ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG posted an 8 percent rise in third-quarter sales and confirmed its outlook for rising sales and profit this year as its new breast cancer drugs picked up momentum.
The world's largest maker of cancer drugs said quarterly sales rose to 11.57 billion Swiss francs ($12.63 billion), compared with the average analyst forecast of 11.54 billion francs in a Reuters poll.
Roche's drugs business has so far been shielded from a wave of patent expiries that have hit rivals, as most of its top-selling medicines are biotech drugs consisting of proteins derived from living organisms that are hard to copy and command higher prices.
Sales of its older cancer medicines Rituxan and Herceptin continued to gain momentum in the quarter, rising 12 percent and 7 percent respectively, while Avastin benefited from increased use in ovarian and colorectal cancer.
This helped to offset weaker sales of hepatitis C treatment Pegasys, which tumbled 16 percent.
The Basel-based drugmaker has developed follow-on medicines - improved versions of its top-sellers - which it hopes will help it fend off anticipated competition from so-called biosimilar copies when its older drugs go off patent.
Among those newer drugs, Roche said sales of Kadcyla, a treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer which won U.S. approval in February, were 156 million francs in the first nine months of the year, up from 83 million in the first half.
The company plans to use Kadcyla with fellow new medicine Perjeta, which has sales of 186 million francs.
The Basel-based firm reiterated its expectation for full-year sales to grow in line with 2012, when they rose 4 percent in local currencies, and core earnings to rise ahead of revenues. It also expects to further increase its dividend in 2013.
Roche, which does not detail quarterly profits, is the first European drugmaker to report this quarter. ($1 = 0.9160 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by David Cowell)
American Geosciences Institute Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Ann Benbow aeb@agiweb.org 703-379-2480 x245 American Geosciences Institute
Comprehensive clearinghouse for earth and space science education launches with thousands of resources
Alexandria, VA -- Today, a national center focused on the geosciences launches the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date online clearinghouse for Earth and space science information and educational resources, ranging from high school curricula and classroom activities to video collections, career resources, and national research reports.
The first such clearinghouse of its scope and type, the Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding's searchable web site http://www.geocntr.org provides the geoscience community, schools, and the general public with an extensive collection of resources and research from reliable science and education organizations.
"Teachers, media, families, and policy-makers should bookmark this site as the starting point for research about Earth and space science education," said Ann Benbow, director of the Center. "We have collected and organized resources that provide a variety of perspectives on important issues, and the site expands daily."
The Center's new site currently provides access to resources from nearly 700 organizations. These include universities, museums, federal and state agencies, media groups, AGI, and its member organizations and publishers. Approximately 2,000 annotated and searchable resource entries are available on the site, and this number includes many collections and galleries, each with hundreds of individual items such as photographs, videos, and presentations.
A sample of materials on the site: Earth science curricula; Earth science classroom activities; Teacher professional development programs; Science-topic presentations; Animation, video collections/still galleries; Virtual field trips; State science/Earth science organizations; Funding sources for teachers; Teaching award information; Earth science outreach programs.
###
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), the Center's parent organization, is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific professional associations representing more than 250,000 Earth scientists. The Center web site is being launched as part of Earth Science Week, the international celebration of the Earth sciences that is organized by AGI and reaches over 50 million people with geoscience resources and information each year.
AGI's Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding is a unique clearinghouse for Earth Science educational materials, information on "hot topics," geoscience career information, and geoscience educational research. The Center produces and releases national reports on the state of geoscience education, as well as examines implementation of new science education standards.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
American Geosciences Institute Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
16-Oct-2013
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
Contact: Ann Benbow aeb@agiweb.org 703-379-2480 x245 American Geosciences Institute
Comprehensive clearinghouse for earth and space science education launches with thousands of resources
Alexandria, VA -- Today, a national center focused on the geosciences launches the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date online clearinghouse for Earth and space science information and educational resources, ranging from high school curricula and classroom activities to video collections, career resources, and national research reports.
The first such clearinghouse of its scope and type, the Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding's searchable web site http://www.geocntr.org provides the geoscience community, schools, and the general public with an extensive collection of resources and research from reliable science and education organizations.
"Teachers, media, families, and policy-makers should bookmark this site as the starting point for research about Earth and space science education," said Ann Benbow, director of the Center. "We have collected and organized resources that provide a variety of perspectives on important issues, and the site expands daily."
