Westlake Robotics exceeds tech challenges – Austin American-Statesman

There is plenty of enthusiasm in Westlake High Schools award-winning robotics program, and it has come a long way since being formed 10 years ago. This year, it inaugurated a new home with substantially more space in the old bus barn, but there never seems to be enough room to accommodate the growing interest.

Six different classes are offered and students who cant fit robotics into their schedule during the day, can participate in a team after school.

Students are passionate about this program where science meets fun, and Coach Norman Morgan says that along the way, the top five skills his students learn are: communication, problem-solving, time-management, failure and success.

First Tech Challenge Teams are filled with Freshman and Sophomores, and Juniors and Seniors work on the varsity team which participates in the First Robotics Challenge. Morgan said. The last two years, weve had over 70 students on our varsity team and over 65 on the junior varsity teams.

One of his goals has been to recruit more girls to the program, and theyve increased the number of girls substantially. The team made a concentrated effort to recruit at the seventh-grade level to convince enough girls to sign-up. One of them was Rosemarie Pousset, 17, who will be a senior.

A few girls and I came together and founded the all-girls First Tech Challenge team at Westlake, called the Psionics, Pousset said. Im so proud of the legacy we have here because Ive been mentoring the younger girls. Seeing the girls get hands-on after being afraid to makes me so happy.

Pousset is on the leadership team, which does fundraising pitches. Morgan says they go out and find corporate sponsorships.

Financing the team is always a problem because it is a real expensive, Morgan said. We developed a pitch-deck, and she (Pousset) and a few others trained with a start-up guy. Now they have experience pitching to these multi-national corporations.

Shrey Majmudar, 17, who will also be a senior, is a member of the outreach team who goes to Science days at the elementary schools. He encourages STEM and robotics participation in the middle schools, and informs the public about the teams successes and needs. Voluntary service is a big component of the program.

This summer, were hosting 23 camps through EISD, Majmudar said. We have our teams student volunteers at each of these camps, teaching kids from third to ninth grade about everything from programming their own apps, to 3D printing, to classic LEGO robots.

Every year, First Robotics Competition gives out the Deans List award, its highest honor, to the student whose passion and effectiveness is exemplary in leading their teams. Majmudar was one of four students to win in the 10-year history of the Westlake robotics program.

Morgan also won the Woody Flowers Award, which is the highest honor any team mentor can receive. He was also honored by the Eanes school district with its Teacher of the Year title in 2014.

The First Robotics Competition held every year, brings an intense challenge with a six-week time limit to build and program a large robot capable of playing a field game against competitors. Teams have limited resources and must raise funds and use their wits and imagination to best their opponents. For the past five years in a row, the Westlake team received the Chairmans Award at the regional level of this competition because it best represents a model for other teams to emulate

This years team also got to the subdivision finals of the World Championship competition with their robot-the furthest the team has ever gotten.

Some team members have also traveled the globe to mentor teams in other countries. Alumni of the program are rewarded by acceptance into prestigious colleges and are employed by pioneering technology companies.

Visit link:

Westlake Robotics exceeds tech challenges - Austin American-Statesman

Under Armour launches its first customisable shoes – just-style.com (subscription)

Models available for customising include theCurry 1, Highlight, and ClutchFit Force 3.0

Athletic wear maker Under Armour has launched a new platform allowing consumers to customise its athletic shoes by uploading their own images and selecting prints and colours.

The beta launch of UA Icon, which will see the first footwear shipped mid-July, has been in the works for some time. Customers can upload pictures or other images on Under Armour's website, shrink or expand them, and select the position where they will appear on the footwear.

Models available for customising include theCurry 1, Highlight, and ClutchFit Force 3.0.

"We're giving you the power to really let your imagination run wildbut how is your UA Icon going to fit into the rest ofthe stuff you're wearing? Whether you rep your team or black it out, keep your closet in mind," Under Armour's website reads.

Under Armour's new customisation platform prices the Curry One at US$160, Highlight at $160 and the ClutchFit Force 3.0 at $250.

However, the company notes: "Ourcapacity is a bit limited right now and we can only make a limited number of shoes a day. Be sure to save yourdesigns by sharing themwith yourself. All orders placed at this time will start shipping mid-July."

Continued here:

Under Armour launches its first customisable shoes - just-style.com (subscription)

Tackling Tech: A Virtual Reality Check for NFL Fans – Patriots.com

True virtual reality has quickly captured the imagination of content owners, tech vendors and fans. However, capturing and holding the attention of fans with an immersive experience does have its challenges .Those who seek to redefine pro sports viewing will need to overcome core tech and network infrastructure obstacles.

