Chart SMART

Yongnam At The Crossover

2008-02-17T16:53:00.004+08:00

Lower part of candlestick bar still below the red downtrend resistance line. Volume shrinking as price stagnants is not as positive as volume increasing and price rallying. If buying does not increase tomorrow price may fall back below the red downtrend resistance line and resume its retracement towards gap support at 22 cents. If strong buying resumes it will trigger a price surge towards 27 to 26 cents resistance zone and challenge the blue downtrend resistance line.

Options Bearish strategies

2008-02-17T15:14:00.000+08:00

Bearish options strategies are employed when the options trader expects the underlying stock price to move downwards. It is necessary to assess how low the stock price can go and the timeframe in which the decline will happen in order to select the optimum trading strategy.
The most bearish of options trading strategies is the simple put buying strategy utilised by most novice options traders.

In most cases, stock prices seldom make steep downward moves. Moderately bearish options traders usually set a target price for the expected decline and utilise bear spreads to reduce risk. While maximum profit is capped for these strategies, they usually cost less to employ. The bear call spread and the bear put spread are common examples of moderately bearish strategies.
Mildly bearish trading strategies are options strategies that make money as long as the underlying stock price does not go up on options expiration date. These strategies usually provide a small upside protection as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Options_Trading

ETF wraps Better Than Mutual Fund Wraps

2008-02-17T14:50:00.002+08:00

ETF wraps are gaining market share for a host of reasons, including the fact that they are generally much less expensive than comparable mutual fund portfolios. An article published by Dow Jones Newswires earlier this year, "ETFs Are Moving Into The Spotlight" by Tara Siegel Bernard, cited the expense ratio for the average domestic stock ETF at 36 basis points, compared with 88 basis points for the average domestic stock index fund. Yes, ETF wraps charge an additional layer of fees to cover trading, administration, and so forth, but so do mutual fund wrap programs. When the wrap fee is factored out, the cost difference comes down to the expense ratios of the underlying investments, and the ETFs really shine.

ETF wraps also have greater trading flexibility than their mutual fund cousins. Unlike mutual funds, which trade once per day, ETFs offer the flexibility of intraday trading. If the markets are rising or falling, investors can make real-time decisions regarding the disposition of their portfolios. While this may not be a significant advantage to longer-term ETF wrap investors, it can be a huge bonus for more active investors who constantly trade in and out of their ETF holdings.

On the tax efficiency front, ETFs are also superior to mutual funds. New investors do not inherit embedded capital gains, and large redemptions are handled with in-kind distributions of the underlying securities, so the bulk of an investor's capital gains tax liability is deferred until the investor sells his or her holdings. (See An Inside Look At ETF Construction for more information about ETFs and tax efficiency.)

A less tangible - but psychologically attractive - benefit of investing in ETFs (and, by association, ETF wraps) is the fact that ETFs remain untainted by the scandals that have affected the financial services industry in general and the mutual fund companies in particular. Adding to this psychological comfort level is the inherent transparency of ETF portfolios - investors always know exactly what is in the portfolio. This is not the case with mutual funds, which only report holdings on a periodic basis.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/05/ETFwrap.asp

Operational risk management

2008-02-17T14:34:00.001+08:00

In business, the term Operational Risk Management (ORM) is the oversight of many forms of day-to-day operational risk including the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or from external events. Operational risk does not include market risk or credit risk.

Benefits of ORM

Reduction of operational loss.
Lower compliance/auditing costs.
Early detection of unlawful activities.
Reduced exposure to future risks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_risk_management

From stem cells to organs, bioengineering challenge

2008-02-17T14:27:00.001+08:00

For more than a decade, Peter Zandstra has been working at the University of Toronto to rev up the production of stem cells and their descendants. The raw materials are adult blood stem cells and embryonic stem cells. The end products are blood and heart cells – lots of them. Enough mouse heart cells that they form beating tissue.

To do this, he has been applying engineering principles to stem cell research – work that has just earned him recognition by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The society will induct him as a Fellow during its Annual Conference, being held in Boston from February 14 to 18.

Starting with computer models of stem cell growth and differentiation (the process by which a stem cell matures into its final form), Zandstra has moved on to develop more sophisticated culture methods that fine-tune the microenvironments to guide the generation of the different cells types that make up the mature cells in our tissues: heart cells for the heart or blood cells for blood.

"If you describe something mathematically, you have a much better understanding of it than if you just observe it," he says. "And it's also a powerful way to test many different hypotheses in silico before going into the lab and doing the much more difficult experiments in vitro."

Dr. Zandstra, the Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Bioengineering, also held a prestigious NSERC Steacie Fellowship. The Steacie prize - which goes to six select Canadian professors annually – allowed Zandstra to extend his work from mouse to man.

“There's only so much we can do with mouse cells,” notes Dr. Zandstra. “Now if we can also figure out how to get human embryonic stem cells to differentiate on command to generate functional adult-like cells, you can begin to think about the kinds of medical conditions you could treat with them.” -Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

http://news.nabou.com/cgi-bin/newsframe/437892yks4328903Dnabou2BInews421789994asgw3798etys6787/18A8047A97056E4D9B2CDA039BFF5E58backheadline3DHow2Bdo2BI2Bcut2Ba2Boout3Fnews26o3D0/FrameIt.cgi?Url=http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r1301593458

Dow Jones Industrial Index Symmetrical Triangle

2008-02-16T16:38:00.005+08:00

Symmetrical triangles are generally considered neutral, ascending triangles are bullish, and descending triangles are bearish. From a time perspective, triangles are usually considered to be intermediate patterns. Usually, it takes longer than a month to form a triangle. Seldom will a triangle last longer than three months. If a triangle pattern does take longer than three months to complete the formation will take on major trend significance.

Converging trendlines of support and resistance gives the symmetrical triangle pattern its distinctive shape. This occurs because the trading action gets tighter and tighter until the market breaks out with great force. Buyers and sellers find themselves in a period where they are not sure where the market is headed. Their uncertainty is marked by their actions of buying and selling sooner, making the pattern look like an increasingly tight coil moving across the chart.

A breakdown below the lower symmetrical support will trigger a test of the previous sub-trough at 12069.5. Support failure here increases downward pressure to break the next support at 11644.8 and retest the green parallel support line. The hammer candlestick formation needs a strong confirmation from the next candlestick bar to gain momentum to clear the previous sub-peak and trigger a challenge to breakout above the upper symmetrical resistance line. This will propel price towards the red parallel resistance line. Breakout here will result in a more positive outlook for the Dow Jones Industrial Index.

Options Bullish strategies

2008-02-16T15:54:00.001+08:00

Bullish options strategies are employed when the options trader expects the underlying stock price to move upwards. It is necessary to assess how high the stock price can go and the timeframe in which the rally will occur in order to select the optimum trading strategy.
The most bullish of options trading strategies is the simple call buying strategy used by most novice options traders.

In most cases, stocks seldom go up by leaps and bounds. Moderately bullish options traders usually set a target price for the bull run and utilize bull spreads to reduce risk. While maximum profit is capped for these strategies, they usually cost less to employ. The bull call spread and the bull put spread are common examples of moderately bullish strategies.

Mildly bullish trading strategies are options strategies that make money as long as the underlying stock price do not go down on options expiration date. These strategies usually provide a small downside protection as well. Writing out-of-the-money covered calls is a good example of such a strategy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Options_Trading

Higher-Capacity Memory

2008-02-16T15:41:00.003+08:00

A new type of memory could soon be available to device makers.

An alternative to the flash memory that stores and retrieves data with arrays of microscopic probes could soon be on the market. Nanochip, a company based in Fremont, CA, has recently raised $14 million to complete work on prototypes that it hopes to ship to electronics device makers for evaluation next year.

Nanochip's technology offers advantages to flash memory, both in terms of the amount of data that can be stored and the cost per memory chip, says Gordon Knight, the company's CEO. The first prototypes will store about 100 gigabytes, he says--more than the tens of gigabytes stored on flash memory cards today. Eventually, the devices could store terabytes' worth of data, he says. That's likely out of the reach of flash-type memory, says Stefan Lai, formerly the director of flash memory technology at Intel and now a scientific advisor to Nanochip.

In flash memory, information is stored using specialized transistors, each of which is addressed by a grid of conducting wires. The Nanochip technology, in contrast, stores information by writing data to a thin-film material using an array of microscopic cantilevers, each with an extremely sharp tip. The size of each bit will be 15 nanometers in the first devices, but it could theoretically be as small as just a couple of nanometers.

Nanochip's array-based memory provides an alternative to both flash memory and hard drives. In addition to storing more data than flash, it will be cheaper and can be about as fast, Knight says. What's more, it could last longer than flash. Compared with hard drives, the manufacturing processes used will make Nanochip's devices more economical for small portable electronics, Lai says. The company's memory devices would also be more rugged than hard drives and run virtually silently.

The idea of using microscopically sharp tips to store data is not new. In the late 1990s, IBM demonstrated its Millipede technology, which used arrays of a thousand such tips to write and read bits. (See "Bugged about the Future of Magnetic Storage?") The Millipede program is still active at IBM but so far hasn't produced a commercial memory chip. Nanochip uses a similar approach.However, while IBM's Millipede uses a polymer material, with data stored by heating and indenting the material with the ultrasharp tip, Nanochip uses a material that can be written electronically: applying a voltage through the tip changes the electronic state of the material at the point of contact. That state can later be read using a weaker voltage. Knight says that the electronic process is faster than a thermal process.

A remaining challenge is engineering a complete chip with thousands of cantilevers. The arrays will need to be mounted on a stage that can be moved, using electrostatic forces, over the storage material and combined with electronics that make it possible to control each tip separately. Part of the challenge will be writing the algorithms for controlling the device to optimize how to store data using the moving stage, says William King, professor of mechanical science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. (King was part of the Millipede team at IBM and is a scientific advisor to Nanochip.) In both hard drives and flash memory, he says, bits can be accessed sequentially. But in this system, to take advantage of the parallel arrays of tips, methods of storing and retrieving thousands of bits at once will need to be developed.

"It's a big challenge, but it's something I believe can be done," Lai says. "And if you solve the problems, then you have a whole new memory technology that's available."

http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/20192/

Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance

2008-02-16T15:21:00.001+08:00

Governance, Risk, and Compliance or "GRC" is an increasingly recognized term that reflects a new way organizations focus on and manage an integrated approach to these three areas.

According to Michael Rasmussen, an industry analyst at Forrester Research, the challenge in defining GRC is that individually each term has "many different meanings within organizations. There is corporate governance, IT governance, financial risk, strategic risk, operational risk, IT risk, corporate compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, employment/labor compliance, privacy compliance . . . you get the picture."

According to Scott L. Mitchell, Chairman & CEO of the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG), there "are substantially more processes than governance, risk and compliance playing critical roles in GRC. But 13-letter acronyms rarely catch on

Typically GRC solutions are Enterprise Software that enables businesses to comply with legal requirements. Examples for such requirements are regulation like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Basel II and local requirements for occupational health and safety. Failure to meet these standards can lead to severe legal penalties or civil liability.

Initial interest in GRC was driven by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, but GRC software requirements have changed and now are seen as a means to achieve Enterprise Risk Management. Specifically to evolve from managing risk as a transaction or compliance activity to adding business value by improving operational decision making and strategic planning.

GRC software becomes the governance platform for defining, maintaining, and monitoring risk.
OCEG, a non-profit organization that provides a performance framework for integrating governance, compliance, risk management and culture, is one of the leading voices for GRC.[citation needed] OCEG has developed a Measurement and Metrics Guide (MMG) for assisting in measuring and reporting on the performance of compliance and ethics programs. This measurement platform advocates that program objectives be aligned with and contribute to the enterprise objectives in a tangible way. In order to achieve desired program outcomes, an organization should design processes and practices that effectively measure program dimensions on three key dimensions: effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness.

i-flex solutions, is the first company to issue a GRC Framework for the financial services industry, according to BobsGuide, an industry news site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governance%2C_Risk_Management%2C_and_Compliance

Oculus Power Breakout

2008-02-16T11:38:00.004+08:00

Smashed gap resistance turned gap support zone now. Cleared both the red downtrend resistance line and 50 days EMA resistance line. Immediate resistance zone is 20 to 22 cents follow by 25 cents resistance. Immediate support is 16.5 to 16 cents gap support zone. Support failure here will trigger test of next support at 14 cents. Interesting Monday trading expected.

Yangzijiang secures important foothold

2008-02-15T16:25:00.004+08:00

New sub-peak will now be higher than $1.35. Now any pullback must not be lower than $1.24. If the next trough formed is higher than $1.34 price momentum will probably smash through 50 days EMA resistance line and head towards 200 days EMA resistance line.

Exchange Traded Funds Account Types and Benefits

2008-02-15T15:58:00.000+08:00

An ETF wrap is similar to a mutual fund wrap, except the underlying investments are ETFs. (If you are unfamiliar with ETFs or Mutual Fund Wraps, see Introduction to Exchange-Traded Funds and Introduction To Mutual Fund Wraps.) Like mutual fund wraps, ETF wraps are available in two varieties: discretionary and non-discretionary.

Discretionary Account

From an asset allocation perspective, discretionary accounts are similar to lifestyle funds. They offer a variety of pre-selected equity, balanced and fixed-income asset allocation models designed to suit the needs of a wide range of investors. These models typically reflect a range of potential portfolios from 100% equity to 100% fixed income, with balanced models generally varying from 80% equity/20% fixed income to 20% equity/80% fixed income.

Professional money managers oversee the portfolios, selecting investments, monitoring performance and rebalancing to maintain the desired allocation. (To learn more about asset allocation, see Achieving Optimal Asset Allocation.)

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/05/ETFwrap.asp

Corporate governance History

2008-02-15T15:55:00.001+08:00

In the 19th century, state corporation law enhanced the rights of corporate boards to govern without unanimous consent of shareholders in exchange for statutory benefits like appraisal rights, to make corporate governance more efficient. Since that time, and because most large publicly traded corporations in the US are incorporated under corporate administration friendly Delaware law, and because the US's wealth has been increasingly securitized into various corporate entities and institutions, the rights of individual owners and shareholders have become increasingly derivative and dissipated. The concerns of shareholders over administration pay and stock losses periodically has led to more frequent calls for corporate governance reforms.

In the 20th century in the immediate aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 legal scholars such as Adolf Augustus Berle, Edwin Dodd, and Gardiner C. Means pondered on the changing role of the modern corporation in society. Berle and Means' monograph "The Modern Corporation and Private Property" (1932, Macmillan) continues to have a profound influence on the conception of corporate governance in scholarly debates today.

From the Chicago school of economics, Ronald Coase's "Nature of the Firm" (1937) introduced the notion of transaction costs into the understanding of why firms are founded and how they continue to behave. Fifty years later, Eugene Fama and Michael Jensen's "The Separation of Ownership and Control" (1983, Journal of Law and Economics) firmly established agency theory as a way of understanding corporate governance: the firm is seen as a series of contracts. Agency theory's dominance was highlighted in a 1989 article by Kathleen Eisenhardt (Academy of Management Review).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_governance

COSO Enterprise risk management framework

2008-02-15T15:51:00.002+08:00

The COSO "Enterprise Risk Management-Integrated Framework" published in 2004[1] defines ERM as: "A process, effected by an entity's board of directors, management, and other personnel, applied in strategy setting and across the enterprise, designed to identify potential events that may affect the entity, and manage risk to be within its risk appetite, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of entity objectives."

The COSO ERM Framework has eight Components and four objectives categories. It is an expansion of the COSO Internal Control-Integrated Framework published in 1992 and amended in 1994. The eight components - additional components highlighted - are:

Internal Environment
Objective Setting
Event Identification
Risk Assessment
Risk Response
Control Activities
Information and Communication
Monitoring

The four objectives categories - additional components highlighted - are:

Strategy - high-level goals, aligned with and supporting the organization's mission
Operations - effective and efficient use of resources
Financial Reporting - reliability of operational and financial reporting
Compliance - compliance with applicable laws and regulations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_risk_management

LottVision Volume Distribution Chart 15 February 2008 1031 am

2008-02-15T10:47:00.003+08:00

Big Boys are buying a lot and not selling.

Massive buying across all groups from Big Boys to retail buyers.

Something is brewing.

STX PO must stay above support zone

2008-02-14T18:54:00.003+08:00

Hard fought battle to gain new higher grounds which must be defended. Immediate support zone $2.66 to $2.51. Immediate resistance zone is $3.16 to $3.04 which will probably be tested tomorrow barring any unforeseen circumstance such as sudden drop in Dow Jones tonight. To ensure that a strong foothold is maintained to challenge the dotted green downtrend resistance line immediate support must not be broken. Failure here may break the green uptrend support line.

JES from downtrend to trading range formation

2008-02-14T16:16:00.002+08:00

Price has tested 38 cents support twice and confirmed bulls have set up a base camp there. Now the bulls must launch an attack to take out 43.5 cents immediate resistance followed by 20 days EMA resistance line. Securing these 2 vital technical barriers will turn them into support bases to mount further bull runs towards 53 to 48.5 cents resistance zone. Failure to clear 43.5 resistance and 20 day EMA resistance line will trigger another test on 38 cents support.

Uncovering the exchange-traded funds ETF Wrap

2008-02-14T15:57:00.001+08:00

As exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have become increasingly popular and investors have discovered their benefits, financial services firms have developed more ways to package those benefits. Enter the ETF wrap, a packaging innovation that is beginning to gain attention. It offers all of the benefits typically associated with an index fund - and more. Here we'll look at the types of ETF wraps available, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and see what the future holds for this relatively new financial product.

An ETF wrap is similar to a mutual fund wrap, except the underlying investments are ETFs. (If you are unfamiliar with ETFs or Mutual Fund Wraps, see Introduction to Exchange-Traded Funds and Introduction To Mutual Fund Wraps.) Like mutual fund wraps, ETF wraps are available in two varieties: discretionary and non-discretionary.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/05/ETFwrap.asp

Corporate governance

2008-02-14T15:53:00.001+08:00

Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many players involved (the stakeholders) and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principal players are the shareholders, management and the board of directors. Other stakeholders include employees, suppliers, customers, banks and other lenders, regulators, the environment and the community at large.

Corporate governance is a multi-faceted subject.An important theme of corporate governance is to ensure the accountability of certain individuals in an organization through mechanisms that try to reduce or eliminate the principal-agent problem. A related but separate thread of discussions focus on the impact of a corporate governance system in economic efficiency, with a strong emphasis on shareholders welfare. There are yet other aspects to the corporate governance subject, such as the stakeholder view and the corporate governance models around the world.

There has been renewed interest in the corporate governance practices of modern corporations since 2001, particularly due to the high-profile collapses of a number of large U.S. firms such as Enron Corporation and Worldcom. In 2002, the US federal government passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, intending to restore public confidence in corporate governance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_governance

Enterprise risk management frameworks defined

2008-02-14T15:49:00.001+08:00

Two important ERM frameworks are COSO and RIMS. Each describes an approach for identifying, analyzing, responding to, and monitoring risks or opportunities, within the internal and external environment facing the enterprise. Management selects a risk response strategy for specific risks identified and analyzed, which may include:

Avoidance: exiting the activities giving rise to risk
Reduction: taking action to reduce the likelihood or impact related to the risk
Share or insure: transferring or sharing a portion of the risk, to reduce it
Accept: no action is taken, due to a cost/benefit decision

Monitoring is typically performed by management as part of its internal control activities, such as review of analytical reports or management committee meetings with relevant experts, to understand how the risk response strategy is working and whether the objectives are being achieved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_risk_management

Lian Beng retreating back towards support zone

2008-02-14T12:27:00.002+08:00

Price rally restricted by 20 days EMA resistance line. Big Boys are selling into strength triggering price to drop back towards 53 cents support line. Next support is the green uptrend line. If both these supports fail further price fall will test 22nd January 2008 low at 48 cents.

Yongnam Volume Distribution Chart 14 February 2008 1131 am

2008-02-14T11:57:00.003+08:00

Big Boys selling into strength.

Retailers buying from Big Boys.

Trade with care.

Yongnam Breakout Restricted by Downtrend Resistance Line

2008-02-13T18:27:00.005+08:00

Clone inverted hammer or clone shooting star depending on whether price can take off from here. Price rally restricted by downtrend immediate resistance line. Need to clear 24 cents before heading for next resistance zone at 26 to 27 cents. Strong buying in early trading was not support in the afternoon causing price to lose earlier gains. Volume distribution chart below shows Big Boys selling in early aftternoon trading and no follow up buying in late afternoon. If there is no further buying support tomorrow it will definitely be a false breakout from its trading range. Immediate gap support is 22 cents. Next support is support zone 20.5 to 19.5 cents.

Yongnam Volume Distribution Chart 13 February 2008 402 pm

2008-02-13T16:17:00.003+08:00

Big Boys bought in early morning trading and sold in early afternoon trading.

If no follow up buying by Big Boys before closing price breakout from trading range will fail.

What are Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)?

2008-02-13T15:55:00.001+08:00

In short, they are similar to index mutual funds, but are traded more like a stock. As their name implies, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) represent a basket of securities that are traded on an exchange. As with all investment products, exchange traded funds have their share of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Exchange Traded Funds

Being similar to stocks, exchange traded funds offer more flexibility than your typical mutual fund.

ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the trading day, allowing for intraday trading - which is rare with mutual funds.

Traders have the ability to short or buy ETFs on margin.

Low annual expenses rival the cheapest mutual funds.

Tax efficiency - due to SEC regulations, ETF tend to beat out mutual funds when it comes to tax efficiency (if it is a non-taxable account then they are equal).

http://mutualfunds.about.com/cs/etfs/a/exchangetraded.htm

Enterprise architecture

2008-02-13T15:51:00.000+08:00

Enterprise Architecture is the description of the current and/or future structure and behavior of an organization's processes, information systems, personnel and organizational sub-units, aligned with the organization's core goals and strategic direction. Although often associated strictly with information technology, it relates more broadly to the practice of business optimization in that it addresses business architecture, performance management, organizational structure and process architecture as well.

Modelling the Enterprise Architecture is becoming a common practice within the U.S. Federal Government to inform the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process. The Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) reference models serve as a framework to guide Federal Agencies in the development of their architectures. The primary purpose of creating an enterprise architecture is to ensure that business strategy and IT investments are aligned. As such, enterprise architecture allows traceability from the business strategy down to the underlying technology.

Companies such as BP, Intel and Volkswagen AG also have applied enterprise architecture to improve their business architectures as well as to improve business performance and productivity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_architecture

Enterprise risk management

2008-02-13T15:44:00.000+08:00

In business, enterprise risk management (ERM) includes the methods and processes used by organizations to manage risks (or seize opportunities) related to the achievement of their objectives. ERM provides a framework for risk management, which typically involves identifying particular events or circumstances relevant to the organization's objectives (risks and opportunities), assessing them in terms of likelihood and magnitude of impact, determining a response strategy, and monitoring progress. By identifying and proactively addressing risks and opportunities, business enterprises protect and create value for their stakeholders, including owners, employees, customers, regulators, and society overall.

ERM can also be described as a risk-based approach to managing an enterprise, integrating concepts of strategic planning, operations management, and internal control. ERM is evolving to address the needs of various stakeholders, who want to understand the broad spectrum of risks facing complex organizations to ensure they are appropriately managed. Regulators and debt rating agencies have increased their scrutiny on the risk management processes of companies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_risk_management

Jade Blocked by 200 days EMA Resistance Line

2008-02-13T10:30:00.000+08:00

200 EMA days resistance line capping further price advance. Immediate support is gap support at 17 cents. Next support is gap support at 15 cents. Bulls need to break 200 EMA to trigger another rally to clear the 2 red downtrend resistance lines. Descending triangle base support turned resistance zone 23 to 21 cents is a major barrier that may take a few attempts to break.

Jiutian Hourly chart 12 February 2008 433 pm testing downtrend resistance line

2008-02-12T16:35:00.000+08:00

Bulls trying to breakout above downtrend resistance line. Next resistance is 26 cents followed by 200 EMA resistance line currently at around 27 cents. Clearing 28.5 cents resistance will trigger price to rally towards 30 cents. Immediate support is 23.5 cents.

Options strategies

2008-02-12T15:58:00.000+08:00

An option strategy is implemented by combining one or more option positions and possibly an underlying stock position. Options are financial instruments which give the buyer the right to buy (for a call option) or sell (for a put option) the underlying security at some specific point of time in the future (European Option) or until some specific point of time in the future (American Option) for a price (strike price) which is fixed in advance (when the option is bought).

Calls increase in value as the underlying stock increases in value. Likewise puts increase in value as the underlying stock decreases in value. Buying both a call and a put means that if the underlying stock moves up the call increases in value and likewise if the underlying stock moves down the put increases in value. The combined position can increase in value if the stock moves in either direction. (The position loses money if the stock stays at the same price or within a range of the price when the position was established.) This strategy is called a straddle. It is one of many options strategies that investors can employ.

Options strategies can favor movements in the underlying stock that are bullish, bearish or neutral. In the case of neutral strategies, they can be further classified into those that are bullish on volatility and those that are bearish on volatility. The option positions used can be long and/or short positions in calls and/or puts at various strikes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Options_Trading

Enterprise resource planning Implementation

2008-02-12T15:55:00.000+08:00

Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices.Implementing ERP software is typically not an "in-house" skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed.The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project.A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years.

To implement ERP systems, companies often seek the help of an ERP vendor or of third-party consulting companies. These firms typically provide three areas of professional services: consulting, customization and support.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Company claims to have sequenced man's genome cheaply

2008-02-12T15:52:00.000+08:00

A company based in San Diego, California, claims to have sequenced an individual human genome cheaper and faster than ever before.

The company, Illumina, said this week that it had sequenced DNA from the genome of an anonymous African man in “a matter of weeks” for US$100,000. This compares with last year’s announcement that 454 Life Sciences in Branford, Connecticut, had sequenced the genome of Nobel prize winner James Watson in two months for under $1 million. In October, Chinese officials also announced they had sequenced an Asian man's genome for about $1 million.

The completion of the human-genome reference sequence, announced in 2001, took more than a decade and cost $3 billion.

But Illumina’s announcement came before any of its supporting data were made available, leaving scientists eager to see more details before commenting on the significance of the effort. Many point out that the company has an interest in selling its Genome Analyzer, one in a crowded field of high-speed sequencing machines.

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080208/full/news.2008.563.html

Jade Touching Base of Giant Descending Triangle

2008-02-12T12:36:00.000+08:00

Strong rally has pushed price to the base of giant descending triangle support turned resistance zone at 23 to 21 cents. Further price rally may be capped by 200 days EMA resistance line and the other downtrend resistance lines. Immediate support is the gap support at 17 cents. Profit taking expected in afternoon trading session.

KepCorp Breaks Support Zone

2008-02-11T21:08:00.001+08:00

$10.16 to $9.80 support zone has been transformed into the new resistance zone after price closed at $9.78. New technical review will now focus on the head and shoulders pattern measured move projection. The height taken from the top of the head to the red bold dotted neckline is projected downwards from the neckline to form the measured move projection which is $8.80. Before this support there is another gap support zone at $9.20 to $9.00. Only if this gap support zone fails than the head and shoulders measured move projection will take eminence.

China Hongx 30 mins intraday chart 11 February 2008 420pm

2008-02-11T16:21:00.000+08:00

Price rally capped by 20 EMA and downtrend resistance line. Still unable to cover gap at 62.5 cents. Breakout above red downtrend resistance line will trigger upward movement towards gap resistance at 62.5 cents. Immediate support zone is 57 to 58 cents. Support failure here will result in downward movement to next support at 54.5 cents. Monitor 50 EMA resistance line.

Enterprise resource planning Best Practices

2008-02-11T15:59:00.000+08:00

Best Practices were also a benefit of implementing an ERP system. When implementing an ERP system, organizations essentially had to choose between customizing the software or modifying their business processes to the "Best Practice" function delivered in the vanilla version of the software.

Typically, the delivery of best practice applies more usefully to large organizations and especially where there is a compliance requirement such as IFRS, Sarbanes-Oxley or Basel II, or where the process is a commodity such as electronic funds transfer. This is because the procedure of capturing and reporting legislative or commodity content can be readily codified within the ERP software, and then replicated with confidence across multiple businesses who have the same business requirement.

Where such a compliance or commodity requirement does not underpin the business process, it can be argued that determining and applying a Best Practice actually erodes competitive advantage by homogenizing the business as compared to everyone else in the industry sector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

The Genome Sequencing Center At Washington University School Of Medicine Increases Fleet Of Roche Genome Sequencer FLX Systems To Eight Instruments

2008-02-11T15:40:00.000+08:00

The Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University School of Medicine increased its sequencing capacity with an agreement to acquire five additional Genome Sequencer FLX Systems from Roche Diagnostics

With a total of eight Genome Sequencer FLX Systems, the Genome Sequencing Center will be able to support a wide variety of projects with the 454 Sequencing technology, ranging from the sequencing of new complex genomes to the diverse microbial world to the resequencing of portions of the human genome to identify genetic variations that may be associated with human diseases. This will include using the instruments for transcriptome analysis of individual tumors, an approach that the Genome Sequencing Center has pioneered as part of its ongoing studies of acute myeloid leukemia.

"We have been able to complete several projects with the GS FLX, demonstrating the system's strengths," said Richard Wilson, Director of the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University School of Medicine. "We now believe that with the new improvements and the increased throughput of the instrument, we will be able to complete several projects more quickly than originally anticipated and at a substantially lower cost."

"We are continuing to see the GS FLX moved into production settings due to the instrument's scalability and reliability, which allows it to run continuously," said Lonnie Shoff, Senior Vice President of Applied Science for Roche Diagnostics. "With more than 140 peer reviewed publications, we have a proven technology that continues to reshape the life sciences market."

In addition to the purchase agreement, the Genome Sequencing Center and Roche announced the Center's participation in the early access program for new technology advancements for the Genome Sequencer FLX system. The early access program will be featured Friday, Feb. 8 at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology Conference in Marco Island, Florida.

The Center's system improvements will include an increase in sequence read length beyond 400 base pairs and a dramatic increase in the number of sequencing reads per instrument run. Using a combination of reagent and software improvements, it is expected that the current Genome Sequencer FLX will generate more than 1 billion bases per day.

As part of the early access program, the Genome Sequencing Center plans to resequence several strains of Caenorhabditis elegans, a small nematode that has been previously used as a genetic model organism.

"By sequencing several different strains of C. elegans, we will be able to not only detect the smaller genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, but identify the larger genome rearrangements that may also contribute to phenotypes," said Wilson. "With the longer 400 base pair read lengths, we can start to assemble the genomes using a de novo approach, eliminating the need to remap the sequences to a reference genome that can lead to errors.

"The new Genome Sequencer FLX systems will also be used in a number of projects studying the human microbiome at the Genome Sequencing Center. These projects are leading the way to the National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project, one of the new NIH Roadmap Initiatives. The goals of these projects are to characterize the microbial organisms that live within and on the human body, and study how the communities they form contribute to health and disease. It is estimated that there are nearly a trillion microbial organisms within a healthy human adult.

"The GS FLX system has become a dominant platform for sequencing microbial genomes, providing a fast, accurate, and economical way to sequence a large and diverse range of organisms," said George Weinstock, Associate Director at the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University School of Medicine. "One of the additional benefits of the GS FLX is in its application to sequencing complex mixtures of microbes, where its higher throughput will allow us to more completely identify which microbes are present and their individual abundances. This type of data is crucial for the Human Microbiome Project."

