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Capella University Master's in IT Online Degree Program Offers New Business Analysis Specialization

Online university currently offers the only online graduate specialization in business analysis

MINNEAPOLIS-- April 28, 2008 --Capella University (www.capella.edu), an accredited*, online university based in Minneapolis, announced the launch of a Business Analysis specialization within its Master of Science in Information Technology online degree program. The new specialization is designed to meet the growing need for business analysts, IT professionals who help define business requirements and translate them into IT solutions.

With businesses increasingly relying on technology in nearly every aspect of their operations, business analysts with the skills to bridge those two areas are in high demand, according to CIO.com's 2008 list of "The Hottest Jobs in Technology."

"Business analysis requires a full understanding of both business and IT systems in order to bridge the two and develop comprehensive IT solutions that meet enterprise-wide business needs," said Kurt Linberg, PhD, dean of Capella's School of Business and Technology. "These are critical positions within a business, yet only 13 universities offer graduate-level degree programs in business or computer systems analysis, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). None of programs listed by NCES are online, and we believe that busy IT professionals will welcome the opportunity to gain deeper business analysis skills in Capella's online master's degree program."

The curriculum for Capella's Business Analysis specialization is based on the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) from the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) and offers a broad IT education that pulls from both business and IT-specific knowledge areas. The specialization also leverages the expertise of Capella's scholar-practitioner faculty from the university's School of Business and Technology and complements the university's comprehensive project management offerings. The university's portfolio of graduate and undergraduate IT degree and certificate programs currently numbers more than 25 specializations, including five in project management.

Capella is now accepting enrollment applications for its Master of Science in IT, Business Analysis specialization. For more information, please call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552), option 3, or e-mail info@capella.edu. Review of this specialization is pending in AR, AZ, KY, OH, SC, and WA.

About Capella University

Founded in 1993, Capella University is an accredited*, fully online university that offers graduate degree programs in business, information technology, education, human services, psychology, public health, and public safety, and bachelor's degree programs in business, information technology, and public safety. Within those areas, Capella currently offers 104 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 15 certificate programs. The online university currently serves more than 22,000 students from all 50 states and 45 countries. It is committed to providing high-caliber academic excellence and pursuing balanced business growth. Capella University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capella Education Company headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please visit www.capella.edu or call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552).

*Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org.

Capella University, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552), www.capella.edu.

Contacts

Capella University
Media Contact:
Irene Silber, 612-977-4132
irene.silber@capella.edu

# posted by (hris @ 11:30 PM 0 comments

New Implantable Device Designed to Lower High Blood Pressure May Offer Hope for Millions of Patients

Early Hypertension Clinical Trial Results Show Significant Reduction in High Blood Pressure

May - Hypertension Awareness Month - Recognizes High Blood Pressure as a Top Risk Factor for Stroke, Heart and Kidney Disease

-- April 28, 2008 --CVRx:

WHAT: May is Hypertension Awareness Month, and a new device for high blood pressure now in clinical trials is showing promise for treating U.S. hypertension (high blood pressure) patients whose condition is not controlled by drugs. Rheos® Hypertension (HT) Therapy is the only implantable device designed to lower high blood pressure. It uses the body's natural blood pressure sensor (the baroreflex) to reduce blood pressure. Early hypertension clinical trial results showed a 39 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure at one year of use. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke, heart and kidney disease.

The Rheos HT Therapy is designed to electrically activate the carotid baroreceptors, the body's natural pressure sensors. When the baroreceptors are activated, signals are sent through the neural pathways to the brain and interpreted as a rise in blood pressure. The brain works to counteract this perceived rise in blood pressure by sending signals to various parts of the body-including the blood vessels, heart and kidneys. The Rheos HT System was developed by Minneapolis-based CVRx, Inc. (www.cvrx.com). The Rheos pivotal trial is currently under way. To learn more about the trial, patients can call 1-(888) 8BP-RISK (1-888-827-7475) or visit www.bloodpressuretrial.com.

WHY: Hypertension affects approximately 73 million people in the United States alone. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and causes an estimated one in eight deaths worldwide. Each incremental increase of 20 mmHg in systolic blood pressure or 10 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure above normal levels is associated with a two-fold increase in death rates from stroke, coronary heart disease and other vascular causes.

