2008-01

The Council of the Association of Bulgarian Engineers in Canada ABEC had a meeting on January 13, 2008 in the big Hall of the Bulgarian Cathedral “Sts.Cyril and Methody”.

· The Next ABEC General Meeting will take place on March 16, 2008 – Sunday starting at 12 – noon, in the lower Hall of the Bulgarian Cathedral “Sts. Cyril and Methody”. During the scheduled meeting, the Association’s Activity Report will be presented and the new members representing ABEC’s Council for the next two years will be elected.

· On February 10, 2008 - Sunday from 12.00 – noon, in the lower Hall of the Bulgarian Cathedral “Sts. Cyril and Methody” will be Lecture from

Every attendee will be provided with a full set of documents necessary to ask for a quotation for Group Benefits coverage.

The presentation will consist of Power Point Presentation (20 Min) and Q&A session.

We are confident that the subject will be of great interest for many ABEC’s Members.

Please refer to your local EI and Employment Ontario Office for information on a technical courses and new*** Programs for Internationally Educated Engineers and especially for Electronic and Electrical Engineers.

Skills for Change is a United Way Member Agency

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791 St. Clair Avenue West · Toronto, Ontario · P 416.658.3101 · F 416.658.

This list is ours – ABEC’s and is the product of many hours of volunteer work collecting

and organizing information for the benefits of our newcomers Colleagues- Bulgarian Engineers.

Japan will push for a year after 1990 to be used as the reference point for greenhouse emission cuts in a post-Kyoto deal as chair of the G8 summit in July, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Saturday.

The Kyoto Protocol requires major developed nations to slash emissions causing global warming by an average of five percent from 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

"The base year should ... be reviewed from the standpoint of equity. Without equity, it will be impossible to maintain efforts and solidarity over the long term," Fukuda said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Japan's Kyodo News had reported on Monday that Japan wanted to change the base year for emissions cuts to 2000.

Moving the goalposts might help bring India and China -- whose emissions shot up between 1990 and 2000 -- on board in a new deal, although such a change is likely to come up against stiff opposition from the European Union.

Representatives from 180 countries agreed a roadmap in Bali in December to agree a new pact that will slash greenhouse gas pollution after 2012, when current commitments under the Kyoto Protocol run out.

Fukuda said that climate change would be a "top priority" for Japan at the Group of Eight (G8) meeting and that he would press for a new global agreement with "fair and equitable" emissions targets involving "all major emitters."

He also said Japan would announce its own quantified national target for greenhouse gas cuts.

"As chair of the G8 summit, I am resolved to take on the responsibility in working towards the establishment of a framework in which all major emitters participate, as well as the setting of fair and equitable emissions targets.

"In order to ensure a peaking-out of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is absolutely essential to create a mechanism in which everyone participates, including, inter alia, all major emitters," Fukuda said.

Fukuda called for a new global target of a 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2020 and announced a 10-billion-dollar (seven-billion-euro) fund to help developing countries reduce emissions and cope with the impact of climate change.

Japan will also invest 50 billion dollars over the next five years in researching and developing new technologies to help in the fight against climate change and to shift Japan to a "low carbon society."

"Global environmental issues have now gone beyond the discussion stage to become real problems with significant effects on our day-to-day lives and economic activities.

"This constitutes a major new challenge to humanity, as we could be courting catastrophe in both the natural environment and our socio-economic activities if we stand by and do nothing," he said.

"We will seek to expand this low-carbon society both at home and abroad and play a leading role in transforming the globe into a low-carbon planet."

China announced plans Saturday to build nearly 100 new airports by 2020 to cater for soaring demand.

The proposals will mean eight out of every ten residents will live within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of an airport within 12 years, the General Administration of Civil Aviation said.

It put the cost of building the 97 new airports at 450 billion yuan (61.6 billion dollars).

Air traffic volume rose 16 percent to 185 million passengers in 2007, according to official figures.

The General Administration predicts passenger traffic will grow by 11.4 percent a year between now and 2020, and freight traffic by 14 percent.

The number of airports serving more than 30 million passengers a year will rise from three now to 13, it said.

Qatar Airways has agreed to work to power its aircraft with fuel that has lower emissions than current jet fuel.

The agreement with other groups from the aviation, fuel and educational sectors was announced Sunday, The East African reported.

Qatar Airways operates daily flights from Nairobi and Dar es Salaam to Doha with connections to more than 80 destinations.

