Texas Business reports:  A group of California community colleges and open-education advocates announced a partnership with the Rice University-based open-education platform Connexions and the California-based 20 Million Minds Foundation to enable their new course materials developed with a $20 million federal stimulus grant to be available free online for any educator to use, modify and tailor for their own needs.

Texas Business reports:  AMARILLO—EnergyNet promoted Chris Atherton to vice president of business development.

Texas Business reports:  A Rice University undergraduate will depart with not only a degree but also a possible patent for his invention of an efficient way to create protein libraries, an important component of biomolecular research.

Texas Business reports:  DALLAS—Tyler Technologies Inc. signed an agreement with Missouri City, Texas, to deliver its Munis enterprise resource planning (ERP) and Incode  municipal court solutions under a software as a service (SaaS) agreement that enables the city to access current technology for a low upfront investment. 

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—The eagerly anticipated and much needed expansion of Henry W. Grady Middle School was recently completed by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. for the Houston Independent School District. 

Jimmy I. Frank , Thomas L. Guy, Raymond A. Glatt, Richard E. Frankenberg, Kristan L. Dawson, Carl R. Martin and Craig Cloud of received U.S. Patent 8,079,230 for “Food Dispensing Machine.”

Texas Business Patent Of The Day: Seven Texans devised a better way for machines to give you cool refreshments. Jimmy I. Frank of Houston, Thomas L. Guy,  Raymond A. Glatt and Richard E. Frankenberg, all of San Antonio,  Kristan L. Dawson of Brookside, Carl R. Martin of Burton and Craig Cloud of New Braunfels received U.S. Patent 8,079,230 for “Food Dispensing Machine.”

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Encon Safety Products reached a marketing agreement with Guard-Dogs, Aggressive Eyewear. 

Texas Business reports:  THE WOODLANDS—Huntsman Corporation appointed Jon Huntsman, Jr. as a new director to its board.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Global NuTech, soon to be renamed Texas Gulf Energy Inc. formed a new wholly owned subsidiary named Texas Gulf Electrical & Instrumentation Inc.

Texas Business reports: Actors from the London Stage, an international touring theater troupe based in London and the University of Notre Dame, will present Shakespeare's comedy of love, "Twelfth Night," Feb. 16-18 at Rice University's Hamman Hall. 

Texas Business reports:  SUGAR LAND—CVR Partners LP, a master limited partnership and manufacturer of ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution fertilizer products, announced that Kevan A. Vick, executive vice president and fertilizer general manager for the general partner of CVR Partners LP and CVR Energy, elected to retire after more than 35 years in the fertilizer industry.

James Clifford Lewis of Tomball received U.S. Patent 8,097,152 for “Apparatus for Removal of Oil from Ice.”

Texas Business Patent Of The Day:  Despite being a resident of a state known for dust and recording breaking heat and droughts, a Texas man has developed a way to remove oil from sea ice. James Clifford Lewis of Tomball received U.S. Patent 8,097,152 for “Apparatus for Removal of Oil from Ice.”

Texas Business reports: Texas has been ranked the top exporting state in 2011 for the 10th year in a row, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Global NuTech Inc. will change its name to Texas Gulf Energy Incorporated.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON – Bassey Essien, the former co-owner of Durable Medical Equipment (DME) companies Logic World Medical and Roben Medical in Houston, was sentenced to 99 months in federal prison for defrauding the Texas Medicaid program, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

Texas Business reports: KATY—Two pro sports women's associations are teaming up to form a credit union with an educational wealth empowerment program for pro athletes and their families. 

Texas Business reports: A large portion of Galveston Bay is now open to the harvesting of oysters and other molluscan shellfish after DSHS testing in those areas shows shellfish are safe to consume. 

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Global NuTech Inc. dba Texas Gulf Energy Inc. acquired 100% of the equity interests of Texas based Fishbone Solutions Ltd.

Texas Business reports:  Among corporations involved in the 2006 stock-option backdating scandal, those implicated earlier were more likely to dismiss their top executives than those that surfaced later on, according to new research from Rice University and the University of California at Irvine.

Texas Business reports:  AUSTIN—The greater Houston area is one step closer to reduced traffic congestion for more than 2.5 million people as the Texas Department of Transportation accelerates plans for the completion of the next phase of State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway.

Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—Reservoir Group's surface logging business, Empirica, appointed Etienne Roux as its new managing director.

Ruth Katz and Jiang Feng, both of Houston, received U.S. Patent 8,093,001 for “Detection and diagnosis of smoking related cancers.”

Texas Business Patent Of The Day:  Two Texans devised a way to probe genes for lung and other smoking related cancers.  Ruth Katz and Jiang Feng, both of Houston, received U.S. Patent 8,093,001 for “Detection and diagnosis of smoking related cancers.”

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—University General Health System Inc., a diversified, integrated multi-specialty health delivery system, finalized the acquisition of Sybaris Group LLC, a luxury hospitality service provider and facilities management company headquartered in Houston.

Texas Business reports: The state is investing $1.2 million through the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) in Continental Automotive Systems Inc., to relocate production of its sensors and actuators from Europe and Asia to its plant in Seguin, reportedly creating 300 new jobs and $113 million in capital investment.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Global NuTech  Inc. acquired 100% of the stock of Houston-based Texas Gulf Oil & Gas Inc.