Additionally, EIPS has a new Masters of Arts(MA) in psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT )and Licensed Professional Counseling(LPC.) In California the MFT and LPC programs fulfil the requirements to sit for licensure.

For students with a B.A. degree, Eisner Institute for Professional Studies has a three year combination MA/Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Clinical Geropsychology, Health Psychology and Parapsychology. The doctoral programs can be completed in two years.

The programs are completely on-line. There is no residency requirements. The Capstone or final project is either a research proposal or a position paper. There is no Dissertation or Thesis.

Eisner Institute for Professional Studies offers Masters of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Psychology(Psy.D.) Degrees. Donald A. Eisner, Ph..D., J.D., is a licensed psychologist and attorney. More information is available at www.eisnerinstitute.org
(818) 380-0185

— WebWireID108228 —

By understanding how the wing surfaces control light to produce iridescence, the team will apply the same physics to control infrared, microwave or radio wave radiation to develop new anti-counterfeit technology, radio-frequency identification technology, wi-fi efficiency and security applications.

The initial product targets are in the growth markets of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Anti-Counterfeiting measures (ACF). It is estimated that more than 5% of World trade is in counterfeit goods. EU seizures of counterfeit goods increased by 13% in 2008 with a 50% increase in fake medicines. The research plans to develop enhanced security to prevent unqualified, untested, products such as medicines, car and aircraft parts, software, media and toys from reaching the consumer.

Simple RFID tags have become commonplace in stores and libraries to aid item location and prevent theft. The team will use its research into controlling electromagnetic radiation in the UHF (ultra high frequency) band, to eliminate interference, improve accuracy and deliver performance improvements in RFID.

'Butterfly wings create a myriad of visual effects through subtle changes in the size, shape or structure of fine scales on their surface which can refract or absorb light and produce vivid colours,' added Dr Andrew Treen, QinetiQ's entrepreneur within the project. 'By understanding the underlying optical properties, we can develop and apply the principles to a variety of other commercial applications in the infrared, microwave and radio wave segments of the spectrum and develop solutions that will help society. The natural world still holds many of secrets but this project will hopefully unlock a few more of them.'

Dr Andrew Shaw of the University of Exeter said: 'This project represents a major opportunity for us to use our expertise to benefit society. Our physical sciences research is world-class and this partnership gives us the capacity to take it to the next level by applying it to the development of new ideas. It is also gives us an opportunity to help create a lasting legacy of investor culture in the South West, which will support the development of Exeter's Science Park.'

The £3.2m project is funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTA), which were established to help translate research into business innovation.

The team aims to launch its first innovation in spring 2010 and will be hosting a number of investor forum events at the University and in London. These evenings are part of the KTA's commitment to develop a lasting relationship and engagement with business angel networks and venture capitalists.

The collaboration between the University of Exeter and QinetiQ formalises a ten-year research and development relationship that has already led to the development of seven patents.

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SAN DIEGO — Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC), the world's largest company solely focused on data warehousing and enterprise analytics, today announced that its Teradata Customer Education program has expanded and it now offers more that 200 courses for business and technical users.

Teradata customers worldwide can customize an education program and provide their employees with on-site training or select the cost-effective web-based training – for either a single class or a subscription for many classes. Classes, catalogs, and training are delivered globally by Teradata instructors in person and over the web - a reach not matched by other data warehouse providers.

'We designed a learning environment that is both flexible and affordable,' said Debi Hoefer, consulting partner, Teradata Customer Education Americas. 'The Teradata Database is the easiest database to use. As the data warehouse grows and becomes mission critical with additional users, applications and data volumes, it is important that users understand its power and potential. The Teradata Customer Education program enables businesses to leverage the performance and capability of the database, which helps them to out-maneuver their competitors.'

Based on the customer's experience level – from foundational knowledge to mastery, Teradata Customer Education training consultants provide personal assistance in developing the right training plan. Customers can create individual learning plans based on job roles and Teradata certification levels, resulting in a self-managed education plan which benefits individuals and their companies. Users may select live, online classes, or prerecorded web-cast classes. Customers who want to shorten their 'learning curve' can access Teradata classes when they are ready, anytime, anywhere using the web-based tools. In addition, instructors are available for in-classroom learning.

The Teradata Customer Education programs can serve as preparation for the Teradata Certified Professional Program, which trains and certifies individuals. Those who achieve this status have a robust knowledge of data warehousing technology.
About Teradata

Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) is the world's largest company solely focused on raising intelligence through data warehousing, data warehouse appliances, consulting services and enterprise analytics. Teradata is in more than 60 countries and on the web at www.teradata.com

Teradata is a trademark or registered trademark of Teradata Corporation in the United States and other countries.

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The live call from orbit will take place between 11:08 a.m. and 11:28 a.m. CST. Twenty students, ranging from kindergarten to college age, will ask questions of Wilmore and fellow astronauts Nicole Stott and Leland Melvin. Stott has served as a flight engineer and member of the Expedition 21 crew living aboard the International Space Station for more than two months. She will return to Earth aboard Atlantis. Melvin is a mission specialist and crewmate of Wilmore's aboard Atlantis.