The Center's new site currently provides access to resources from nearly 700 organizations. These include universities, museums, federal and state agencies, media groups, AGI, and its member organizations and publishers. Approximately 2,000 annotated and searchable resource entries are available on the site, and this number includes many collections and galleries, each with hundreds of individual items such as photographs, videos, and presentations.
A sample of materials on the site: Earth science curricula; Earth science classroom activities; Teacher professional development programs; Science-topic presentations; Animation, video collections/still galleries; Virtual field trips; State science/Earth science organizations; Funding sources for teachers; Teaching award information; Earth science outreach programs.
###
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), the Center's parent organization, is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific professional associations representing more than 250,000 Earth scientists. The Center web site is being launched as part of Earth Science Week, the international celebration of the Earth sciences that is organized by AGI and reaches over 50 million people with geoscience resources and information each year.
AGI's Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding is a unique clearinghouse for Earth Science educational materials, information on "hot topics," geoscience career information, and geoscience educational research. The Center produces and releases national reports on the state of geoscience education, as well as examines implementation of new science education standards.
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| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Elephants have a mysterious and "tangible energy" according to South African photographer Greg Du Toit.
Now after a 10 year quest, his portrayal of this "energy" has been captured in an award-winning photo.
Titled "Essence of Elephants", the work has earned him the overall title in this year's Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Preparation and passion, he says, were key to achieving the winning shot, taken from just over one metre away.
"There was one particular day when a baby elephant raced past right in front of my camera and I was ready. I had to be prepared for that moment," said Mr Du Toit.
He took the picture at a waterhole in Botswana's Northern Tuli Game Reserve from a hide (a sunken freight container) that provided a ground-level view. He had been going to the area five or six times a year for 10 years.
"I chose elephants because I feel a very special energy and connection when I'm around them," he told BBC News.
"But although you feel that energy it's very difficult to translate that into a camera because an elephant is such a big animal and they're not very charismatic, whereas a predator is far more charismatic."
Authentic moments
Using a very slow shutter speed on a wide angle lens "allowed all that energy to come into my camera" making him able to depict "these gentle giants in an almost ghostly way".
To achieve the cool blue hue he attached a polarising filter and set his white balance to a cool temperature.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) "means a lot to me for various reasons", said Du Toit, especially because photos were submitted anonymously, putting professionals and amateurs on an equal footing.
"In my mind it's one of the last places in the world you can actually look at a wildlife photo and trust that the moment is authentic."
Chair of the judging panel Jim Brandenburg said: "Greg's image immediately catapults us to African plains. This image stood out for both its technical excellence and the unique moment it captures - it is truly a once in a lifetime shot."
This year's Young Wildlife Photographer of the year is 14-year-old Udayan Rao Pawar from India.
His photo was of a fresh water crocodile with hatchlings on its head "kind of resembling a crown", explained Mr Pawar.
He crept up on the nestling colony of gharials on the banks of the Chambal River,
Grunting sounds
"When the dawn broke early in the morning I hid myself behind a rock, and when the morning light came I took those images.
"I could hear them making little grunting sounds. Very soon a large female surfaced near the shore, checking on her charges. Some of the hatchlings swam to her and climbed onto her head. Perhaps it made them feel safe."
Despite conservation efforts, the gharial fresh water crocodile is on the verge of extinction with an estimated 200 mating pairs remaining.
"The Chambal River is the gharial's last stronghold but is threatened by illegal sand-mining and fishing", added Udayan.
Wildlife photographer and Judge Tui De Roy said the composition and timing of the photograph was perfect.
"The mother's gaze seems directed at you, appealing to you to let her live and thrive in peace. This image is beautiful and thought provoking, but at the same time also wonderfully playful, making it a clear winner," he said.
WPY is one of the most prestigious competitions in world photography. Organised by London's Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, it is now in its 49th year.
Images are submitted anonymously by professional and amateur photographers alike. They are selected for their creativity, artistry and technical complexity and must be submitted as a raw file with no manipulations.
The winners beat 43,000 entries submitted from 96 countries. You can see more images by clicking here. Some viewers may find the last photo in the gallery distressing.
The WPY exhibition opens on Friday 18 October at the Natural History Museum.
NBC is turning its lens to the mysterious world of pharmaceutical companies.
The network is teaming with Parenthood executive producer Lawrence Trilling and Shaun Cassidy for Empowered, a family thriller set in the pharmaceutical world that has received a script commitment from the network.
