Global Beauty Industry Challenged, as World's Strongest Antioxidant MitoQ® Hits Market

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PARIS, September 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The world's most potent antioxidant to date MitoQ, proven 1000 times stronger than CoQ[10], will become available to the public this September 2012. MitoQfacial cream is set to challenge the international industry with a new level of efficacy

Dubbed next generation CoQ[10], MitoQ is scientifically proven 1000 times more powerful in protecting skin cells from oxidative damage than idebenone or CoQ, both utilised extensively in the world's best selling anti-aging products. The September 2012 launch of MitoQ facial cream sets a new standard for those seeking rejuvenation, through science and skin health. The MitoQ molecule, the key ingredient in the MitoQ cream is a recognised and patented invention. It is the only product available that can penetrate mitochondrial membrane, where it delivers powerful antioxidant.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120904/559249 )

The major scientific breakthrough: the active potency of MitoQ to eliminate oxidative damage caused by free radicals, has been acknowledged by the highest scientific authorities. Studies and articles have been published in renowned scientific peer-reviewed journals, including: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences[1] and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.[2]

Antipodean Pharmaceuticals CEO Dr Kenneth Taylor says: "We identified the breakthrough as being potentially huge amongst the globally aging population looking for aging solutions. Our topical skincare cream MitoQ accelerates the skin cells' natural renewal cycle, with rejuvenation evidenced in the outward skin brightening and a clearer more even complexion developing with the reduction of fine lines and fading any pigments. It's bio-tech at the beauty counter."

MitoQ facial cream is the result of over ten years of research and development with costs recorded at over $US30 million-to-date. It is the work of Dr Michael Murphy, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge and Professor Rob Smith Chemistry Department, Otago University, New Zealand. In a cutting-edge development a unique electrostatic penetration system is used to deliver antioxidant to the cells mitochondria. Neutralising free radicals where they are produced. Thus, stopping the skin aging process and healing prior damage.

MitoQ re-densifies skin, healing and preventing fine lines and wrinkles. MitoQ fades scars, brown spots and skin discoloration. Preview users show impressive results as increased collagen re-formats and strengthens the skin's structure.

Real rejuvenation has become possible. With 20-year international patents in place there cannot be an over-the-counter product that uses this MitoQ exclusive technology in the foreseeable future.

Priced at (50ml) US$185 (approx 145) MitoQ facial cream will initially hit the global beauty market on http://www.MitoQ.com, this September 2012.

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Global Beauty Industry Challenged, as World's Strongest Antioxidant MitoQ® Hits Market

Proteonomix Engages Numoda Corporation for Clinical Trial Services

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PARAMUS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Proteonomix, Inc. (OTC/BB: PROT), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics based upon the use of human cells and their derivatives, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with a leading provider of global clinical trial technologies and services, Numoda Corporation.

Our engagement of Numoda is an important step in effectively and efficiently advancing the development of our proprietary therapeutics, said Proteonomix Chief Technology Officer Steven Byle. Numoda has a proven, innovative approach for assisting life sciences companies like Proteonomix to move through the clinical development process. We anticipate collaborating with the Numoda team on the Phase 1 clinical trial with our mobilization technology UMK-121 in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD).

On August 14, 2012, Proteonomix announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted permission to the Company to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate UMK-121 in patients with ESLD.

Numoda Corporation

Philadelphia-based Numoda Corporation is a leading provider of clinical trial information and logistics services to promising life sciences companies. Numoda's services strengthen the business case for new therapies by ensuring efficient deployment of funds and immediate reporting for early assessment of progress to improve conditions for the acquisition of funding, licensing and partnering money for future success. The business offerings include business evaluation, budget projections and oversight, in conjunction with comprehensive management of clinical trials, patented information systems, logistics management and reporting tools with early visibility. Visit Numoda Corporation at http://www.numoda.com.

About Proteonomix, Inc.

Proteonomix is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics based upon the use of human cells and their derivatives. The Proteonomix family of companies includes Proteoderm, StromaCel, PRTMI and THOR Biopharma. Proteodermis a wholly owned subsidiary that has developed an anti-aging line of skin care products. StromaCel develops therapeutic modalities for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and plans to file an IND application for treatment of patients who have suffered post-myocardial infarction. Proteonomix Regenerative Translational Medicine Institute, Inc. (PRTMI) intends to focus on the translation of promising research in stem cell biology and cellular therapy to clinical applications of regenerative medicine. Additional information is available at http://www.proteonomix.com and http://www.proteoderm.com.

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Proteonomix, Inc. cautions that statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Actual results or developments may differ materially from projections. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made.

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WTTC Launches 2013 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

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4 September 2012

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is inviting tourism businesses, organisations, and destinations worldwide to apply for its prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.

Each year, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards recognise global leadership in sustainable tourism best practices. Due to its rigorous three-step judging process involving 22 independent expert judges from all around the world, and including an on-site evaluation of all award finalists, the Awards have become one of the highest accolades in the global Travel & Tourism industry.

Applicants should demonstrate how they are actively engaged in a successful programme of sustainable tourism practices and management, including maximising social and economic benefits for local people, reducing negative impacts to the environment, and supporting the protection of cultural and natural heritage in destinations where they operate.

Award applicants may enter in one of four Award categories: Global Tourism Business, Conservation, Community Benefit, and Destination Stewardship and can submit their entries online at http://www.wttc.org/tourismfortomorrow until 26 November 2012.

David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC said: "The Travel & Tourism industry has immense influencing power and has the potential to raise awareness and initiate action on the sustainability agenda among consumers, employees, and governments.

With its ninth year under WTTC stewardship, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are rewarding top sustainable tourism practices globally. These are outstanding examples, reaching new heights in the world's sustainable tourism advancement."

Finalists and winners receive complimentary flights and accommodation and will be recognised during a gala Awards ceremony which takes place alongside WTTC's Global Summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 9 April 2013, attended by Travel & Tourism industry leaders, government representatives and members of the international media.

Costas Christ, Chairman of Judges, stated: "A tremendous amount of work goes into the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards each year. These Awards are truly global in nature, with a team of nearly two dozen judges from all around the world, ranging from indigenous tourism leaders to international sustainable tourism experts, and hailing from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.

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WTTC Launches 2013 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

Spacewalkers prepare International Space Station for new Russian lab

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Two veteran cosmonauts sailed through a six-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station yesterday to prepare the orbital outpost for a new module and better shield its living quarters against small meteorite and debris impacts, officials said.

Stationcommander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko opened the hatch on thestation's airlock at 11:37 am EDT (1537 GMT) to begin aspacewalk to relocate a construction crane, install debris shields and release a small satellite into orbit.

Their departure was delayed about an hour while engineers assessed a leak between the Pirs docking module and Russian segments of thestation, a $100 billion laboratory for microgravity experiments and technology testing that flies about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

But the issue was resolved and the experiencedspacewalkers more than made up the lost time.

Padalka, who was making his ninthspacewalk, and Malenchenko, on his fifth, moved a hand-operated, 46-foot (14-meter) crane, called Strela-2, from the outside of Pirs to Zarya, the cornerstone of thestation. Pirs is due to be detached from thestationnext year to make room for a new Russian laboratory and docking module.

The United States completed construction of its part of the outpost last year and retired its threespaceshuttles. Europe, Japan and Canada also are partners on the project.

With the crane in place, thespacewalkers then used a hand tool to launch a 20-pound (nine-kg) spherical satellite on a path behind thespacestation.

"Nice throw," a flight director in the Russian mission control center outside Moscow said through a translator monitoring radio communications with the cosmonauts.

The satellite, which is expected to remain in orbit for about three months, is intended to serve as a target for Russian engineers working on computer models that evaluate orbital tracking.

Thespacewalkers' last major task was to install five debris shields to the outside of the Zvezda module, the crew's primary living quarters. They also retrieved a briefcase-sized experiment that has been exposing various materials to the harsh environment ofspaceand installed two support struts on a ladder.

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Nasa's Curiosity rover broadcasts new will.i.am song from Mars

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"It seems surreal," said will.i.am, who is also an actor.

He explained how Charles Bolden, the Nasa administrator, had called him to suggest beaming a song back from Mars as part of educational outreach efforts by the US space agency.

The song, which includes lyrics "I know that Mars might be far, but baby it ain't really that far", involved a 40-piece orchestra including French horns, rather than a more modern electronically-generated sound.

The 37-year-old, whose real name William James Adams, told a student audience that he didn't "want to do a song that was done on a computer," given that it was going to be the first piece of music broadcast back to the Earth from Mars.

"I wanted to show human collaboration and have an orchestra there and something that would be timeless, and translated in different cultures, not have like a hip hop beat or a dance beat," he said.

"A lot of times ... people in my field aren't supposed to try to execute something classical, or orchestral, so I wanted to break that stigma."

The aim was to inspire young people like those at the Nasa event, including some from Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles where the musician grew up, to take a greater interest in science.

The musician, who promotes science and mathematics education, was among more than a dozen celebrities who were invited to JPL to watch Curiosity's landing earlier this month. Others included Wil Wheaton, Seth Green and Morgan Freeman.

Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden addressed the crowd in a video message encouraging students to study science, technology, engineering and maths.

"Mars has always fascinated us, and the things Curiosity tells us about it will help us learn about whether or not life was possible there," he said.

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Nasa's Curiosity rover broadcasts new will.i.am song from Mars

Video games help NASA control robots, rovers

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5 hrs.

Winda Benedetti

It may not seem like the serious interplanetary science being done by NASA and theentertainmentprovided by video games would have much in common, but a team from NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory says that, more and morethese days, the two go hand in hand.

During the Penny Arcade Expothis weekend, a team fromNASA told a packed audience of video game enthusiaststhat the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is not only using game technology to help the rest of us earthlings get an up close look at the latest mission to Mars, but it's also using game tech tobettercontrol NASA's robots and rovers.

In fact, Jeff Norris,manager ofthe Planning and Execution Systems Section at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,says he believes video games are key to how humans will explore space in the future.

"We are using the technology behind games and games as a platform themselves to really revitalize and change the way we are exploring space and sharing it with everyone," Norris said.

The Penny Arcade Expo (aka PAX)is aconvention that celebrates all things gaming anddraws some 70,000 gamers to Seattle each year. The team from NASA -- gamers themselves -- kicked off their PAXpresentation with a demonstration of the newXbox 360 game called"Mars Rover Landing" which, as the name suggests, challenges players to try to land a virtual version of the Curiosity rover on the red planet using a Kinect sensor and themovements of their body. (Read more about the game here.)

"This is a pretty big step for our agency," Norris said of the game. "We're embaracing the idea that games have become a really important medium for communicating our mission to everybody."

Norrisand his team also showed off other game-like experiences they've designed to give us earthbound explorers a closer look at Mars from the comforts of our own home computers.

The "Gale Crater" interactive experience -- which was created using real satellite data from Mars --lets players get an an up-closeview of the Red Planetlocale where the rover will spend the years to come.And those who want to see Curiosity's rocker-bogiesuspension system at work cancheck out the "Free Drive" game, whichlets players run a virtual version of the bare-bones rover throughout Gale Crater's terrain. (These games can be played for free right here.)

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City of Medicine Hat, Alberta Chooses Sensus Technology for Electric, Water and Gas Utility Automation

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RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Sensus, a leading provider of smart grid infrastructure technologies for electric, gas and water utilities, has been selected by the City of Medicine Hat (CMH), Alberta, Canada, to automate metering for all three of the municipalitys utility services.

CMH is currently commissioning the Sensus FlexNet system for a trial phase with residential and commercial accounts. The Industry Canada-licensed, full two-way FlexNet system includes seven collector base stations networked with Sensus iCon electric and iPERL water meters, as well as Sensus SmartPoint gas transceivers. Pending the city council approval, CMH would move forward with the projects second phase of replacing legacy analog equipment with automated meters at each of the 30,000 customer accounts covering an area of 43 square miles (111 km2) in the southeastern part of the province.

Medicine Hat, which sits on large deposits of natural gas, is rare among North American municipalities in that the city owns and operates all power generating and transmission and distribution assets. The citys Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project manager, Dean Stepanic, said the project represents the first implementation in Canada of electric, water and gas measurement, monitoring and control over a single network. He added that the choice of implementing Sensus technology was driven by an effort to manage costs and provide better service to the citys 61,000 residents.