Reporters interested in attending the event should contact Monica Greppin at 931-372-3214.

Gordon is the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee. Wilmore was born and raised in Gordon's district in Tennessee and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University.

The downlink is one in a series with educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component of NASAs Teaching From Space office. The office promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of human spaceflight.

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* Researchers at a new European Intel lab will explore computers with a thousand times the performance of today's fastest supercomputers.
* Effort is part of Intel Labs Europe, Intel's research network of 900 researchers in the European region.
* Intel has committed a multi-million Euro investment toward a new lab. CEA, UVSQ and GENCI will jointly match Intel's contribution.

PARIS - Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, Grand Equipement National de Calcul Intensif, Intel Corporation and Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines have entered into an agreement to create an Exascale Computing Research Center. Part of Intel's European research network - Intel Labs Europe – the center will explore how to build high-performance computing systems with a thousand times the performance of today's fastest supercomputers. The term "exascale" refers to computers that are able to process 1 trillion – or 1 million million million – instructions per second.

Intel will support the Exascale Computing Research Center with a multi-million Euro investment over a 3-year period. The French Atomic Energy Commission (Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique), the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University (Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) and the French National High-Performance Computing Agency (Grand Equipement National de Calcul Intensif) will combine to match Intel's contribution. This is Intel's first joint lab in Europe focused exclusively on high-performance computing. It will complement and extend Intel's existing high-performance computing research programs, investments and initiatives, including the Intel Academic Community Program and European Space Agency's "Mapping the Globe from Space" project.

"France has taken a leading role in driving high-performance computing research in Europe," said Steve Pawlowski, Intel senior fellow and general manager of Intel Architecture Group's central architecture and planning. "We chose to work with these three organizations because of their world-class software competency in exascale and high- performance computing."

The research agenda of the Exascale Computing Research Center will include integrating multi petaFLOPS systems, developing advanced performance optimization techniques, and collaborating with end users to optimize supercomputer performance in areas such as energy, seismology, computational fluid dynamics and health care.

The advent of exascale is expected to enable supercomputers to solve much more complex problems than today. For example in health care this capability should enable highly sophisticated genome calculations, enabling individualized patient treatment, or simulation of cell interactions to provide new cancer treatments. Another application can be found in seismology where exascale computing could enable more detailed prediction of ground movement at sites with high security requirements or where frequent movement is expected. In climate modeling, more accurate long-term forecasts and much more detailed local weather forecasts could be made.

The Exascale Computing Research Center will combine French research expertise and high-performance computing vision with Intel's leading products, technologies and experience in this area. The lab will employ about a dozen people initially and is expected to eventually grow to about three times that number.

Intel has a rich history of innovation and creativity in Europe with research and development programs encompassing areas such as chip design, software development, mobile communications and services, atomic-level chip research, development of key Intel products, and research on technologies that could help the aging population to lead healthier, better lives.

Intel's research and development efforts include Intel-owned labs focused on development of Intel products, joint research with European universities, open innovation and collaboration with industry and academia, participation in EU framework programs and cooperative standards development work with industry partners that deliver increased value and productivity to consumers.

About Intel Labs Europe
Intel R&D/Innovation in Europe is driven by a network of research labs, product labs and innovation labs spanning the region as well as a variety of Intel business units. Intel Labs Europe was formally established in early 2009 as the central means of coordinating activities across this diverse and extensive network, and to strengthen and improve Intel's alignment with European R&D. Today, Intel Labs Europe consists of 19 labs employing more than 900 research professionals.

About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

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A considerable proportion of teachers (42 percent) involved in the report felt that the reason some parents have so little contact with their child's school is due to a lack of confidence in talking about their child with teachers. Nineteen percent of the parents involved said that they are worried about taking up teacher's time and bothering them, with twenty-two percent saying that they don't want to add to the teacher's workload. This lack of confidence and break-down in communication could be putting children's education at risk as parental support is vital to a child's learning development.

The report also reveals that some teachers believe parents are a great source of support but they don't always know the best ways to get in contact. However, some of the teaching staff said they would welcome ways to show parents how they could contact the school and teachers.

'Parental engagement is vital to a child's learning and known to help raise attainment. To do this effectively, there needs to be a meaningful dialogue between parent and school, keeping the parent informed and updated,' said Niel McLean, Executive Director of Becta.

Becta is the government agency, which aims to encourage the creative use of technology throughout a child's learning experience. It aims to make use of technology in order to create a more exciting, rewarding and successful experience for children no matter of their age or ability, enabling them to achieve their potential.

The report is part of Becta's 'Next Generation Learning' campaign, which urges parents to talk to their child's school and find out how and if technology is already being used, and how it can help improve communications between parents and schools in future. The use of new technology should enable parents to improve communications by keeping track of their child's work, by viewing their reports, attendance records and grades at any time of the day via Online Reporting.