The airline also has two freighter services every week between Nairobi and Doha.

The airline could become the first commercial airline in the world to operate flights using gas-to-liquids kerosene fuel. The technology is seen as more environmentally friendly.

A letter of intent was signed to investigate the possible fuel-related benefits of using synthetic jet fuels to power aviation turbine engines.

Qatar Airways has been joined by Qatar Petroleum, Shell, Airbus, Rolls Royce, Qatar Science and Technology Park and Qatar fuel company Woqod in the intensive study to be carried out over the next few years.

"There is a huge movement lobbying for the reduction of carbon emissions to make for a cleaner and safer environment," said chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker. "The aviation industry has been at the center of this highly topical debate. We as industry leaders are committed to this cause."

New Research Could Help Reverse the Biological Clock for Dementia Patients

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2008) — Medical experts in the North-East of England believe they could have found the key to turning back the brain’s biological clock and reverse the effects of dementia and memory loss.

Pioneering research at the University of Sunderland has shown that regular exposure to safe low level infra-red light can improve learning performance and kick-start the cognitive function of the brain.

The results are a scientific breakthrough as to date medical treatments for dementia can only slow down brain deterioration and now human trials are to start to see if the treatment could provide a cure to illnesses like Alzheimer's.

Independent research carried out at Sunderland has demonstrated that low power infra-red (1072nm) can improve the learning performance.

The low levels of infra-red light used are completely safe and occur naturally in sunlight. They are currently being used in innovative new machines for the treatment of cold sores, which have been approved for NHS prescription.

Experts claim that early stage dementia patients should see an improvement in their cognitive function within four weeks, by wearing a lightweight helmet in their home for just ten minutes a day.

Human testing of the ground-breaking infra-red treatment on the brain is due to start this summer and medical experts hope this will halt and even reverse the effects of dementia.

The new infra-red device was created by Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of Virulite – a medical research company based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham – which is also behind the innovative cold sore machine.

He came up with the idea of using a safe level of infra red light on the human brain after it had proved effective in the treatment of cold sores – a process that relies on boosting the cells within the body responsible for killing the virus, rather than attacking it.

Dr Dougal said: “The implications of this research at the University of Sunderland are enormous – so much so that in the future, we could be able to affect and change the rate at which our bodies age.

“As we get older, cells stop repairing themselves and we age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves. This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions, for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance.

“But what if there was a technology that told the cells to repair themselves and that technology was something as simple as a specific wavelength of light? Near infrared light penetrates human tissues relatively well, even penetrating the human skull, just as sunlight passes through frosted glass.”

Dr Dougal, who claims that ten minutes of exposure to the infrared light daily would have the desired effect on the brain, added: “Currently all you can do with dementia is to slow down the rate of decay – this new process will not only stop that rate of decay but partially reverse it.”

The research by University of Sunderland neuroscientist, Dr Abdel Ennaceur has led Dr Dougal to arrange clinical trials with patients with age related memory problems.”

Fellow neuroscientist Paul Chazot, who helped carry out the research, added: “The treatment can indeed improve learning ability. The results are completely new – this has never been looked at before.

“Dr Dougal’s treatment might have some potential in improving learning in a human situation by delivering infra red through the thinnest parts of the skull to get maximum access to the brain.”

Further research work will continue in this area, funded by CELS, who support Healthcare research and development in universities, hospitals and companies within the North East of England.

Researchers in the College of Optical Sciences are developing "smart eyeglasses" that can switch focus from distance to close-up in a blink of the eye. These visionary new lenses will focus electroactively, much like an auto-focus camera. This is good news for most folks over 40 - no more bifocals. As we age, our eyes lose flexibility, making it difficult to shift focus from distant to near objects. These high-tech lenses will adjust automatically as you look around. Seeing is believing.

For 45 years the UA Museum of Art has exhibited 26 panels of the 15th-century Spanish Retablo of Ciudad Rodrigo. Only recently did hidden messages begin to emerge from beneath the paint. Preliminary x-ray and infrared tests confirmed there are written instructions on the panels. Advanced technology may reveal secrets about the pigments and process used by artist Fernando Gallego and his associates. Donated to the UA in 1961, the massive Retablo – among the world's finest examples of Spanish Medieval religious art – is now undergoing analysis at two museums in Texas.

