Chelation doesn't help kids with autism: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Removing heavy metals from the body through a process traditionally used to treat mercury and lead poisoning doesn't help relieve autism symptoms, a new analysis suggests.
During chelation therapy, patients are given injections of a chemical that binds to heavy metals, lowering their concentration in the blood and ultimately allowing the metals to be excreted through urine.
Chelation gained traction as an alternative treatment for autism due to a theory that mercury poisoning might play a role in the developmental disorder. However, evidence hasn't supported that idea and it's been essentially discarded in the scientific community, researchers said.
The procedure also carries safety concerns, including risks of kidney damage and gastrointestinal problems.
Lead researcher Tonya Davis from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, said the study team's goal was not to tell parents which treatments they should or shouldn't seek for their children.
"I see that they want to try everything, and they are well intentioned," she told Reuters Health.
"But there are risks involved with any treatment choice, and some of those risks are very serious. So far science does not support (chelation) as being an effective treatment, and that's a big risk to take when you have limited resources and limited time."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 88 kids in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder.
Davis and her colleagues found five studies that tested the effects of chelation in kids with autism. Those studies each had between one and 41 children, from age three to 14.
Researchers had given the kids chelation therapy - sometimes along with vitamin supplements or other treatments - between one and 12 times a week for up to seven months. They used tests and questionnaires or anecdotal reports from parents to see how symptoms changed over time.
The study with only one child, a four-year-old boy, found chelation had positive effects on autism symptoms based on a parent report. The other four studies all showed mixed results, with some kids improving on some symptom measures.
However, none of the studies provided any certainty that those benefits were due to chelation itself, and not another treatment or just kids getting older, the researchers wrote in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Davis said she and her colleagues were surprised to find so few studies measuring the effects of chelation, given how many families they each knew that were using it. That lack of evidence was a concern, she said, along with the questionable study designs and conclusions.
"I just hope that parents get as much information as they can" before trying a new treatment, Davis said.
A typical package of chelation treatments runs for about $2,000 to $5,000. In addition to treating lead poisoning, chelation has also been used for cancer and heart disease.
But when it comes to autism, even calling chelation an alternative therapy is a stretch, said one autism researcher not involved in the new study.
"There's really no evidence that mercury causes autism or has a place in causing autism, and also we know that chelation can be dangerous as well. Even the underlying theories don't make sense," said Dr. Joyce Mauk, head of the Child Study Center, an organization that treats kids with developmental disabilities in Fort Worth, Texas.
"Most children with developmental disabilities, what gets them better is a really skilled therapist and lots of work," Mauk told Reuters Health.
"If you hear about something when all you do is inject something or take a pill, it's unlikely to work."
SOURCE: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, January 2013.

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Violence, fear & suspicion imperil Pakistan's war on polio