According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 25 percent of people with hypertension cannot control their high blood pressure, despite the use of multiple medications. These patients may not respond to drugs, or they may not be able to maintain their complex medication regimens. Early Rheos HT clinical results have shown the device has the potential to significantly reduce blood pressure in patients who cannot control their blood pressure with medications. One-year results from 13 patients showed a 39 mmHg average decrease in systolic blood pressure and a 26 mmHg average decrease in diastolic blood pressure.

HYPERTENSION STROKE FACTS:

May is Hypertension Awareness Month, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In the United States:

    * High blood pressure is the number one stroke risk factor and accounts for an estimated 70 percent of all strokes. It is also one of the most important controllable risk factors for stroke prevention.
    * Stroke is the number three cause of death.
    * Twice as many women die from stroke each year than from breast cancer.
    * Approximately 750,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year and 80 percent of strokes are considered preventable, according to the National Stroke Association.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

    * Rheos study physicians
    * Nadim Yared, president and CEO of CVRx

ADDITIONAL EVENTS DURING HYPERTENSION AWARENESS MONTH:

    * May 4: ISHIB Worship Site Health Education Program (WSHEP)
    * May 17: World Hypertension Day

CVRx BACKGROUND AND MEDIA KIT: CVRx is a private company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information and a media kit, visit www.cvrx.com.

* CAUTION: The CVRx Rheos System is an investigational device and is limited by Federal law to investigational use only.

CVRx, Rheos, Baroreflex Activation Therapy, and BAT are registered trademarks of CVRx, Inc. © CVRx, Inc. 2008.

Contacts

CVRx
John Brintnall, 763-416-2853
Chief Financial Officer
jbrintnall@cvrx.com
Mary McGrory-Usset, 651-308-8225
Corporate Communications
mmcgroryusset@comcast.net
or
Padilla Speer Beardsley
Nancy Johnson, 612-455-1745
njohnson@psbpr.com
Nick Banovetz, 612-455-1705
nbanovetz@psbpr.com

# posted by (hris @ 9:40 AM 0 comments

SurModics Purchases Additional Facility to Expand Brookwood Pharmaceuticals' Development and Manufacturing Capacity

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.-- April 23, 2008 --SurModics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRDX), a leading provider of surface modification and drug delivery technologies to the healthcare industry, announced today that its Brookwood Pharmaceuticals subsidiary, located in Birmingham, Alabama, has acquired an additional facility in the Birmingham area. This new facility will expand Brookwood's capacity for research and development activities and clinical manufacturing in support of customer projects. Additionally, the building will be SurModics' corporate center for commercial GMP manufacturing of drug delivery products for pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers.

"Customer interest in Brookwood Pharmaceuticals' drug delivery technologies and product development and manufacturing capabilities has never been stronger, as evidenced by the record revenue reported from Brookwood in the second quarter of fiscal 2008," said Bruce Barclay, president and CEO of SurModics. "The facility expansion we are announcing today is designed to support this growing interest in both R&D and manufacturing services at Brookwood, and serves to highlight the strength of our business and the optimism we have in its future. In addition, we plan to manufacture the late-stage clinical trial and commercial I-vationT TA Intravitreal Implant product for our customer Merck & Co., Inc. in this facility. With an anticipated total investment of approximately $30 million in the facility and associated renovation, we will be constructing a world-class facility to develop and manufacture drug delivery products to improve patient outcomes around the world."

"Our pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers work with Brookwood specifically because of our drug delivery technology and capabilities, as well as our commitment to manufacture clinical and commercial product on their behalf," noted Arthur J. Tipton, Ph.D., vice president of SurModics and president of Brookwood Pharmaceuticals. "When this expansion is complete, we will be fully equipped to help customers with product development and supply at every stage from early feasibility to production of marketed products. We have been evaluating various facility options over the past year, and have received tremendous support at the city, county and state levels. This particular building was selected because it will accommodate the manufacturing of large-scale pharmaceutical products needed by our customers. If customer projects continue to progress as expected and we maintain our execution against the business plan, Brookwood's employee population could reach roughly 300 over the next three to five years."

"This is great news for Alabama," said Governor of Alabama Bob Riley. "Alabama has been making great strides in the biotech and research industry. We are becoming one of the fastest growing areas in the country for biotech research. Brookwood's decision to expand here will help us to recruit some of the brightest researchers in the country to our state. In addition, Alabama already has in place a dedicated and well-trained workforce. We are pleased to be a part of this exciting new industry."