To read the Schools & Parents: A New Partnership report in full or for more information regarding Becta and the 'Next Generation Learning' campaign log on to www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk

For more information, please contact:
Sophie Jackson 0207 025 6412 / Sophie.jackson@redconsultancy.com
Catherine Sharrott 0207 025 6589 / Catherine.Sharrott@redconsultancy.com
Kate Cox 02476 797146 / Kate.Cox@becta.org.uk

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'What is very striking,' says Professor Croll, 'is that for this generation there is absolutely no gender stereotyping in hopes for the future. Furthermore, what children say at the age of 11 about school participation after the age of 16 is highly predictive of their actual behaviour.'

The research concludes that to increase participation in schooling post-16, schools need to focus on giving advice and information to children as soon as they enter secondary education. Greater attention also needs to be paid to social relationships, in order to make school a more enjoyable experience for some children. But the study acknowledges that schools face a difficult balance between encouraging high expectations and providing realistic opportunities and goals.

Girls are as likely as boys to see themselves as supporting families and boys are as likely as girls to see marriage and children as a significant part of their lives. However, by far the most important, for both boys and girls, is getting a good job. School is seen as instrumental in achieving this.

'A major background of the research is concern for relatively low levels of participation in education post-16,' says Professor Croll, 'as well as the under-representation of children from disadvantaged backgrounds at university.'

However, the study found no support for the view that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have attitudes to education or value systems that are incompatible with those of school. Indeed, virtually all children think school is important.

Furthermore, although intentions for post-16 participation are lower than might be hoped, only a small proportion of the children said that they definitely would not go to university. This suggests that the possibility of higher education is becoming a norm for this generation of young people.

The study found that a significant number of children were confused about the educational routes available to them and did not understand the link between specific educational and employment opportunities. For example some planned to go to university but also said they intended to leave school at 16.

More significantly, the children in the study were occupationally ambitious with 70 percent choosing professional and managerial occupations. Children whose own parents were in such occupations were more likely to be ambitious but two-thirds of children whose parents were in manual occupations wanted professional and managerial jobs for themselves.

'Many more children wanted these kinds of jobs regardless if these jobs will be available in the future,' says Professor Croll, 'and the question arises of not just who wants them but also who will get them.'

Professors Croll and Attwood have fed their findings into the Government initiative on raising the participation age (RPA) and have briefed MPs on their work.

The study, which is designed to advance our understanding of how young children see the educational and occupational possibilities available to them and how they begin to make choices, shows that boys and girls from all backgrounds see education as important for the future.

The ESRC will return to this issue of young people's aspirations as a part of the longitudinal study, Understanding Society. For the first time thousands of young people will be surveyed about their attitudes offering a new insight into this group.

Notes for editors

1. This release is based on the findings from 'Children's perception of the value of education', funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and carried out by Professor Paul Croll from the Institute of Education at the University of Reading and Gaynor Attwood of the University of the West of England.
2. Methodology: The research involved two principal methods of data collection, a large scale representative survey and detailed personal interviews with a sub-sample of the children in the survey. The children were in their third term of year 7, aged 11 or 12, when they completed the questionnaire and in their first term of year 8, aged 12 or, in a few cases 13, when they were interviewed. A stratified multi-stage sample was taken involving local authorities, schools within LAs and tutor groups within schools. Six local authorities were sampled in three areas of the country, the South East, the South West and South Yorkshire/North Midlands.
3. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It supports independent, high quality research, which impacts on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's planned total expenditure in 2008/09 is £203 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and research policy institutes.
4. A book based on the study is being published by Continuum in December 2009; Croll, P., Attwood, G. and Fuller, C. (2009) Children's Lives, Children's Futures. London: Continuum.
5. The ESRC confirms the quality of its funded research by evaluating research projects through a process of peers review. This research has been graded as 'outstanding'.

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CARY, NC - The use of SAS Curriculum Pathways in virtual learning environments has increased 360 percent in the past two years, with nearly 100 virtual schools now using the online resource for students and teachers. Building on the momentum, SAS Curriculum Pathways will be spotlighted in three presentations at the International Association for K-12 Online Learning's (iNACOL) Virtual School Symposium 2009 in Austin, TX.

Popular with thousands of educators in all 50 states, SAS Curriculum Pathways provides standards-based content in the core academic disciplines of English, mathematics, social studies, science and Spanish for grades 8-12. Bruce Friend, Director of SAS Curriculum Pathways, will speak on how to start an online learning program and reduce the cost of online course development while improving quality. He will also describe the various ways that iNACOL supports new and existing online programs.

SAS Curriculum Pathways became available at no cost to all US educators in 2008. Since the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, there have been nearly 300,000 logins from virtual schools.

'Virtual schools are one of the fastest-growing segments of K-12 education and we're positioned well to support that trend,' said Friend. 'SAS Curriculum Pathways helps make online courses more engaging through the use of media-rich content and engaging, interactive online tools and simulations.'

SAS Curriculum Pathways earned a Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Award this year for Best Reading/English Instructional Solution. In 2009, the total number of SAS Curriculum Pathways account holders has increased 65 percent, and the governors of Virginia and West Virginia recently advocated the product's use statewide. Florida Virtual School, the country's first statewide, Internet-based public high school, has used SAS Curriculum Pathways since 2003.

Aligned with state standards, SAS Curriculum Pathways offers more than 1,000 academic resources, including lessons, engaging activities and interactive teaching tools, along with links to more than 4,000 academically appropriate Web sites. Designed for wide-ranging classroom environments, technology capabilities and learning styles, the product can be used in one-computer classrooms, virtual schools, small groups and 1-to-1 computing initiatives.

The Virtual School Symposium will bring together more than 1,200 representatives from national, state, district, private and other virtual school programs to attend the industry's leading event in K-12 online learning.

About SAS
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions delivered within an integrated framework, SAS helps customers at more than 45,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know®

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'The combination of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2 presents a real opportunity for our customers to enhance security, improve the mobility of their workers and realize more effective collaboration across their organization' says Greg Black, Chief Executive of TekSource Corporate Learning, 'TekSource is pleased to be a integral part of a successful deployment strategy. Ensuring that IT staff receive the training and certification gives IT management peace of mind that they are ready to implement these new technologies with Microsoft's best practices in place.'

About TekSource Corporate Learning - TekSource Corporate Learning is a Canadian training and learning Solutions Company headquartered in downtown Toronto, Ontario. TekSource is the industry leader in the delivery of interactive, on-demand, mentored training for IT professionals. Our services capabilities extend to content sourcing and development, learning management and training vendor management. TekSource is a Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions. For additional information about TekSource Corporate Learning please visit: http://www.teksource.ca

For more information, please contact:
Keith Jolie
TekSource Corporate Learning
877-827-0488 X130
pr@teksource.ca

— WebWireID107700 —

By using climate forecasts for short-term planning, water managers can better plan for potential shortages due to drought, says Dr. Sankar Arumugam, an assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State and lead author of the paper. For example, managers could encourage stakeholders to put water-use restrictions in place and launch a water conservation campaign before the drought even arrives. Managers could also use this approach to determine how best to take advantage of surplus water supplies. For example, hydropower facilities could generate additional power instead of spilling the excess water. Arumugam notes that the use of forecasts for planning would also make water managers better able to account for increased water demands due to population growth.

'Our paper proposes a framework that would use forecast data to improve water management, allowing water managers to be proactive with their planning rather than reacting to events after the fact,' Arumugam says. Water managers at the federal, state and local level determine how much water can be allotted to various uses, such as hydropower, agriculture, municipal use, recreation and the protection of aquatic species.

Arumugam says advances in the understanding of how changes in ocean temperature affect the atmosphere and, ultimately, precipitation and temperature, make seasonal or longer-term climate forecasts increasingly reliable. At the same time, Arumugam says, water management is becoming more important due to increasing global population – which means greater water demand – and global climate change, which could stress both humid and arid regions with the former getting wetter and the latter becoming drier.

The proposed framework acknowledges that climate forecasts contain an element of uncertainty, and attempts to mitigate that uncertainty by incorporating water contracts. 'These contracts give end-users, such as farmers and municipalities, some idea of what they can expect – allowing them to plan accordingly based on the uncertainty in the climate forecasts,' Arumugam says, 'It also offers insurance in the form of compensation if the forecast is incorrect and water managers cannot meet the terms of the contract.' Similarly, Arumugam explains, if the forecast is accurate and the terms of the contract are met, water managers will have made the most efficient use of the available water resources and will receive a performance fee from the end-users who were party to the contract.

'Although there is uncertainty associated with forecasts, they are correct over the long term, and using this framework would result in long-term benefits for both water users and managers,' Arumugam says. For example, the researchers performed a case study looking at the state of Ceara in Brazil, which is an arid region that receives little or no rainfall from June through the following January. 'We found there would be significant benefits for the region, primarily in alleviating the vulnerability of poor farming communities if this framework was implemented,' Arumugam says.

The study, 'Improved Water Allocation Utilizing Probabilistic Climate Forecasts: Short Term Water Contracts in a Risk Management Framework,' was co-authored by Arumugam, Dr. Upmanu Lall of Columbia University, Dr. Francisco Assis Souza Filho of the Federal University of Fortaleza and Dr. Ashish Sharma of the University of New South Wales. The research was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and published in the Nov. 11 issue of Water Resources Research.

Note to editors: The study abstract follows.

'Improved Water Allocation Utilizing Probabilistic Climate Forecasts: Short Term Water Contracts in a Risk Management Framework'

Authors: A. Sankarasubramanian, North Carolina State University; Upmanu Lall, Columbia University; Francisco Assis Souza Filho, Federal University of Fortaleza; Ashish Sharma, University of New South Wales

Published: Nov. 11, 2009, Water Resources Research

Abstract: Probabilistic, seasonal to inter-annual streamflow forecasts are becoming increasingly available as the ability to model climate teleconnections is improving. However, water managers and practitioners have been slow to adopt such products, citing concerns with forecast skill. Essentially, a management risk is perceived in 'gambling' with operations using a probabilistic forecast, while a system failure upon following existing operating policies is 'protected' by the official rules or guidebook. In the presence of a prescribed system of prior allocation of releases under different storage or water availability conditions, the manager has little incentive to change. Innovation in allocation and operation is hence key to improved risk management using such forecasts. A participatory water allocation process that can effectively use probabilistic forecasts as part of an adaptive management strategy is introduced here. Users can express their demand for water through statements that cover the quantity needed at a particular reliability, the temporal distribution of the 'allocation', the associated willingness to pay, and compensation in the event of contract non-performance. The water manager then assesses feasible allocations using the probabilistic forecast that try to meet these criteria across all users. An iterative process between users and water manager could be used to formalize a set of short term contracts that represent the resulting prioritized water allocation strategy over the operating period for which the forecast was issued. These contracts can be used to allocate water each year/season beyond long term contracts that may have precedence. Thus, integrated supply and demand management can be achieved. In this paper, a single period multi-user optimization model that can support such an allocation process is presented. The application of this conceptual model is explored using data for the Jaguaribe Metropolitan Hydro System in Ceara, Brazil. The performance relative to the current allocation process is assessed in the context of whether such a model could support the proposed short term contract based participatory process. A synthetic forecasting example is also used to explore the relative roles of forecast skill and reservoir storage in this framework.

— WebWireID107649 —

Selenium is a trace essential mineral with anti-oxidant properties. The body naturally absorbs selenium from foods such as vegetables, meat and seafood. However, when the balance is altered and the body absorbs too much selenium, such as through taking selenium supplements, it can have adverse affects.

A team led by Dr Saverio Stranges at the University's Warwick Medical School has found high levels of selenium are associated with increased cholesterol, which can cause heart disease.

In a paper recently published in the Journal of Nutrition, the research team examined the association of plasma selenium concentrations (levels of selenium in the blood) with blood lipids (fats in the blood).

The researchers found in those participants with higher plasma selenium (more than 1.20 µmol/L) there was an average total cholesterol level increase of 8% (0.39 mmol/L (i.e. 15.1 mg/dL). Researchers also noted a 10% increase in non-HDL cholesterol levels (lipoproteins within your total cholesterol that can help predict the risk of someone suffering a heart attack or chest pain). Also, of the participants with the highest selenium levels, 48.2% admitted they regularly took dietary supplements.

The study was conducted among 1042 participants aged 19-64 in the 2000-2001 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. All participants were interviewed face-to-face to assess lifestyle factors such as diet and drinking habits. Blood samples were then taken for analysis.

Dr Saverio Stranges said although high selenium levels were not exclusively caused by people taking dietary supplements, the results of the study were concerning because the use of selenium dietary supplements had risen considerably in the UK in recent years. He said this was largely due to the perception that selenium can reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.

He said: 'This use has spread despite a lack of definitive evidence on selenium supplements efficacy for cancer and other chronic disease prevention. The cholesterol increases we have identified may have important implications for public health. In fact, such a difference could translate into a large number of premature deaths from coronary heart disease.

'We believe that the widespread use of selenium supplements, or of any other strategy that artificially increases selenium status above the level required is unwarranted at the present time. Further research is needed to examine the full range of health effects of increased selenium, whether beneficial or detrimental.'

— WebWireID107642 —

Blood glucose levels are tightly regulated by secretion of insulin from beta cells in the pancreas. Defective insulin secretion results in poorly regulated blood glucose levels and diabetes.

The work of the multi-national research team explored the role of LKB1, a gene involved in many cellular functions, whose role in the pancreas was not examined before. Specifically, they studied the implications of beta cell-specific loss of the LKB1 gene, using a mouse model system. They were able to show that eliminating this gene from beta cells causes the production and secretion of more insulin than normal beta cells, resulting in an enhanced response to increases in blood glucose levels.

The findings have potentially great implications for those suffering from diabetes (excessive blood sugar) due to insufficient production of insulin in the pancreas.

Since it was shown that LKB1 negatively regulates both insulin content and secretion, the way has now been opened to possible development of a novel therapy that would limit the presence of this gene in pancreas beta cells, thus enhancing insulin secretion.

The researchers involved in the project, whose findings were published recently in the journal Cell Metabolism, were led by Dr. Yuval Dor of the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and included students Zvi Granot, Avital Swisa, Judith Magenheim and Miri Stolovitch-Rain, as well as scientists from Kobe University in Japan, and American researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Washington University in St. Louis and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

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Co-authors included Jamee Bomar, Giovanni Coppola, Fuying Gao, Sophia Peng, Kellen Winden, James Wohlschlegel and Zophonias Jonsson, all of UCLA.

By Elaine Schmidt

— WebWireID107590 —

A group from the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, investigated the flow birefringence of clay nanoparticles in water, research with potential applications such as the prevention of catastrophic landslides.

Another team from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain, recorded the behaviour of enzymes that modify assimilation of drugs by the human body.

After months of assembling and testing their experiments, the 15 university students arrived in Bordeaux, France, on 25 October. Over the next few days, they completed the assembly of their experiment racks and, on 28 October, these were loaded onto the Airbus.

With all safety checks completed, the first flight took off from Bordeaux on 3 November. After heading out over the Atlantic Ocean, the students were cleared to switch on their experiments and prepare for the first of 31 parabolas, each providing about 20 seconds of microgravity.




Two additional flights took place on 4 and 5 November, giving the students enough time to complete their scientific investigations and enjoy the unique experience of microgravity. All of the experiments worked well and each team collected a large amount of data that will be immensely valuable in completing their academic studies and research work.

The scientific content of the students' projects, the quality of their experiment racks and their professional behaviour during the campaign were all praised by the organisers of the 'Fly Your Thesis!' programme. They were also favourably impressed by the way in which the students interacted with the scientific researchers and with each other.




After the campaign was completed, many of them expressed the desire to pursue a career involving microgravity research. All agreed that the experience of microgravity was 'awesome'.

The 'Fly Your Thesis!' programme is supported by ESA's Education Office, ESA's Directorate of Human Spaceflight and members of the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA).

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The site is a collaborative effort of the national network of medical research institutions affiliated with the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs). The CTSA program, which is led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the National Institutes of Health, is focused on expanding local and national efforts to enhance the translation of laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients.

'The Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science is proud to be a founding collaborating institution of ResearchMatch,' says Barry S. Coller, vice president for medical affairs and codirector of Rockefeller's CCTS. 'ResearchMatch is an important initiative in speeding both the discovery of new knowledge and the translation of that knowledge into improved health. It incorporates a number of confidentiality and privacy protections and has been approved by a human subjects ethics committee.'

Although other Web sites list available clinical trials, ResearchMatch places the burden of connecting the right volunteers with the right study on the researchers. Clinicaltrials.gov, in contrast, asks volunteers to identify the trials that could work for them.

'Participant recruitment continues to be a significant barrier to the completion of research studies nationwide. Recent NIH data indicates that just four percent of the U.S. population has participated in clinical trials,' said NCRR director Barbara Alving. 'ResearchMatch is a tool that can improve the connection and communication between potential participants and researchers providing opportunities for the public to contribute to advancing new treatments.'

Currently 52 individual institutions associated with 40 CTSA sites are part of the ResearchMatch network.

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When discussing the reform alternative backed by 30 industry participants, Remondi noted that the Community Proposal is the only proposal that creates savings for additional Pell Grants in the 2010/2011 academic year as any delay in implementation of the Administration's proposal jeopardizes up to $10 billion in savings. Forum panelists, including advocates of the Administration's proposal, agreed that pressure being placed on schools to transition now to the Direct Loan Program is driven by concern that delayed enactment or implementation of the Administration's proposal puts the estimated taxpayer savings and proposed Pell Grant increases at risk.

Remondi highlighted that the sole issue in the debate over the future of the federal student loan program is whom taxpayers should hire to deliver and service loans to students and parents: an open marketplace where many entities compete for business, or the Department of Education. When considering that choice, he asked students, schools, taxpayers and lawmakers to consider who will deliver a better service with more features, who will work harder to meet students' and schools' changing needs, and who will better manage the expected $1 trillion in student loans that will be made over the next 10 years.

Remondi also emphasized that the Community Proposal produces $87 billion in mandatory savings and avoids transition risk for millions of students and thousands of schools.

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CHESAPEAKE, Va. (November 10, 2009) – With the recession nudging many back to school to learn new skills, Everest College in Chesapeake, Va., is ready with its new Residential HVAC and electrical training.

Both the Electrician and the Residential HVAC training are nine-month programs designed to take students to successfully compete for various entry-level jobs within the electrical and HVAC industries.

The electrician technician program is broken down into nine modules and covers:

• Electrical theory and algebra for trades
• National Electrical Code (NEC)/Safety/Hand Tools and conduit bending
• Residential/Commercial and NEC requirements
• Transformer principles and test equipment
• Hazardous locations and power distribution
• Power distribution and emergency systems
• Motor concepts and jobsite management
• Advanced industrial controls
• Solid state controls and industrial automation

The residential HVAC program is broken down into nine modules and covers:
• Basic Construction
• Basic Electricity
• Air Conditioning
• Fuel Heating Systems
• Air Distribution
• Systems Controls
• Heat Pumps
• System Application and Design
• Residential HVAC Diagnostics

Students of both programs will be given their own set of electrical or HVAC tools.

'By adding the trades to our campus, we are putting more competitive choices out there for the community and anyone wanting to learn how to become an electrician or an HVAC technician,' said Jacob Witt, vice president of the Everest College's Chesapeake campus. 'Our students will learn from the best instructors at one of the best HVAC and electrical labs in the area and leave here with the skills to compete for an entry-level position these fields."

Graduates of the electrician technician program are qualified for entry-level positions such as commercial, residential and industrial electrician; preventive maintenance electrician; production electrician; bench electrician; repair electrician; industrial maintenance electrician; programming electrician; maintenance technician; field service electricians; and installation electricians in any manufacturing industry.

Residential HVAC technician program graduates are qualified for entry-level positions such as HVAC dispatcher, installation helper, HVAC preventive maintenance mechanic, HVAC technician helper, or technician trainee.

About Everest

Everest College – Chesapeake Campus, located at 825 Greenbrier Circle #100, Chesapeake, VA 23320, provides career-oriented diploma and degree programs in business, accounting, criminal justice, massage therapy, medical administrative assistant, medical assisting, and medical insurance billing and coding in addition to residential HVAC and electrician training. Everest College has two campuses in Virginia – Chesapeake and Newport News. Everest has 100 schools in the U.S. and Canada, and is owned by Corinthian Colleges, Inc., one of the largest post-secondary education companies in North America. For more information, visit http://www.Everest.edu.

* Certified to Operate by State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

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Coggno is continually striving to make education endeavors of learners and content creators easier by providing a hassle-free Learning Management System platform that allows flexibility and creativity for the authors, as well as easy access and a compliant LMS for the learners. As a result, newly integrated interactive applications, such as this new Tool Tip feature, have been implemented onto Coggno's Marketplace page to provide users with outstanding and easy service.

In addition to the preview of information for the courses, it also displays the rankings of each course, offers information about who the course was created by, and acts as an active link to the actual course page where learners can read more course descriptions as well as view the Table of Contents. Coggno continues to take the initiative to go one step further in making learning an easy and enjoyable experience by listening to what learners and authors would like to see in regards to new, functional applications. The end result? The Tool Tip feature is now active on Coggno's Marketplace page.

About Coggno:
Based in San Jose, CA, Coggno is an LMS/LCMS toolkit and marketplace which facilitates the transfer of intellectual property between course creators and those who wish to acquire it. Coggno designs and delivers online solutions for e-learning, training, assessments, and courseware for organizations, corporations, associations, academic institutions, and subject matter experts. For more information, visit www.coggno.com.

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The rigors of medical training sharpen a doctor's ability to diagnose and treat a wide variety of human afflictions. However, drug abuse and addiction are often insufficiently covered in medical school curricula, despite the fact that drug use affects a wide range of health conditions and drug abuse and addiction are themselves major public health issues.

To improve drug abuse and addiction training of future physicians, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today unveiled a series of new teaching tools, through its Centers of Excellence for Physician Information Program (NIDA CoEs), at the Association of American Medical Colleges 2009 Annual Meeting's "Innovations in Medical Education" Exhibit in Boston.

The new NIDA CoE curriculum resources provide scientifically accurate information on substance abuse, addiction and its consequences to help meet the educational needs of medical students, residents and medical school faculty. The first seven curriculum resources include lectures, problem-based case studies, a faculty workshop, and a web module, any of which can be incorporated into existing medical curricula.

"Physicians can be the first line of defense against substance abuse and addiction, but they need the resources and the training," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "Our long term goal is for doctors to incorporate screening for drug use into routine practice like they currently screen for other diseases; to help patients that are abusing to stop; and to refer more serious cases to specialized treatment."

Three themes have emerged in this first wave of CoE offerings: the importance of communication in the doctor-patient relationship, particularly around sensitive issues; the recognition that substance abuse may play an integral role in many disorders physicians treat, even when not the presenting condition; and the crucial part physicians can play in both identifying substance abuse in their patients and reducing their risk of developing a substance use disorder.

For example, several CoE resources address prescription drug abuse among chronic pain patients, which presents special issues for physicians, who must balance adequate treatment with the risks of addiction.

"Our goal is to improve the quality of pain treatment and the safety of prescribing opioids by increasing the knowledge and skills of medical providers early in the educational process," emphasized Dr. Jeffrey Baxter of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, developer of one of the CoE resources.

By pairing substance abuse expertise with innovations in medical education, these curriculum adjuncts can enhance substance abuse medical education, help to remove the stigma associated with substance abuse, and ultimately improve patient care.

The NIDA CoE program was created through a partnership with the American Medical Association's medical education research collaborative, Innovative Strategies for Transforming the Education of Physicians and includes the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, the Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance, the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine.

The NIDA CoE program is part of NIDAMED — NIDA's ongoing commitment to the medical community to provide scientifically accurate and useful resources for addressing substance abuse in their patients. NIDAMED offers a variety of tools, including an online interactive screening tool to help doctors accurately assess their patient's substance use.

More information on the NIDA CoE resources can be found at: www.drugabuse.gov/coe.

