B/E Aerospace Completes Spin-off Of KLX

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B/E Aerospace, Inc. (BEAV: Quote), a maker of aircraft cabin interior products, said Wednesday that it has completed the previously announced spin-off of KLX Inc. (KLXI: Quote) from the company. Meanwhile, KLX said in a separate statement that its shares will begin regular way trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "KLXI" from today.

B/E Aerospace said that on Tuesday, December 16, 2014, it distributed all the outstanding shares of KLX common stock to B/E Aerospace shareholders at a distribution ratio of one share of KLX common stock for every two shares of B/E Aerospace common stock held by them on the December 5, 2014 record date.

Starting Wednesday, December 17, 2014, B/E Aerospace common stock will no longer include the value of KLX.

In a separate statement, KLX Inc. (KLXI) said it will commence regular trading from Wednesday following its spin-off from B/E Aerospace. The company said its shares will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "KLXI".

In early June, B/E Aerospace announced its intention to split into two independent, publicly traded companies, for manufacturing and services.

The new B/E Aerospace, or the manufacturing company, will focus on aircraft cabin interior equipment - design, development, manufacturing, certification and direct sales on a global basis.

KLX, or the services company, will look after distribution, logistics and technical services for the aerospace and energy services markets. KLX is a distributor of aerospace fasteners and consumables, and also a provider of services and products for the oil and gas industry.

BEAV closed Tuesday's trading at $74.37, up $0.40 or 0.53 percent on a volume of 1.37 million shares. In Wednesday's pre-market activity, the stock is down $19.38 or 26.06 percent to $54.99.

by RTT Staff Writer

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B/E Aerospace Completes Spin-off Of KLX

Alnylam Provides Pipeline Update, Growth Strategy – Analyst Blog

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Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( ALNY ) announced its pipeline growth strategy for the development and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics across three strategic therapeutic areas (STArs) - genetic medicines, cardio-metabolic disease and hepatic infectious disease.

Alnylam's genetic medicine STAr consists of a broad pipeline of RNAi therapeutics including patisiran (phase III - APOLLO) and revusiran (phase III - ENDEAVOUR), being developed for the treatment of transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis. Additionally, the company reported positive initial data from a phase I study on ALN-AT3 last week.

The company is advancing ALN-AT3 for the treatment of hemophilia and rare bleeding disorders. Further, the company plans to initiate a phase I/II study on ALN-CC5 for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Meanwhile, Alnylam intends to commercialize its genetic medicine products in the U.S. and EU, while Genzyme, a Sanofi ( SNY ) company, will develop and commercialize in the rest of the world.

In its cardio-metabolic disease STAr, Alnylam recently initiated a phase I study on ALN-PCSsc (RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia) with initial data expected in mid-2015. Alnylam has an agreement with The Medicines Company ( MDCO ) for ALN-PCSsc. Alnylam is also advancing other candidates including ALN-AC3 (hypertriglyceridemia), ALN-ANG (hypertriglyceridemia and mixed hyperlipidemia) and ALN-AGT (hypertensive disorders of pregnancy including preeclampsia) among others.

Finally, Alnylam's hepatic infectious disease STAr includes ALN-HBV for the treatment of hepatitis B viral infection. The company intends to file an investigational new drug (IND) application or an IND equivalent in late 2015.

Alnylam is looking for partnerships for programs in its cardio-metabolic disease and hepatic infectious disease STArs. At the same time it intends to retain significant product commercialization rights in the U.S. and EU.

Alnylam expects to provide additional guidance on pipeline programs in its three STArs in Jan 2015. We expect investor focus to remain on Alnylam's pipeline.

Alnylam currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). A better-ranked stock in the health care sector is Amgen Inc. ( AMGN ) carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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MU scientist and inventor advances the study of nanomedicine

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2014

Contact: Jeff Sossamon sossamonj@missouri.edu 573-882-3346 University of Missouri-Columbia @mizzounews

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology, or the use of microscopic structures to diagnose, image, treat and prevent disease. Current problems in nanomedicine include understanding and anticipating the potentially toxic impact these nanostructures have on the body and the environment once they're released. Kattesh Katti, a researcher at the University of Missouri, is developing nano-scale molecules, including gold nanoparticles and other "green" technologies, to image and treat diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and degeneration of the eye--all while curtailing the impact these structures sometimes have on the body and environment.

For distinguished contributions to the fields of chemistry, radiopharmaceutical sciences, green nanotechnology and nanomedicine, Katti has been chosen for induction as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election as an NAI Fellow is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

"I am thrilled to be elected into this prestigious fellowship of the National Academy of Inventors," Katti said. "It is particularly gratifying that I am joining the august group of outstanding NAI fellows along with another great Mizzou colleague who is also being inducted. Election into NAI is a clear reflection of our outstanding quality of discovery research here at MU as our academic approach is embedded with inventions and entrepreneurship. I am indebted to all my teachers, collaborators, post-doctoral fellows and students because this success is a culmination of our collective painstaking efforts. I thank my wife Kavita, our children and my parents for all their support throughout my professional life."

Katti, Curators Professor of Radiology and Physics in the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Science and senior research scientist at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), pioneered the development of several nanomedicine tools used in hospitals worldwide. Cancer specialists treating prostate cancer with gold nanoparticles, for instance, often were limited to using high doses of toxic chemotherapy. Katti and other researchers at MU found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves. When combined through methods he developed, this treatment can be used in much smaller doses and travels through the body without inflicting damage to healthy areas.

Katti's work in developing green nanotechnology includes the use of common spices and plants to target, image and treat ailments. The usual method of creating gold nanoparticles utilizes harmful chemicals and acids that are not environmentally safe and contain toxic impurities. Katti helped develop the method that scientists use to mix gold salts with cinnamon and stir the mixture with water to synthesize gold nanoparticles. These green therapies are less toxic to the body and could provide alternatives to current treatments like chemotherapy and radiation which have negative side effects.

"As a professor of journalism, I can see how Kattesh's inventions will reach both our students and society at large," said Randall D. Smith, professor and Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair of Business Journalism in the Reynolds Journalism Institute at MU. "His approach to academic enterprise stands as a role model on how academicians, regardless of their discipline, should embrace inventions and entrepreneurial philosophy in teaching and research."

Katti holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science. He was selected as "One of 25 Most Influential Scientists in Molecular Imaging in the World" by rt Image in recognition of his pioneering work on the utility of gold nanoparticles in imaging and therapy. Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug cited Katti as the "Father of Green Nanotechnology" in recognition of his groundbreaking green nanotechnology invention of producing gold nanoparticles by simple mixing of soy beans with gold salt. Katti was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is a Fellow of the St. Louis Academy of Science. His green nanotechnology discovery using cinnamon-phytochemicals in the mediated production of gold nanoparticles was selected as "one of the 10 best inventions of 2010" by BioresearchOnline.com.

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National Academy of Inventors Names Two Sanford-Burnham Researchers as Charter Fellows

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Newswise La Jolla, Calif., December 16, 2014 Two professors at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have been named Charter Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI): Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished professor and former president of Sanford-Burnham, and Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., current president of the Institute. Ruoslahti and Vuori are now part of a group of 414 NAI Fellows from more than 150 prestigious research universities, government, and nonprofit research institutions.

Election to the NAI Fellows is a significant professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

Im honored to be named a Charter Fellow of the NAI, said Vuori. I owe a large part of this distinction to the talented scientists, staff, and students I have worked with at Sanford-Burnham over the years.

Academic inventors are elected by their peers for innovative contributions in areas such as patenting and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

An internationally recognized leader in nanomedicine, Ruoslahti focuses his research on directing drugs to sites of disease. His main discovery and invention is the integrin-binding tripeptide motif RGD, a sequence within fibronectin that mediates cell attachment, and is found in numerous other cell-attachment proteins. His recent work has contributed to better tumor imaging and improving drug delivery to specific disease sites.

It is a great honor to be named a Fellow of the NAI, said Ruoslahti. There are so many giants of innovation that have received this distinction, and Im grateful to be part of that group.

Ruoslahti holds 314 issued patents, and is the founder of the Center for Nanomedicine at UC Santa Barbara, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Institute for Medicine, and a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the recipient of the Japan Prize, Gairdner Award, Clowes Award, Pasarow Award, and Jacobaeus Prize, and is a 2012 Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate. He is Knight and Commander of the Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland.

Vuori joined the faculty of Sanford-Burnham in 1996 and has been president of Sanford-Burnham since 2010. She is also professor and holder of the Pauline and Stanley Presidential Chair, and served as director of Sanford-Burnhams NCI-designated Cancer Center from 2005 until 2013. Her main research focus is aimed at unraveling the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis, particularly the process that makes normal cells adhesion dependent. Normal cells adhere to their microenvironment for survival; if they become detached they will die. Cancer cells are somehow able to detach from their surroundings and move to other tissues in the body and survive and grow. Understanding the mechanisms of cell adhesion opens new approaches to preventing cancer metastasis.

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The Future Internet Market In 2025 Available online By Market Research Reports.Biz

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Albany, NY (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

This report presents a detailed perspective of potential futures for the Internet services market by 2025, with their impacts on the adjacent ICT market of devices, telecom and software and on non-ICT, vertical markets.

View Full Report at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/235575

By using assumptions regarding openness of ecosystems and personal data, it assesses the major disruptive trends around technology, usage, business models and regulations, to determine the greatest uncertainties that will shape perceptions in 2025. Four major scenarios platform wars, low-cost islands, open innovation and 'pay per trust' are identified and quantified, with breakdowns by business model (advertising, one-off payment, unlimited subscriptions and commission on sales) and by service (cloud, video, social, search, mobile, e-commerce, communications, RTB and digital content).

Downlaod Detail Report With Complete TOC at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/235575

3. The fundamental disruptions induced by Internet development 3.1. Drivers 3.1.1. The rollout of standardised and open technologies 3.1.2. The economics of information 3.1.3. Network agnosticism 3.1.4. Reach 3.2. Barriers 3.2.1. Proprietary technologies 3.2.2. Cost structure of non-software-based services 3.2.3. Network interoperability and access 3.2.4. Local and commercial barriers 3.3. Overall impacts for service provider activities 3.3.1. Service Development: Lower cost per unit 3.3.2. Evolution of the ecosystem: New value chains? 3.3.3. New market environment

4. Technologies 4.1. Key technologies 4.1.1. Network infrastructure and standards: Fibre, LTE, QoS, SDN 4.1.2. Traffic management and optimisation solutions: CDN, DPI/PCRF, small cells 4.1.3. Cloud infrastructure and data management: The cloud and big data 4.1.4. Internet of Things: M2M, RFID, wearables, sensors 4.1.5. Mobile technologies: GPS, NFC, QR code and augmented reality 4.1.6. Security 4.2. Analysis of technology trends 4.2.1. Main disruptive technologies 4.2.2. Other disruptive technologies 4.2.3. Other technologies 4.3. Conclusions and uncertainties

Explore All Idate Market Research Reports at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/publisher/91

Table 1: Mobile network performance levels Table 2: Status of regulatory debates and policies, by country, in 2014 Table 3: Various graduated response measures o piracy implemented by in some countries Table 4: Key uncertainties presented in previous sections Table 5: Characteristics and impacts of uncertainties in Platform Wars scenario Table 6: Characteristics and impacts of uncertainties in Open Innovation scenario Table 7: Characteristics and impacts of uncertainties in Low-cost Islands scenario Table 8: Characteristics and impacts of uncertainties in Pay per Trust scenario Table 9: Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Platform Wars scenario Table 10: Focus on major Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Platform Wars scenario Table 11: Breakdown of Internet market by business model, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Platform Wars scenario Table 12: Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 - 10.2. Low-cost Islands scenario Table 13: Focus on major Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Low-cost Islands scenario Table 14: Breakdown of Internet market by business model, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Low-cost Islands scenario Table 15: Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 Open Innovation scenario Table 16: Focus on major Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Open Innovation scenario Table 17: Breakdown of Internet market by business model, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Open Innovation scenario Table 18: Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 Pay per Trust scenario Table 19: Focus on major Internet markets, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Pay per Trust scenario Table 20: Breakdown of Internet market by business model, 2013-2018 & 2025 - Pay per Trust scenario About Us

Marketresearchreports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. Marketresearchreports.biz services are especially designed to save time and money of our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.

