University of British Columbia chemists have developed a new model to predict the optical properties of non-conducting ultra-fine particles. The finding could help inform the design of tailored nano-structures, and be of utility in a wide range of fields, including the remote sensing of atmospheric pollutants and the study of cosmic dust formation. Aerosols and nano-particles play a key role in atmospheric processes as industrial pollutants, in interstellar chemistry and in drug delivery systems, and have become an increasingly important area of research. They are ...

Littlewoods Europe has announced the addition of a wish lists feature to its website. The wish list service is new to the Littlewoods Europe site and it allows customers to save items they are interested in and then come back later and purchase the items directly from their wish list, with the list keeping a record of the items which have been purchased and the items which are still to be bought. The wish list service also allows the creation and naming of multiple lists for one account. This means that customers can organise lists in the way that is best suited ...

LAUREL, Md. -- Wild migratory birds may indeed play a role in the spread of bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. A study by the U.S. Geological Survey, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Chinese Academy of Sciences used satellites, outbreak data and genetics to uncover an unknown link in Tibet among wild birds, poultry and the movement of the often-deadly virus. Researchers attached GPS satellite transmitters to 29 bar-headed geese – a wild species that migrates across most of Asia and that died in the thousands ...

ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has spotted extremely hot matter just a millisecond before it plunges into the oblivion of a black hole. But is it really doomed? These unique observations suggest that some of the matter may be making a great escape. No one would want to be so close to a black hole. Just a few hundred kilometres away from its deadly surface, space is a maelstrom of particles and radiation. Vast storms of particles are falling to their doom at close to the speed of light, raising the temperature to millions of degrees. Ordinarily, it takes just a ...

OSP International LLC has today launched The PM Exam Simulator (http://www.pm-exam-simulator.com), a tool to help candidates for PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP) exam to prepare effectively. This new PMP Exam Simulator offers unlimited online access to over 1,800 exceptionally realistic PMP exam practice questions. "Anyone who has sat the PMP exam knows that studying the PMBOK Guide and having 35 contact hours is just not enough," says Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, President, OSP International LLC. "When I talk to successful candidates about their experiences with ...

X-ray observations made by the Suzaku observatory provide the clearest picture to date of the size, mass and chemical content of a nearby cluster of galaxies. The study also provides the first direct evidence that million-degree gas clouds are tightly gathered in the cluster's outskirts. Suzaku is sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) with contributions from NASA and participation by the international scientific community. The findings will appear in the March 25 issue of the journal Science. Galaxy clusters are millions of light-years across, and ...

It's not unusual for NASA satellites to attend the birth of tropical cyclones, and NASA's Aqua satellite was there when Tropical Cyclone Bune was born early today in the South Pacific Ocean. Bune developed from System 99P, a low pressure area that was about 200 miles southeast of Suva, Fiji yesterday, March 23. The low intensified into tropical depression 19P and today strengthened further into Tropical Storm Bune. A Tropical Cyclone Alert is in force for Lau, Lomaiviti and nearby smaller islands. A strong wind warning is also in force for the Lau group, Lomaiviti group ...

WARHEADS, the authentic, edgy sour candy, has signed up to be a leading sponsor of the 2011 USA Ultimate College Championships being held in Boulder, Colorado, May 27th-30th. Ultimate, a fast paced, non-stop action team sport, combines the endurance of soccer with the aerial passing of football using a high-tech plastic disc. As the national governing body of Ultimate, USA Ultimate's membership topped 35,000 in 2010 and includes groups of all ages and genders. Over 700 collegiate teams will test their skills in the upcoming Championship series, which culminates with the ...

Philadelphia, PA, March 25, 2011 – A new study published in the April 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association indicates that inadequate nutrition is linked to a greater risk of anemia in postmenopausal women. "This study suggests that inadequate nutrient intakes are a significant risk factor for anemia in this population of older women and use of multivitamin/mineral supplements is not associated with lower rates of anemia," reports lead investigator Cynthia A. Thomson, PhD, RD, Associate Professor Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson. ...

The largest-ever assessment of high-deductible health plans finds that while such plans significantly cut health spending, they also prompt patients to cut back on preventive health care, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The findings are published in the March edition of the American Journal of Managed Care. Studying more than 800,000 families from across the United States, researchers found that when people shifted into health insurance plans with deductibles of at least $1,000 per person, their health spending dropped an average of 14 percent when compared ...

A newly published report reveals that children with epilepsy are more likely to have psychiatric symptoms, with gender a determining factor in their development. Findings showed that girls had more emotional problems, while boys had more hyperactivity/inattention problems and issues regarding peer relationships. Details of this study in Norwegian children are now available online in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy. Previous studies have shown that children with epilepsy are at increased risk of ...

House prices in spa towns across England and Wales are on average GBP38,000 (or 16%) above their county average, according to Lloyds TSB research. Average house prices in fifteen of the eighteen spa towns surveyed are significantly higher than those in their neighbouring towns, suggesting those in the market for a mortgage would need to borrow more to buy in these areas. Boston Spa (GBP153,629, or 98%) and Ilkley (GBP152,022, or 97%) - both in West Yorkshire - command the highest house price premium to their county average. Only three spa towns have house prices below ...

Jerkin is about to impact the Los Angeles community again, as Vlado Footwear and the Los Angeles Sports Arena join forces to present Showdown LA II, Saturday, April 30th. Forty-two of the nation's top Jerkin dance crews are headed to the Los Angeles Sports Arena to compete and be recognized as NJA Los Angeles Champion for 2011. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Sports Arena and Vlado Footwear, the creator of the official Spectro Jerkin shoe, this affair proved last year to be exactly what the community wanted and is expected to once again attract thousands of youth from around ...

