 Email:helpdesk@compositeinsights.com Source: Composite Insights Pvt. Ltd.

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Composite Insights' Report Analyses Global Aerospace Composites Industry: Demand to Reach $4.2 Billion in 2018

Novel monosaccharide fermentation products in Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus identified using NMR spectroscopy

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Background:
Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus is a thermophilic, Gram-positive, non-spore forming, strictly anaerobic bacterium of interest in potential industrial applications, including the production of biofuels such as hydrogen or ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass through fermentation. High-resolution, solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a useful method for the identification and quantification of metabolites that result from growth on different substrates. NMR allows facile resolution of isomeric (identical mass) constituents and does not destroy the sample.
Results:
Profiles of metabolites produced by the thermophilic cellulose-degrading bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus DSM 8903 strain following growth on different monosaccharides (D-glucose, D-mannose, L-arabinose, D-arabinose, D-xylose, L-fucose, and D-fucose) as carbon sources revealed several unexpected fermentation products, suggesting novel metabolic capacities and unexplored metabolic pathways in this organism. Both 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to determine intracellular and extracellular metabolite profiles. One dimensional 1H NMR spectral analysis was performed by curve fitting against spectral libraries provided in the Chenomx software; 2-D homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR experiments were conducted to further reduce uncertainties due to unassigned, overlapping, or poorly-resolved peaks. In addition to expected metabolites such as acetate, lactate, glycerol, and ethanol, several novel fermentation products were identified: ethylene glycol (from growth on D-arabinose), acetoin and 2,3-butanediol (from growth on D-glucose, L-arabinose, and D-xylose), and hydroxyacetone (from growth on D-mannose, L-arabinose, and D-xylose). Production of ethylene glycol from D-arabinose was particularly notable, with around 10% of the substrate carbon converted into this uncommon fermentation product.
Conclusions:
The present research shows that C. saccharolyticus, already of substantial interest due to its capability for biological ethanol and hydrogen production, has further metabolic potential for production of higher molecular weight compounds, such as acetoin and 2,3-butanediol, as well as hydroxyacetone and the uncommon fermentation product ethylene glycol. In addition, application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy facilitates identification of novel metabolites, which is instrumental for production of desirable bioproducts from biomass through microbial fermentation.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/6/1/47

Genome-scale analyses of butanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveal an essential role of protein degradation

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Background:
n-Butanol and isobutanol produced from biomass-derived sugars are promising renewable transport fuels and solvents. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been engineered for butanol production, but its high butanol sensitivity poses an upper limit to product titers that can be reached by further pathway engineering. A better understanding of the molecular basis of butanol stress and tolerance of S. cerevisiae is important for achieving improved tolerance.
Results:
By combining a screening of the haploid S. cerevisiae knock-out library, gene overexpression, and genome analysis of evolutionary engineered n-butanol-tolerant strains, we established that protein degradation plays an essential role in tolerance. Strains deleted in genes involved in the ubiquitin-proteasome system and in vacuolar degradation of damaged proteins showed hypersensitivity to n-butanol. Overexpression of YLR224W, encoding the subunit responsible for the recognition of damaged proteins of an ubiquitin ligase complex, resulted in a strain with a higher n-butanol tolerance. Two independently evolved n-butanol-tolerant strains carried different mutations in both RPN4 and RTG1, which encode transcription factors involved in the expression of proteasome and peroxisomal genes, respectively. Introduction of these mutated alleles in the reference strain increased butanol tolerance, confirming their relevance in the higher tolerance phenotype. The evolved strains, in addition to n-butanol, were also more tolerant to 2-butanol, isobutanol and 1-propanol, indicating a common molecular basis for sensitivity and tolerance to C3 and C4 alcohols.
Conclusions:
This study shows that maintenance of protein integrity plays an essential role in butanol tolerance and demonstrates new promising targets to engineer S. cerevisiae for improved tolerance.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/6/1/48

Spas, salons warned on stem cell therapy

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By Tina G. Santos Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, PhilippinesStem cell therapy at spa centers and salons? Watch out, government agents are coming.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona says no clinic or hospital in the Philippines can offer stem cell therapy without accreditation from the Department of Health (DOH).

Speaking to reporters last week, Ona noted that while many centers are advertising stem cell therapy treatment, none of them have the approval of the health department.

As of now we have not accredited any clinic or even hospital offering stem cell therapy yet, Ona said.

Admitting that the DOH doesnt have the police power to close down erring health centers, Ona said the department would coordinate with other governmental agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and local governments to prevent spas and salons from offering stem cell treatment.

We will issue a warning for them to stop [doing stem cell therapy]. But if they continue despite warnings from us, thats when we will move to close them down, Ona said.

Stem cell therapy and treatment, which are becoming popular here and abroad, are medical procedures that deal with ailments by replacing malignant cells with healthy cells.

Only medical doctors with the right training can perform stem cell treatment.

Cosmetic purposes

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Spas, salons warned on stem cell therapy