HeartNet

Calgary cardiac team performs first HeartNet™ procedure in Canada

A Calgary Health Region cardiac team performed the first Canadian HeartNet™ operation at the Foothills Medical Centre this week. The HeartNet is an elastic nickel titanium net placed around the heart. It is designed to stop or control enlargement of the heart, and alleviate the symptoms of advanced heart failure, which can include extreme fatigue, swelling in the extremities, and shortness of breath.

The procedure is part of an international clinical research study being led by Dr. Debra Isaac, a clinical associate professor of medicine, University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine, and a Calgary Health Region cardiologist. A team from the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, including Dr. Isaac and Drs. Paul Fedak and Jehangir Appoo, cardiac surgeons, implanted the device in one-hour surgical procedure on Wednesday, January 16, 2008. Calgarian Maggie Thiesen, the first Canadian to have the HeartNet implanted, says, “I am looking forward to moving around without feeling out-of-breath all the time.”

“This surgery creates what we call 'passive restraint' - it doesn't constrict the heart, but prevents it from getting larger, which is common for patients with congestive heart failure,” says Dr. Isaac. “For people like Maggie, this can drastically improve quality of life - all with minimally invasive surgery.”

Heart failure affects half a million Canadians with almost 50,000 new diagnoses annually. Heart failure was the primary cause or a contributor to nearly 25,000 deaths in Canada in 2002.

New funding will support underground lab operations as SNOLAB nears completion

Sudbury (Ontario) - Officials at SNOLAB, Canada's premier astroparticle physics underground research facility are very pleased by the announcement of $17.9 million in provincial funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, made by Minister John Wilkinson yesterday morning. Dr. Tony Noble, SNOLAB Director, points out that this funding is essential as SNOLAB reaches its completion milestone later this year and commences operations. "We can now proceed with our final plans for commissioning the laboratory and arranging a schedule for the new experiments" said Dr. Noble.

"SNOLAB is a world renowned facility that attracts researchers from around the globe to Sudbury," said MPP for Sudbury Rick Bartolucci. "This project will further enhance SNOLAB's international reputation and ensure that the Sudbury region can attract and retain the top research talent, and skilled workforce that northern Ontario needs to prosper in the 21st century."

With its laboratories at the greatest depth in the world, SNOLAB has attracted great interest from research groups around the world seeking the lowest background sites for next generation versions of their experiments. Said Dr. David Sinclair, Director of SNOLAB development, "The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) experiment has given Sudbury a world-wide profile in the particle physic community, and SNOLAB researchers will have key roles in a group of new experiments which are scheduled to be installed here in the years ahead". Dr. Fraser Duncan, Associate Director of SNOLAB is pleased with the great progress made by the excavation and construction teams in bringing this 3000 square meter addition to the SNO laboratory very close to completion. "We will shortly establish cleanroom environments in many laboratory rooms and should have experiment installations beginning later this year. I congratulate our team members for their remarkable progress in this challenging work over the past four years", said Dr. Duncan.

As SNOLAB is completed and hosts new frontier experiments in astroparticle physics, unique research opportunities will be provided for scientists and graduate students at SNOLAB’s partner institutions and the potential for new discoveries is high. Up to the minute information on the laboratory is available at www.snolab.ca http://www.laurentian.ca/Laurentian/Home/News/Home/SNOLAB+23jan08.htm

Rock Fracture Dynamics Lab Opens

Earthquakes, volcanoes, water, mining and radioactive waste can all impact rock strength and stability. Now, a cutting-edge facility at the University of Toronto will help researchers accurately understand and predict how rocks will react to these different types of stress. The new Rock Fracture Dynamics Laboratory is the only laboratory in the world where rock samples can be tested under true earth-like stress and temperature conditions while imaging deformation.

“The facility enables us to perform geophysical imaging on samples of rocks so we can now visualize what’s going on inside the rock as it is happening,” says Professor Paul Young, Keck Chair of Seismology and Rock Mechanics and vice president (research) at the University of Toronto. “It will also boost partnerships and be a strong catalyst for collaboration with the top international researchers in the fields of rock mechanics and geophysics.”

A key part of the facility is the advanced computer system called the high performance computing cluster consisting of 64 quad-core 64-bit processors and 4-8GB RAM per processor. In near-real time, the computing cluster processes and displays results from 400 megabytes of data being collected from geophysical acquisition computers. As well as experimental data processing for imaging, it will allow much larger and higher resolution models to be produced then ever before.