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New colorectal cancer risk factor identified

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

15-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 15, 2014-Adiponectin, a collagen-like protein secreted by fat cells, derives from the ADIPOQ gene. Variations in this gene may increase risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various cancers. A new study that links specific variations in the ADIPOQ gene to either higher or lower colorectal cancer risk is published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website until January 11, 2014.

Xin Guo, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China, and Jiaqi Liu, Liuping You, Gang Li, Yuenan Huang, and Yunlong Li, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, explored the relationship between two polymorphisms in the adiponectin gene and the risk of colorectal cancer in the article "Association Between Adiponectin Polymorphisms and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer." They also showed that these genetic variations may interact with environmental factors, such as red meat intake, to affect cancer risk.

"This paper suggests that adiponectin gene sequence may have significant prognostic value for colorectal cancer," says Kenneth I. Berns, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and Director of the University of Florida's Genetics Institute, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

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About the Journal

Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that reports on all aspects of genetic testing, including molecular and biochemical based tests and varied clinical situations; ethical, legal, social, and economic aspects of genetic testing; and issues concerning effective genetic counseling. Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers is the official journal of Genetic Alliance. Complete tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website.

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Do caffeine’s effects differ with or without sugar?

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 16, 2014-Consuming caffeinated or sugary drinks can affect the body's metabolism, causing changes in heart and respiratory rate and weight gain. The results of a new study exploring whether individuals respond differently to caffeinated drinks that do or do not contain sugar and to sugar alone are published in Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Caffeine Research website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jcr.2014.0023 until January 16, 2015.

The article entitled "Caffeine With and Without Sugar: Individual Differences in Physiological Responses During Rest", by Elaine Rush, PhD and coauthors, Auckland University of Technology (Auckland, New Zealand), describes a study in which heart rate and carbon dioxide production (as a measure of respiration) were measured 30 minutes before and after individuals consumed a defined quantity of sugar, caffeine, or sugar and caffeine. Responses to the different treatments varied widely among individuals.

"Given the caveat that sugar itself affects brain reward just as caffeine does, and this effect will in itself cause variations, this is still an essential paper for the scientist and the lay person to read," says Patricia A. Broderick, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Caffeine Research, Medical Professor in Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, The City College of New York, The City University of New York, and Adjunct Professor in Neurology, New York University Langone Medical Center and Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

###

About the Journal

Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science is a quarterly journal published in print and online. The Journal covers the effects of caffeine on a wide range of diseases and conditions, including mood disorders, neurological disorders, cognitive performance, cardiovascular disease, and sports performance. Journal of Caffeine Research explores all aspects of caffeine science including the biochemistry of caffeine; its actions on the human body; benefits, dangers, and contraindications; and caffeine addiction and withdrawal, across all stages of the human life span from prenatal exposure to end-of-life. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Caffeine Research website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jcr.

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Day in the Life of a Food Science Student

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Newswise CHICAGOThe Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is proud to introduce a new video in the Day in the Life of a Food Scientist series that shows what its like to be a food science student. Featured in the video are Amy DeJong and Maya Warren, PhD students in the Food Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to being lab mates, DeJong and Warren are also one of the final four teams competing in the CBS television reality series, The Amazing Race.

We wanted to show how scientists are so much more than lab coats, beakers and goggles, said DeJong about why they wanted to try out for the show. The Amazing Race is an Emmy Award-winning reality series that pits 11 teams, each comprised of two members, against each other on a trek around the world where teams compete in a series of mental and physical challenges. DeJong and Warren beat out seven other teams to make it to the final leg which airs on CBS Friday, December 19th at 8/7c.

The IFT video follows DeJong and Warren on campus as they study, work in the lab, and interact with faculty and students. DeJong is studying polyol (sugar-free sweetener) crystallization in confectionery products.Warrens area of research focuses on the microstructural, behavioral, and sensorial properties of ice cream and other frozen-aerated treats.