CCI Distribution a niche player in systems storage and peripherals distribution announces its partnership with Qsan Technology. Qsan Technology is a global specialist in mid-tier Storage Arrays supporting 1GbE & 10GbE iSCSI, Fibre Channel & 6GB SAS based solutions. The solutions are feature rich including Best-in-Class Performance, Active-Active Controllers, Replication, Writable Snapshots, support for VMware, Citrix and Hyper-V and scalable up to 144TB, at a price point that gives budget holders a faster ROI versus traditional SAN vendors. CCI Distribution is a leading ...

GenScript Corporation signed a worldwide (excluding Japan) non-exclusive license agreement with TransGenic Inc. through which GenScript Corporation is authorized to use GANP mice from TransGenic Inc. to produce high-affinity antibodies to scientists. GANP (Germinal Center Associated Nuclear Protein) is a protein discovered by Dr. Nobuo Sakaguchi at Kumamoto University to be over-expressed in B-cells centered in embryo. Research suggested that GANP is important in the reconstruction of antibody genes. Transgenic mice which express high level of GANP can be used to produce ...

Vendor credentialing policies are set by medical facilities to document and manage the increasing number of vendors entering their facilities. These policies are designed to ensure quality of care and protect the safety of the patients. However, for the suppliers, maintaining these credentials is extremely time consuming, and thus it can cost thousands of dollars for each individual representative. Tim Chambers, North American Director of Sales for Cleared For Business (CFB) further explains how some savvy healthcare and medical device companies are getting ...

The report presents in detail KPIs such as: % Agent utilization, $ Revenue per successful call and # Call handling time, among other KPI examples reviewed by the smartKPIs.com research team. "Top KPIs of 2010" is a collection of research reports discussing the most popular KPIs of 2010 across functional areas and industries. smartKPIs.com is an expert in the field of performance management and measurement, researching the use of KPI based performance management systems in practice around the world. The use of KPIs in Call Centers has a long tradition, making this industry ...

http://www.mbma.com: The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces a new fire wall listing. The intent of the test program was to develop a new fire resistance-rated, non-load-bearing metal building wall assembly. Tests conducted at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) last October achieved a one-hour rating. The listing can be found in the UL Fire Resistance Directory as UL Design W404. It complements the 12 existing UL-rated assemblies already in use for metal building systems and offers building contractors a simplified construction alternative that ...

Renowned photographer Sandy Puc' and distinguished wedding photographer Jerry Ghionis will be in Louisville on March 29 for the acclaimed 2011 Power of Passion Tour, focusing specifically on wedding photography and marketing techniques. The tour kicked off in Denver on February 12 and will be stopping in over 30 cities across the United States. The seminar educates attendees on professional techniques for wedding photography as well as how to effectively market a photography business. The Power of Passion Tour has received rave reviews, keeping patrons on the edge of ...

LifeStyle Concierge Services, a leading Scottsdale-based personal concierge service, announced today a new addition to their preferred vendor network of service providers. Through the company known as Gift Rapped, the popular pair of hip-hop artists Thunda Dan and Jay Kila will will write, produce and record a personalized rap, as a unique and special gift for any occasion. Clients provide information about the recipient, inside jokes, suggestions and photos, and the duo takes care of the rest, creating a professional final package with three to five days. The file is sent ...

A1 Costa Rica Properties has partnered with A1 Costa Rica Real Estate where both companies will be sharing some real estate listings in the Costa Rican market in order to increase their internet visibility. A1 Costa Rica Properties is not a new comer to the real estate game but has always had limited internet presence with its original realty website under the name of El Dorado Realty Costa Rica. But as the competition on the internet was getting more intense, the decision to expand was the obvious choice. On the other hand, A1 Costa Rica Real Estate has had some ...

WeddingPhotoUSA announces that Gary Fong, internationally renowned wedding photographer and inventor of cutting-edge photography equipment, will be a contributing writer for their wedding photography blog. His first contribution "Pro-Quality Work from Your Entry-Level Gear" discusses how to make the most of your entry-level and pro-sumer based equipment with tips on overriding and customize specific factory settings for unique situations. Gary shares examples as well as links to additional video tutorials. See the article here: http://goo.gl/CBTnb. WeddingPhotoUSA founders, ...

Aero & Marine Tax Professionals (http://www.aeromarinetaxpros.com) has obtained a sales and use tax exemption from the California Board of Equalization for their client, a company in southern California that builds, leases and manages aircraft hangers, in regards to their purchase of a Beechcraft airplane. Aero & Marine Tax Professionals are the pre-eminent experts in helping purchasers of aircraft and vessels to avoid paying sales and use tax in California. Russell, the owner of the company said "We lease, manage and construct aircraft hangars. We manage hangers ...

Earnings by a leading company in New Zealand's $100 million Manuka honey export industry have the potential to increase ten-fold through use of patented technology outlined at the NZBio conference in Auckland this week. Speakers from natural health science company Manuka Health New Zealand Ltd said the development had the potential to be "a 10-times multiplier" in what could be earned from each kilogram of Manuka honey. A special session of the country's annual NZBIO biotechnology showcase, heard from several speakers about Manuka honey, billed as "New Zealand's foremost ...

has recently opened a second office in Waltham Woods Corporate Center, located at 890 Winter Street in Waltham, MA. The telephone number is 508-339-1300. HR Knowledge has been providing comprehensive HR management, Payroll Processing, Managed Services, Group Benefits, Financial Services, Recruiting and Hiring services to businesses for more than a decade. The firm has experienced significant growth the past two years which has led to the need for additional space. HR Knowledge's staff has grown to a total of 25 and the company is in the process of recruiting additional ...