The laboratory was made possible through $5 million funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Ontario Innovation Trust, Ontario Ministry of Research and innovation and the U.S. Keck Foundation as well as industry contributions including MTS Systems Corporation, Dell Canada Inc, and Microsoft.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2008) — Istanbul is at such high risk for a devastating earthquake that engineers at Purdue University and the Republic of Turkey have come up with a bold new proposal: build a second city.

A computerized visualization of a new satellite city of Istanbul features a cluster of buildings arranged to form a Selcuk star, a traditional Turkish symbol. Purdue researchers have worked with Turkish officials to plan a future city that would be earthquake resistant and offer refuge if a major earthquake hits Istanbul, which experts say is likely. (Credit: Purdue image/Nicoletta Adamo-Villani)

A second, satellite city would provide immediate refuge to inhabitants of the old city in the event of a catastrophic earthquake and soften such an event's effects on the nation's economy.

Purdue researchers have created a 3-D fly-through animation showing what the proposed new city would look like. The five-minute animation was produced using new technology developed by the Office of Information Technology at Purdue.

Mete Sozen, Purdue's Kettelhut Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, says building a satellite city from scratch has several advantages.

"It is exciting to think about building a new city using completely new technologies," he says. It would use modern information technologies and be environmentally friendly. It would be safe, secure and modern. But more important is that this city would provide a refuge and emergency services in the event of an earthquake."

With some cities around the world at risk from rising ocean waters caused by global climate change or from natural disasters, Sozen says building cities in new locations may become common in coming decades.

The animation of the future Turkish city was created in two months by using the TeraGrid, a National Science Foundation-funded research computing grid. Purdue is one of 11 research institutions that comprise TeraGrid, which is the world's largest open science computing grid. The animation was rendered using the TeraGrid Distributed Rendering Environment, or TeraDRE, developed by research scientists in Information Technology at Purdue.

Istanbul, which lies just north of the North Anatolian fault, is at high risk for a major earthquake within the next 30 years.

"All of the seismic and historical evidence says a major earthquake is overdue," says Sozen, who led an international effort in 2005 to evaluate the risk of such a catastrophe.

That group concluded that it is likely an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 to 7.5 on the Richter scale would occur within the next three decades.

Such an earthquake would be especially devastating to Istanbul. Many of the city's buildings were not constructed to withstand earthquakes and, in fact, Sozen says many buildings were constructed with little regard for modern building standards.

The Council of the Association of Bulgarian Engineers in Canada is bringing to the attention of all Bulgarian Engineers in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, the signed Agreement between TD Meloche Monnex and the Coalition “European Engineers”. The Coalition is formed from the Associations of Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian and Hungarian Engineers in Canada.

The Group Insurance Affinity Agreement provided to “European Engineers” by Meloche Monnex allows the Members to participate at preferred group rates to obtain home, automobile, travel and small business (micro enterprise) insurance coverage for the members, their spouses and children living at home.

See - http://www.melochemonnex.com -- “We'd like to introduce you to the logical solution in home and auto insurance. TD Meloche Monnex partners with more than 250 associations, offering professionals and alumni preferred group rates*, high-quality insurance products and exceptional service. Your special status gets you outstanding value! To discover more about your insurance coverage options with TD Meloche Monnex, visit our website and get a free online quote now.”

The program conditions, administration, marketing, confidentiality, indemnifications are similar for all professional and alumni association programs (CIM, PEO).

The TD Meloche Monnex home and auto program offered to groups is underwritten by Security National Insurance Company and distributed by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. Due to provincial legislation, the automobile insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. The group auto insurance rates are not applicable in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island

Please note that we are in the process of preparing an “Eligibility List” for Meloche Monnex. Only Members of ABEC in good standing will have their name activated into the group of the “European Engineer”. To be a Member of ABEC you must possess a Degree from Technical Engineering Universities and paid-up membership fees of 50 dollars CDN.

Please communicate this announcement to your friends, colleagues and compatriots, so more Bulgarian Engineers could use this Insurance Program.

The Bulgarian Engineers are highly knowledgeable professionals working with honesty, competence and integrity all over the world.

Membership fee, due for 2008 year is $50 per year. Please send your cheque (making it payable to ABEC) to our Treasurer Eng. Tonya Bojkova at the address: