Cameleon Software announced today that the MMA Group, a leader in mutual insurance, chose to deploy its configure, price, quote (CPQ) solution to accompany the overhaul of its information system. With 180 years of expertise, the MMA Group is the 3rd largest French insurance company with an agents network in France and more than 13 000 employees, 1,500 agents and 2,000 outlets managing customer relationships. Through the implementation of Cameleon, MMA aims to become more agile, to handle the management and distribution of its offerings with more flexibility. To do ...

Interest rates could be on the way down, with many market analysts forecasting that the UK rate could drop to as low as 0.25% by the end of 2012. While the Bank of England has stated that it sees no benefit to dropping below the current level of 0.50%, market pressures could force its hand, or at the very least make it unlikely that it will rise above this level in the foreseeable future. This has led equity release advice firm Bower Retirement Services to suggest that holders of equity release plans should consider switching to a different lender if they are to take ...

With the opening of its Third Showroom in the Chicago, Illinois market in June, along with the current showrooms in the St. Louis and Louisville markets, the company now offers Over 400 exotic, classic and collectible cars and trucks to worldwide buyers. Gateway Classic Cars, started in 1999, showcases its exotic, classic and collector cars and trucks in Three All-Indoor Showrooms and on 63+ Websites such as Gateway Classic Cars, Hemmings Motor News, Auto Trader Classics etc, along with Du-Pont Registry, a trade publication. The company plans to add its Fourth Showroom ...

Jim Linehan CEO Storm Guard, "We have raised the bar on professionalism and have the distinction of being the first exterior insurance restoration franchise in the nation, now operating in six territories. Our newest multi-unit state franchisee is Peter Krenicky Jr. who resides in the Hartford metro area. Peter has an accomplished background in medical device and pharmaceutical sales." Jim adds, "Peter possesses strong entrepreneur and leadership skills combined with an excellent record of savvy interpersonal and marketing relationship building which make ...

Pex Universe strives to change the way people think about heating and plumbing in both professional and personal settings, providing contractors and homeowners with reliable comfort by guiding them to the appropriate unit(s) for their needs. Their catalog and dedication to unique service is what separates them from other companies. PexUniverse.com now provides a range of gas-unit heaters, infrared heaters, propane-tank top heaters, and vent-free heaters by Heatstar. Each is designed to comfort consumers based upon the area size they wish to apply a unit to. Pex Universe's ...

The AAA Ohio Auto Club is gearing up for the fifth annual Great Vacations Travel EXPO, presented by AAA, slated for January 18-20, 2013. Held at Franklin County Veterans Memorial in Downtown Columbus, the EXPO is a one-stop shop for everything related to travel. The event offers central Ohio consumers information and EXPO-only deals and the best travel values on everything, from exotic cruises and European vacations to affordable escapes that are close to home. Andrew McCarthy, National Geographic Traveler editor-at-large and author of the popular, new travel book, The ...

Persson Associates, in the business of assisting companies develop disaster recovery plans for over 28 years, has improved their web site to offer simple, easy to use planning products and at a cost everyone can afford. The disaster recovery plan (DRP) products are provided in an easy to follow DIY format of data collection along with specific instructions. Everything needed to start the plan development process is included. The products have received excellent customer feedback. Go to the web site and read the recent customer comments about the ease of use and ...

Introducing TapSnap, a revolutionary new photo system that is shaping the future of event entertainment, and is now available as a franchise across North America. This is the photo booth reimagined without walls or ceilings, completely open-concept and highly interactive. TapSnap seamlessly integrates a giant 42-inch multi-touch screen with social media to give event guests a "phototainment experience" they'll never forget. Imagine a giant tablet computer made larger than life. TapSnap allows event guests to take their photos with a simple tap of a fingertip ...

The most brutal electronic cigarette review website in the industry is now featuring Green Smoke so that smokers can take a full disclosure look into the company, its products and the pros and cons that go along with choosing this company as your e cigarette supplier. Green smoke has been around since the beginning of the smokeless cigarette movement in the U.S. and has been a major player since the start and continues to reign in the top in sales volume of online sales. Although the company has a great history there are still facts and practices that consumers need ...

CHICAGO – November 13, 2012 – A tiny medical device no larger than an eyelash may significantly reduce eye pressure in glaucoma patients and allow some to stop using eye-drop medications, according to year-one clinical trial results for the device. Results of the HYDRUS I clinical trial, which indicate successful control of eye pressure in all study participants, will be presented today at the 116th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, jointly conducted this year with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. The Hydrus stent is one of several promising ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Game-playing may help intelligence analysts with the serious business of identifying biases that can cloud decision-making and problem-solving during life or death situations, according to researchers. Analytic exercises conducted by researchers at Raytheon that used scenario-based games designed by Col. Jacob Graham, senior research associate in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State, showed that some of the participants displayed anchoring and confirmation biases as they tried to determine responsibility and motivations ...

An investigation into the molecular causes of a debilitating condition known as "Man on Fire Syndrome" has led Yale researchers to develop a strategy that may lead to personalized pain therapy and predict which chronic pain patients will respond to treatment. More than a quarter of Americans suffer from chronic pain and nearly 40 percent do not get effective relief from existing drugs. In many common conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, no clear source of pain is found. The new study published in the Nov. 13 issue of Nature Communications used sophisticated atomic ...

