White Paper Details Environmental Health & Safety Compliance Strategies for Laboratories

NEEDHAM, MASS. – February 28, 2008 – A free white paper that details three specific strategies to improve laboratory environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance programs is now available for download at http://www.eheinc.com/labprogram.htm.

“Small and midsized companies and institutions with laboratories must manage complex environmental health and safety compliance programs, involving federal, state, and local regulations with limited resources,” said Jack McCarthy, President and co-founder of EH&E, a Needham, Mass.-based environmental services consulting firm.

In the white paper, titled “Three Proven Strategies for Upgrading Your Laboratory Environmental Health & Safety Program,” EH&E experts outline the strategies they have developed to maximize the effectiveness and the efficiency of these programs.

“Due to the complexity and ever-changing nature of research activities, laboratory EH&S programs can be extremely challenging to develop and maintain, yet are critical to the success of the company or institution they serve,” McCarthy said.

The white paper will demonstrate how laboratory managers, laboratory technicians, and EH&S directors can:

• Improve EH&S program organization and accessibility


• Expand the laboratory inspection program


• Take a blended approach to laboratory safety training

Download the free white paper, “Three Proven Strategies for Upgrading Your Laboratory Environmental Heath and Safety Program,” at http://www.eheinc.com/labprogram.htm.

Or, for more information contact EH&E directly on the web at: http://www.eheinc.com/ or by phone at: 1-800-825-5343.

About EH&E
EH&E (http://www.eheinc.com/) has provided an extensive range of environmental and engineering consulting services for 20 years. Our team consists of more than 60 experts with an outstanding record of providing business-focused solutions for issues that affect the built environment. EH&E has a depth of knowledge and credibility unmatched in the industry and our wealth of readily-accessible information has become a powerful resource for our clients. Our new series of eH&E web compliance solutions is just the latest example of our continuing effort to provide this knowledge and information to a wider range of clients.

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Public Relations contact: Tiziani Whitmyre Inc., http://www.tizinc.com/

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Technorati tags: Compliance, environmental, health, lab, laboratories, safety, white paper, whitepaper, EHS, EHS manager, Ennvironmental Health Safety

ASCO Introduces Online Configuration Tool for 8290 Actuated Globe Valve Assembly

FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY, February 27, 2008 – ASCO, the world’s leading manufacturer of solenoid valves, today introduced an online tool for its 8290 series actuated globe valve assembly that dramatically reduces configuration time and ensures a highly reliable, flow control solution.

The online configurator, found at www.ascovalve.com/8290Configurator, enables users to quickly select an actuated globe valve, solenoid pilot valve, and position indicator in an assembly specifically suited to their applications.

“The first of its kind in this market segment, the 8290 series online configurator permits customers to easily configure factory-approved and tested valve assemblies in minutes, not months,” said Robert W. Kemple Jr., Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, ASCO.

“No engineering is required. Users can mix and match components to put together a high-quality assembly. This innovative tool saves time, provides greater choice, and delivers a proven ASCO solution.”

In addition to real-time configuration, the highly compact 8290 series globe valve has a faster response time and is more durable and reliable. It handles aggressive media, such as hot water, steam, solvents, and slurries, and is ideal for power generation, water/wastewater, and industrial dispensing applications. The two-way valve comes in .375-inch to 2.5-inch sizes and is available in bronze and stainless steel.

For more information, contact ASCO at 800-972-ASCO, by e-mail at info-valve@asco.com or visit http://www.ascovalve.com/.

About ASCO

ASCO, a division of Emerson, has been the world’s leading manufacturer of solenoid valves for over 100 years. The company markets its products through a network of direct sales offices, technically-oriented representatives, and distributors throughout the world. For more information contact ASCO at 800-972-ASCO or 973-966-2000, by e-mail at info-valve@asco.com or visit http://www.ascovalve.com/.

About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2007 were $22.6 billion. For more information, visit http://www.gotoemerson.com/.

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New White Paper Discusses Aligning Performance Management Activities – and Why it Matters

BOSTON, MASS – February 25, 2008 – A new white paper that discusses aligning business performance management activities, and why it matters, is now available for free download at www.objectivesolutionsinc.com/osiwhitepaper2018.aspx.

Performance management initiatives are designed to maximize every aspect of a company in order to meet its business objectives. To succeed, managers must align both their employees and resources. Employees need to understand – and be directed by and accountable to – their objectives. The lack of alignment can increase inefficiencies, risk, and competitive threats, as well as slow, or thwart, a company’s execution of its organizational strategy and objectives.

The new, free white paper titled: “Aligning Performance Management Activities -- and Why It Matters,” demonstrates why – and discusses how – business managers should align performance management objectives and activities.

In the white paper, Charles P. Collins, Principal and Chief Performance Officer, of Objective Solutions Incorporated, helps managers with:

* Identifying the three types of performance alignment

* Achieving the value of involving multiple departments in performance management initiatives

* Understanding the difficulties of achieving alignment, including cultural resistance

* Addressing the obstacles to success

* Evaluating a dozen available technologies that assist performance management success

Download the free white paper, “Aligning Performance Management Activities -- and Why It Matters,” at www.objectivesolutionsinc.com/osiwhitepaper2018.aspx.

Or, for more information, visit Objective Solutions Inc. on the Web at http://www.objectivesolutionsinc.com/, or call 339-221-0238.

About Objective Solutions
Objective Solutions (http://www.objectivesolutionsinc.com/) is a Boston-based business performance management company that delivers a turn-key system of synchronized performance objectives, and performance management plans enabling rapid, measurable improvements in productivity and profit margin across all functional areas of your organization. Our 5 Star* Performance Management system, delivered to clients individually, and in group sponsored workshops, is an easy, affordable, low-tech solution designed to enable even the smallest company to align its organization under a unified performance architecture based on the principle of Management by Objectives.

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International Confocal Microscopy Working Group Established to Advance Practice of Reflective Confocal Microscopy

Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA – February 25, 2008 – The International Confocal Microscopy Working Group, an independent group of medical professionals and students, has been formed as a means to promote the betterment and increased use of reflective confocal microscopy (RCM) in patient care.

The Working Group is open and welcoming new members worldwide. Dermatologists, dermascopists, dermatopathologists, medical students and other professionals interested in learning more about RCM should consider joining the working group. RCM is a new medical imaging technology that noninvasively provides cellular resolution images of the skin. These images can assist physicians in identification of skin disease and monitoring treatment.

At the first meeting, which was held at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) 66th Annual Meeting in San Antonio earlier this month, the Working Group established organization and membership guidelines, opportunities for collaborative research, and opportunities for training and recent scientific research in RCM.

The International Confocal Microscopy Working Group’s mission is to create an international collaborative consortium that educates, encourages and promotes research by the medical community on the discipline and practice of RCM.

Created by leading dermatologists with international affiliations, the International Confocal Microscopy Working Group intends to lay the groundwork to create broad acceptance of RCM for the diagnosis of skin cancers and conditions.

The Working Group founders include Dr. Salvador González of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York) and Ramon y Cajal Hospital (Madrid); Dr. Giovanni Pellacani of University of Modena and Reggio Emilia; Dr. Josep Malvehy of Hospital Clinic Barcelona and CEDILP; and Dr. Susana Puig of Hospital Clinic Barcelona and CEDILP.

For more information about the Working Group, including membership information, contact Maggie Oliverio by email at Maggie@ADMCORP.com and reference in the subject line “International Confocal Microscopy Working Group.”

About The International Confocal Microscopy Working Group
The International Confocal Microscopy Working Group is an independent group of medical professionals and students interested in the betterment and increased use of confocal microscopy in patient care. The Group welcomes new members. For information regarding membership, please contact Maggie Oliverio, Maggie@ADMCORP.com and reference in the subject line “International Confocal Microscopy Working Group.”

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Technorati tags: dermatology, dermatologists, confocal microscopy, in-vivo confocal microscopy, pathologists, microscopy, confocal imager, cellular resolution image

First Atlas Detailing In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy Published

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, USA – February 20, 2008 – As skin cancer cases continue to rise, the worldwide deployment of In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) (Confocal Imaging) technology – which produces digital images of a patient’s skin with cellular detail similar to that obtained from histology of surgical biopsies – can help healthcare practitioners both speed and improve their clinical judgments and assist in monitoring treatment. In support of RCM technology, the world’s first available comprehensive atlas detailing the technology has been published.

"Reflectance Confocal Microscopy of Cutaneous Tumors: An Atlas with Clinical, Dermoscopic and Histological Correlations" (Salvador González, Melissa Gill, and Allan C. Halpern, Editors; Informa Healthcare, Publisher), is a comprehensive, full-color atlas detailing the potential of RCM technology and its possible applications for clinical practitioners. The hard-cover first edition atlas totals 280-pages.

Specifically, In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy allows optical sectioning of an area of skin without physical sectioning, assisting dermatologists to examine detailed features of a skin lesion without taking a biopsy specimen. RCM technology can also assist dermatopathologists to determine the best location for a section and dermatological surgeons to determine the margins of a lesion to be excised.

The contents of "Reflectance Confocal Microscopy of Cutaneous Tumors" are:
I. BASIC PRINCIPLES
II. NORMAL SKIN
III. KERATINOCYTIC TUMORS (Seborrheic keratoses, Clear cell acanthoma, Porokeratosis, Squamous neoplasia, Basal cell carcinoma)
IV. MELANOCYTIC TUMORS (Lentigo, Congenital and common acquired melanocytic nevi, Dysplastic nevi, Malignant melanoma, Blue nevus, Spitz nevus)
V. OTHER TUMORS (Trichoepithelioma, Sebaceous hyperplasia, Dermatofibroma, Angioma, Mycosis fungoides)
VI. CLINICAL APPLICATIONS (Adjunct to clinical diagnosis, RCM-guided biopsy site selection, RCM-assisted assessment of treatment response, RCM-assisted in-vivo margin mapping, RCM-Assisted ex-vivo margin assessment)
VII. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

The editors of the atlas are three of the world’s leading RCM medical researchers: Salvador González, M.D., Ph.D., Faculty, Dermatology, MSKCC, New York, NY, Assistant Prof, Dermatology, HMS, Boston, Mass., USA; Melissa Gill, M.D., Dermatopathologist, Quest Diagnostics Inc., Teterboro, New Jersey, USA (formerly with MSKCC, New York, NY); and Allan C. Halpern, Chief, Dermatology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY USA.

"Reflectance Confocal Microscopy of Cutaneous Tumors" (ISBN: 9780415451048) is available immediately from Informa Healthcare (http://catalogue.informahealthcare.com/) at http://catalogue.informahealthcare.com/pjbp/products/10001043243;jsessionid=2F12CE3F716298BA32B2362B147D00B6.

Lucid Inc. an RCM Leader
The leader in the development and worldwide deployment of RCM technology is Lucid, Inc. (http://www.lucid-tech.com/) of Rochester, New York, USA. Lucid is the creator of the VivaScope® reflective confocal microscopy imaging microscope and of the VivaNet®, a network-based, DICOM-compliant medical information system that enables the transfer of VivaScope® digital images between practitioners and pathologists for rapid review of confocal images.

Atlas author Dr. González is among several European diagnostic readers providing confocal imaging services for European dermatology patients using Lucid’s VivaScope® Confocal Imagers. The readers are also beginning validation testing of Lucid’s VivaNet® telemedicine information system of transferring and managing clinical data between the private practitioners and the diagnostic readers.

For information on Lucid’s VivaScope® or VivaNet® technology, contact Lucid on the web at http://www.lucid-tech.com/, by email at info@lucid-tech.com, or by phone at +1-585-239-9800.

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Public Relations contact: Tiziani Whitmyre Inc., http://www.tizinc.com/

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Lucid Launches VivaNet® Telemedicine Server for Dermatology Applications

ROCHESTER, NY, USA, - February 12, 2008 – Lucid, Inc. (http://www.lucid-tech.com/) today announced the launch of its secure VivaNet® telemedicine server and network. The network is designed to transfer and manage clinical data between dermatology practitioners using Lucid’s non-invasive VivaScope® Confocal Imagers with pathologists or other medical specialists.

Lucid’s VivaScope® confocal imager microscopes provide non-invasive, in-vivo cellular resolution images of skin. Dermatologists can use the images to form a clinical judgment for a variety of skin conditions -- without the need to excise tissue.

The VivaNet® network provides fast, accurate and secure storage, retrieval, and transfer of VivaScope images across the Internet or Lucid’s private network service. Its launch will make VivaScope® images available for review by other dermatologists and pathologists in minutes – thus enabling rapid, real-time professional collaboration.

“With VivaNet®, practitioners can rapidly receive a pathologic interpretation of confocal images from a VivaScope® session, potentially assisting physicians in arriving at a clinical judgment while a patient is still in the doctor’s office,” said Jay Eastman, CEO, Lucid Inc.

“Just as MRI and CT scans have largely eliminated the need for routine ‘exploratory surgery’, the use of the VivaNet® network in conjunction with VivaScope® confocal microscopes may one day eliminate the need for routine invasive skin biopsies,” he said.

During a typical session, once VivaScope® images are captured, they are uploaded to the secure VivaNet® server, along with other patient-related data. From there, the patient image set is immediately available for retrieval by and transfer to other authorized practitioners.

The advantages of the VivaNet® network include:

• Secure sharing of digital cellular resolution images among medical professionals
• Fast, accurate, secure information exchange to enable clinical judgments of patient skin lesions
• Rapid, near-real-time clinical reporting
• Ensured HIPAA compliance, privacy, and data integrity via DICOM-compliant, standardized medical image storage, retrieval, and transfer

The VivaNet® network has been launched for near term use by dermatologists, as users of the VivaScope® microscopes, and pathologists, as readers of VivaScope images, in the US, Europe and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.lucid-tech.com/ or call +1-585-239-9800.

About Lucid, Inc.
Lucid, Inc. (http://www.lucid-tech.com/), based in Rochester, New York (USA) is a medical device and information company with offices in North America, Europe, and Australia. Lucid is dedicated to providing improved care for dermatology patients by coupling its noninvasive VivaScope® cellular imaging technology with its innovative VivaNet® medical information system to allow secure, HIPAA compliant, near real-time collaboration between dermatologists and other medical specialists. The VivaNet® system provides rapid online medical image transfer, storage, and retrieval thus enabling these critical collaborative consultations. The technologies delivered by Lucid provide images that physicians use in forming critical clinical judgments in cases of dermatologic disease, while ensuring patient comfort and piece of mind.

VivaNet® and VivaScope® are registered trademarks of Lucid, Inc.

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Eventective.com Announces Winners of the 2008 Planner’s Choice Award

Portland, Maine, February 4, 2008 - Eventective (www.eventective.com), the Web’s most comprehensive resource for meeting and event space and related services, has announced the winners of its 2008 Planner’s Choice Awards. Eventective is visited by more than one million planners monthly looking for that perfect place for their wedding, party or meeting.

Thirty venues were selected to receive Eventective’s 2008 Planner’s Choice Award. Each winner was the most popular venue amongst Eventective planners in a particular metro area. Winners were chosen based on two criteria; the number of times their listing was viewed and the number of event inquiries received from the millions of occasional and professional planners that visited Eventective every month in 2007.

This year’s winners comprise a very diverse group of venues, representing a sampling from more than 63 venue types.

Select 2008 Winners (Metro/Venue):
* Atlanta, GA......Always Banquet & Conference Facility
* Boston, MA......MA Horticultural Society
* Chicago, IL......Stone Gate Conference Center
* Cincinnati, OH......Paul Brown Stadium
* Cleveland, OH......University of Akron Student Union Conference Center
* Dallas, TX......River Ranch
* Denver, CO......Kevin Taylor's at the Opera House
* Detroit, MI......Detroit Princess Riverboat
* Houston, TX......Czech Cultural Center
* Indianapolis, IN......Indiana Roof Ball Room
* Kansas City, MO......Studio 2131
* Los Angeles, CA......V20 The Venue
* Miami, FL......Ocean Sky Hotel & Resort
* Milwaukee, WI......Brown Deer Park
* Minneapolis, MN......Depot Minneapolis- A Renaissance Hotel
* New York, NY......Surf Club
* Norfolk, VA......The Cavalier The Tradition Continues
* Orlando, FL......The Presidential Ballroom at Church Street
* Philadelphia, PA......Philadelphia Museum of Art
* Phoenix, AZ......Aldea of Tlaquepaque
* Pittsburg, PA......PNC Park
* Portland, OR......David Cole Queen Ann Mansion
* Sacramento, CA......Ben Ali Shrine Center
* Saint Louis, MO......Third Degree Glass Factory
* San Antonio, TX......Hotel Valencia Riverwalk
* San Diego, CA......Paradise Gardens
* San Francisco, CA......Corinthian Event Center
* Seattle, WA......Grand Holiday Ballroom
* Tampa, FL......Yacht StarShip
* Washington, DC......Chalet on the Lake

About Eventective
Eventective, the Web’s most comprehensive resource for finding meeting and event spaces and related services, attracts more than 35,000 planners daily and more than one million event planners every month. Headquartered in Portland, Maine, Eventective is one of the most popular online resources for venues and vendors on the Internet and is recognized by Google as an authority site for wedding places and party halls. As the only complete national search portal with a local focus, planners can browse a metro area for venues and vendors located in a specific area. With Eventective, planners can choose from a selection of more than 105,000 venues, 338,000 event spaces and 51,000 vendors nationwide. Eventective currently lists venues throughout the USA and Canada; including many niche and special-interest facilities ranging from galleries and museums to cruise ships, conference centers, hotels, resorts, restaurants, inns and mansions that are not easily found elsewhere on the Web. Thousands of emails are sent daily through Eventective from planners to venues in the U.S. and Canada, resulting in more bookings and increased revenue to venues and vendors. Eventective generates an estimated $4.5 billion in event business annually for the meeting and event industry.

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