The drama revolves around Charlotte Davis, the public face of Omni Health, a massive pharmaceutical company with its tentacles in everything from bioengineering and nanotechnology to the U.S. military. When Charlotte's father is tragically killed and a mysterious stranger shows up on her doorstep claiming that Omni -- and Charlotte's husband -- are responsible, she finds herself torn between her search for the truth and the company that's always been her family. Against the backdrop of dangerous pharmaceutical experiments with far-reaching implications for everyone involved, Charlotte must risk everything she has left to uncover the truth.
Trilling will pen the script and direct should the drama move to pilot. He'll executive produce with Cassidy, with whom he worked on the latter's ABC drama Invasion. The drama marks the first sale for Cassidy under his new two-year overall deal with Universal Television.
Trilling's credits include exec producing and directing NBC's Parenthood; he also has directed Masters of Sex and was a co-EP on Pushing Daisies. He's repped by CAA and Jackoway Tyerman. Cassidy most recently was a consulting producer on CBS' Blue Bloods and developed the Western The Frontier for NBC via Sony Pictures Television. The drama from EP Thomas Schlamme was picked up to pilot but did not move forward in 2012. His credits also include Invasion, The Mountain and Cold Case. Cassidy is with CAA and Myman Greenspan.
AT&T has two new short-term data plans for tablet users — $5 for 250MB in a day, or $25 for 1GB over three months. These are in addition to the $10 a month customers pay to add a tablet to a shared plan. [9t05Mac]
World record: Wireless data transmission at 100 Gbit/s
Public release date: 14-Oct-2013 [
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Contact: Monika Landgraf presse@kit.edu 49-721-608-47414 Helmholtz Association
This news release is available in German.
Extension of cable-based telecommunication networks requires high investments in both conurbations and rural areas. Broadband data transmission via radio relay links might help to cross rivers, motorways or nature protection areas at strategic node points, and to make network extension economically feasible. In the current issue of the nature photonics magazine, researchers present a method for wireless data transmission at a world-record rate of 100 gigabits per second. (doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.275)
In their record experiment, 100 gigabits of data per second were transmitted at a frequency of 237.5 GHz over a distance of 20 m in the laboratory. In previous field experiments under the "Millilink" project funded by the BMBF, rates of 40 gigabits per second and transmission distances of more than 1 km were reached. For their latest world record, the scientists applied a photonic method to generate the radio signals at the transmitter. After radio transmission, fully integrated electronic circuits were used in the receiver.
"Our project focused on integration of a broadband radio relay link into fiber-optical systems," Professor Ingmar Kallfass says. He coordinated the "Millilink" project under a shared professorship funded by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Since early 2013, he has been conducting research at Stuttgart University. "For rural areas in particular, this technology represents an inexpensive and flexible alternative to optical fiber networks, whose extension can often not be justified from an economic point of view." Kallfass also sees applications for private homes: "At a data rate of 100 gigabits per second, it would be possible to transmit the contents of a blue-ray disk or of five DVDs between two devices by radio within two seconds only."
In the experiments, latest photonic and electronic technologies were combined: First, the radio signals are generated by means of an optical method. Several bits are combined by so-called data symbols and transmitted at the same time. Upon transmission, the radio signals are received by active integrated electronic circuits.
The transmitter generates the radio signals by means of an ultra-broadband so-called photon mixer made by the Japanese company NTT-NEL. For this, two optical laser signals of different frequencies are superimposed on a photodiode. An electrical signal results, the frequency of which equals the frequency difference of both optical signals, here, 237.5 GHz. The millimeter-wave electrical signal is then radiated via an antenna.
"It is a major advantage of the photonic method that data streams from fiber-optical systems can directly be converted into high-frequency radio signals," Professor Jrg Leuthold says. He proposed the photonic extension that was realized in this project. The former head of the KIT Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ) is now affiliated with ETH Zurich. "This advantage makes the integration of radio relay links of high bit rates into optical fiber networks easier and more flexible." In contrast to a purely electronic transmitter, no intermediate electronic circuit is needed. "Due to the large bandwidth and the good linearity of the photon mixer, the method is excellently suited for transmission of advanced modulation formats with multiple amplitude and phase states. This will be a necessity in future fiber-optical systems," Leuthold adds.
Reception of radio signals is based on electronic circuits. In the experiment, a semiconductor chip was employed that was produced by the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) within the framework of the "Millilink" project. The semiconductor technology is based on high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT) enabling the fabrication of active, broadband receivers for the frequency range between 200 and 280 GHz. The integrated circuits have a chip size of a few square millimeters only. The receiver chip can also cope with advanced modulation formats. As a result, the radio link can be integrated into modern optical fiber networks in a bit-transparent way.
Already in May this year the team succeeded in transmitting a data rate of 40 gigabits per second over a long distance in the laboratory using a purely electronic system. In addition, data were transmitted successfully over a distance of one kilometer from one high-riser to another in the Karlsruhe City center. "The long transmission distances in "Millilink" were reached with conventional antennas that may be replaced by fully integrated miniaturized antenna designs in future compact systems for indoor use," says Professor Thomas Zwick, Head of the KIT Institut fr Hochfrequenztechnik und Elektronik (Institute of High-Frequency Technology and Electronics). The present data rate can be still increased. "By employing optical and electrical multiplexing techniques, i.e., by simultaneously transmitting multiple data streams, and by using multiple transmitting and receiving antennas, the data rate could be multiplied," says Swen Knig from the KIT Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), who conceived and conducted the recent world-record experiment. "Hence, radio systems having a data rate of 1 terabit per second appear to be feasible."
The "Millilink" project (March 2010 to May 2013) was funded with a total budget of EUR 2 million by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the program "Broadband Access Networks of the Next Generation". Apart from the research institutions of Fraunhofer IAF and KIT, the industry partners Siemens AG, Kathrein KG, and Radiometer Physics GmbH participated in the project. The project focused on integrating wireless or radio links into broadband optical communication networks for rapid internet access in rural areas in particular. Other possible applications are indoor wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless personal area networks (WPAN), and intra-machine and board-to-board communication. In the recent experiment, the originally purely electronic "Millilink" concept was extended by a photonic transmitter. At KIT, work is now continued under the Helmholtz International Research School of Teratronics (HIRST), a graduate school focusing on the combination of photonic and electronic methods for signal processing at highest frequencies.
###
Reference: Wireless sub-THz communication system with high data rate. S. Koenig, D. Lopez-Diaz, J. Antes, F. Boes, R. Henneberger, A. Leuther, A. Tessmann, R. Schmogrow, D. Hillerkuss, R. Palmer, T. Zwick, C. Koos, W. Freude, O. Ambacher, J. Leuthold, and I. Kallfass. nature photonics. doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.275, http://www.nature.com/nphoton/index.html.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a public corporation according to the legislation of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg. It fulfills the mission of a university and the mission of a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. Research activities focus on energy, the natural and built environment as well as on society and technology and cover the whole range extending from fundamental aspects to application. With about 9000 employees, including nearly 6000 staff members in the science and education sector, and 24000 students, KIT is one of the biggest research and education institutions in Europe. Work of KIT is based on the knowledge triangle of research, teaching, and innovation.
This press release is available on the internet at http://www.kit.edu.
The photos of printing quality may be downloaded under http://www.kit.edu or requested by mail to presse@kit.edu or phone +49 721 608-4 7414. The photos may be used in the context given above exclusively.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
World record: Wireless data transmission at 100 Gbit/s
Public release date: 14-Oct-2013 [
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| Share
]
Contact: Monika Landgraf presse@kit.edu 49-721-608-47414 Helmholtz Association
This news release is available in German.
Extension of cable-based telecommunication networks requires high investments in both conurbations and rural areas. Broadband data transmission via radio relay links might help to cross rivers, motorways or nature protection areas at strategic node points, and to make network extension economically feasible. In the current issue of the nature photonics magazine, researchers present a method for wireless data transmission at a world-record rate of 100 gigabits per second. (doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.275)
In their record experiment, 100 gigabits of data per second were transmitted at a frequency of 237.5 GHz over a distance of 20 m in the laboratory. In previous field experiments under the "Millilink" project funded by the BMBF, rates of 40 gigabits per second and transmission distances of more than 1 km were reached. For their latest world record, the scientists applied a photonic method to generate the radio signals at the transmitter. After radio transmission, fully integrated electronic circuits were used in the receiver.
"Our project focused on integration of a broadband radio relay link into fiber-optical systems," Professor Ingmar Kallfass says. He coordinated the "Millilink" project under a shared professorship funded by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Since early 2013, he has been conducting research at Stuttgart University. "For rural areas in particular, this technology represents an inexpensive and flexible alternative to optical fiber networks, whose extension can often not be justified from an economic point of view." Kallfass also sees applications for private homes: "At a data rate of 100 gigabits per second, it would be possible to transmit the contents of a blue-ray disk or of five DVDs between two devices by radio within two seconds only."
