Science Education & Policy

CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Essilor International, the world leader in ophthalmic optics, today announced consolidated revenue of EUR762.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2008, representing a reported 3.6% increase on the first quarter of 2007.
Like-for-like growth amounted to 6.2%, in line with the Company's announced annual growth target. Changes in scope of consolidation accounted for 4% of growth for the period, corresponding mainly (3.3%) to acquisitions made in 2007, with the rest contributed by businesses acquired since January 1. The 6.6% negative…

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, April 23 /PRNewswire/ --
- Timely Event Focuses On Increasing Importance of Bibliometric Data in the University Ranking Systems and Proposed Use of Citation Data for the REF
The Scientific business of Thomson Reuters and King's College London today announced they will be hosting Beyond the RAE 2008: Bibliometrics, League Tables and the REF. To be held at King's College London on April 30, 2008, this one-day event will help inform universities about appropriate uses of citation data in research evaluation and provide a forum to discuss and plan for future evaluative…

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
The Committee for Economic Development and the Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings are hosting a conference featuring global business leaders and early child development experts on April 23, 2008 in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Early Child Development (ECD) refers to a combination of programs and policies aimed at improving the nutrition, health, cognitive and psycho-social development, education and in some situations, social protection, of young children. It is one of the most effective strategies to improving the health and…

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
- New Practice Leaders Appointed
Quintiles Transnational Corp. today announced the appointment of three new practice leaders and a business development head as part of its expanding Quintiles Consulting business, which provides pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies with strategic guidance to maximize potential and minimize risk from early discovery through commercialization.
Quintiles Consulting is expanding its current services and building a premier global consulting organization to provide strategic,…

LONDON, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- John Quigley, Regional Secretary for Unite the union will today tell the STUC conference that:
"The SNP's energy policy is a shambles. Alex Salmond has already made clear his opposition to new nuclear power stations but now they have taken the decision to ditch Britain's biggest wind farm project."
The Scottish Government promotes the virtues of renewable energy as a key component in ending Scotland's reliance on energy imports and fulfilling Co2 emissions targets. However, the SNP have taken the decision to ditch Britain's biggest wind farm project on the…

NOTTINGHAM, England, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
- Finjan Vital Security Web Appliance Prevents Malicious Content From Entering University's Network
The University of Nottingham has deployed real-time Web security with enhanced browsing confidence to secure its infrastructure and operations across its various campus locations from external threats. As well as protecting a campus network containing 12,000 University-owned computers used for teaching, research and administration, Nottingham also has a separate network for undergraduates in University accommodation connecting a further 8,000…

CARLSBAD, California, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
- WebDefend Deployed At PopCap.com To Help Safeguard Customers
Breach Security, Inc., the leader in web application security, today announced that PopCap Games, a leading multiplatform developer and publisher of casual games, has chosen Breach Security's WebDefend web application security appliance to secure http://www.popcap.com in line with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) compliance. WebDefend protects all PopCap's online properties, web applications and transactions while preventing leakage of user data. It also…

LONDON, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
- Every Year Thousands of Animals are Harmed, all in the Name of Research
LONDON, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare have been presented with an award from PETA Europe (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), where they have won 'Best Cruelty Free Skincare' for their 2008 PETA Proggy Awards. These awards highlight companies for their progress and commitment to creating high quality, cruelty-free products/services.
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare has a strict no animal testing policy; they test products and ingredients on…

A recent study by NOAA scientists and colleagues on captive juvenile sandbar sharks showed the presence of an electropositive alloy, in this case palladium neodymium, clearly altered the swimming patterns of individual animals and temporarily deterred feeding in groups of sharks.
Rare earth metals have previously been reported to deter spiny dogfish from attacking bait due to interactions with the shark’s electroreceptive system, which detects weak electric fields including those generated by their prey.
Electric fields generated by electropositive alloys are believed to deter or repel…

OTTAWA, Canada, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --
- International Climate Science Coalition Releases Signatories to the Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change
The International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) today released the names of over 500 endorsers of the Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change that calls on world leaders to "reject the views expressed by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as well as popular, but misguided works such as 'An Inconvenient Truth'." All taxes, regulations, and other interventions intended to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (…