TOKYO — Toshiba Corp. returned to the black last quarter thanks to a recovery in global demand for flash memory chips used in smartphones and digital cameras.
The Japanese conglomerate — whose vast business ranges from household appliances to nuclear power systems — said Thursday its net profit was … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Toshiba returns to the black in April-June quarter on brisk global demand for memory chips.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said its second quarter profit jumped 65 percent year-on-year amid strong worldwide demand for electronic goods.
Net profit for the April-June period was a record 40.3 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.3 billion) on consolidated revenue of NT$105 …. Read the original article  : here.

PARIS — France Telecom SA said Thursday that first half net profit rose 45 percent due to a one-off gain, although revenue and margins were eroded by regulatory costs and competition in the home market in France.
Net profit in the six months to the end of June … Read more >>.

more images

Panasonic buying out Sanyo, Panasonic Electric
TOKYO — Panasonic is planning to take 100 percent ownership of its subsidiaries Sanyo Electric and Panasonic Electric Works in a move costing up to $9.4 billion to strengthen green businesses such as electric cars and solar panels.
Panasonic Corp., Japan’s biggest consumer electronics maker, said in a statement … Original source on Gaea Times at : Panasonic plans to buy out subsidiaries Sanyo, Panasonic Electric under $9.4B green initiative.

BSkyB reported a profit of 336 million pounds ($525 million) in the three months ending June 30, …. Source article  : BSkyB Q4 net profit up nearly fourfold, announces deal to carry HBO programs.

more images

Playstation, TVs boost Sony to $294 million profit
TOKYO — Sony bounced back to profit last quarter and raised its full-year earnings forecast, fueled by stronger demand for its PlayStation 3 gaming consoles, personal computers and televisions.
The Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment giant said Thursday it booked a net profit of 25.7 billion yen — … Read more : PlayStation and TVs drive Sony back to black in April-June quarter.

WASHINGTON — Call it the big information chill, looming across the military and intelligence communities. After the massive Afghan war data spill by WikiLeaks, some veteran intelligence officers and experts are calling for a tightening of access to information and more monitoring in the spy community’s lower levels.
They’re blaming … Read more >>.

more images

Softbank profits fall in April-June on heavy taxes
TOKYO — Softbank Corp., which runs the only Japanese mobile carrier to offer the iPhone and iPad, said Thursday that its businesses prospered during the April-June quarter, but net profit fell 29 percent as it booked large tax expenses.
The Tokyo-based Internet and communications conglomerate said it …. Original source  : Japan iPhone carrier Softbank says business soared in April-June but profits fell due to taxes.

more images

Indian outsourcer HCL quarterly profit up 6.9 pct
MUMBAI, India — Indian outsourcer HCL Technologies Ltd. said quarterly profit grew 6.9 percent in dollar terms, beating expectations on strong global demand for software services despite weaker European currencies and rising staff costs.
A war for talent among India’s outsourcers is pinching margins as companies offer … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Indian outsourcer HCL Technologies quarterly profit up 6.9 percent to $74M on strong demand.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration reportedly wants to make it easier for the FBI to obtain records on individual Internet activities without first obtaining a court order when it involves terrorism or intelligence investigations.
The Washington Post reported on its website Wednesday night that the administration wants to add to …. Read the original article  : here.

more images

Summary Box: Amazon hopes new Kindles stoke sales
KINDLE GETS UPDATED: Amazon will start selling a smaller, lighter version of its Kindle electronic reader that can download books wirelessly over 3G cellular networks and over Wi-Fi for $189. A Wi-Fi-only version will cost $139.
PRICE COMPARISONS: The $139 Kindle will be $10 cheaper than Barnes …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Summary Box: Amazon CEO hopes new Kindles, including a model costing $139, stoke sales.

more images

Amazon CEO hopes new Kindles stoke sales
SEATTLE — Jeff Bezos isn’t just confident you’ll want a Kindle e-book reader. The CEO of Amazon.com is bracing for a future in which you’ll also want ones for your kid heading to college, your spouse in a book club and perhaps even Grandpa.
And despite increased competition …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Amazon says that it will start shipping the latest Kindle to customers on Aug. 27. It is 21 percent smaller … Original source on Gaea Times at : Amazon CEO hopes new Kindles, including a version costing $139, stoke desire for e-reader.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Akamai Technologies Inc., which makes Web traffic management technology, said Wednesday that David W. Kenny will take the job as company president starting Sept. 7.
Currently, CEO Paul Sagan is also Akamai’s president.
Kenny, 48, has been member of Akamai’s board since 2007.
He was most recently managing …. Original source  : Akamai names digital advertising veteran and board member Kenny next president.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Symantec Corp. said Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter net income more than doubled, but revenue missed Wall Street’s expectations in part because corporate customers were still cautious about spending on technology.
Symantec also projected fiscal second-quarter results below analyst estimates, and investors sent shares of …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Symantec posts higher fiscal 1st-qtr income but sees ‘continued cautiousness’ in IT spending.

Researchers from Stanford University earlier this month reported in Nature that they had found a marker, CD271, that identified a somewhat unique population of cells that could produce melanoma in highly immunocompromised mice; anywhere from 2.5 percent to 41 percent of cells in their human tumor samples expressed the marker. In additional experiments using similar mice on which human skin was engrafted, only tumor cells with the marker could produce tumors and metastases in the mice. (In his lab, Dr. Morrison noted, the same marker did not differentiate tumor-forming from nontumor-forming cells.)

The publication about CD271 is: Human melanoma-initiating cells express neural crest nerve growth factor receptor CD271 by Alexander D Boiko and 11 colleagues, Nature 2010(Jul 1); 466(7302): 133-7. [PubMed citation].

Comments: The sentence: “In his lab, Dr. Morrison noted, the same marker did not differentiate tumor-forming from nontumor-forming cells” is noteworthy. Why the difference in results for CD271?

The publication by Boiko and co-authors was cited in a previous post to this blog, “Melanoma-initiating cells identified“, dated July 1, 2010.

See also an earlier post to this blog, “Tumorigenic cells not rare in human melanoma“, dated December 3, 2008.