Both DeJong and Warren hope that the IFT video and their involvement in the Amazing Race will show people that scientists are high-energy people who step outside of the lab often to work with a variety of different people and cultures.

The Day in the Life of a Food Scientist videos are designed to educate students, teachers, media, and the general public about the positive impact and rewards of the food science and technology profession. Additional videos include: Day in the Life of a Food Scientist at NASA, Day in the Life of a Food Scientist at Disney Consumer Products, Day in the Life of a Food Packaging Professional, Day in the Life of a Food Science Professor, and Day in the Life of an FDA Food Scientist.

IFT has more information on this exciting career at Become a Food Scientist.

About IFT This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Institute of Food Technologists. Since its founding in 1939, IFT has been committed to advancing the science of food. Our non-profit scientific societymore than 18,000 members from more than 100 countriesbrings together food scientists, technologists and related professionals from academia, government and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.

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National Front leader wants government to leave NATO over CIA torture report – Video

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National Front leader wants government to leave NATO over CIA torture report
National Front Party leader Marine Le Pen says France should leave the military alliance if it #39;s outraged by the CIA tortures. Le Pen has previously criticized President Francois Hollande...

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Former commander urges Nato to send arms to Ukraine …

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Admiral James Stavridis in 2009. Photograph: Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images

A former commander of Nato in Europe has called for the alliance to send arms and military advisers to Ukraine to help it fight Moscow-backed separatists.

James Stavridis said during a visit to London: I think we should provide significant military assistance to the Ukrainian military. I dont think we should limit ourselves to, non-lethal aid. I think we should provide ammunition, fuel, logistics. I think cyber-assistance would be very significant and helpful, as well as advice and potentially advisers.

I dont think there needs to be huge numbers of Nato troops on the ground. The Ukrainian military can resist whats happening, but they need some assistance in order to do that.

Ukraine announced on Friday that it would conscript 40,000 more soldiers next year and double its military budget, in an attempt to counter the separatist threat in the east.

The US and European states have offered only non-lethal assistance, despite Kievs appeals for weapons to help it reassert control over areas in eastern Ukraine currently under the sway of pro-Russia separatists. However, on Thursday the US Senate passed a bill authorising Barack Obama to provide military training and arms including anti-tank and anti-armour weapons.

Bob Corker, the senior Republican member of the Senate foreign relations committee, said: The hesitant US response to Russias continued invasion of Ukraine threatens to escalate this conflict even further. Unanimous support for our bill demonstrates a firm commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty and to making sure [Vladimir] Putin pays for his assault on freedom and security in Europe.

This month Nato established trust funds to help finance assistance to Ukraine in reforming its armed forces, but that too was limited to non-lethal help.

Stavridis, a retired US Navy admiral who was Nato supreme allied commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013, and is now dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US, also expressed concern about Putins recent rhetoric emphasising Russias nuclear arsenal.

In August Putin told a group of young supporters that Russia was one of the worlds leading nuclear powers, adding: Russias partners should understand its best not to mess with us.

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"NATO membership would improve quality of life"

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Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Serbia's cooperation with NATO over the past ten years did much for the area of security sector reforms, as well as in increasing military interoperability.

This is what participants of a gathering dubbed "Belgrade NATO Week" have said, adding that Serbia's membership in the military alliance would also contribute to improving regional relations and bring a greater degree of democracy and the rule of law, as well as improve "the quality of life in our country."

According to U.S. embassy in Belgrade political counselor Cherrie Daniels, Serbia's official orientation towards the European Union and its path towards European integration have great significance when it comes to security sector reforms, and development of military interoperability between Serbia and its partners in the EU.

"As Serbia progress towards the EU, it will be very important to complete the process of the reform of the security sector and to establish sustainable and transparent institutions," said Daniels, adding that Serbia made much progress over the past ten years.

She said Serbia's priority was to implement the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which would "raise to a higher level Serbia's relations with NATO."

