Motorola, Intel team on mobile WiMax

Motorola and Intel are teaming up to accelerate the development and
adoption of a broadband technology called WiMax for mobile devices,
the companies announced Thursday.

The two industry giants have been working side by side on the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.16e standard,
which provides specifications for both fixed and wireless broadband
applications.

But now Motorola and Intel, which has been a leader in WiMax
development, plan to collaborate and share testing results and design
information to ensure that the new products they are developing are
interoperable.

Motorola said this agreement in no way binds it to using only Intel
chips in its products. It plans to continue to work with other chip
manufacturers as well.

But getting two market leaders to work together to promote the new
technology is important in creating a market. The 802.11e standard is
expected to be finished within the next month. Even after the standard
is complete, it will take months for companies to make their products
compatible.

The collaboration makes sense, considering that the companies are each
working with cellular carrier Sprint Nextel, which is testing the
WiMax technology in its labs.

Motorola also said on Thursday that it will not develop products using
the 802.16d WiMax specification, which was ratified last year by the
IEEE and only supports fixed point-to-point links. Instead, the
company will put all of its development efforts into products
supporting 802.16e. Equipment built for 802.16e is not compatible with
802.16d.

WiMax is considered a promising next-generation wireless technology
because it supports high data rates and has a long transmission reach.

The technology supports data speeds from 1 megabit per second to
5mbps, and it can be transmitted over a 20-mile radius. This is much
farther than Wi-Fi technology based on 802.11 standards, which
typically transmits signals only up to 50 feet.

WiMax is also believed to be cheaper than comparable cellular
technology because it requires fewer network elements.

Motorola sees WiMax as a key piece of its mobility strategy and plans
to introduce an 802.16e WiMax phone in early 2007.

The company also plans to build a dual-mode phone that supports WiMax
and cellular to allow people to roam in and out of the two networks
for maximum wireless coverage. Motorola already sells a dual-mode
Wi-Fi and cellular phone.

"When you talk about mobility, you need dual-mode and multimode
devices for roaming," said Raghu Rau, senior vice president of global
marketing and strategy for Motorola. "WiMax networks won't be built
overnight.

All the wireless technologies--Wi-Fi, cellular and WiMax--will be
complimentary."
Intel plans to introduce WiMax chips into laptops in 2007 or 2008.

www.news.zdnet.com

Experimental drug promising for Alzheimer's

New York.- Bryostatin, a drug that has been studied as an anti-cancer
agent, enhances long-term memory in lab experiments, scientists
report.

"Bryostatin is a promising treatment for Alzheimer's disease, both for
the neurodegeneration -- the underlying cause of the disease -- and
for the symptoms," Dr. Daniel L. Alkon, from Blanchette Rockefeller
Neurosciences Institute in Rockville, Maryland said in a telephone
interview with Reuters Health.

In a previous study in mice, Alkon's team observed that bryostatin
effectively stops the Alzheimer's disease process. It reduces brain
levels of amyloid-beta protein -- characteristic of the disease --
helps prevent premature death, and improves behavior.

Bryostatin has also been shown to enhance learning and memory
retention of rats in a maze task, according to the team's report in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Now we've taken this drug and explored in great detail how it may
affect memory itself -- not just neurodegeneration," Alkon said.

To do this the researchers used the snail-like creature Hermissenda, a
biomedical model for learning and memory. Specifically, Alkon and
colleagues found that putting bryostatin in the water days before the
start of learning sessions led to the synthesis of proteins "necessary
and sufficient for subsequent long-term memory formation."

In cultured neurons, bryostatin increased overall protein synthesis by
up to 60 percent for more than 3 days.

"What our study shows is that bryostatin can induce the neurons to
make these proteins days in advance," Alkon said, "and it takes a
training trial or two that ordinarily would produce memory for a few
minutes and turns it into something that lasts for weeks. That was
totally unexpected."