BOSS, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, is mapping a huge volume of space to measure the role of dark energy in the evolution of the universe. BOSS is the largest program of the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) and has just announced the first major result of a new mapping technique, based on the spectra of over 48,000 quasars with redshifts up to 3.5, meaning that light left these active galaxies up to 11.5 billion years in the past. "No technique for dark energy research has been able to probe this ancient era before, a time when matter was still ...

[Geneva, Switzerland – 13 November 2012] - The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announce today the identification of three chemical series targeting the treatment of deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), through DNDi's screening of MMV's open access Malaria Box. The resulting DNDi screening data are among the first data generated on the Malaria Box to be released into the public domain, exemplifying the potential of openly sharing drug development data for neglected patients. The open access Malaria Box is an ...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists at Indiana University and international collaborators have found a way to link two hormones into a single molecule, producing a more effective therapy with fewer side effects for potential use as treatment for obesity and related medical conditions. The studies were carried out in the laboratories of Richard DiMarchi, the Standiford H. Cox Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and the Linda & Jack Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences, and of Matthias Tschöp, professor of medicine and director ...

Big fish that have grown up in marine reserves don't seem to know enough to avoid fishers armed with spear guns waiting outside the reserve. The latest research by an Australian team working in the Philippines into the effects of marine reserves has found there is an unexpected windfall awaiting fishers who obey the rules and respect reserve boundaries – in the form of big, innocent fish wandering out of the reserve. "There are plenty of reports of fish, both adults and juveniles, moving out of reserves and into the surrounding sea. Having grown up in an area where ...

Employers must have in place a strict policy regarding pornography in the workplace if they are to avoid legal action from sexual harassment and discrimination charges, according to a study by Craig Cameron of the Griffith University. Writing in the International Journal of Technology Policy and Law, Cameron identified five primary methods of what he refers to as pornography participation that require specific policies to protect both employer and employee in almost any jurisdiction. According to Cameron, technology has allowed pornography to infiltrate the workplace, ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Why do so many beginning teachers quit the profession or change schools? Surprising new research finds it's not a heavy workload or lack of resources that has the most significant effect, but instead the relationship between teachers and their principal. Peter Youngs, associate professor of educational policy at Michigan State University and lead investigator on the study, said the findings reinforce the need for principals to serve as strong, supportive leaders in their schools. "The principal isn't there just to help the novice teacher handle ...

Did the "metrosexual" male die out with the last decade, or has he become the new normal? Erynn Masi de Casanova, a UC assistant professor of sociology, will present her research about the label on Nov. 14, at the 111th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco. Casanova's research, based on interviews with men in three major metropolitan cities, found that men in general were taking more interest in a well-groomed appearance and that they felt the term, "metrosexual," was a stereotype that had run its course. Some men who were interviewed ...

Researchers at Aalto University, Finland have developed a method for producing lithium batteries that is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than previously used methods. This new process has succeeded in replacing the harmful methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solvent, which is traditionally used in the manufacturing of electrodes, with water. Removing this harmful solvent from the production process makes the production of batteries simpler and safer for employees. Production costs of batteries can be decreased by as much as 5 percent. Some of this savings comes from the reduced ...

Washington, D.C.— Certain types of bacteria responsible for causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), the second-most-common infection in the United States, are becoming more difficult to treat with current antibiotics, according to new research from Extending the Cure (ETC), a project of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy. ETC released the research via its online ResistanceMap, an online tool created to track changes in antibiotic drug use and resistance. This year, ResistanceMap features analysis using ETC's Drug Resistance Index, a way for non-experts ...

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that the production of a protein that prevents the growth and spread of cancerous cells is impaired in patients with gastric cancer. Cancer of the stomach is the second most common cause of death due to malignant disease worldwide. New research findings at Liverpool, however, could contribute to the development of future gastric cancer therapies by restoring the functions of a protein called, TGFβig-h3. The protein is released by cells called myofibroblasts, which form part of the supporting tissue around cancer ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new way to visualize single-cell activity in living zebrafish embryos has allowed scientists to clarify how cells line up in the right place at the right time to receive signals about the next phase of their life. Scientists developed the imaging tool in single living cells by fusing a protein defining the cells' cyclical behavior to a yellow fluorescent protein that allows for visualization. Zebrafish embryos are already transparent, but with this closer microscopic look at the earliest stages of life, the researchers have answered two long-standing ...

This press release is available in German. Since its invention 50 years ago, laser light has conquered our daily life. Lasers of varying wave lengths and power are used in many parts of our life, from consumer electronics to telecommunication and medicine. However, not all wave lengths have been equally well researched. For the far infrared and terahertz regime quantum cascade lasers are the most important source of coherent radiation. Light amplification in such a cascade laser is achieved through a repeated pattern of specifically designed semi-conductor layers of ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Perhaps variety is the very spice of life, but as a matter of producing human life, it could be the bane of existence. That's the indication of a new study in the journal Human Reproduction that found men with wider variation in sperm length, particularly in the flagellum, had lower concentrations of sperm that could swim well. Those with more consistently made sperm seemed to have more capable ones. "Our study reveals that men who produce higher concentrations of competent swimming sperm also demonstrate less variation in the size ...