454 Life Sciences develops and commercializes the innovative Genome Sequencer™ system for ultra-high-throughput DNA sequencing. Specific applications include de novo sequencing and re-sequencing of genomes, metagenomics, RNA analysis, and targeted sequencing of DNA regions of interest. The hallmarks of 454 Sequencing™ are its simple, unbiased sample preparation and long, highly accurate sequence reads, including paired reads. 454 Sequencing technology has enabled more than 140 peer-reviewed studies in diverse research fields such as cancer and infectious disease research, drug discovery, marine biology, anthropology, paleontology and many more. For additional information, please visit http://www.454.com.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96770.php

JES Fibonacci Extension Projection

2008-02-10T17:05:00.000+08:00

Testing 23.6% retracement level at 38 cents which is also the immediate support. Price rally will probably be capped by 48 cents resistance line if it can clear the immediate resistance at 43 cents. Next support is 32 cents which is the 38.2% retracement level. Big Boys were missing during the half day Chinese New Year Eve trading session as shown by the Volume Distribution chart below. Unless Big Bulls participation returns any rally will not be sustained.

Before Enterprise resource planning

2008-02-10T15:57:00.000+08:00

Prior to the concept of ERP systems, departments within an organization (for example, the human resources (HR)) department, the payroll department, and the financial department) would have their own computer systems. The HR computer system (often called HRMS or HRIS) would typically contain information on the department, reporting structure, and personal details of employees. The payroll department would typically calculate and store paycheck information. The financial department would typically store financial transactions for the organization. Each system would have to rely on a set of common data to communicate with each other. For the HRIS to send salary information to the payroll system, an employee number would need to be assigned and remain static between the two systems to accurately identify an employee. The financial system was not interested in the employee-level data, but only in the payouts made by the payroll systems, such as the tax payments to various authorities, payments for employee benefits to providers, and so on. This provided complications. For instance, a person could not be paid in the payroll system without an employee number.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Decision support system A brief history

2008-02-10T15:55:00.000+08:00

In the absence of an all-inclusive definition, we focus on the history of DSS (see also Power[11]). According to Keen [6], the concept of decision support has evolved from two main areas of research: the theoretical studies of organizational decision making done at the Carnegie Institute of Technology during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the technical work on interactive computer systems, mainly carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1960s. It is considered that the concept of DSS became an area of research of its own in the middle of the 1970s, before gaining in intensity during the 1980s. In the middle and late 1980s, executive information systems (EIS), group decision support systems (GDSS), and organizational decision support systems (ODSS) evolved from the single user and model-oriented DSS. Beginning in about 1990, data warehousing and on-line analytical processing (OLAP) began broadening the realm of DSS. As the turn of the millennium approached, new Web-based analytical applications were introduced.

It is clear that DSS belong to an environment with multidisciplinary foundations, including (but not exclusively) database research, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, simulation methods, software engineering, and telecommunications.

DSS also have a weak connection to the user interface paradigm of hypertext. Both the University of Vermont PROMIS system (for medical decision making) and the Carnegie Mellon ZOG/KMS system (for military and business decision making) were decision support systems which also were major breakthroughs in user interface research. Furthermore, although hypertext researchers have generally been concerned with information overload, certain researchers, notably Douglas Engelbart, have been focused on decision makers in particular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_Support_System

RNA-associated introns guide nerve-cell channel production

2008-02-10T15:45:00.000+08:00

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that introns, or junk DNA to some, associated with RNA are an important molecular guide to making nerve-cell electrical channels. Senior author James Eberwine, PhD, Elmer Bobst Professor of Pharmacology, and lead authors Kevin Miyashiro, and Thomas J. Bell, PhD, both in Eberwine's lab, report their findings in this week's early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In nerve cells, some ion channels are located in the dendrite, which branch from the cell body of the neuron. Dendrites detect the electrical and chemical signals transmitted to the neuron by the axons of other neurons. Abnormalities in the dendrite electrical channel are involved in epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, and cognitive disorders, among others.

Introns are commonly looked on as sequences of "junk" DNA found in the middle of gene sequences, which after being made in RNA are simply excised in the nucleus before the messenger RNA is transported to the cytoplasm and translated into a protein. In 2005, the Penn group first found that dendrites have the capacity to splice messenger RNA, a process once believed to only take place in the nucleus of cells.

Now, in the current study, the group has found that an RNA encoding for a nerve-cell electrical channel, called the BK channel, contains an intron that is present outside the nucleus. This intron plays an important role in ensuring that functional BK channels are made in the appropriate place in the cell.

When this intron-containing RNA was knocked out, leaving the maturely spliced RNA in the cell, the electrical properties of the cell became abnormal. "We think the intron-containing mRNA is targeted to the dendrite where it is spliced into the channel protein and inserted locally into the region of the dendrite called the dendritic spine. The dendritic spine is where a majority of axons from other cells touch a particular neuron to facilitate neuronal communication" says Eberwine. "This is the first evidence that an intron-containing RNA outside of the nucleus serves a critical cellular function."

"The intron acts like a guide or gatekeeper," says Eberwine. "It keys the messenger RNA to the dendrite for local control of gene expression and final removal of the intron before the channel protein is made. Just because the intron is not in the final channel protein doesn't mean that it doesn't have an important purpose."

The group surmises that the intron may control how many mRNAs are brought to the dendrite and translated into functional channel proteins. The correct number of channels is just as important for electrical impulses as having a properly formed channel.

The investigators believe that this is a general mechanism for the regulation of cytoplasmic RNAs in neurons. Given the central role of dendrites in various physiological functions they hope to relate this new knowledge to understanding the molecular underpinnings of memory and learning, as well as components of cognitive dysfunction resulting from neurological disease.

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/35631/RNA-associated_introns_guide_nerve-cell_channel_production.html

KepCorp Gap Down with Hammer Candlestick Formation

2008-02-09T16:25:00.000+08:00

Hammer formation after gap down suggests stock may have found bottom. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, a technical rebound towards gap resistance at $10.46 is expected. Rally above this gap resistance will probably be capped by 20 days EMA resistance line. Major Support Zone $10.16 to $9.80 unlikely to be broken. Major technical review if this support fails.

Enterprise Resource Planning Origin

2008-02-09T15:54:00.000+08:00

Enterprise Resource Planning is a term originally derived from manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) that followed material requirements planning (MRP).[2] MRP evolved into ERP when "routings" became a major part of the software architecture and a company's capacity planning activity also became a part of the standard software activity.[citation needed] ERP systems typically handle the manufacturing, logistics, distribution, inventory, shipping, invoicing, and accounting for a company. Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP software can aid in the control of many business activities, like sales, marketing, delivery, billing, production, inventory management, quality management, and human resource management.

ERP systems saw a large boost in sales in the 1990s as companies faced the Y2K problem in their legacy systems. Many companies took this opportunity to replace their legacy information systems with ERP systems. This rapid growth in sales was followed by a slump in 1999, at which time most companies had already implemented their Y2K solution

ERPs are often incorrectly called back office systems indicating that customers and the general public are not directly involved. This is contrasted with front office systems like customer relationship management (CRM) systems that deal directly with the customers, or the eBusiness systems such as eCommerce, eGovernment, eTelecom, and eFinance, or supplier relationship management (SRM) systems.

ERPs are cross-functional and enterprise wide. All functional departments that are involved in operations or production are integrated in one system. In addition to manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and information technology, this would include accounting, human resources, marketing, and strategic management.

ERP II means open ERP architecture of components. The older, monolithic ERP systems became component oriented.

EAS — Enterprise Application Suite is a new name for formerly developed ERP systems which include (almost) all segments of business, using ordinary Internet browsers as thin clients.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Streamlining Gene Delivery with Microporation

2008-02-09T15:49:00.000+08:00

MicroPorator Aims to Eliminate Challenges of Conventional Transfection Methods

The increasing demand for efficient transfection reflects the expanding applications for such technology. Introducing foreign DNA or RNA into mammalian cells has become fundamental for analyzing gene function, producing recombinant gene products, and devising strategies for gene therapy.

Successful results rely on the transfection method. Transfection of hard-to-transfect cells through common methods such as calcium phosphate, liposome-based reagent, and conventional electroporation, however, are problematic because of low transfection efficiency and low cell viability. Also, even though viral methods are efficient, they are time consuming to set up and are not cost effective.

To overcome these disadvantages, a novel electroporation technology called microporation has been developed, which provides high-efficiency transfection results. Microporation uses a specially designed handheld pipette-type device and specially designed pipette tips that utilize a capillary instead of a cuvette chamber.

The technology provides uniform electrical pulses delivered to samples ranging in volume from 10 µl to 100 µl using the pipette-tip electrodes. This method significantly improves transfection efficiency and cell viability versus the traditional cuvette-type sample chambers.

The potential harmful side effects that are caused by cuvette-type electroporation like pH variation, temperature increase, turbulence, and metal ion generation were eliminated by using the pipette technology. Thus, microporation provides an easier, more efficient, and reproducible way to work with hard-to-transfect cells.

http://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=2359

Robotics

2008-02-09T15:44:00.000+08:00

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application.[1] Robotics requires a working knowledge of electronics, mechanics and software, and is usually accompanied by a large working knowledge of many subjects.[2] A person working in the field is a roboticist.

Although the appearance and capabilities of robots vary vastly, all robots share the features of a mechanical, movable structure under some form of autonomous control. The structure of a robot is usually mostly mechanical and can be called a kinematic chain (its functionality being akin to the skeleton of the human body). The chain is formed of links (its bones), actuators (its muscles) and joints which can allow one or more degrees of freedom. Most contemporary robots use open serial chains in which each link connects the one before to the one after it. These robots are called serial robots and often resemble the human arm. Some robots, such as the Stewart platform, use closed parallel kinematic chains. Other structures, such as those that mimic the mechanical structure of humans, various animals and insects, are comparatively rare. However, the development and use of such structures in robots is an active area of research (e.g. biomechanics). Robots used as manipulators have an end effector mounted on the last link. This end effector can be anything from a welding device to a mechanical hand used to manipulate the environment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotics

Dow Jones Industrial Index Indecision Candlesticks Patterns

2008-02-09T11:27:00.000+08:00

Inverted hammer candlestick formation followed by spinning top and finally a clone hammer and spinning top pattern combination. The last 3 candlesticks formation indicates market indecision and it is waiting for clearer direction from the bulls or the bears. Price rally will probably be capped by the black downtrend resistance line. Support Failure at 12103.4 will result in bears testing next support at 11644.8. If this support also fails the next major support will be the Green Parallel Support line.