Medicine Hat provides very competitive utility rates for customers but we needed to build a modern system for more efficient monitoring, accurate billing and greater conservation, stated Stepanic. The FlexNet licensed spectrum allows us to automate meter reading and collect critical infrastructure data more securely than with a system based on public spectrum.

Stepanic also said that the systems point-to-multipoint topology requires less equipment than mesh networks and seamlessly interfaces with the citys existing fiber optic network for backhaul. FlexNet will allow us to expand and introduce more services and capabilities such as distribution automation at some point in the future.

In addition to electric meter installations, advanced meters for water and gas is a growing trend as utilities replace on-premise meter reading and introduce more options for customers to monitor usage and billing. Advanced water and gas metering has the additional benefits of leak detection and public safety. Initially, CMH will perform automated billing and remote monitoring with the new system and may offer voluntary pricing options after full deployment.

About Sensus

Sensus is a leading utility infrastructure company offering smart meters, communication systems, software and services for the electric, gas, and water industries. Sensus technology helps utilities drive operational efficiency and customer engagement with applications that include advanced meter reading, data acquisition, demand response, distribution automation, home area networking and outdoor lighting control. Customers worldwide trust the innovation, quality and reliability of Sensus solutions for the intelligent use and conservation of energy and water. Learn more at http://www.sensus.com. To follow Twitter updates from Sensus, please visit http://twitter.com/sensussmartgrid.

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City of Medicine Hat, Alberta Chooses Sensus Technology for Electric, Water and Gas Utility Automation

Liberty's Lewellyn brothers earn playing time through hard work

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When Liberty safety Brent Vinson describes Flames defensive captain Bryant Lewellyn, he does so in simple terms.

Hes just a country boy, Vinson said. Choppin wood.

Choppin wood is hard work, an endeavor that comes with sore muscles and the occasional nasty blister. Hard work has been a staple in the life of Bryant and Dylan Lewellyn since they were small children, baling hay and tending to cattle on the family farm in Danbury, N.C., a blip on the map 20 miles northeast of Winston-Salem that as of the 2010 census had a population of 189.

When you ask how the heck the Lewellyn brothers went from walk-on afterthoughts to potential major contributors for Libertys defense, you have to start with that farm.

That was the motto, said Bryant, a senior defensive tackle. We were going to go outside and we were going to work and work and work. That taught me something. I remember baling a 1,000 bales of hay all day, going to football practice and coming back to work at the barn at night. Its just something we did.

Dylan, a sophomore linebacker, said not only did he and his brother learn to work, they learned to work the right way.

I became a perfectionist, thats what it was, Dylan said. My stepfather, he really instilled in me to do the job right the first time. Most of the times I would go in there, I would do it just to get it over with. Hed make me go back and do it again. Pretty soon, I would learn just to do it right the first time.

Bryant has played in eight games during his three years at Liberty, mostly in mop-up time. Dylan spent his redshirt freshman season toiling on the scout team. But if you ask any member of the defensive coaching staff to talk about the Lewellyn brothers, their eyes light up.

Hes the guy that comes to work every day with his hard hat and his lunch bucket and a sledgehammer, defensive line coach Vantz Singletary said of Bryant. Linebackers coach Carl Torbush praised Dylan as an intelligent player capable of playing all three positions. Hell open the season at No. 2 on the depth chart at weak side linebacker behind Scott Hyland.

Bryant had a few offers from Division II schools coming out of North Stokes High School, but he chose to walk on at Liberty on the urging of his mother. Both brothers said they had never even heard of LU before visiting campus. Bryant was cut after his first tryout the fall of his freshman year but came back in the spring for another go-around, unfazed.

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Va. GOP challenges ballot petitions of Goode, Libertarian

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RICHMOND, Va. --

The Republican Party of Virginia is challenging the ballot qualifications of the Constitution Party and Libertarian Party nominees for president, marking the latest twist in the high-stakes battle for Virginia's 13 electoral votes.

The State Board of Elections, meeting this morning, is scheduled to announce which presidential candidates qualified in Virginia for the Nov. 6 election and to determine the ballot order.

The meeting likely will take on a dramatic tone with former Virginia Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., the Constitution Party nominee, planning to appear in person to rebut the Republicans' claims.

"We believe the Republicans, in particular, are worried about this state and anything that would affect the balance in this state," said Mitch Turner, chairman of the Constitution Party of Virginia.

Turner said the Republicans "probably rightly believe" that Goode would take more votes from Republicans than from Democrats, though Turner believes the Constitution Party also has appeal for Democratic voters.

A spokesman for the state GOP was not immediately available to respond to Turner's comments.

In order to qualify for the presidential ballot in Virginia, a candidate must amass at least 10,000 valid signatures, including at least 400 from each of the 11 congressional districts.

On behalf of the state Republican Party, Christopher R. Nolen, a lawyer for McGuireWoods, sent a 28-page document, dated Thursday, to Charles Judd, chairman of the State Board of Elections, challenging Goode's ballot qualifications.

"The VRP's review shows that Goode has not submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures to qualify for the ballot in Virginia," Nolen's letter says. He says that although "Goode submitted approximately 19,981 raw signatures, approximately 36 percent of the signatures have material errors or omissions and cannot be counted."

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Va. GOP challenges ballot petitions of Goode, Libertarian

Volatility trade targets health care fund

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Call volume surged in the SPDR Health Care Index Fund on Friday, but it wasn't necessarily bullish.

A block of 25,000 December 41 calls traded for $0.41 against previous open interest of just 1,037 contracts.

At first glance it appeared that the calls were sold. But just 90 seconds later, the largest trade in the stock went off: 600,000 shares sold for $38.80. That was a full $0.18 less than the trades immediately before and after. Given that the bid/ask spread on the options was just $0.03 and the options traded in the middle of that, it may very well be that that calls were bought against the short stock position.

In that case, we're looking at a neutral position that can profit if the XLV moves sharply in either direction. It will also make money if the actual volatility of the stock is more than that implied by the options.

XLV rose 0.31 percent to $38.84 on Friday. That was lower than Wednesdays close, but it did touch a new all-time high of $39.05 during the session. It's been trending higher for the last 11 months, having bottomed just above $30 in October.

Total option volume in the fund was 8 times greater than average.

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Restaurants deny Healthy S.F. needs fix

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San Francisco's cutting-edge universal health care program continues to be roundly applauded for its goal of ensuring all city residents have medical care - but the way employers are paying for it, or sometimes not paying for it, remains a major controversy at City Hall.

At Supervisor David Campos' urging, the Board of Supervisors is expected to hold a hearing this month or next on businesses, primarily restaurants, that levy a surcharge on customers' bills to pay for Healthy San Francisco, but pocket some of the money themselves. Campos has asked that the district attorney investigate the surcharges on the grounds they may amount to consumer fraud.

Campos is also concerned about businesses of all kinds that create health reimbursement accounts as a way to comply with the city mandate but are tight-fisted in actually spending the money on their employees' health care.

"We in San Francisco have been proud to be the first city to have universal health care," Campos said. "But it's hurting the vast majority of businesses that are actually playing by the rules and following the letter and spirit of the law if they have to compete with businesses that are not doing that."

But Rob Black, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, said Campos, who is up for re-election in November, is relying on old or faulty data to make his case.

Black believes changes to the employer mandate approved by the board and mayor late last year are working - and that Campos is basing his concern on data produced before the changes were made.

"He's either misrepresenting it or he has no clue what he's talking about," Black said.

At issue is Healthy San Francisco, the first program of its kind in the country, which debuted five years ago. Any uninsured adult living in the city who doesn't qualify for coverage under Medicare or Medi-Cal can participate - regardless of their immigration status, pre-existing medical conditions or whether they're employed. Currently, 47,285 participants are treated at 37 locations.

The overarching idea was always popular in liberal San Francisco, but the restaurant association sued the city over the mandate that employers provide health care, either through private benefits, paying into Healthy San Francisco or creating their own health reimbursement accounts. The city prevailed in court.

In November, Mayor Ed Lee signed legislation intended to close a loophole in the way employers could set up the reimbursement accounts. Previously, employers could take back any unused money at the end of every year. In 2010, 860 employers put a total of $62.5 million into the accounts and re-pocketed all but $12.4 million.

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Restaurants deny Healthy S.F. needs fix

Spread Thin Britain – Health Care Workers Increasingly Stretched

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LONDON, September 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

British health care professionals are working harder than they were one year ago according to research carried out by Randstad, the UK sector specialist recruiter.

In a survey of over 2,000 British employees[1], Randstad found that doctors, nurses and other health care professionals feel they are performing the job of 1.5 people meaning they are covering 50% more work than one person should be - the equivalent of two and a half additional work days every week. In contrast, British employees across all sectors feel they are performing the job of 1.3 employees - an additional day and a half.

While just over a quarter (27%) of those in health care and nursing jobs feel their workload is suitable for one person, nearly a third (33%) feel that in an ideal world their role would need one full time and one part-time member of staff. 28% believe their role needs two full-time people to manage the level of work and 4% feel their role really needs at least two full-time members of staff as well as an additional part-time person.

VickyShort, operationsdirectorof RandstadCare, said:"It's clear thatpublic austeritymeasures areexerting more and more pressure onlocal authorities and the NHSto keep their workforces as lean as possible.Healthcare professionals are facinggreater workloadsandreduced capacityasfundingrestraintsarecausing job cuts.While this will help manyemployersnavigate thesqueeze on funding,it isn't sustainable.

"Spreading the workforce too thin leads to burnout, mistakes and lower productivity in the long-run. It's vital that heavier work burdens for health care professionals do not lead to the erosion of the quality of service provision."

Workload taking its toll

The rise in workload is taking its toll on Britain's health care workforce. One in four workers (25%) feel more stressed now than they did six months ago, nearly half (49%) said it takes longer to switch off at the weekends than it did six months ago and one in ten (11%) are consistently sleeping badly because of work.

Holidays unable to ease pressure

Rising stress and work worries also mean that holidays are unable to provide suitable respite. 10% of health care respondents feel unable to take holiday this summer because of work pressure. And while one third (34%) of employees have been able to take two or more weeks off work for their main holiday this year, one in nine employees (11%) will be checking emails or calls, with a further 13% worrying about what is happening at work in their absence.

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by Rufus Thompson

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Automotive designer and futurist Daniel Simon has had his vehicle design from Captain America: The First Avenger' featured in a short animation.

This 10-wheeler 1942 supercharged V16 Coupe, the personal car of Marvel's villain Johann Schmidt (the Red Skull), is 7,620 mm long and was inspired by cars such as Mercedes' 540K and the G4. The director's instructions for the car's size led to a truck chassis having to be used for the practical film version.

Simon, previously Senior Car Designer at Bugatti and Volkswagen, has designed vehicles for many films, most famously Tron: Legacy'. His creations can also be seen in Tron Uprising', Captain America', Prometheus' and Oblivion'.

Related Articles:

Designer Interviews: Daniel Simon, Film Vehicle Designer and Automotive Futurist Book Review: Cosmic Motors

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by Rufus Thompson

Freedom fighters’ plan from borders to the capital

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THE Syrian freedom fighters on Sunday succeeded in breaking through the building of the Army Staff Command in the heart of Damascus. Two weeks earlier they attacked the heavily guarded headquarters of the same military establishment. This was preceded by the most important operation, when the freedom fighters reached the National Security Building and attacked the meeting hall, where high-ranking military and intelligence personnel were meeting. These kinds of repeated operations reveal two things: The increasing power of the Free Syrian Army and how the regime has been penetrated from inside. Some commanders and privates volunteer to help the freedom fighters against the regime in various parts of Syria. When President Bashar Assad, to reassure his followers during his last TV speech, said that he was talking from inside the Republican Palace in Damascus i.e., he was not hidng as had been rumored he was probably telling the truth. However, any place behind the walls of the palace is no longer safe. The ministers and senior officials of the regime have completely disappeared except through old archive photos broadcast repeatedly by the media. The war game has been reversed. The forces of the regime are no longer pursuing the freedom fighters. On the contrary, the freedom fighters are now chasing the regimes soldiers in organized and well-planned battles. The brigades of the Free Syrian Army have simultaneously attacked the Syrian border crossings and occupied them all with the exception of a single crossing with Iraq in the Kurdish area. The border crossings of Al-Bukamal, Al-Yacoubiyyah, Bab Al-Hawa and Bab Al-Salama have all fallen to the freedom fighters, who aim to strangle the regime by cutting the fuel and military supplies coming from Iran and Iraq. In the north, the freedom fighters are in control of the borders and they are granting travelers entry visas just like any legitimate government. Their grip extends to the borders of Aleppo. They also try to strangle the regime internally by cutting oil supply lines. They are not attacking the fuel sources, such as electricity stations or refineries, but the pipelines. The Free Army, which does not have missiles or ground defense systems, has suffered immense losses as a result of the use of fighters and helicopters by the regimes armed forces. The airstrikes have displaced more than half a million people from their towns and the villages. For these reasons, the Free Army changed its tactics and is now attacking airports, airfields and military training colleges. The freedom fighters simultaneously attacked Abu Zuhour air base in Idlib, Al-Bukamal air defense base in Deir ez-Zor and Rasm Al-Oboud training base in Aleppo, which was used by air college students for training. They made unsuccessful attempts to control important air bases in Damascus and Aleppo, but were able to stop these air bases from functioning. Through the plan to close down borders, which succeeded in suffocating the regime on the land, and through the attacks against airports, air bases and weapon stores, the world came to know that even after using air raids, heavy artillery and tanks, the Assad forces failed to halt the advance of the Free Syrian Army. The freedom fighters are aware that the downfall of Damascus will automatically mean the collapse of the regime. They did not succeed in their first attempt, but they will surely try again within their plan codenamed Damascus Volcano and Syrias Earthquake. It seems the freedom fighters will make Damascus their target during the next few weeks as they are able to use the missiles and the anti-aircraft weapons they recently obtained. Politically, Assad and his allies are weaker now than in the past. The Russians, who until recently confirmed that the regime was strong and asked people not to worry about the fate of the regime, are not able to make these utterances anymore.

Alrashed.arabnews@gmail.com

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Ascent Solar Partners with Silent Falcon™ UAS Technologies and Bye Aerospace for Solar-powered Unmanned Aircraft Systems

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THORNTON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (ASTI), a developer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules, announced today it is collaborating with Silent Falcon UAS Technologies and Bye Aerospace to provide its lightweight, flexible copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaics to power the Silent Falcon unmanned aerial system (UAS). Silent Falcon is a small tactical UAS drone designed to be easily carried and used for longer-duration intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Recently unveiled at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) conference in Las Vegas, Silent Falcon represents the synergy of several new technologies, including ASTIs flexible photovoltaic modules, to provide a near silent, rapidly deployed platform that has multiple military and civilian applications. With three wing configurations available for different mission profiles, each Silent Falcon system could represent up to 30 modules.

John W. Brown, CEO, Silent Falcon UAS Technologies states: "We believe that today there is a large and growing global military and public safety agency market for small or tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). In these markets alone, sales exceeding several hundred units per year are possible. As their use in these markets proves their utility and functionality, and as the FAA rules for domestic commercial, civilian use become more clear, we believe the market size and number of annual units sold could increase substantially."

Ascent Solars President and CEO, Victor Lee, said, Our collaboration on Silent Falcon represents a key strength of our product, namely that its lightweight and flexible nature can address multiple markets, from consumer electronics to building integrated PV, and that our manufacturing process is sufficiently agile to support them simultaneously. We see this emerging electric drone market expanding rapidly, with applications ranging from military to disaster relief with rapid deployment and recovery with little risk to human life.

AboutAscent Solar Technologies, Inc.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules using flexible substrate materials that can transform the way solar power generation integrates into everyday life. Ascent Solarmodules, which were named one ofTIMEMagazine's 50 best inventions for 2011, can be directly incorporated into standard building materials, commercial transportation, automotive solutions, space applications, consumer electronics for portable power and durable off-grid solutions. More information can be found at http://www.ascentsolar.com.

About Silent Falcon UAS Technologies

Silent Falcon UAS Technologies was established in 2010 to introduce disruptive technological UAV innovation to global defense, intelligence and national security agencies, the domestic public safety agency market and U.S.-based private security contractors. The company is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information, go to http://www.SilentFalconUAS.com.

About Bye Aerospace

Bye Aerospace, founded in 2007 and headquartered near Denver, is applying clean energy solutions to innovative aircraft designs for the aerospace and defense markets. For more information, go towww.ByeAerospace.com.

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Ascent Solar Partners with Silent Falcon™ UAS Technologies and Bye Aerospace for Solar-powered Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Northrop Grumman Hosts Distinguished Panel of Women Aerospace Leaders

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REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Sept. 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eminent women thought leaders from government and industry provided an informative perspective on the U.S. Department of Defense push for affordability in space at a Women in Aerospace forum hosted by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC).

The panel, moderated by Northrop Grumman's Linnie Haynesworth, vice president of aerospace products, included Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base; Wanda Austin, chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corp.; Gwynne Shotwell, president of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX); and Betty Sapp, director of the National Reconnaissance Office.

In her opening remarks, Haynesworth noted that "the issue of space affordability is a challenge, but also represents an opportunity for our industry." The panelists discussed such topics as the role of technology, launch-on-demand capability and fixed-price contracting.

Pawlikowski said the SMC, part of the Air Force's space acquisition arm, is examining "what we buy and how we buy it." This review has put the SMC on a path toward new space architectures based on smaller and more manageable satellites. The goal, she said, is "not only affordability, but also resiliency."

Panelists also fielded questions from some of the more than 300 Northrop Grumman employees and Women in Aerospace supporters who attended the Aug. 21 event at the company's Space Park campus in Redondo Beach, Calif.

Women in Aerospace is a national organization dedicated to expanding women's opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community.

Northrop Grumman has been recognized by several organizations for its commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce and supply chain. Among them, the company was recently ranked No. 37 among the top 50 companies in diversity by DiversityInc magazine. It was also ranked No. 2 among the top 50 employers and No. 3 in the top 50 for a positive working environment for members of minority groups by Minority Engineer magazine.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

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Northrop Grumman Hosts Distinguished Panel of Women Aerospace Leaders

The eyes have it: Men do see things differently to women

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Public release date: 3-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central

The way that the visual centers of men and women's brains works is different, finds new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Biology of Sex Differences. Men have greater sensitivity to fine detail and rapidly moving stimuli, but women are better at discriminating between colors.

In the brain there are high concentrations of male sex hormone (androgen) receptors throughout cerebral cortex, especially in the visual cortex which is responsible for processing images. Androgens are also responsible for controlling the development of neurons in the visual cortex during embryogenesis, meaning that males have 25% more of these neurons than females.

Researchers from Brooklyn and Hunter Colleges of the City University of New York compared the vision of men and women aged over 16 from both college and high school, including students and staff. All volunteers were required to have normal color vision and 20/20 sight (or 20/20 when corrected by glasses or contact lenses).

When the volunteers were required to describe colors shown to them across the visual spectrum it became obvious that the color vision of men was shifted, and that they required a slightly longer wavelength to experience the same hue as the women. The males also had a broader range in the center of the spectrum where they were less able to discriminate between colors.

An image of light and dark bars was used to measure contrast-sensitivity functions (CSF) of vision; the bars were either horizontal or vertical and volunteers had to choose which one they saw. In each image, when the light and dark bars were alternated the image appeared to flicker.

By varying how rapidly the bars alternated or how close together they were, the team found that at moderate rates of image change, observers lost sensitivity for close together bars, and gained sensitivity when the bars were farther apart. However when the image change was faster both sexes were less able to resolve the images over all bar widths. Overall the men were better able to resolve more rapidly changing images that were closer together than the women.

Prof Israel Abramov, who led this study commented, "As with other senses, such as hearing and the olfactory system, there are marked sex differences in vision between men and women. The elements of vision we measured are determined by inputs from specific sets of thalamic neurons into the primary visual cortex. We suggest that, since these neurons are guided by the cortex during embryogenesis, that testosterone plays a major role, somehow leading to different connectivity between males and females. The evolutionary driving force between these differences is less clear."

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The eyes have it: Men do see things differently to women