"We are delighted that Brookwood Pharmaceuticals will expand with a new production facility in our community. This is a great example of cooperation between the city, county and state in efforts to support Brookwood in their expansion," commented Bettye Fine Collins, president, Jefferson County Commission in Birmingham.

"I am excited with Brookwood's expansion in Jefferson County and elated at the cooperation of state, county, and city entities to produce this significant achievement. Brookwood's leading position in the polymer-based drug delivery industry is a definite asset to our community. The new jobs created by Brookwood will broaden the county's employment opportunities in the higher wage technology sector I have long advocated as vital to growth in Jefferson County," said Jim Carns, Jefferson County commissioner and chairman of the Committee of Economic Development in Birmingham.

"With the expansion of Brookwood Pharmaceuticals, the Oxmoor area becomes the city's high-tech corridor," said Larry Langford, mayor of Birmingham. "This gives us a major recruiting tool as we work with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to enhance our pharmaceutical research and manufacturing role. We are very pleased that Brookwood and SurModics chose Birmingham as an expansion site and we look forward to working with them for many years to come."

Brookwood was a subsidiary of Southern Research Institute until the acquisition by SurModics in July 2007. Jack Secrist, CEO of Southern Research said, "We are delighted that Brookwood is undertaking this important expansion. Additional facilities needs were an integral part of our discussions during the transaction and we are pleased to see SurModics making this major investment in our community."

The pre-existing facility, with both office and warehouse space, is located at 750 Lakeshore Parkway in Birmingham and is less than one-half mile from Brookwood's current headquarters. Build-out to support a number of existing programs is planned immediately. Additional expansion, as dictated by business growth over the next several years, will allow for eventual consolidation of all of Brookwood's operations into this facility. When completed, SurModics expects direct support from the state and local governments of several million dollars. In addition, the investments in the facility will qualify the Company for other tax incentives.

About SurModics, Inc.

SurModics, Inc. is a leading provider of surface modification and drug delivery technologies to the healthcare industry. SurModics partners with the world's foremost medical device, pharmaceutical and life science companies to develop and commercialize innovative products that result in improved patient outcomes. Core offerings include: drug delivery technologies (coatings, microparticles, and implants); surface modification coating technologies that impart lubricity, prohealing, and biocompatibility capabilities; and components for in vitro diagnostic test kits and specialized surfaces for cell culture and microarrays. Collaborative efforts include a sustained drug delivery system in human trials for treatment of retinal disease and the drug delivery polymer matrix on the first-to-market drug-eluting coronary stent. SurModics is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and its Brookwood Pharmaceuticals subsidiary is located in Birmingham, Alabama. Brookwood is a product-focused drug-delivery company with technologies in long-acting parenteral formulations -- injectable microparticles and injectable solid implants -- for the delivery of peptides, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and other biological macromolecules. For more information about the company, visit www.surmodics.com. The content of SurModics' website is not part of this release or part of any filings the company makes with the SEC.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the following: (1) realizing the full potential benefits of the company's agreement with Merck requires the development of new products and applications of technology; (2) costs or difficulties relating to the integration of Brookwood Pharmaceuticals with SurModics' business may be greater than expected and may adversely affect the company's results of operations and financial condition; (3) difficulties in bringing our facilities into compliance with GMP or other applicable regulatory standards may adversely impact our ability to manufacture and supply products, or perform other services for our customers which may adversely affect the company's business, financial condition, and results of operations; (4) our reliance on third parties, developments in the regulatory environment, as well as market and economic conditions, may adversely affect our business operations and profitability; and (5) other factors identified under "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, and updated in our subsequent reports filed with the SEC. These reports are available in the Investors section of our website at www.surmodics.com and at the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

Contacts

SurModics, Inc.
Maggie Knack, 952-829-2700
Director, Investor Relations

# posted by (hris @ 4:35 PM 0 comments

Business credit services company Business-Tradlines.com comments on business owners seeking investment capital and corporate credit under FICO 08.

Little Rock, AR  -  April 15, 2008 -- Business-Tradlines.com, an online business credit services company, fears FICO 08 will not stop scammers from preying on businesses seeking investment capital. Corporate credit seekers will still face tradeline fraud, despite the good intentions of FICO 08, according to Business-Tradelines.com.
 
"What you should understand about scammers is they prey on desperation. And they are very creative, too. If it's not one form of scam, it's another," says Adam Stevens, Managing Director of Business-Tradelines.com.