He added, "The beauty of this drug is that it has already been used in
people for years to treat cancer -- although not successfully -- and
therefore we know it is nontoxic."

In addition to Alzheimer's disease, bryostatin may also have a role in
other dementias, Alkon said, "and maybe even for treating people who
need cognitive enhancement such as perhaps people with memory or
learning compromise or those recovering from stroke."

www.today.reuters.com

Exxon Mobil posts quarterly profit of $9.9 billion

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday posted
a quarterly profit of $9.9 billion, its biggest ever and one of the
largest in U.S. corporate history, as it raked in a bonanza from
soaring oil and gas prices.

Record profits for Big Oil at a time when consumers are paying
sky-high prices for gasoline have brought calls for a windfall profits
tax or other penalties on oil companies. U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Bill Frist on Tuesday called for hearings with oil companies on high
energy costs.

The companies have been enjoying an unusually rosy environment for
months. In the third quarter, oil prices and refining margins rose
sharply after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through the Gulf of
Mexico, disrupting energy operations in the region.

While Exxon's quarterly profit was up 75 percent from a year earlier,
and revenue rose 32 percent to more than $100 billion, the results
fell short of Wall Street forecasts due to production outages caused
by the hurricanes and sharply lower profit at the company's chemicals
division.

"They were a bit disappointing, but this a temporary phenomenon," said
Paul Kuklinski, an analyst with Boston Energy Research/Soleil
Securities. "This is largely attributable to hurricane effects."

Exxon shares fell slightly in afternoon trade.
The world's largest publicly traded oil company said net income jumped
to $9.92 billion, or $1.58 a share, from $5.68 billion, or 88 cents a
share, a year earlier.

Excluding a gain of $1.62 billion from restructuring its stake in a
Dutch gas transportation business, earnings were $1.32 per share, 7
cents below the average forecast among analysts polled by Reuters
Estimates.

The record earnings topped the $9 billion net profit reported on
Thursday by Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research),
though it was smaller than some out-sized profits posted in past years
by companies with one-time items, like MediaOne's $26.62 billion
profit in the second quarter of 1998 or Ford Motor Co.'s $17.6 billion
profit in the first quarter of that year.

In addition to calls for a windfall profits tax or other penalties,
lawmakers and consumer advocates have been urging oil companies to
expand refining capacity and take other steps to help bring down
gasoline prices.

U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said on Thursday that oil firms have
a responsibility to boost refining capacity in times of record
profits. Marathon Oil (MRO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said it would
do just that, announcing a $2.2 billion expansion of its Garyville,
Louisiana, refinery.

"We're already seeing some companies yielding to pressure," said
Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Fadel Gheit. "But everybody is waiting for
the big lady to sing, which is Exxon."

Exxon said it did not see the point of a windfall profits tax.
"Frankly, if you're trying to encourage supply growth, it seems odd to
put in place disincentives," Henry Hubble, vice president of investor
relations for Exxon, said on a conference call with analysts.

PRODUCTION FALLS
Exxon's oil and gas production fell 4.7 percent in the third quarter
from a year earlier as outages caused by Katrina and Rita, maintenance
activities, and maturing fields more than offset higher production
from new fields in West Africa.

Excluding the impact of the hurricanes, divestments and entitlement
effects, output fell 1 percent.

Still, record crude oil prices -- which touched $70 a barrel in the
quarter -- pushed earnings at its exploration and production unit to
$5.73 billion, up $1.8 billion from a year earlier.

At its refining and marketing operations, profit rose to $2.13
billion, up $727 million from a year earlier. Stronger refining
margins outweighed weak marketing margins and lower petroleum product
sales.

Earnings at its chemicals division tumbled to $472 million, down $537
million from a year earlier, due to higher feedstock costs and lower
margins.

Exxon's capital expenditures jumped to $4.41 billion from $3.63
billion a year earlier.

Shares of of Exxon, the largest of the so-called "super-major" oil
companies, were down 33 cents to $55.87 in late-day trade on the New
York Stock Exchange. The shares rose more than 10 percent in the third
quarter but underperformed the broader Standard & Poor's integrated
oil and gas index, which climbed more than 13 percent. (Additional
reporting by Ben Berkowitz)

www.today.reuters.com

What the Health Bill will mean

Last year's Public Health White Paper outlined plans for a smoking ban
across workplaces in England after pressure from health professionals
and campaigners who argued second-hand smoke was harming workers.

Only private members clubs and pubs which do not serve food would be exempt.

But the subsequent consultation raised concerns pubs, especially in
poor areas, would stop serving food to avoid the ban - widening health
inequalities - and whether a one metre smoke-free exclusion zone
around bars was enough to protect workers in those pubs.

Weeks of discussion at cabinet level followed during the autumn of
this year in which various proposals were discussed.

In the end, the bill sticks largely to the original proposal, but
allows scope for another consultation on how to protect bar workers
which could lead to smoking only being allowed in pubs in sealed
rooms.

It also brings forward by 18 months the deadline for full
implementation to summer 2007. There will be a full review of the ban
within three years, the Department of Health has said.

The measures contrast with the full ban in place in the Republic of
Ireland, and the proposed bans for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

CONTROLLED DRUGS

Dame Janet Smith's inquiry into the Shipman murders found there was a
need for "modernisation and rationalisation" of the controlled drugs
systems, which covers drugs such as diamorphine (medical heroin) and
sedatives such as barbiturates.

She said there has been virtually no revision of legislation relating
to controlled drugs since the 1970s.

And this system had allowed the GP, who killed up to 275 people over a
23-year period, to obtain large amounts of diamorphine undetected.

The bill makes a number of proposals, including giving health managers
the right to enter GP premises, allowing closer scrutiny of doctors.

At the moment the law in the area is unclear, and means managers
cannot insist on entering surgeries.

The NHS is also being given a duty to work with other authorities such
as social services and police in cases where controlled drugs are
misused.

Primary care trusts, which are in charge of commissioning services
from GPs, should also have an officer with responsibility for
controlled drugs.

HOSPITAL INFECTIONS

Hospitals will have to adhere to tighter hygiene regulations

The bill will also tackle one of the most controversial problems
facing health services - hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA.

MRSA, which is linked to nearly 1,000 deaths a year, has dogged the
NHS in recent years with concerns about hospital cleanliness.

Included in the document is legislation binding hospitals, care homes
and other NHS services to a new hygiene code of conduct.

While hygiene standards are taken into account during hospital
inspections, NHS trusts do not have a statutory duty to ensure
standards are adhered to.

The bill gives the Healthcare Commission powers to issue improvement
notices, and if trusts fail to comply managers could lose their jobs
or face intervention from the government or Monitor, in the case of
foundation trusts.

The code, which will be constantly updated, sets certain standards for
things such as hand washing and cleaning wards.

PHARMACIES

Pharmacists are set to play an ever increasing role in health care in
coming years.

They are being encouraged to become involved in care traditionally
considered outside their remit such as blood pressure testing,
diabetes care and providing smoking cessation clinics.

The bill sets out changes to pharmacist training programmes to reflect this.

And it also reforms the requirements set out in the NHS Act 1977
regarding the supervision required by pharmacists.

At the moment they are effectively tied to the dispensing counter so
they can issue prescriptions.

But the bill proposes allowing other staff such as pharmacy
technicians to hand out drugs as long as the pharmacists ensures a
safe system is kept to.

www.news.bbc.co.uk

Entrepreneur's Guide Names Just For Small Business To Top 10 Blogs

Blogs aren't just for news anymore. They've become a critical
communication tool for small business owners. That's the approach
Small Business Expert Denise O'Berry took when she launched her small
business tips blog "Just for Small Business" --
http://www.justforsmallbusiness.com -- a year ago. This week, "Just
for Small Business" was named as one of the Top 10 Most Practical
Blogs for Entrepreneurs.

Just for Small Business is "Full of thought-provoking tips for small
business owners. The topics are often unexpected - not your usual
small business fare," said Scott Allen, Entrepreneur's Guide at
About.com.

WebLogReview.com agrees that the blog is an invaluable resource for
small business owners:

"The 'Just for Small Business' blog contains great information for
those in small business. Anyone running a business of any size could
benefit from the wisdom and examples in this blog. It takes just a few
minutes to read a month of entries. The information could potentially
make a major different in the success, or failure of one's business.

Each entry has some tidbit of useful information to share to help
business owners in various areas such as staffing, planning,
proposals, marketing, taxes, etc. The writing is straightforward and
accessible for all readers; even those outside of business may find
some benefit to reading this blog.

The solid content in 'Just for Small Business' makes it an impressive
resource for anyone interested in improving their bottom line. Even
the casual non-business reader may enjoy some of the examples O'Berry
provides. Bottom line: An accessible, easy to read resource that
should be mandatory reading for every small business owner.

The sheer volume of links to resource material makes it an invaluable
tool for anyone who owns or will possibly own a small business. If you
follow the advice O'Berry gives, perhaps your small business will not
fail. Spread the word to your small business friends to check out this
blog. I honestly don't believe you'll find a more comprehensive site
out there on this subject."

"I'm honored to have my blog included in the Top 10 Most Practical
Blogs for Entrepreneurs," says O'Berry. "My objective is to help other
small business owners succeed. I know they have only a short amount of
time each day to add one more thing to their list of things to do.
Just for Small Business provides meaty tips that can help them improve
without taking forever to digest."

For a complete look at the Top 10 Most Practical Blogs for
Entrepreneurs list, visit
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/b/a/213119.htm

About Denise O'Berry:

With more than two decades of operational and management experience,

Denise O'Berry has developed a sharp eye for how businesses get
bloated with inefficiencies, cross-purposes and miscommunication --
and how they can retool for a sleeker, smoother, strategically focused
organization. An entrepreneur who quickly built her own successful
consulting business, she helps other small business owners set
priorities, take action to grow their business and create the balance
they want between life and work. Her clients have ranged from
telecommunications giants like Verizon to Mom-and-Pop retail shops
with a primary focus on those having 10 or fewer employees and up to
$2.5 million in annual sales.

Denise frequently speaks to professional organizations, is the author
of three booklets, and several "how-to" manuals. She writes a weekly
small business column, hosts an online small business owner's forum
and is called upon regularly by publications such as Entrepreneur,
Bank Rate Small Business, Florida Trend, Inc., various newspapers,
radio and television to provide expert comments on small business
issues.

www.emediawire.com

Ibis Technology wins third i2000 order

Danvers-based Ibis Technology Corp. has received an order for an Ibis
i2000 oxygen implanter from SUMCO, a Japanese manufacturer of silicon
wafers, valued at approximately $7 million.

This is the second i2000 implanter purchased by SUMCO. In addition,
Ibis has completed a purchase agreement with SUMCO that will govern
the general contractual terms of all future SUMCO orders.

Ibis has received three orders to date from wafer manufacturers for an
i2000 implanter, the first having been placed last year by an unnamed
chipmaker in the United States. That deal was worth &8 million, and
the first SUMCO order was valued at $6 million.

Ibis officials say they expect to ship the system at the end of the
first quarter of 2006 depending on customer acceptance of the tool at
Ibis' facility.

The Ibis i2000 oxygen implanter is designed to be a high-throughput,
high-volume production tool for manufacturing 300-millimeter
Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) wafers. Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) is a
manufacturing technology where an insulating layer is created within a
silicon wafer, isolating the top layer of silicon where the active
transistors will be manufactured from the rest of the bulk silicon
wafer.

Ibis Technology stock was trading at mid-morning for $1.81, up 36
cents from its close yesterday.

www.masshightech.com