Yangzijiang What Happens if Critcal Support Breaks Scenario 3

2008-02-08T16:07:00.000+08:00

Measured Move Projection Calculation

147 - 124 = 23

135 - 23 = 112

IF critical support at $1.16 breaks new support is $1.12

Ideal Enterprise resource planning

2008-02-08T15:53:00.000+08:00

Ideally, ERP delivers a single database that contains all data for the software modules, which would include:

Manufacturing
Engineering, Bills of Material, Scheduling, Capacity, Workflow Management, Quality Control, Cost Management, Manufacturing Process, Manufacturing Projects, Manufacturing Flow

Supply Chain Management
Inventory, Order Entry, Purchasing, Product Configurator, Supply Chain Planning, Supplier Scheduling, Inspection of goods, Claim Processing, Commission Calculation

Financials
General Ledger, Cash Management, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets

Projects
Costing, Billing, Time and Expense, Activity Management

Human Resources
Human Resources, Payroll, Training, Time & Attendance, Rostering, Benefits

Customer Relationship Management
Sales and Marketing, Commissions, Service, Customer Contact and Call Center support

Data Warehouse
and various Self-Service interfaces for Customers, Suppliers, and Employees

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Customer relationship management

2008-02-08T15:50:00.000+08:00

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a customer-centric business strategy with the goal of maximizing profitability, revenue, and customer satisfaction. [1]

Technologies that support this business purpose include the capture, storage and analysis of customer, vendor, partner, and internal process information.

Functions that support this business purpose include Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, Training, Professional Development, Performance Management, Human Resource Development and Compensation.

Technology to support CRM initiatives must be integrated as part of an overall customer-centric strategy. Many CRM initiatives have failed because implementation was limited to software installation without alignment to a customer-centric strategy.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management

An Automated Sample Preparation System for Large-Scale DNA Sequencing

2008-02-08T15:41:00.000+08:00

Recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies, both in the form of high lane-density gels and automated capillary systems, will lead to an increased requirement for sample preparation systems that operate at low cost and high throughput. As part of the development of a fully automated sequencing system, we have developed an automated subsystem capable of producing 10,000 sequence-ready ssDNA templates per day from libraries of M13 plaques at a cost of $0.29 per sample. This Front End has been in high throughput operation since June, 1997 and has produced > 400,000 high-quality DNA templates.

Improvements in electrophoresis technology have been announced recently by various companies (Molecular Dynamics, Perkin-Elmer/ABI, Beckman Coulter). In particular, the 96-sample capillary electrophoresis instruments being released promise increased throughput and decreased cost for DNA sequencing. Despite improved separation time, automation, and sample tracking compared to slab gels, capillary technologies have not gained acceptance in the past because of difficulties in resolving long DNA strands. Recent developments in sequencing reaction purification (Ruiz-Martine et al. 1998) and their effect on read length have made it more likely that capillary electrophoresis technologies will supplant slab gel-based sequencing instruments in the near future.

http://www.genome.org/cgi/content/full/9/5/457

Yangzijiang What Happens if Critical Support Breaks Scenario 2

2008-02-07T22:22:00.000+08:00

Measured Move Projection Calcuation Scenario 2

155 - 116 = 39

147 - 39 = 108

IF critical support $1.16 breaks then new support is $1.08

Yangzijiang What Happens if Critcal Support Breaks Scenario 1

2008-02-07T20:24:00.000+08:00

Measured Move Projection Calculation

185 - 116 = 69

147 - 69 = 78

IF critical support breaks then next support is 78 cents

Enterprise resource planning Overview

2008-02-07T15:16:00.000+08:00

Some organizations — typically those with sufficient in-house IT skills to integrate multiple software products — choose to implement only portions of an ERP system and develop an external interface to other ERP or stand-alone systems for their other application needs. For example, one may choose to use the HRMS from one vendor, and the financials systems from another, and perform the integration between the systems themselves.

This is very common in the retail sector, where even a mid-sized retailer will have a discrete Point-of-Sale (POS) product and financials application, then a series of specialized applications to handle business requirements such as warehouse management, staff rostering, merchandising and logistics.

MRP vs. ERP

Manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters fixed by the system, led MRP (Material Requirement Planning) to evolve into a new concept : Manufacturing Resource Planning (or MRP2) and finally the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Supply chain management

2008-02-07T15:14:00.000+08:00

Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. Supply Chain Management spans all movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point-of-origin to point-of-consumption.

The definition one American professional association put forward is that Supply Chain Management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, Supply Chain Management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.

Some experts distinguish Supply Chain Management and logistics, while others consider the terms to be interchangeable.

Supply Chain Management is also a category of software product.
Supply chain event management (abbreviated as SCEM) is a consideration of all possible occurring events and factors that can cause a disruption in a supply chain. With SCEM possible scenarios can be created and solutions can be planned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain_management

Agilent to Boost Automated Sample-Prep Offerings with Velocity11 Takeover

2008-02-07T15:04:00.000+08:00

Agilent Technologies says that it plans to acquire Velocity11 to strengthen its automated sample-preparation solutions. Velocity11 makes automated liquid-handling products and laboratory robotics for the life science market. The company designs, manufactures, and markets products that range from standalone instrumentation to benchtop automation solutions to large, multiarmed robotic systems. Velocity11 also develops software to control the robotics.

“Velocity11 is a market leader in lab automation with a solid reputation for innovative technology, quality products, and superb customer service,” comments Nick Roelofs, vp of Agilent’s life science systems and solutions unit. “Together, we can offer customers a comprehensive set of workflow solutions with increased levels of automation, which can help speed drug discovery and genetic research.”

http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=26169652&nc=1

Dow Jones Industrial Next Trough

2008-02-06T17:48:00.001+08:00

More nervousness and uncertainties causing Dow Jones Industrial Index to continue in its downtrend path. Next trough for the current down swing will probably be at the green parallel support line. Current value is around 11275 but actual support number can only be confirmed once the index intersects with this line.

Origin of the term Enterprise resource planning

2008-02-06T15:34:00.000+08:00

The term ERP originally implied systems designed to plan the use of enterprise-wide resources. Although the initialism ERP originated in the manufacturing environment, today's use of the term ERP systems has much broader scope. ERP systems typically attempt to cover all basic functions of an organization, regardless of the organization's business or charter. Businesses, non-profit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and other large entities utilize ERP systems.

To be considered an ERP system, a software package must provide the function of at least two systems. For example, a software package that provides both payroll and accounting functions could technically be considered an ERP software package.

However, the term is typically reserved for larger, more broadly based applications. The introduction of an ERP system to replace two or more independent applications eliminates the need for external interfaces previously required between systems, and provides additional benefits that range from standardization and lower maintenance (one system instead of two or more) to easier and/or greater reporting capabilities (as all data is typically kept in one database).

Examples of modules in an ERP which formerly would have been stand-alone applications include: Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Financials, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resources, Warehouse Management and Decision Support System.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Decision support system

2008-02-06T15:31:00.000+08:00

Decision support systems are a class of computer-based information systems including knowledge based systems that support decision making activities.

Because there are many approaches to decision-making and because of the wide range of domains in which decisions are made, the concept of decision support system (DSS) is very broad. A DSS can take many different forms. In general, we can say that a DSS is a computerized system for helping make decisions. A decision is a choice between alternatives based on estimates of the values of those alternatives. Supporting a decision means helping people working alone or in a group gather intelligence, generate alternatives and make choices. Supporting the choice making process involves supporting the estimation, the evaluation and/or the comparison of alternatives. In practice, references to DSS are usually references to computer applications that perform such a supporting role.[1]

The term decision support system has been used in many different ways (Alter 1980, Power, 2002) and has been defined in various ways depending upon the author's point of view [2]. Finlay [3] and others define a DSS rather broadly as "a computer-based system that aids the process of decision making." Turban [4] defines it more specifically as "an interactive, flexible, and adaptable computer-based information system, especially developed for supporting the solution of a non-structured management problem for improved decision making. It utilizes data, provides an easy-to-use interface, and allows for the decision maker's own insights."

Other definitions fall between these two extremes. For Little [5], a DSS is a "model-based set of procedures for processing data and judgments to assist a manager in his decision-making." For Keen [6], a DSS couples the intellectual resources of individuals with the capabilities of the computer to improve the quality of decisions ("DSS are computer-based support for management decision makers who are dealing with semi-structured problems"). Moore and Chang [7] define DSS as extendible systems capable of supporting ad hoc data analysis and decision modeling, oriented toward future planning, and used at irregular, unplanned intervals. For Sprague and Carlson [8], DSS are "interactive computer-based systems that help decision makers utilize data and models to solve unstructured problems." In contrast, Keen [9] claims that it is impossible to give a precise definition including all the facets of the DSS ("there can be no definition of decision support systems, only of decision support"). Nevertheless, according to Power [10], the term decision support system remains a useful and inclusive term for many types of information systems that support decision making. He humorously adds that every time a computerized system is not an on-line transaction processing system (OLTP), someone will be tempted to call it a DSS. As you can see, there is no universally accepted definition of DSS. [11]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_Support_System

Some markers scientists rely on to identify stem cells are proving to be flawed

2008-02-06T15:24:00.000+08:00

Magic marker myths

Bookmarks can help you quickly find just the right page among hundreds or even thousands. But we know better than to confuse a bookmark for the page it points to, and we all know that bookmarks can get misplaced. So it is with stem cells. Cell-surface proteins and other markers may seem a convenient way of identifying stem cells, but they're no substitute for assessing what the cells can really do.

Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan's Center for Stem Cell Biology, thinks misplaced trust in stem-cell markers is one of the field's biggest problems. "A high percentage of discoveries that don't hold up fail to hold up because people weren't careful enough about the markers they used to identify the stem cells," he says. That's because many tissues lack good functional assays, or markers, or both. So when researchers hear of a stem-cell marker from another system that just might apply to their own, they tend to latch on.

Morrison recently undermined the case for one cherished 'magic marker' for stem cells that equated 'stemness' with cells' retention of the nucleotide-analogue label bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). The longest-running rationale for this marker holds that stem cells divide more slowly than the progenitor cells they generate. So, after the label is withdrawn from the growth medium, the relatively quiescent stem cells hoard the stash of label already deposited in their genomes, whereas label incorporated into progenitor cells' DNA is steadily diluted as those cells proliferate.

But there's at least one fly in that ointment. If a progenitor undergoing a final division to become two long-lived, differentiated cells happens to get labelled, those cells can retain the label for years, confounding the assay.

An alternative notion posits that BrdU is an even more specific marker of stemness. The 'immortal strand' hypothesis proposes that when a stem cell divides into another stem cell plus a differentiation-committed daughter cell, the former retains its original DNA strands with the newly synthesized (and, presumably, imperfectly copied) strands shunted off to the latter1. Thus, you would expect stem-cells' labeled strands to be always retained in those stem cells.
The trouble is that the label-retention hypothesis has not been validated, says Morrison. "A lot of people take it as an article of faith that DNA-label-retaining cells are highly enriched for stem cells," even in tissues where stem cells cannot be clearly defined by phenotype or function.

Morrison found himself thinking: "If we're going to build a whole field based on this proposition, then somebody should test it." So he did, in the most extensively characterized system available: haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).2 His team pulsed mice with BrdU and examined their blood at various times to see where the labeled DNA turned up.

Labeled DNA gradually disappeared from HCSs, Morrison says, and more than 99% of those cells that did retain BrdU were not stem cells. Although at least one well-designed study has shown evidence supporting BrdU retention in another tissue, the hair follicle3, Morrison believes label retention is one of the worst markers that has ever been used in published papers. "It's your textbook example of a terrible stem-cell marker."

It's also ubiquitous. "Until half a year, or a year, ago I never heard anybody damn or doubt label retention as a stem-cell marker," says Hans Clevers, director of the Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology's Hubrecht Laboratory in Utrecht. Gut epithelium is renewed from cells located in the crypts at the base of intestinal villi. In a recent study4, Clevers' group found that the well-known Paneth cells in the crypts had been falsely identified as the gut epithelial stem cells. That widespread assumption had been based largely on observations that the cells retained BrdU.

Clevers's team made transgenic mice in which the gene lacZ, which encodes an enzyme that can yield an intense blue stain in tissue sections, was tethered to the promoter for Lgr5, a gene expressed only, and rarely, in the crypts, making it a possible marker for stem cells. The cells that stained blue were not the Paneth cells, however, but small, sparse cells called crypt-based columnar cells (CBCs).

http://www.nature.com/stemcells/2008/0801/080131/full/stemcells.2008.26.html

Jade Volume Distribution Chart 6 February 2008 1100 AM

2008-02-06T11:05:00.000+08:00

Big Boys missing early this morning.

Medium Boys more selling than buying.

Will Big Boys pop up later or have they decided to celebrate the New Rat Year earlier.

Trade with care.

Happy New Mouse Year.

STX PO back to $2.57 support again

2008-02-05T21:30:00.000+08:00

Rally capped by 50 EMA and now testing $2.57 support. Support failure most probably to occur tomorrow and a retest of green uptrend support line again. This short rally shows price weakness and the green uptrend support line may not hold this time. Expect price to test $2.00 gap support if no Big Bulls buy near green support line.

Jade 30 mins chart breakout direction

2008-02-05T16:36:00.000+08:00

Resting inside gap zone with 16 cents as reistance and 14.5 cents as support. Breakout above 16 cents will propel price to next gap resistance at 21 cents. Support failure will retest next support at 13 cents. Monitor the direction of breakout from vurrent gap zone.

Enterprise resource planning Best Practices

2008-02-05T15:54:00.000+08:00

Jade 30 mins chart key gap resistance

2008-02-05T10:44:00.000+08:00

Upward price action blocked by key gap support zone 16 to 14.5 cents. Need to breakout above 16 cents to ensure upward momentum continues. Monitor 20 EMA and 50 EMA support lines.

CSC pierced key resistance line

2008-02-05T01:39:00.000+08:00

Cleared 20 EMA resistance line then pierced key support at 29 cents and capped by 50 EMA resistance line. Need to breakout above 50 EMA, 200 EMA and finally the downtrend resistance line. Once these barriers have been removed the potential for trend change will increase tremendously from negative to positive.

China Hongx Testing Downtrend Line

2008-02-04T19:14:00.000+08:00

Interesting day tomorrow if buying momentum continues. Breakout from red downtrend resistance line will retest previous peak at 74 cents. Breakdown from blue uptrend line will retest 58 cents support. Monitor 20 EMA resistance line.

Enterprise application integration

2008-02-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is defined as the uses of software and computer systems architectural principles to integrate a set of enterprise computer applications.

Many medium-size and large corporations use a variety of computer applications for managing data, including supply chain management applications (for managing inventory and shipping), customer relationship management applications (for managing current and potential customers), business intelligence applications (for managing internal operations), and other types of applications (for managing data such as human resources data, internal communications, etc). Unfortunately, such applications typically cannot communicate with one another in order to share data or business rules; for this reason, such applications are sometimes referred to as islands of automation or information silos. This lack of communication leads to inefficiency, in the form of the same data having to be stored in multiple locations, or straightforward processes that are unable to be automated.

Enterprise application integration (EAI) is the process of linking such applications within a single organization together in order to simplify and automate business processes to the greatest extent possible, while at the same time avoiding having to make sweeping changes to the existing applications or data structures. In the words of the Gartner Group, EAI is the “unrestricted sharing of data and business processes among any connected application or data sources in the enterprise.”[1]

One large challenge of EAI is that the various systems that need to be linked together often reside on different operating systems, use different database solutions and different computer languages, and in some cases are legacy systems that are no longer supported by the vendor who originally created them. In some cases, such systems are dubbed "stovepipe systems" because they consist of components that have been jammed together in a way that makes it very hard to modify them in any way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_application_integration

Computer Model Identifies Membrane Contact Areas of Proteins

2008-02-04T15:23:00.000+08:00

Researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and UC San Diego developed a new tool called MAPAS (membrane-associated protein assessments) to study how proteins contact cell membranes.

The traditional method of studying proteins has difficulty in identifying the key parts of a protein that will participate in membrane contact, report the investigators. “It’s extremely important to explore the structural details of the zone where the protein contacts the membrane so that we can understand the molecular mechanisms of disease development,” notes Igor F Tsigelny at UCSD. “This knowledge gives crucial guidance in selecting which among many possible compounds are most likely to do well in tests to intervene in such protein-membrane interactions and help treat these diseases.”

The MAPAS tool, the researchers explain, takes as a starting point a protein’s known 3-D shape and then applies a set of scoring methods based on comprehensive steered molecular dynamics calculations to predict whether this protein structure can form strong contacts with the cell membrane.

If so, MAPAS goes on to identify all the flat faces or planes that make up this protein, they add. It is these planar protein surfaces that can attach to the cell membrane. MAPAS predicts which of these regions are most likely to bind to the membrane based on specific protein contacts with the lipids or fats that make up the membrane, according to the scientists.

The team validated the performance of MAPAS by confirming that it correctly models a number of membrane-contacting proteins that are already known.

http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=29733938

microRNAs

2008-02-04T15:15:00.000+08:00

The microRNAs miR-373 and miR-520c promote tumour invasion and metastasis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that are important in many biological processes1, 2. Although the oncogenic and tumour-suppressive functions of several miRNAs have been characterized, the role of miRNAs in mediating tumour metastasis was addressed only recently3 and still remains largely unexplored4, 5. To identify potential metastasis-promoting miRNAs, we set up a genetic screen using a non-metastatic, human breast tumour cell line that was transduced with a miRNA-expression library and subjected to a trans-well migration assay. We found that human miR-373 and miR-520c stimulated cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo, and that certain cancer cell lines depend on endogenous miR-373 activity to migrate efficiently. Mechanistically, the migration phenotype of miR-373 and miR-520c can be explained by suppression of CD44. We found significant upregulation of miR-373 in clinical breast cancer metastasis samples that correlated inversely with CD44 expression. Taken together, our findings indicate that miRNAs are involved in tumour migration and invasion, and implicate miR-373 and miR-520c as metastasis-promoting miRNAs.

http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v10/n2/abs/ncb1681.html

Yangzijiang 30 mins chart $1.30 resistance turned support must be defended

2008-02-04T14:16:00.000+08:00

Bulls regain critical higher ground and the $1.32 to $1.30 resistance zone has been transformed into the new support zone. Bulls must retain this higher ground to ensure price momentum remains strong. New immediate resistance is now $1.36 to $1.39. Monitor 20 EMA, 50 EMA and 200 EMA resistance and support lines.

Capitaland 10 mins chart 4 Feb 2008 958 AM

2008-02-04T10:02:00.000+08:00

Gapped up on opening to create an intraday high at $5.95. Immediate resistance zone is now at $5.95 to $6.02. Breakout above this resistance zone will propel price towards downtrend resistance line. Immediate support is $5.80. Monitor 20 EMA, 50 EMA and 200 EMA support and resistance lines.

JES Hammer Candlestick near all time low support

2008-02-03T23:40:00.000+08:00

Hammer candlestick with tail low at 39 cents. All time low of 38 cents will probably be tested and support failure will result in new all time low. Upward price movement restricted by 2 downtrend resistance line. Need to overcame 48.5 cents to gain momentum to climb higher. Monitor 20 EMA line and support-resistance lines.

First Resources 30 mins chart narrowing trading zone

2008-02-03T20:09:00.000+08:00

Trading zone narrowing. Immediate support $1.32 to $1.30. Immediate support failure will result in price drop towards $1.27 - $1.24 gap support zone. Immediate resistance zone is $1.42 - $1.39. The volume distribution chart below shows Big Boys bought early Friday morning and sold throughout the day. High probability for immediate support failure on Monday if no Big Bull support.

Enterprise resource planning

2008-02-03T15:33:00.000+08:00

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems attempt to integrate all data and processes of an organization into a unified system. A typical ERP system will use multiple components of computer software and hardware to achieve the integration. A key ingredient of most ERP systems is the use of a unified database to store data for the various system modules.

The term ERP originally implied systems designed to plan the use of enterprise-wide resources. Although the initialism ERP originated in the manufacturing environment, today's use of the term ERP systems has much broader scope. ERP systems typically attempt to cover all basic functions of an organization, regardless of the organization's business or charter. Businesses, non-profit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and other large entities utilize ERP systems.

To be considered an ERP system, a software package must provide the function of at least two systems. For example, a software package that provides both payroll and accounting functions could technically be considered an ERP software package.

However, the term is typically reserved for larger, more broadly based applications. The introduction of an ERP system to replace two or more independent applications eliminates the need for external interfaces previously required between systems, and provides additional benefits that range from standardization and lower maintenance (one system instead of two or more) to easier and/or greater reporting capabilities (as all data is typically kept in one database).

Examples of modules in an ERP which formerly would have been stand-alone applications include: Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Financials, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resources, Warehouse Management and Decision Support System.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Resource_Planning

Physicists tailor magnetic pairings in nanoscale semiconductors

2008-02-03T15:26:00.000+08:00

Electrons love to zip around metals such as copper, especially if the metal is cooled to temperatures near absolute zero. But if they encounter a magnetic atom (say, iron) during their travels, the electrons will try to "screen," or cancel out, the magnetic atom's spin alignment by pairing with it. This pairing modifies the flow of electrons in the metal, in a phenomenon called the Kondo effect.