The major challenge to small business owners is lack of credit history and thus, a low credit score, if any. This prevents them from taking out a loan or a line of credit. Corporate credit lenders typically only lend large amounts to businesses with good personal credit scores. Business-Tradelines.com offers a program that will allow small business owners to bypass the FICO credit scoring system and leverage business credit scores into maximum funding.

Scammers who purport to offer business tradelines often guarantee a business credit score of 80 almost instantly. Stevens says the key to knowing if a business tradeline is a scam is the sense of urgency presented on its Web site.

FICO 08, as an updated credit scoring system, completely disregards authorized user accounts in calculating credit scores, Stevens says. This slight adjustment in scoring is expected to affect millions of Americans who are banking on authorized user accounts to boost credit scores. Stevens fears FICO 08 might just give birth to a new form of scam.

"Aside from tradelines, the only other option for small businessmen is to personally guarantee the loans of their businesses. Now there is a growing awareness of how dangerous this is. We can really expect new business owners to seek out options other than personal loans and, as I said, scammers can be creative," Stevens said.

About Business-Tradelines.com
Business Tradelines helps take companies to the next level by providing the tradeline resources and business credit services necessary for business financing. New and existing business owners can learn about the next generation in corporate credit strategies by visiting http://business-tradelines.com/.

Press Contact: Adam Stevens
Company Name: Investor Technologies
Phone: 866-628-5187
Website: http://business-tradelines.com/

# posted by (hris @ 10:20 PM 0 comments

Survey completed in February shows 98% of small rural businesses are handling their marketing on their own, without the assistance of a marketing specialist. Canadian Bankers Association recommends small businesses outsource their marketing communications to a professional advisor. Rural small business is most at risk of failure according to Department of Industry figures, yet this group has not recognized the value of professional marketing advisors.

Alvinston, ON  -  April 2, 2008 -- Rural small businesses face more challenges than urban or suburban businesses and often struggle with marketing their goods and services. The Canadian Bankers Association recommends small businesses find a marketing communications specialist when they are setting up their business, just as they would find a lawyer and an accountant. However, a survey recently conducted by Mormac Brand Re-engineering showed 98 percent of small rural business are handling marketing on their own.

Mormac Brand Re-engineering has recently opened an office in Alvinston Ontario, a community with less than 1,000 citizens. Mormac offers the full spectrum of marketing communications services to rural and small business clients across Canada.

"We're really dedicated to rural and small business," explained Wendy MacQueen, owner of Mormac Brand Re-engineering. "I've always lived in the country or in a small town and have watched so many businesses fail because they tried to handle their marketing without getting a marketing specialist involved."

Ms. MacQueen has over 25 years of experience in marketing communications and has received awards at international and national levels for her work. She has worked with clients in the franchise, financial, retail, manufacturing, medical and agricultural fields.

"So often, companies are trying to do their own marketing without any training or experience. They can miss opportunities that a career marketer would see," Ms. MacQueen added. "We work with businesses at any level. Marketing is more than just putting an advertisement in the paper or on the radio. It's everything that touches your customers. We can just consult, or we can handle full campaigns and everything in between."

Through a network of marketing professionals spanning all the marketing communications disciplines, Mormac builds unique talented teams for each client to meet their specific needs.

"Many small to medium-sized businesses need marketing expertise to drive business growth but they just can't justify a full-time person," stated Bill Jamieson, vice-president of business development at CultureWorks Inc. "As well, it is difficult to find all of the different marketing expertise required in just one or two people. Access to a group of experts, such as Mormac, and paying for them only when required is a huge advantage, strategically and for cost-control reasons."

"We call it cherry-picking the marketing talent you need, only when you need it," added Ms. MacQueen. "This often results in cost savings on marketing projects and business development."

The survey was conducted in February and the results were surprising to Ms. MacQueen.

"I knew there were quite a few business owners doing their own marketing, but I never expected to see the number at 98 percent," she said. "Being a rural small business owner is challenging enough without putting extra barriers in your way. Why would you risk your business growth by doing work you aren't trained to do?"

For more information, contact Wendy MacQueen at Mormac Brand Re-engineering, 519-898-2997 or email protected from spam bots .

Press Contact: Wendy MacQueen
Company Name: Mormac Brand Re-engineering
Phone: 519-898-2997
Website: www.mormac.ca

# posted by (hris @ 11:28 PM 0 comments