Information on the NIDAMED program can be found at: www.nida.nih.gov/nidamed.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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SALVADOR, Brazil - After three days of seminars, teacher exhibitions and judging by an internationally renowned panel of education experts, today Microsoft Partners in Learning announced the winners of the 2009 Worldwide Innovative Teacher Awards at the Worldwide Innovative Education Forum. Partners in Learning recognizes and rewards teachers who demonstrate exemplary use of technology in the classroom to improve student learning. The 14 winning teachers — awarded first, second and third place in four categories — were chosen from among the 250 at the Forum representing more than 60 countries.

The Best Practice winners in the four main competition categories are Mandeep Atwal of England, Innovation in Community; Mark Sparvell of Australia, Innovation in Collaboration; Autumne Streeval and Harriet Armstrong of the United States, Innovation in Content; and Moliehi Sekese of Lesotho, Educators Choice. The 2009 Worldwide IEF award ceremony, held tonight in Salvador, Brazil, was attended by 400 educators, school leaders, government officials and others from more than 60 countries.

'The Innovative Teacher Awards exemplify the dedication and imagination of the world's most forward-thinking educators,' said Michael Golden, corporate vice president of Education at Microsoft. 'The energy and entrepreneurism of the winning teachers demonstrate the infinite possibilities that technology can create to improve learning opportunities and inspire future generations toward greater academic achievement. Microsoft remains committed to supporting the community in this quest. I'd like to extend warm congratulations to everyone who participated in this and the regional events that led up to today's celebration.'

The following are the top three finalists in each category, in finishing order:

Innovation in Community
• Best Practice: Mandeep Atwal (England), 'Young Voices'
• First Runner-Up: Ollie Bray (Scotland), 'Thinking outside the XBOX'
• Second Runner-Up: Lucrecio Filho de Oliveira (Brazil), Projeto 'Barreiro'

Innovation in Collaboration
• Best Practice: Mark Sparvell (Australia), 'Connecting Hearts Heads and Hands'
• First Runner-Up: Karina Batat (Israel), 'The Traveling Mascot'
• Second Runner-Up (Tie): Myreia Gussinye (Mexico), 'Tolerant'
• Second Runner-Up (Tie): Xiaoyong Tang (China), 'Exploration of Ant Behavior'

Innovation in Content
• Best Practice: Autumne Streeval and Harriet Armstrong (United States), 'US Industrial Revolution Tic Tac Toe'
• First Runner-Up: Damien Lebegue (France), 'Differentiated/adapted Teaching in PE'
• Second Runner-Up: Alex Vieira dos Santos (Brazil), 'Fontes De Energia'

Educators Choice
• Best Practice: Moliehi Sekese (Lesotho), 'Indigenous Plants'
• First Runner-Up: Janjira Phongchoo (Thailand), 'MS Excel Game Building Techniques'
• Second Runner-Up: Isabel Schapdryver (Belgium), 'Secondhandshop'

'Winning the Educators Choice award is certainly a great honor,' said Moliehi Sekese of Lesotho who won for her project Indigenous Plants. 'Just being here and seeing how teachers from all over the world are enriching the lives of students is ultimately even more rewarding.'

Since 2003, the Partners in Learning award competition has been recognizing individuals with the Worldwide Innovative Education Awards for excellence in teaching. Teachers participate in country-level and regional events. Winners move up to the Worldwide competition.

The judging community includes education experts from all over the world. At the event 36 judges representing 23 countries spend nearly 20 hours talking to the teachers and learning about their projects; then in a private room they discuss, debate and share with one another until the winners are finally selected.

'Every year the submissions seem to get better and better, and this year is no exception,' said Judge Eduardo O.C. Chaves of Brazil. 'The level of sophistication of these entries shows that teachers are continuing to innovate and expand the ways they use technology to help students all over the world realize their potential.'

Next year's Innovative Teacher Awards results will be announced at the 2010 Worldwide IEF, which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa. Country- and regional-level competitions will take place beginning in November 2009. Interested teachers should contact their local Microsoft office for more information or look online at http://www.microsoft.com/education/pil/partnersInLearning.aspx.

At the event, school leaders from 12 Mentor and 30 Pathfinder Schools also participated in a three-day workshop and were recognized for their leadership in driving system-level educational reform.

About the Innovative Education Forum

The Innovative Education Forum is an annual worldwide event. Regional forums are held around the world to create communities of teachers who can share ideas and best practices with their peers and facilitate the creation of collective knowledge. Subsets of regional forum participants are selected to represent their country at the Worldwide Innovative Education Forum.

About Microsoft Education

We believe that technology can expand the power of education and unlock the potential of students, educators and schools. Microsoft partners with education communities around the world to deliver relevant solutions, services and programs that focus on improved personalized learning outcomes.

About Unlimited Potential

Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential vision, is committed to making technology more affordable, relevant and accessible for the 5 billion people around the world who do not yet enjoy its benefits. The company aims to do so by helping to transform education and foster a culture of innovation, and through these means enable better jobs and opportunities. By working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach its first major milestone — to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology — by 2015.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq 'MSFT') is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

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