But what if there weren't just one set of mobile electrons zipping around the metal? What if there were two, and both sets fought equally hard to couple with the magnetic impurity atom? Torn between two lovers, the magnetic atom couldn't decide with which set to partner. The competition would go unresolved, and the atom would join neither, instead existing in a remarkable state of frustrated independence known as the two-channel Kondo state.

n the March 8 issue of Nature, researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science reported that they have built such a system in a semiconductor nanostructure. By applying voltages to nanoscale electrodes, the scientists can tune how strongly the magnetic atom couples to one set of electrons, or channel, compared to the other set. Their system of correlated electrons demonstrates a two-channel Kondo effect.

http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/29352/Physicists_tailor_magnetic_pairings_in_nanoscale_semiconductors.html

Liberty Microwave-Enhanced Peptide Synthesis

2008-02-03T15:09:00.000+08:00

Over the past several years, chemists have been using microwave energy to conduct a multitude of organic reactions with transformations taking place in a matter of minutes compared to hours with traditional methods. Now for the first time, microwave synthesis has been applied to the complete process of peptide synthesis. CEM is proud to introduce a new family of products designed specifically for microwave-enhanced peptide synthesis. Liberty(TM) brings peptide synthesis into the 21st century with technology that not only enhances yields; it also produces cleaner chemistries faster and easier than ever before. The full line includes manually accessed systems, as well as automated platforms that allow for unattended operation and provide the ability to synthesize up to 12 different peptides.

Make a peptide in less than 2 hours!

Cycle times of < 10 min. per amino acid addition
Automated cleavage within 15 min.

Reduce the time it takes to perform individual peptide syntheses by 10-20 fold. Systems can perform automated resin cleavage, providing an unparalleled ability to synthesize peptides throughout a wide scale, from .05 to 5 mmol.

Reduce Cycle Cost

Use less expensive reagents
Decrease the volume of needed reagents
Eliminate double couplings

A solution station provides for the use of multiple stock amino acids, offering users the costeffective synthesis of multiple peptides at individually programmable scales

Improve Product Purity & Yields

More complete couplings
Overcome aggregation of longer chains
Under microwave conditions, amino acid couplings are completed quickly, improving product purity and yields.

Enjoy Greater Flexibility

Flexible reaction vessel 10 to 100 mL
Scale range of 5 micromoles to 5 millimoles
Ability to use 25 amino acid reservoirs
Easy-to-use Network-ready

CEM offers a variety of accessories and options for Liberty, making it the most flexible peptide synthesizer on the market. The system's compact design conserves bench space and can fit in a fume hood. Whether you make peptides for your own lab or for others, Liberty gives you unmatched speed, purity and flexibility. Start improving your chemistries today! Peptide synthesis has never been faster or easier!

http://www.bionity.com/products/e/35409/

Dow Jones Industrial Next Peak

2008-02-02T17:41:00.000+08:00

Dow Jones Industrial Index has been climbing up since touching the recent trough at 11640. Next peak for the current swing will probably be between 12920 the 50% fibonacci retracement and the green downtrend resistance line currently at 13075. Breakout above this green resistance will see retest of brown downtrend resistance line as shown in the chart above.

HD DVD Price Cuts Only Prolong Agony

2008-02-02T15:16:00.000+08:00

The market research company expects Blu-ray Disc to win the battle against HD DVD in the consumer market by the end of 2008.

Price cuts by Toshiba on its HD DVD players in the U.S. earlier this month may prove to be "useless resistance" in the battle against the rival Blu-ray Disc optical disc format, according to Gartner.

The market research company expects Blu-ray Disc to win the battle against HD DVD (high definition digital video disc) in the consumer market by the end of 2008, becoming the next generation replacement for DVDs.

Toshiba's price cuts came after a major Hollywood studio, Warner Bros., announced it would shift from producing in both formats to just Blu-ray alone, expanding the disc format's advantage in the number of movies and other content. Five of the seven major Hollywood studios now back Blu-ray Disc exclusively, while the HD DVD camp has just two, Paramount and Universal.

"Gartner believes that Toshiba's price-cutting may prolong HD DVD's life a little, but the limited line-up of film titles will inflict fatal damage on the format. Gartner expects that, by the end of 2008, Blu-ray will be the winning format in the consumer market, and the war will be over, wrote analyst Hiroyuki Shimizu in Gartner's Semiconductor DQ Monday Report.

Toshiba announced price cuts on its HD DVD players in the U.S. Jan. 15, just weeks after losing Warner Bros. The company will cut the price of its HD-A3 player in half, to US$149.99 from $299.99, while its higher end models, the HD-A30 and HD-A35 are now listed for $199.99 and $299.99, respectively.

Toshiba pledged to keep up the fight against Blu-ray Disc during a press conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, despite numerous media reports and analyst comments pronouncing Blu-ray Disc the winner of the format battle. The Japanese company still has some powerful allies in HD DVD, including Microsoft, which sells an add-on HD DVD player for the Xbox 360.

Should HD DVD lose the format war, Microsoft will have to start using Blu-ray Disc on the Xbox 360 in order to allow users to play high definition video games. It's not an outcome the U.S. company would likely want to see. Blu-ray Disc was developed by Sony and is an integral part of the PlayStation 3 game console, a rival to the Xbox 360.

The addition of the high definition drives to the two game consoles has given game makers a new way to add content to their digital games, because both formats have far more storage capacity than traditional DVDs.

At the Taipei Game Show 2008 on Friday, Sony showed off a display of games created using Blu-ray optical discs. Over 100 game titles have already been published in Blu-ray Disc, said Sakura Wang, a marketing manager at Sony Computer Entertainment in Taiwan.

An Xbox 360 booth at the game show displayed the HD DVD logo and showed movies and games for the format, but a Microsoft spokesman could not be reached for comment on the total number of games already published in the format.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141869/article.html

human genome sequence assembly

2008-02-02T15:10:00.000+08:00

The NCBI Map Viewer provides graphical displays of features on the human genome sequence assembly as well as cytogenetic, genetic, physical, and radiation hybrid maps. Extensive documentation is provided to describe the resource features and methods used, tutorials, and statistics.

Map features that can be seen along the sequence include genes, transcripts, NCBI contigs (the 'Contig' map), the BAC tiling path (the 'Component' map), STSs, FISH mapped clones, ESTs and transcripts from several different organisms, Gnomon predicted gene models, and more.

You can find genes or markers of interest by submitting a query against the whole genome, or a chromosome at a time. Use the Advanced Search form for more complex queries. Results are indicated both graphically, as tick marks on the ideogram, and in a tabular format. The results table includes links to a chromosome graphical view where the gene or marker can be seen in the context of additional data. For genes, a particularly useful display includes the Gene, Ab initio (e.g., the Gnomon predicted models), and UniGene sequence maps. You can also browse a chromosome by clicking on a chromosome link in the ideogram above. Use the "Maps & Options" window, available on individual chromosome displays, to configure your display.

Please note that other genomes can also be viewed in the NCBI Map Viewer resource. The Map Viewer Home Page provides a current list. Additional organism-specific web pages are listed on the Genomic Biology site.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mapview/map_search.cgi?taxid=9606

Cell Migration Knowledgebase

2008-02-02T15:03:00.000+08:00

The Cell Migration Knowledgebase (CMKB) is a database of keys facts about proteins, families, and complexes involved in cell migration. This ongoing project provides a large amount of automated and curated data, collected from numerous online resources that are updated monthly. These data include names, synonyms, sequence information, summaries, CMC research data, reagents, structures, as well as protein family and complex details.

View all Protein Families

Our ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive database that will enable the cell migration community to conveniently access significant information about a molecule of interest. This will also serve as a stepping stone to pathway analysis and demonstrate how these molecules coordinate with one another during cell adhesion and movement.

http://cmckb.cellmigration.org/

China Hongx Hammer Candlestick Formation

2008-02-01T23:35:00.000+08:00

Hammer tail resting on upper support boundary at 58 cents. Wait for confirmation from next candlestick. Monitor for potential breakout above downtrend resistance line. Price rally will probably be capped by 20 days EMA resistance line. Monitor 58 cents support for any support failure which will result in price drop towards 48 cents.

Yangzijiang Volume Distribution Chart 1st February 2008 1602 pm

2008-02-01T16:14:00.000+08:00

Raging Big Bull fighting hard and took back all lost ground.

Still not able to clear $1.31 - $1.30 resistance.

Need to hold this higher ground to prevent retest of $1.24 support.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Collaborative Partnership with Vascular Proteomics Group at King's College London

2008-02-01T15:56:00.000+08:00

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced a collaborative partnership with the newly opened Vascular Proteomics Group at the James Black Center, King's College London, headed by Dr. Manuel Mayr. Started in June 2007, the facility is equipped with the combination of a Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap XL(TM) high performance mass spectrometer and the ETD-equipped Thermo Scientific LTQ XL(TM) system. The James Black Center is a research facility with a range of core competencies including genomics, proteomics, mulitphoton confocal microscopy and MRI.

"We are delighted that our new proteomics facility at the James Black Center will feature cutting- edge technology dedicated to cardiovascular research. Our primary focus will be on the ability of stem cells to affect cardiovascular repair," said Dr. Mayr.

http://www.bionity.com/news/e/77293/

regions of the human genome that regulate gene expression

2008-02-01T15:51:00.000+08:00

A new resource that identifies regions of the human genome that regulate gene expression may help scientists learn about and develop treatments for a number of human diseases, according to researchers at Duke's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP).

"The majority of DNA in our bodies is packaged, or tightly structured," said Gregory Crawford, Ph.D., a researcher in the IGSP and one of the senior investigators on this study. "Our goal was to identify the areas of DNA across the entire genome that are not packaged, because we know those are the regions that are important in regulating gene activity."The researchers published their findings in the January 25, 2008 issue of the journal Cell. The study was funded by the Duke IGSP and the National Human Genome Research Institute.

They combined two known processes to look at regulatory regions across the whole human genome, Crawford said."We used an enzyme called DNase that has been known for decades to preferentially identify unpackaged regions of DNA," he said. "In this study, we identified all unpackaged regions within the entire genome using two extremely efficient methodologies: microarrays and sequencing."

Microarrays are glass slides on which scientists can simultaneously look at millions of short pieces of DNA. New sequencing technologies are able to determine the genetic code of millions of DNA fragments. Together, these tools generated guides to understanding the location of the unpackaged regions, and the researchers compared the results found using each method and found high levels of agreement.By combining the two methods, the researchers were able to scan the entire genome efficiently.

http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/35531/Search_for_the_on_switches_may_reveal_genetic_role_in_development_and_disease.html

Yangzijiang 10 mins chart battle to regain lost ground

2008-02-01T12:54:00.000+08:00

Key support at $1.25 was taken out by Big Bears during late morning trading. Bulls trying to retake this support area just before lunch. Price rally will probably be restricted by the downtrend resistance line. If the bear raids continue this afternoon $1.21 - $1.20 may be tested.

Monitor 20 EMA and 50 EMA resistance lines.

Yangzijiang Volume Distribution Chart 1st February 2008 1101 AM

2008-02-01T11:08:00.000+08:00

Big Boys selling after $1.25 support was broken

Trade with caution

Capitaland 10 mins chart key support and resistance

2008-02-01T09:53:00.000+08:00

Sudden gap down supported at $5.58.

