Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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University Rises 12 Places in National Science Foundation Ranking

Based on research expenditures of $366.9 million in 2007, Virginia Tech ranked 42nd out of 662 universities nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Info Brief for the fiscal year 2007. In fiscal year 2006, Virginia Tech ranked 54 th , with total research and development expenditures of $321.7 million.

Virginia Tech's growth comes despite a slowdown in federal support for academic research in science and engineering. The federal government remains the largest source of academic research and development funding, accounting for more than 60 percent of total research and development expenditures.

Virginia Tech is well positioned to continue to move forward as predicted by the proposals researchers submitted to funding agencies in 2008. The numbers of proposals submitted have remained constant, but the average amount requested has increased from $300,000 to $400,000.

Last year, several multimillion dollar, multidiscipline proposals and collaborations were established with other universities, and new proposals are continuing that trend, in keeping with the university's strategic plan to do interdisciplinary research in target areas of critical interest to the state and the nation, such as energy, health, and security.

Various breakdowns:

Examples of research projects that began in 2007 are:

The Army Research Office awarded a Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) grant, potentially worth $7.5 million, to develop electromechanical devices and high-performance membranes using ionic liquids. Applications include fuel cell membranes and stimuli-responsive materials for micro sensors and smart clothes. Membranes can also be created that will bend, stretch, or change shape in response to a low voltage, like an artificial muscle.

The Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine received the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program award to look at how a genetically modified variant of Avian Newcastle disease virus can treat human prostate cancer.

Expenditures include research projects sponsored by state and federal agencies, private foundations, and industry, as well as institutional and state investment in research, both direct and indirect. Institutional investment includes equipment and utilities, while state investment includes salaries and facilities.

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  Clarinol CLA is Now GRAS approved

Lipid Nutrition, a global leader in lipid-based health ingredients, announces that its Clarinol CLA is now GRAS approved. Clarinol CLA is the premier brand of conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid hailed as the big weight management ingredient for functional foods.

The FDA has issued a “no-objection letter” to the GRAS petition for Clarinol CLA, confirming its GRAS status in application.  The GRAS petition determined that Clarinol CLA can safely be used in fluid and flavored milks, yogurts, milk-based meal replacements, meal replacement bars, soy milk and fruit-juice applications.

"This latest success for Clarinol CLA further supports Lipid Nutrition's commitment to scientifically based ingredients that provides healthy benefits for consumers,” says Katinka Abbenbroek, chief executive officer of Lipid Nutrition. “Clarinol CLA is the most effective and application friendly CLA on the market for reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle that a food or dairy company could include in their product lines."

With GRAS approval for Clarinol CLA, food companies are now in the position to add this ingredient to their products and make unique and marketable claims around reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle based on a body of clinical science that spans more than 20 years. Consumer interest in CLA has increased due to the accumulated research on the importance of body fat reduction and lean muscle mass with regards to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“Clarinol CLA provides an exceptional opportunity for American food companies to differentiate themselves on a crowded grocery store shelf or refrigerated dairy section of the store,” Abbenbroek says. “It currently is one of the only weight-management ingredients available for functional foods which make it very unique in the market place.”

 A clinical trial with Clarinol CLA published in the April 2007 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition clearly established that Clarinol CLA reduced fat mass in specific locations on the body, such as the abdomen and thighs. The Clarinol CLA supplemented group demonstrated fat mass reduction after three months. This further supports the existing body of evidence which provides a strong basis for a weight management claim on consumer packaging.

Clarinol CLA is available in both a liquid and a powder form. This allows a food or dairy company more possibilities to integrate the weight management benefits of Clarinol CLA into different types of applications.

Additionally, Clarinol CLA won the prestigious award for Best Slimming Ingredient in 2005 in France organized by the international scientific organization International Society for Antioxidant in Nutrition and Health.

Lipid Nutrition is a global leader in the supply of scientifically sound lipid ingredients from natural origin, which improve and maintain health and well-being. The multi-awarded company holds a strong position in weight management products like Clarinol CLA and PinnoThin, a next-generation appetite suppressant. Next to weight management, Lipid Nutrition offers a variety of branded products like Marinol concentrated fish oils for heart health and brain development, and Betapol human milk fat replacer for infant nutrition.