"IPAP will identify ways in which NATO can help Serbia, and it will expand relations from the military to the political level, at the same time creating a framework for cooperation in other fields. This is an important aspect for Serbia because it will provide an opportunity for sustainable reform of the security sector, which is crucial in the process of Serbia's EU accession," said Daniels.

Increasing military interoperability of the Serbian Army is another benefit of EU integrations, explained Daniels, underlining that joint training of Serbian soldiers with EU partners and the harmonization of standards in the defense sector will allow the country to strengthen its national security, be ready to react in emergency situations, and effectively participate in peacekeeping missions and multinational operations.

Noting that Serbia is the only country in the region that does not want to become a member of NATO, executive director of the Atlantic Council of Serbia Milovan Milosevic said he believed that much more than military cooperation is gained through membership.

"NATO is not only a military force, it is a set of values that those countries stand for, like democracy or human rights protection. Also, NATO member states receive more foreign direct investments. In Lithuania, foreign direct investments increased by 167 percent in the first year after it became a member of NATO, while those in Bulgaria increased by 97 percent, "said Milosevic.

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Ukraine considering new push for NATO membership, prime minister says

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Ukraines prime minister on Monday called for more NATO support to reform its military as the countrys crisis with Russia has given new life to a once abandoned effort to eventually join the U.S.-led alliance.

I do remember nine months ago when we said NATO membership is not yet on our radars, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said during a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. I will tell you the screen of this radar has entirely changed.

The presence of Russian tanks, howitzers and soldiers in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces, has changed the security equation in the country, Yatsenyuk said. Russia has denied sending troops or weapons to the separatists.

However, Yatsenyuk acknowledged the path toward NATO membership for which the alliance sets a series of benchmarks that can take years to implement could be a long one.

We need to pass reforms and implement reforms that are needed to meet all standards and criteria that apply to all NATO states, he said. This is the roadmap and we will follow this roadmap.

Any decision on further NATO expansion also requires unanimous support of all 28 members. In the past, Germany and several other countries have expressed opposition to accepting new members from the former Soviet Union, which Russia still regards as part of its sphere of influence.

During Yatsenyuks talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the prime minister also requested additional support in reviewing and shaping Ukraines defense and national security strategy, Yatsenyuk said.

We need to modernize and overhaul [the] Ukrainian military.

Despite a shaky cease-fire, tensions between Russia and Ukraine and between Russia and the West continue to simmer. In the past week, officials in Poland and Sweden have both complained of a surge in Russian military activity near NATO airspace.

On Friday, Sweden claimed that Russian military intelligence aircraft nearly collided with a civilian aircraft in international air space, forcing the passenger plane to reroute during a flight south of Sweden. Russia denied those and other allegations of Russian planes repeatedly flying unannounced into international airspace with tracking sensors turned off a violation of international air traffic rules.

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Russian air force jets pose risk to civilian aviation in Baltic, says NATO

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A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter in Baltic airspace. Photo: Reuters/RAF

Stockholm: NATO accused Russia of posing a danger to civil aviation in the Baltic region after Stockholm protested over a Russian air force jet it said had flown too close to an airliner and had turned off one of its location instruments.

Friday's incident off southern Sweden inflamed sensitivities over Russian air force flights in the Nordic region that have increased steeply this year, driven in part by tensions over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis. Finland also expressed concern about "Dark Flights" with so-called transponder locators switched off.

"It is not only a question of increased...flights but it's the way they're conducting the flights. They are not filing their flight plans and they are not communicating with civilian air traffic control and they are not turning on their transponders," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference on Monday.

"That poses a risk to civilian air traffic. The important thing is that NATO stays vigilant and that we intercept the Russian flights."

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Russia denied its aircraft had posed any hazard to the airliner.

The Swedish military said the Russian jet had turned off its transponder - a communications device, alongside normal radar, that makes it easier for an airplane to be located, especially in congested air space.

While civilian flights must fly with their transponders on at all times, military flights are allowed to turn them off when flying in international air space as long as they show consideration to other flights.

A NATO spokesman said NATO aircraft always kept their transponders turned on when flying in European air space.

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Russian air force jets pose risk to civilian aviation in Baltic, says NATO