This critical support must hold to prevent further drop towards $5.42 - $5.40 support zone.

Price now trying to move back up to $5.70 immediate resistance.

Upward breakout above $5.70 will probably be capped at $5.80.

Monitor $5.58 critical support and 20 EMA resistance line.

Jiutian Testing Symmetrical Triangle Support

2008-01-31T18:52:00.000+08:00

The lower shadow of the last candlestick pierced through the symmetrical triangle support but price closed exactly on the triangle support. If support fails the next support is at 20.5 cents followed by 17 cents. Monitor direction of breakout from symmetrical triangle.

Big Boys were selling in late afternoon trading.

There was more selling than buying throughout the day.

Monitor for potential breakdown if there is no Big Bull support tomorrow.

Yangzijiang Volume Distribution Chart 31 Jan 2008 433 PM

2008-01-31T16:45:00.000+08:00

BB trying to hold Fort 1.25

Big Boys buying and defending $1.25 support line

three-dimensional structures using DNA-directed assembly.

2008-01-31T15:40:00.000+08:00

Programming Advanced Materials

In 1996, scientists at IBM and Northwestern University used single-stranded DNA as if it were molecular Velcro to program the self-assembly of nanoparticles into simple structures. The work helped launch the then-nascent nanotechnology field by suggesting the possibility of building novel materials from the bottom up. Twelve years later, researchers from Northwestern and Brookhaven National Laboratory report separately in the journal Nature that they have finally delivered on that promise, using DNA linkers to transform nanoparticles into perfect crystals containing up to one million particles.

"The crystal structures are deliberately designed," says Northwestern's Chad Mirkin, one of the materials scientists who pioneered DNA linking in the 1990s and a coauthor of one of today's reports. "This is a new way of making things."

Ohio State University physicist David Stroud calls the work "quite valuable." He predicts that the breakthrough will enable the assembly of new materials with novel optical, electronic, or magnetic properties that have, until now, existed only in the minds and models of materials scientists. "Even now I'm surprised they could do it," says Stroud.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/20137/

E.coli a future source of energy?

2008-01-31T15:29:00.000+08:00

For most people, the name "E. coli" is synonymous with food poisoning and product recalls, but a professor in Texas A&M University's chemical engineering department envisions the bacteria as a future source of energy, helping to power our cars, homes and more. By genetically modifying the bacteria, Thomas Wood, a professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has "tweaked" a strain of E. coli so that it produces substantial amounts of hydrogen. Specifically, Wood's strain produces 140 times more hydrogen than is created in a naturally occurring process, according to an article in "Microbial Biotechnology," detailing his research.

Though Wood acknowledges that there is still much work to be done before his research translates into any kind of commercial application, his initial success could prove to be a significant stepping stone on the path to the hydrogen-based economy that many believe is in this country's future.

By selectively deleting six specific genes in E. coli's DNA, Wood has basically transformed the bacterium into a mini hydrogen-producing factory that's powered by sugar. Scientifically speaking, Wood has enhanced the bacteria's naturally occurring glucose-conversion process on a massive scale.

"These bacteria have 5,000 genes that enable them to survive environmental changes," Wood explained. "When we knock things out, the bacteria become less competitive. We haven't given them an ability to do something. They don't gain anything here; they lose. The bacteria that we're making are less competitive and less harmful because of what's been removed."

With sugar as its main power source, this strain of E. coli can now take advantage of existing and ever-expanding scientific processes aimed at producing sugar from certain crops, such as corn, Wood said.

http://www.bionity.com/news/e/77229/

STX PO 30 mins battle inside resistance zone

2008-01-31T14:47:00.000+08:00

Big Bulls trying to clear 200 EMA resistance and blue downtrend resistance line.

Major resistance is at $2.57

STX PO 30 mins chart spring up from support zone

2008-01-31T09:34:00.000+08:00

Support zone tested and is still holding.

Need to clear $2.46 to $2.50 resistance zone to move further up.

Monitor 200 EMA resistance line.

Lian Beng Bears Broke Down Support

2008-01-30T17:24:00.000+08:00

Bears moved price down into 57 to 54 cents support zone. Price is now very close to the 200 days EMA support line and the 54 cents immediate support line. Retest of major long term uptrend support line will occur if the bears manage to break 54 cents support.

Big Bears selling during late morning and early afternoon trading.

Small bulls buying before closing.

If no Big Bull appears tomorrow 54 cents support will be broken.

International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

2008-01-30T15:27:00.000+08:00

What is it? What does it do?

The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology conducts innovative research in life sciences for the benefit of developing countries. It strengthens the research capability of its Members through training and funding programmes and advisory services and represents a comprehensive approach to promoting biotechnology internationally. The Centre is dedicated to advanced research and training in molecular biology and biotechnology and holds out the prospect of advancing knowledge and applying the latest techniques in the fields of:biomedicine; crop improvement; environmental protection/remediation; biopharmaceuticals and biopestidice production.

ICGEB provides a scientific and educational environment of the highest standard. It brings biotechnology to developing countries by strengthening their research capabilities, developing state-of-the-art research and training scientists to the benefit of its Member States.
Located in Trieste, Italy, New Delhi, India and Cape Town, South Africa, the Centre forms an interactive network with Affiliated Centres in ICGEB Member States.

http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/GENERAL/centrint.htm

Small RNAs with big impacts

2008-01-30T15:18:00.000+08:00

Although they are tiny, microRNAs can have large-scale effects because they regulate a variety of genes. These minuscule molecules are now definitively linked to the development of cancer.

During the past few years, molecular biologists have been stunned by the discovery of hundreds of genes that encode small RNA molecules1. These microRNAs (miRNAs) — 21 to 25 nucleotides in length — are negative regulators of gene expression. The mechanisms by which they work are similar in plants and animals, implying that they are involved in fundamental cellular processes2. As cancer is essentially a consequence of disordered genome function, one might expect these regulatory molecules to be involved in the development of this disease. Indeed, there are hints that the levels of some miRNAs are altered in cancer3, 4; there is also evidence that an miRNA regulates the cancer-promoting ras gene5. Three studies in this issue6, 7, 8 change the landscape of cancer genetics by establishing the specific miRNAs expressed in most common cancers, and investigating the effects of miRNAs on cancer development and cancer genes.

The initial product of an miRNA gene (Fig. 1) goes through several processing steps before it is exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. One strand of the resulting double-stranded RNA is then incorporated into the 'RNA-induced silencing complex' (RISC). RISC can target protein-coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs) either for inhibition, by blocking their translation into protein, or destruction (as in RNA interference). Base pairing between the miRNA and its complementary target mRNA gives the process its specificity.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7043/full/435745a.html

Identification of stem cells in small intestine and colon by marker gene Lgr5

2008-01-30T15:08:00.000+08:00

The intestinal epithelium is the most rapidly self-renewing tissue in adult mammals. It is currently believed that four to six crypt stem cells reside at the +4 position immediately above the Paneth cells in the small intestine; colon stem cells remain undefined. Lgr5 (leucine-rich-repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5, also known as Gpr49) was selected from a panel of intestinal Wnt target genes for its restricted crypt expression. Here, using two knock-in alleles, we reveal exclusive expression of Lgr5 in cycling columnar cells at the crypt base. In addition, Lgr5 was expressed in rare cells in several other tissues. Using an inducible Cre knock-in allele and the Rosa26-lacZ reporter strain, lineage-tracing experiments were performed in adult mice. The Lgr5-positive crypt base columnar cell generated all epithelial lineages over a 60-day period, suggesting that it represents the stem cell of the small intestine and colon. The expression pattern of Lgr5 suggests that it marks stem cells in multiple adult tissues and cancers.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v449/n7165/abs/nature06196.html

Yangzijiang Volume Distribution Chart 30 Jan 2008 930 AM

2008-01-30T09:39:00.000+08:00

Big Boys selling to retail buyers.

Trade with caution.

Lian Beng Inside Day Formation

2008-01-29T18:54:00.000+08:00

Double inside day formation shows market indecision as bulls amd bears confronts each other.

Watch direction of breakout from congestion zone.

Monitor 50 EMA resistance line and 200 EMA support line.

Mitsubishi Unveils Laser TV, 3-D Home Theater

2008-01-29T15:22:00.000+08:00

Expected to be available by the end of the year, laser TV promises twice the color of HDTV.

Last night, at a Consumer Electronics Show event at the Palms Hotel, in Las Vegas, Mitsubishi gave a first look at its forthcoming line of flat-panel, high-definition displays. The company claims that the display "delivers a range of color never seen before in home entertainment." The display, called laser TV, uses laser as the light source, unlike liquid-crystal displays, which use a white backlight, and plasma displays, which use cells of charged gas to illuminate the screen. Mitsubishi representatives didn't supply a lot of details; they said only that the TV will ship to retailers later this year.

At the event, Mitsubishi showed off three 65-inch laser displays, which are currently being manufactured. (Gadget blog Engadget posted nice pictures here.) In addition, the company demonstrated how its laser TV could be used as a 3-D home theater. The company played clips from Beowulf, a football game, and U2's 3-D concert on its laser display. Viewers wore shutter glasses from RealD, a supplier of 3-D technology. Shutters on the lenses switched on and off--imperceptibly--60 times a second, synchronizing to a signal emitted from the display. (See "Hollywood's New 3-D Age.")

The basic premise behind laser TV is not entirely new. (See "Ultra-Colorful TV.") It's essentially a variant of digital light projection (DLP) technology developed at Texas Instruments. DLP chips are in most of the projectors used in business presentations, and they're found in home
projection displays. A laser display is built a little differently, however. Instead of projecting light onto a screen from the front, lasers and the DLP chip are in the rear of the display, which allows it to be manufactured thinner than traditional front-projection systems.

The main difference with a laser display, however, is that it uses lasers as the light source. Usually, projection displays shine white light through a color wheel, and then it's projected onto the screen. This approach is inefficient, filtering out much of the original brightness. Laser displays use red, blue, and green lasers to directly deliver the color to the screen. Lasers not only have a brightness and color advantage over filtered white light, but they also have an advantage over light-emitting diode (LED) technology, another up-and-coming display backlight. The color produced by a laser is much more pure than that produced by an LED because the former allows for more-precise color combinations. The net result is an extremely crisp, lifelike image in which white is many times brighter than standard high-definition displays, and black is many times darker.

The laser displays at the Palms looked impressive to me, although Mitsubishi didn't show a side-by-side comparison with other displays. One of the more exciting aspects of these new displays, however, is that they use much less energy than other flat panels do, and they should quickly become less expensive than plasmas since the lasers can be mass-produced in semiconductor facilities.

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