In the experiments, latest photonic and electronic technologies were combined: First, the radio signals are generated by means of an optical method. Several bits are combined by so-called data symbols and transmitted at the same time. Upon transmission, the radio signals are received by active integrated electronic circuits.
The transmitter generates the radio signals by means of an ultra-broadband so-called photon mixer made by the Japanese company NTT-NEL. For this, two optical laser signals of different frequencies are superimposed on a photodiode. An electrical signal results, the frequency of which equals the frequency difference of both optical signals, here, 237.5 GHz. The millimeter-wave electrical signal is then radiated via an antenna.
"It is a major advantage of the photonic method that data streams from fiber-optical systems can directly be converted into high-frequency radio signals," Professor Jrg Leuthold says. He proposed the photonic extension that was realized in this project. The former head of the KIT Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ) is now affiliated with ETH Zurich. "This advantage makes the integration of radio relay links of high bit rates into optical fiber networks easier and more flexible." In contrast to a purely electronic transmitter, no intermediate electronic circuit is needed. "Due to the large bandwidth and the good linearity of the photon mixer, the method is excellently suited for transmission of advanced modulation formats with multiple amplitude and phase states. This will be a necessity in future fiber-optical systems," Leuthold adds.
Reception of radio signals is based on electronic circuits. In the experiment, a semiconductor chip was employed that was produced by the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) within the framework of the "Millilink" project. The semiconductor technology is based on high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT) enabling the fabrication of active, broadband receivers for the frequency range between 200 and 280 GHz. The integrated circuits have a chip size of a few square millimeters only. The receiver chip can also cope with advanced modulation formats. As a result, the radio link can be integrated into modern optical fiber networks in a bit-transparent way.
Already in May this year the team succeeded in transmitting a data rate of 40 gigabits per second over a long distance in the laboratory using a purely electronic system. In addition, data were transmitted successfully over a distance of one kilometer from one high-riser to another in the Karlsruhe City center. "The long transmission distances in "Millilink" were reached with conventional antennas that may be replaced by fully integrated miniaturized antenna designs in future compact systems for indoor use," says Professor Thomas Zwick, Head of the KIT Institut fr Hochfrequenztechnik und Elektronik (Institute of High-Frequency Technology and Electronics). The present data rate can be still increased. "By employing optical and electrical multiplexing techniques, i.e., by simultaneously transmitting multiple data streams, and by using multiple transmitting and receiving antennas, the data rate could be multiplied," says Swen Knig from the KIT Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), who conceived and conducted the recent world-record experiment. "Hence, radio systems having a data rate of 1 terabit per second appear to be feasible."
The "Millilink" project (March 2010 to May 2013) was funded with a total budget of EUR 2 million by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the program "Broadband Access Networks of the Next Generation". Apart from the research institutions of Fraunhofer IAF and KIT, the industry partners Siemens AG, Kathrein KG, and Radiometer Physics GmbH participated in the project. The project focused on integrating wireless or radio links into broadband optical communication networks for rapid internet access in rural areas in particular. Other possible applications are indoor wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless personal area networks (WPAN), and intra-machine and board-to-board communication. In the recent experiment, the originally purely electronic "Millilink" concept was extended by a photonic transmitter. At KIT, work is now continued under the Helmholtz International Research School of Teratronics (HIRST), a graduate school focusing on the combination of photonic and electronic methods for signal processing at highest frequencies.
###
Reference: Wireless sub-THz communication system with high data rate. S. Koenig, D. Lopez-Diaz, J. Antes, F. Boes, R. Henneberger, A. Leuther, A. Tessmann, R. Schmogrow, D. Hillerkuss, R. Palmer, T. Zwick, C. Koos, W. Freude, O. Ambacher, J. Leuthold, and I. Kallfass. nature photonics. doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.275, http://www.nature.com/nphoton/index.html.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a public corporation according to the legislation of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg. It fulfills the mission of a university and the mission of a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. Research activities focus on energy, the natural and built environment as well as on society and technology and cover the whole range extending from fundamental aspects to application. With about 9000 employees, including nearly 6000 staff members in the science and education sector, and 24000 students, KIT is one of the biggest research and education institutions in Europe. Work of KIT is based on the knowledge triangle of research, teaching, and innovation.
This press release is available on the internet at http://www.kit.edu.
The photos of printing quality may be downloaded under http://www.kit.edu or requested by mail to presse@kit.edu or phone +49 721 608-4 7414. The photos may be used in the context given above exclusively.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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