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani health worker Bushra Bibi spent eight years trekking to remote villages, carefully dripping polio vaccine into toddlers' pursed mouths to protect them from the crippling disease.
Now the 35-year-old mother is too scared to go to work after masked men on motorbikes gunned down nine of her fellow health workers in a string of attacks this week.
"I have seen so much pain in the eyes of mothers whose children have been infected. So I have never seen this as just a job. It is my passion," she said. "But I also have a family to look after ... Things have never been this bad."
After the deaths, the United Nations put its workers on lockdown. Immunizations by the Pakistani government continued in parts of the country. But the violence raised fresh questions over stability in the South Asian nation.
Pakistan's Taliban insurgency, convinced that the anti-polio drive is just another Western plot against Muslims, has long threatened action against anyone taking part in it.
The militant group's hostility deepened after it emerged that the CIA - with the help of a Pakistani doctor - had used a vaccination campaign to spy on Osama bin Laden's compound before he was killed by U.S. special forces in a Pakistan town last year.
Critics say the attacks on the health workers are a prime example of the government's failure to formulate a decisive policy on tackling militancy, despite pressure from key ally the United States, the source of billions of dollars in aid.
For years, authorities were aware that Taliban commanders had broadcast claims that the vaccination drive was actually a plot to sterilize Muslims.
That may seem absurd to the West, but in Pakistan such assertions are plausible to some. Years of secrecy during military dictatorships, frequent political upheaval during civilian rule and a poor public education system mean conspiracy theories run wild.
"Ever since they began to give these polio drops, children are reaching maturity a lot earlier, especially girls. Now 12 to 13-year-old girls are becoming women. This causes indecency in society," said 45-year-old Mir Alam Khan, a carpet seller in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
The father of four didn't allow any of his children to receive vaccinations.
"Why doesn't the United States give free cures for other illnesses? Why only polio? There has to be an agenda," he said.
While health workers risk attacks by militants, growing suspicions from ordinary Pakistanis are lowering their morale. Fatima, a health worker in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said that reaction to news of the CIA polio campaign was so severe that many of her colleagues quit.
"People's attitudes have changed. You will not believe how even the most educated and well-to-do people will turn us away, calling us U.S. spies and un-Islamic," said the 25-year-old who did not give her last name for fear of reprisals.
"Boys call us names, they say we are 'indecent women'."
Pakistan's government has tried to shatter the myths that can undermine even the best-intentioned health projects by turning to moderate clerics and urging them to issue religious rulings supporting the anti-polio efforts.
Tahir Ashrafi, head of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, said the alliance of clerics had done its part, and it was up to the government to come to the rescue of aid workers.
"Clerics can only give fatwas and will continue to come together and condemn such acts," he said. "What good are fatwas if the government doesn't provide security?"
RISK OF POLIO RETURNING
That may be a tall order in Pakistan, where critics allege government officials are too busy lining their pockets or locked in power struggles to protect its citizens, even children vulnerable to diseases that can cripple or disfigure them.
Pakistani leaders deny such accusations.
Politicians also have a questionable track record when it comes to dealing with all the other troubles afflicting nuclear-armed Pakistan.
The villages where health workers once spent time tending to children often lack basic services, clinics, clean water and jobs. Industries that could strengthen the fragile economy are hobbled by chronic power cuts.
Deepening frustrations with those issues often encourage Pakistanis to give up on the state and join the Taliban.
So far it's unclear who is behind the shootings. The main Taliban spokesman said they were opposed to the vaccination scheme but the group distanced itself from the attacks.
But another Taliban spokesman in South Waziristan said their fighters were behind an attack on a polio team in the northwestern town of Lakki Marwat on Monday. "The vaccinations were part of "a secret Jewish-American agenda to poison Pakistanis", he said.
What is clear is the stakes are high.
Any gaps in the program endanger hard-won gains against a disease that can cause death or paralysis within hours.
A global effort costing billions of dollars eradicated polio from every country except Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Vaccinations cut Pakistan's polio cases from 20,000 in 1994 to 56 in 2012 and the disease seemed isolated in a pocket in the north. But polio is spread person-to-person, so any outbreak risks re-infecting communities cleared of the disease.
Last year, a strain from Pakistan spread northeast and caused the first outbreak in neighboring China since 1999.
Oliver Rosenbauer, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said the group had been coming closer to eradicating the disease.
"For the first time, the virus had been geographically cornered," he said. "We don't want to lose the gains that had been made ... Any suspension of activities gives the virus a new foothold and the potential to come roaring back and paralyze more children."
MOURNING FAMILIES
Condemnation of the killings has been nearly universal. Clerics called for demonstrations to support health workers, the government has promised compensation for the deaths and police have vowed to provide more protection.
For women like Fehmida Shah, it's already too late. The 44-year-old health worker lived with her family in a two-room house before gunmen shot her on Tuesday.
Her husband, Syed Riaz Shah, said she spent her tiny salary - the equivalent of just $2 a day - on presents for their four daughters. Even though the family was struggling, she always found some spare money for any neighbor in need.
"She was very kind and big hearted. All the women in our lane knew her," he said.
"The entire neighborhood is in shock. Pray for my daughters. I will get through this. But I don't know how they will."

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Link between pot, psychosis goes both ways in kids

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Marijuana (cannabis) use may be linked to the development of psychotic symptoms in teens - but the reverse could also be true: psychosis in adolescents may be linked to later pot use, according to a new Dutch study.
"We have focused mainly on temporal order; is it the chicken or the egg? As the study shows, it is a bidirectional relationship," wrote the study's lead author Merel Griffith-Lendering, a doctoral candidate at Leiden University in The Netherlands, in an email to Reuters Health.
Previous research established links between marijuana and psychosis, but scientists questioned whether pot use increased the risk of mental illness, or whether people were using pot to ease their psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions.
"What is interesting in this study is that both processes are going on at the same time," said Dr. Gregory Seeger, medical director for addiction services at Rochester General Hospital in upstate New York.
He told Reuters Health that researchers have been especially concerned about what tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active property in pot, could do to a teenager's growing brain.
"That's a very vulnerable period of time for brain development," and individuals with a family history of schizophrenia and psychosis seem to be more sensitive to the toxic effects of THC, he said.
A 2010 study of 3,800 Australian teenagers found that those who used marijuana were twice as likely to develop psychosis compared to teens who never smoked pot (see Reuters Health article of March 1, 2010 here:).
But that study also found that those who suffered from hallucinations and delusions when they were younger were also more likely to use pot early on.
CHICKEN v. EGG
For the new study, published in the journal Addiction, the researchers wanted to see which came first: pot or psychosis.
Griffith-Lendering and her colleagues used information on 2,120 Dutch teenagers, who were surveyed about their pot use when they were about 14, 16 and 19 years old.
The teens also took psychosis vulnerability tests that asked - among other things - about their ability to concentrate, their feelings of loneliness and whether they see things other people don't.
Overall, the researchers found 940 teens, or about 44 percent, reported smoking pot, and there was a bidirectional link between pot use and psychosis.
For example, using pot at 16 years old was linked to psychotic symptoms three years later, and psychotic symptoms at age 16 were linked to pot use at age 19.
This was true even when the researchers accounted for mental illness in the kids' families, alcohol use and tobacco use.
Griffith-Lendering said she could not say how much more likely young pot users were to exhibit psychotic symptoms later on.
Also, the new study cannot prove one causes the other. Genetics may also explain the link between pot use and psychosis, said Griffith-Lendering.
"We can say for some people that cannabis comes first and psychosis comes second, but for some people they have some (undiagnosed) psychosis (and) perhaps cannabis makes them feel better," said Dr. Marta Di Forti, of King's College, London, who was not involved with the new research.
Di Forti, who has studied the link between pot and psychosis, told Reuters Health she considers pot a risk factor for psychosis - not a cause.
Seeger, who was also not involved with the new study, said that there needs to be more public awareness of the connection.
"I think the marijuana is not a harmless substance. Especially for teenagers, there should be more of a public health message out there that marijuana has a public health risk," he said.
Griffith-Lendering agrees.
"Given the severity and impact of psychotic disorders, prevention programs should take this information into consideration," she said.

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Obesity declining in young, poorer kids: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number of low-income preschoolers who qualify as obese or "extremely obese" has dropped over the last decade, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.
Although the decline was only "modest" and may not apply to all children, researchers said it was still encouraging.
"It's extremely important to make sure we're monitoring obesity in this low-income group," said the CDC's Heidi Blanck, who worked on the study.
Those kids are known to be at higher risk of obesity than their well-off peers, in part because access to healthy food is often limited in poorer neighborhoods.
The new results can't prove what's behind the progress, Blanck told Reuters Health - but two possible contributors are higher rates of breastfeeding and rising awareness of the importance of physical activity even for very young kids.
Blanck and her colleagues used data on routine clinic visits for about half of all U.S. kids eligible for federal nutrition programs - including 27.5 million children between age two and four.
They found 13 percent of those preschoolers were obese in 1998. That grew to just above 15 percent in 2003, but dropped slightly below 15 percent in 2010, the most recent study year included.
Similarly, the prevalence of extreme obesity increased from nearly 1.8 percent in 1998 to 2.2 percent in 2003, then dropped back to just below 2.1 percent in 2010, the research team reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Whether kids are obese is determined by their body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - and by their age and sex.
For example, a four-year-old girl who is 40 inches tall would be obese if she was 42 pounds or heavier. A two-year-old boy who is 35 inches tall qualifies as obese at 34 pounds or above, according to the CDC's child BMI calculator. (The CDC's BMI calculator for children and teens is available here:.)
The new findings are the first national data to show obesity and extreme obesity may be declining in young children, Blanck said.
"This is very encouraging considering the recent effort made in the field including by several U.S. federal agencies to combat the childhood obesity epidemic," said Dr. Youfa Wang, head of the Johns Hopkins Global Center on Childhood Obesity in Baltimore.
Blanck said between 2003 and 2010 researchers also saw an increase in breastfeeding of low-income infants. Breastfeeding has been tied to a healthier weight in early childhood.
Additionally, states and communities have started working with child care centers to make sure kids have time to run around and that healthy foods are on the lunch menu, she added.
Parents can encourage better eating by having fruits and vegetables available at snack time and allowing their young kids to help with meal preparation, Blanck said.
Her other recommendations include making sure preschoolers get at least one hour of activity every day and keeping television sets out of the bedroom.
"The prevalence of overweight and obesity in many countries including in the U.S. is still very high," Wang, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health in an email.
"The recent level off should not be taken as a reason to reduce the effort to fight the obesity epidemic."

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Kids Lead Crowd-Funded Scientific Mission to Nicaragua: Science Education Is the Tide That Lifts All Boats

Enzo, Haley and Emma are ordinary kids working on an extraordinary mission. They are joining up with a team of Special Forces medics and elite, global surgeons to deliver medical aid to the Rama Indians of Nicaragua in the spring of 2013.
In partnership with HumaniTV, the journey will be beamed to tens of thousands of kids around the globe by satellite as the three middle school students trek through the jungles of Central America performing research on sustainable agriculture and seeing first hand how science and innovation improves peoples' lives.
"We want to send a message to kids that science isn't just about getting a better job and making more money," says team captain and the creator of Exploration nation, twelve year old Enzo. "If it wasn't for science, we'd still be sitting in a cave somewhere chomping on a mammoth bone in the dark."
The high profile expedition was created by Enzoology Education, a social enterprise that produces Exploration Nation and HumaniTV, an online network featuring humanitarian aid programming to send the message that "science education is the tide that lifts all boats".
Enzo, Haley and Emma are part of the cast of Exploration Nation, an education program that features real kids doing real science research around the globe. These adventures are captured on video and coupled with lesson plans designed to inspire and motivate elementary and middle school students to take up careers in science.
America's Future as a Global Innovator Lies at the Feet of our Youngest Citizens
According to a 2009 study by Raytheon, about 60% of students lose their interest in science before the age of 13. The study is just one that shows how students start elementary school genuinely excited about science. By the time they hit seventh grade, the majority feel that science is "boring" and irrelevant to their lives.
Dave Wilson, director of academic programs at National Instruments, stated "In order for students to remain engaged in math and science, they need to actually experience the theory that educators put before them. Bringing the theory to life through hands-on experiences really helps students understand and learn better and makes the concepts more relevant to them." National Instruments is well known for its technical innovation and dedication to science and math education.
"Many science principles have been the same for hundreds of years." says Robert Bourdelais of Ward's Natural Science. "We are using 19th century methods to teach 21st century kids. Students today need to touch and feel science and learn by doing. A lecture environment doesn't inspire today's young students. The way we teach them needs to evolve and align with ever changing technology which is becoming the center of our modern world."
It should be no surprise that presenting science in a dry, isolated context to today's super stimulated kids results in students becoming more and more disconnected from how innovation is at the core of human existence. The irony of this belief is lost on the most wired generation in history.
It is a terrible irony that young people don't believe science to be relevant to their lives when they are totally immersed in some of the most advanced technological innovation in the history of mankind. Even worse is the idea that any one of these kids has the potential to cure cancer, solve the energy problem or invent the next insanely great thing. Let's just hope those kids are not in the 60% who fall through the cracks.
How Does Helping the Indigenous People of Nicaragua Help America's Students?
According to world renowned paleontologist Dr. Jack Horner, "I think it's time to do away with traditional classrooms where information is simply disseminated to students who are then expected to regurgitate that same information. We must now create environments where students have to think or create and solve problems or write using their imaginations in order to pass classes..." Horner says. "We need to show kids that active participation in science is exciting and important while motivating them to have their own adventures instead of hearing it second-hand."
Team XN: Expedition Central America is designed to inspire students to get actively involved in hands-on scientific study and show them how innovations in agriculture, renewable fuels, ethnobotany and medicine improve the living conditions of all people - especially the impoverished.
The Rama Indians of the Mosquito Coast in Nicaragua are on the receiving end for the Expedition. "We chose the Rama to illustrate what life would be like minus innovation." says Dr. Alfredo Lopez Salazar, owner of the Rio Indio Lodge in Nicaragua and a long time supporter of the indigenous populations in Central America. Dr. Lopez continues, "The Rama have a sophisticated tradition of thriving in the rain forest and an intimate knowledge of the plants and animals that surround them. But they currently struggle to fulfill their basic needs, such as medical care."
Team XN: Expedition Central America
The team of kids and doctors will bring access to a wide range of medical procedures, basic drugs like antibiotics and analgesics as well as water purification and curriculum materials for the only school in the village.
The fourteen day trek through the jungle will include several stops to create a series of lesson programs for Exploration Nation on subjects ranging from sustainable tropical agriculture and renewable energy to ethnobotany and austere medicine. These lessons will include instructional materials and video for elementary and middle school students.
The Expedition is also broadcasting live to classrooms across the United States each day of the journey, free for any educators who want to follow the adventure as a learning experience for their students. The team is raising money for the expedition using a crowd funding strategy a growing trend in the scientific community.

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Explore Talent Presents LA Casting Calls for Crew Jobs

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 25, 2012
Explore Talent presents LA casting calls for crew jobs on the site http://www.exploretalent.com. For those living in Los Angeles, job announcements are available on the site. Job listings include producer, sound technician, photographer, sound mixer, director, sound engineer, etc.
"We are excited to include crew jobs in our roster of entertainment jobs," said Daniel Jackson, Senior Marketing Director for Explore Talent.
Explore Talent is a professional site that connects actors, models, musicians and dancers with jobs in the United States. The online community has been responsible for new collaborations and business ventures in entertainment. Explore Talent is responsible for connecting girls with teen modeling, and finding gigs for movie extras. Explore Talent also helps aspiring entertainment professionals further their careers with contests that showcase their profiles to members of the social media community. Furthermore, the Explore Talent site features celebrity videos, exclusive interviews with actors, actresses and musicians, such as Joan Rivers, Akon and T-Pain.
Explore Talent's proprietary software and vast infrastructure is the most advanced entertainment-based technology of its kind. The site's popularity is based on the fact that there are many ways for talent to network, make friends and connect with other industry players, participate in a wide variety of contests and earn prizes for being active on the site. The easy access to a pool of over seven members attracts industry players who are posting every month about 50,000 new auditions and job openings, which is 30 times more than any other site.

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Warning Claim on Alleged Defective Wright Hip Implant Lawsuit Dismissed: AttorneyOne Informs

According to court documents, on October 3rd, 2012, parts of the lawsuit filed in Arizona District Court (case no. 2:2011cv02113), alleging defective Wright Profemur Hip implant, were dismissed by a US District Judge. Now, AttorneyOne.com, a recognized authority on law, can provide helpful, proven advice and simple solutions including how to get in contact with legal counsel so anyone can easily and inexpensively deal with cases of alleged Wright Profemur Hip Replacement severe adverse events.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) December 25, 2012
AttorneyOne.com, a recognized authority on law, informs on the latest news concerning Wright Profemur Hip Replacement: According to court documents, on October 3rd, 2012, parts of the lawsuit filed by Virginia M. Welch, in Arizona District Court (case no. 2:2011cv02113), alleging defective Wright Profemur Hip implant, were dismissed by US District Judge David Campbell.
In the lawsuit, plaintiff claims she was implanted with Profemur Z hip in 2006 and in 2009 she had to undergo painful removal surgery as the radiographs revealed that the acetabular cup had rotated approximately 90 degrees clockwise. US District Judge dismissed the failure to warn claim, but upheld the design defect claim. AttorneyOne.com will provide all latest information on possible Wright Recall lawsuits.
As published by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, in its quarterly earnings report for the quarterly period ended June 30th, 2012, Wright Medical mentioned that it received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee requesting records and documentation relating to the Profemur hip replacement devices. The subpoena covers the period from January 1, 2000 to August 2, 2012.
AttorneyOne.com can provide simple solutions including how to get in contact with legal counsel easily and inexpensively in case of severe adverse events from Wright Profemur Hip Replacement. Sean Burke, director of Media Relations for AttorneyOne.com, adds that the relevant information illustrates the existence of alleged threat from Wright Profemur Hip Replacement. "For that reason", he continues, "our focus should squarely fall on getting the word out and assisting people in finding the right legal assistance.”
On June 21st, 2012 Bloomberg published that FDA reported approximately 16,800 adverse events related to metal-on-metal hip implants (including Wright Profemur Hip Replacement) in the US from 2000-2011.
AttorneyOne.com has further information on Wright Profemur Hip Replacement lawsuits including how to get in contact with legal counsel.

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LeaseQ Reports Equipment Lending Up 3.2% In November

A recent industry survey reveals a marked increase in equipment leasing and financing activity for the month of November. An equipment leasing provider breaks down the numbers.

Boston MA (PRWEB) December 25, 2012
LeaseQ, one of the leading providers of commercial and business equipment leasing and financing in the United States, is reporting an increase in equipment based lending for the month of November, on the order of 3.2%. The increased business was first reported in a survey taken by the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), noting that more than $6.4 billion in new equipment was financed during the month, up from $6.2 billion during the same period the previous year.
The growth of sales and orders for several capital equipment companies dropped off some in November, a clear reflection of buyers increasing doubts and worries over the long term strength of the US economy, unclear visibility on economic conditions for the end-market, and growing anxiety over the so-called fiscal cliff crisis. The conventional wisdom is that any additional growth may have been stunted over the possibility of higher taxes and cuts in government spending.
Spending for equipment needs has grown faster in than most other areas of the broader US economy, with more and more companies replacing worn out or outdated material after having had to defer such projects for much of the recession that began in 2008. Since the beginning of this year, however, financing volume has been back up over 15% to $72.2 billion. December is also likely to show a demonstrable surge in spending as companies rush to complete 2012 capital spending programs before the end of the year. December is almost always the busiest month of the year for financing activities.
In other related activity, credit portfolio quality was mixed in November, with loans and leases past due by more than 30 days accounting for about 2% of net receivables. This was after six months of consecutive drops. Charge offs amounted to 0.5% of net receivables, and the approval rate for loans and leases was 77% in November.
Respondents in the survey included Welss Fargo, Bank Of America, Fifth Third Bank, Caterpillar, Deere & Co., Volvo, and Dell.
Based in Boston MA, LeaseQ is one of the leading providers of commercial equipment lease finance options in the United States, offering a wide range of lending options for everything from small business startups to Fortune 500 companies.

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University of Pennsylvania Purchases Nanonex Advanced Nanoimprint Tool NX-2600 BA

Nanonex Corporation, the inventor and world’s leading provider in nanoimprint lithography solutions with the longest history, announces the delivery of Nanonex’s NX-2600BA system to University of Pennsylvania.

Princeton, NJ (PRWEB) December 25, 2012
Nanonex Corporation, the inventor and world’s leading provider in nanoimprint lithography solutions with the longest history, announces the delivery of Nanonex’s NX-2600BA system to University of Pennsylvania.
The Nanonex NX-2600BA purchased by Wolf Nanofabrication Facility at University of Pennsylvania is a full wafer nanoimprinter and photolithography aligner. It has up to 8 inches wafer patterning capability in all imprint forms: thermal, photo-curable and embossing with sub-5 nm imprinting resolution, as well as high resolution photolithography. It features sub-1 micron front side alignment accuracy and optical backside alignment ability. Based on the Nanonex unique patented Air Cushion Press TM technology, the NX-2600BA offers unsurpassed uniformity regardless of backside topology, wafer or mask flatness, or backside contamination. This ACP technology also eliminates lateral shifting between the mask and substrate, which significantly increases mask lifetime.
The Wolf Nanofabrication Facility is multiuser cleanroom facility at University of Pennsylvania. Nanonex is proud to support the cutting edge research at University of Pennsylvania, and NX-2600BA will serve as multi task lithography equipment for various research purposes in the Wolf Nanofabrication Facility at University of Pennsylvania, such as optics, displays, biotechnologies, data storage, materials and so on.
About Nanonex Corporation:
Nanonex is the inventor of NIL, the world’s first nanoimprint lithography company, and the world’s leading provider of nanoimprint solutions that include equipment, masks, resists and processes. Nanonex’s patented and proprietary NIL solutions and Air-Cushion Press ™ can manufacture 3D nanostructures with sub-5 nm resolution, large-area uniformity, accurate overlay alignment, high throughput, and low cost. Nanonex NIL solutions have been adopted by a broad spectrum of applications, such as optical devices, data storage, displays, light emitting diodes, semiconductor ICs, biotech, chemical synthesis, and advanced materials. Nanonex has over 100 customers and an installed base of over 50 tools world-wide. Visit http://www.nanonex.com for additional information.

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Premier Roofing, Ltd. is Now Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd. and Features New Materials and Services for the New Year

Premier Roofing, Ltd. is now Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd. With a new name comes new and improved roofing services and state-of-the-art materials all designed to provide a maximum lifetime of protection and quality.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) December 25, 2012
Premier Roofing, Inc. in Orlando, Florida has rebranded. Now under the name Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd., Craig and his crew have rolled out with new roofing products all professionally installed by the best roofing contractors in Florida. Much more than just an additional word in the name, Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd. now offers more options in roofing materials to choose from and new highly skilled crew members who are drug free and friendly.
One of the newest additions at Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd is the option to choose metal roofing with a standing metal seam. Back in the day, metal roofing was prone to environmental corrosion risks and replacement/repair of metal roofing became very expensive. With new advancements in material and construction, the idea of raising the seams of the metal panels used to construct roofs became very popular. The concept is simple: get the known trouble spots in the roofing above where water accumulates. And thus, standing metal seam roofing became an over-night success. Standing seam metal roofing requires much less maintenance and worry than traditional roofing constructed from inferior materials and this is one of the biggest reasons this type of roofing is so popular. Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd. has made standing seam metal roofing a cornerstone of business and nobody installs metal roofing better than they do.
As the holiday season slowly creeps towards Christmas and the New Year, one of the smartest things a home or business owner can do for their assets in the coming year is to ensure that the roof overhead is sturdy, sound, and leak free. Now that Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd. has rebranded to reflect a new and deserved sense of professionalism and service, clients needing roofing work done in Orlando can be confident in their choice by hiring a roofing contractor that has the proven work ethic and practices needed to be successful.
Craig Anderson, the owner of Premier Roofing Unlimited, Ltd., has been in the roofing industry for over 26 years and he has all of the information anybody will need when hunting for a skilled roofing contractor in Orlando. All work is guaranteed and quality checked constantly during construction to ensure safety, workmanship, and adherence to regulations is closely followed and observed.

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