Last week alone, the MLB and NBA announced deals with VR vendors to deliver a weekly game of the week to fans in virtual reality. The NFL last year provided game highlights and an original series in VR on-demand but has yet to stream live content such as game casts

The NFL worked with NextVR to create highlights and commentary packages available after three games last season. Source: NextVR

VR's promise to provide immersive, super high-resolution images from advanced cameras of live sports can spell trouble for bandwidth pipes to the home. Tech vendors are feverishly working to find ways to deliver more content using advanced streaming methods and encoding over current broadband pipes. Read

Long-used for online gaming, virtual reality promises to put sports fans front and center in the game without being at the game. VR calls this immersion, with "experiences" ranging from a single camera view to watching the action through a number of cameras placed at different vantage points in the venue. Individuals need the prescribed vendor's headset and to download the accompanying app to their smartphone to get going.

Virtual reality becomes real for a young Tom Brady fan. Source: Patriots.com

"I don't think the home has the bandwidth to handle live VR so it would have to be on demand," said one NFL source. That was the league's approach last year when it partnered with vendor NextVR to produce short highlights packages for on-demand access (as in after the game concluded). It also partnered with Google to co-create a nine-part original series in VR and available on demand. Read

Unlike other sports leagues, the NFL has to date, focused squarely on short-form content creation for use after games conclude or with the VR series, at any time via video-on-demand systems.

The NFL and NextVR last season created a series of postgame experiences available on demand. Source: NextVR

When asked if the Now Fun League would continue the projects for the upcoming season, the answer was a bit unclear and lacked detail, but seemed hopeful in terms of continued work and interest in VR.

"The short answer is we liked what we saw across our VR partnerships last year and will look to continue to do more this year to build an NFL VR presence, develop internal capabilities, and test fan interest," commented one league spokesperson.

Pro sports leagues and others have used Intel Corp.'s Voke VR camera to capture captivating content. Intel last week signed a three-year deal with Major League Baseball to do a game of the week in VR. Source: Intel.

The content capture devices, such as VR cameras from Voke, which was bought by Intel last year, and NextVR have already shot live sports action for streaming. It's how that precious payload is delivered to fans that has received little public attention Read

"Live football presents very different challenges from other sports when it comes to a live VR production so we'll continue to test until we feel we have a quality product for our fans," the spokesperson added.

One league source predicted VR streaming of live games is years away, unless a VR company or network paid a huge sum of money for the right to deliver a live NFL football game. Read

While the present is full of talk and marketing opportunities, the NFL has taken what appears to be a more measured and cautious approach with virtual reality. Instead of teaming to broadcast live games on VR, the league last November partnered with NextVR to help create a post-game experience for fans that was available on demand not long after three select games concluded.

The "experiences" were to be about 10 minutes long from the chosen sites and include a combo of expert commentary and game highlights. For each production, press materials said, "NextVR will work alongside the award-winning team from NFL Films, utilizing their experience and access to deploy NextVR's virtual reality cameras throughout each stadium to capture immersive views of NFL action like never before."

The league understands well that virtual reality is a rapidly evolving technology. "This is a great opportunity for the NFL to continue experimenting with the capabilities and distribution of VR experiences," said William Deng, Director, Media Strategy and Business Development at the NFL. Read

Also last season, the NFL produced its first original VR series - a nine-part undertaking it created for launch on YouTube using Google Daydream's headset.The league was quick to say at the announcement last November that the focus here is promotional.

Vishal Shah, the NFL's senior VP of digital media, said of the undertaking when it was announced: "We want to get better acquainted with the technology, the platform, the content we can actually create and how our fans are engaging in the content and viewing it."

NFL Films, an asset other pro leagues lack, produced the 5- to 10-minute episodes which covered players, coaches, executives, cheerleaders and fans

The NFL worked with Google is staff and equipment for the series. Important to note is that the league and Google teamed to develop, and is helping the NFL develop the app for the Daydream View platform. Read

In its quarterly State of the Internet report, Content Delivery Network (CDN) kingpin Akamai Technologies, Inc. reported gains in Internet connection bandwidth capacity. The average bandwidth to homes rose to 18.7 megabits/sec, for the first quarter of this year, while peak bandwidth rose to 86.5 megabits/sec.

Canada finished behind global leader U.S. with an average of 16.2 megabits/sec, and a peak of 78.7 megabits/sec, according to the comprehensive Akamai report.

Intel produces 3-, 5- and 8-megabit virtual reality streams for Major League Baseball, according to CTO of Intel Sports Group, Jay Sankar. "These bit rates are well within reach of a significant number of homes and the experience is good with LTE as well."

The streams also include features including a picture-in-picture of a zoomed in pitcher batter view, stats, scores, and more, according to Sankar.

The VR undertaking also has adaptive bit rate streaming (ABR) tech at its disposal in the app. It has long been used with the delivery of live video over public networks because it enables the switching between bit rates based on the available bandwidth at the time. Capacity is known to fluctuate on the Internet. Read

Conspicuously absent from materials/public discussion/ is any mention of network infrastructure needed to deliver live, multi-hour VR streams to a potentially huge audience. Some ask if networks can survive.

"True VR is super bandwidth intensive and doesn't tolerate latency (delay)," explained Teresa Mastrangelo, Founder of Broadbandtrends LLC, a network infrastructure and service provider market analysis and consulting firm in Norfolk, VA. "Only a small percentage of homes already have the Internet connection needed to handle this experience."

"What's uncertain is whether or not service providers will be willing to spend to upgrade their infrastructure for an application that may prove to be of high value to consumers," she added. "It's a bit of a Catch-22 situation today."

Service providers may be facing spending on data center hubs, optical transport connections, storage and more data centers close to the network edge. Caching tech and products toward the edge could help provide an improved viewing experience, especially for non-live VR content.

The NFL's on demand approach with short-duration (minutes) streams would impose less strain on network and require less service provider network infrastructure spending. Service providers would likely focus on adding storage so the VR programming can be located closer to viewers for a better user experience. Read

As virtual reality is an emerging technology and thus a work-in-progress. The preferred price is free, be it for streams of live games or for on-demand content. While this helps attract fans to the experiences, it's not clear when we will see an actual revenue model in this space.

Models discussed include pay-per-view, inclusion in existing league streaming subscription services and a standalone subscription fee for VR content.

The fan focused NFL's thinking here is clear as day. The NFL's Shah said at the announcement of the nine - part VR series last November: "the project underscores that it's still early in the VR game - with the league tapping the tech as a promotional fan-engagement vehicle, rather than a revenue driver." Read

There is no race to a finish line when it comes to sports leagues deploying virtual reality. Determining how to provide interested fans the optimal user experience they have been shown and heard about is job one. Achieving this lofty goal with a revenue plan would be even better.

For these milestones to be reached all members of the virtual reality ecosystem need to focus on ensuring the necessary network infrastructure and embedded technologies are in place to handle the top-rate delivery of VR streams and what should be a resulting vertical increase in fan demand.

Stay tuned.

Bob Wallace is a technology journalist with over 30 years of experience explaining how new services, apps, consumer electronic devices and video sources are reshaping the wide world of sports. Wallace has specific expertise in explaining how and why advances in technology redefine the way sports teams interact with their partners and fans. He's the Founder of Fast Forward Thinking LLC. Read

See original here:

Tackling Tech: A Virtual Reality Check for NFL Fans - Patriots.com

E3 2017: Video Games, Virtual Reality, Entertainment News – Investor’s Business Daily

XAutoplay: On | OffThree-day video game nirvana E3, otherwise known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, kicks off Tuesday, June 13. Expect a slew of announcements from console makers and publishers like Microsoft (MSFT), Nintendo (NTDOY), Activision Blizzard (ATVI) and Sony (SNY) plus a first-ever appearance and live streaming by social media and virtual reality pioneer Facebook (FB).

Investor's Business Daily will have the latest E3 news and product demos right from the show flooras thousands of video game professionals and this year, members of the public flock to the Los Angeles Convention Center.

RELATED:

Latest FANG Stocks News: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google

Players compete in the final of an international tournament of the PC video game League of Legends in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 30, 2016. (EPA/Newscom)

4:59 PM ET The rapidly growing e-sports market is likely to be a hot topic at next week's E3 video game conference in...

4:59 PM ET The rapidly growing e-sports market is likely to be a...

Read more here:

E3 2017: Video Games, Virtual Reality, Entertainment News - Investor's Business Daily

HTC’s Viveport subscription adds over 75 new virtual reality titles – TechRadar

HTCs Viveport subscription service launched in April, and HTC has now announced that it has doubled the number of virtual reality titles on offer.

For a monthly fee of 6.99/$6.99/AU$9.99 you can choose five virtual reality apps or games from a curated list to download and install, which is a handy way to test out a range virtual reality games and experiences which are often quite short.

With the inclusion of 75 new titles - bringing the total number of VR titles available on the service to over 150 - the subscription looks like even better value for money, especially if youve been struggling to find games to play.

Included in the new range of VR games and experiences are ROM: Extraction, Knockout League, Overkill, Cosmic Trip, and Sairento VR. A number of the games and apps that have just been added to Viveport weren't available outside of Asia until now.

Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport at HTC Vive, said that we are doubling the number of available titles to over 150 with new bestsellers and a wide range of content available in the West for the first time. We want to offer VR developers the most ways to monetise their content, and they now have an additional channel to reach new audiences and generate more revenue.

We spoke to Stieber about how Viveport was doing, and while he couldnt give us specific numbers, he said that there was a healthy conversion from the free 30 day trial.

While we were excited to hear that the HTC Vive is coming to Macs earlier this week at WWDC, Stieber told us that we have no announcement to make at the moment about Viveport coming to Mac, though he assured us that Mac is a key audience.

He also explained how our ambition is to be platform agnostic so we may see the Viveport service become available for more VR platforms, such as Google Cardboard, in the future.

If you want to check out the range of VR titles, head over to the Viveport subscription website to try a 30 day free trial.

Here is the original post:

HTC's Viveport subscription adds over 75 new virtual reality titles - TechRadar

Blueshift’s AI helps platform focus on individuals and continuous journeys – MarTech Today

Personalization platform Blueshift is today launching AI-powered customer journeys that move its targeting from user segments to individuals, and its focus from single campaign responses to continuous customer journeys.

Blueshift provides personalized marketing through content recommendations, email marketing, and, for mobile devices, push notifications and SMS.

The companys AI has previously been employed to provide capabilities like Predictive Scores for evaluating such things as which customers are likely to bolt, or to make the most appropriate product or content recommendations to site visitors. The Score might look at data showing, for instance, that certain telco customers are rarely using their data services.

Now, the AI is being used to continually optimize customer journeys. While the Predictive Scores were previously a point-in-time, resulting in a specific campaign effort to a group of users, like sending a discount offer via email, now the scores are continually read so that users can be placed into a customer journey as soon as the individual Score exceeds a threshold.

The AI determines at what point in a continuous series of marketing responses the customer journey to place the particular individual. A journey can also be triggered by a specific event or user behavior.

Co-founder and CEO Vijay Chittoor told me the big takeaway is that marketers plan customer journeys, but the solutions have [largely] been manual, such as when to start customers on a specific journey. Now, he says, AI is helping Blueshift automatically place a customer on the journey as soon as predictive scoring shows a flag.

The platforms AI is also being summoned so that A/B testing of content recommendations can look at recommendation logic. While there was A/B testing of content recommendations before, Chittoor said, it wasnt tuned to determine if, say, recommendation logic based on previous content you chose was better than logic based on recommending content because ofwhat others like you liked.

Blueshift is also adding an ability to determine which step in a journey had the biggest impact, compared to a prior ability to only evaluate an entire journey. Chittoor said that, although AI is not powering this enhancement, AI can be used to optimize the journey once this step-by-step attribution is completed.

Heres Blueshifts visualization of these enhancements:

Read the original here:

Blueshift's AI helps platform focus on individuals and continuous journeys - MarTech Today

Watch Out: You’re in Ai Weiwei’s Surveillance Zone – The New York … – New York Times


New York Times
Watch Out: You're in Ai Weiwei's Surveillance Zone - The New York ...
New York Times
Surveillance images from overhead cameras are projected on the floor as part of Hansel & Gretel, an installation at the Park Avenue Armory created by Ai ...
Ai Weiwei Gets Artsy-Fartsy About Surveillance | WIREDWIRED
Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei Examine the Threat of ...ArchDaily

all 4 news articles »

More here:

Watch Out: You're in Ai Weiwei's Surveillance Zone - The New York ... - New York Times

DeepMind Shows AI Has Trouble Seeing Homer Simpson’s Actions – IEEE Spectrum

The best artificial intelligence still has trouble visually recognizing many of Homer Simpsons favorite behaviors such as drinking beer, eating chips, eating doughnuts, yawning, and the occasional face-plant. Those findings from DeepMind, the pioneering London-based AI lab, also suggest the motive behind why DeepMind has created a huge new dataset of YouTube clips to help train AI on identifying human actions in videos that go well beyond Mmm, doughnuts or Doh!

The most popular AI used by Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other companies beyond Silicon Valley is based on deep learning algorithms that can learn to identify patterns in huge amounts of data. Over time, such algorithms can become much better at a wide variety of tasks such as translating between English and Chinese for Google Translateor automatically recognizing the faces of friends in Facebook photos.But even the most finely tuned deep learning relies on having lots of quality data to learn from.To help improve AIscapability to recognizehuman actions in motion,DeepMind has unveiled itsKinetics dataset consisting of 300,000 video clips and 400 human action classes.

AI systems are now very good at recognizing objects in images, but still have trouble making sense of videos, says aDeepMind spokesperson.One of the main reasons for this is that the research community has so far lacked a large, high-quality video dataset.

DeepMind enlisted the help of online workers through Amazons Mechanical Turk service to help correctly identify and label the actions inthousands of YouTube clips. Each of the 400 human action classes in the Kinetics dataset has at least 400 video clips, with each clip lasting around 10 seconds and taken from separate YouTube videos. More details can be found in a DeepMind paper on the arXiv preprint server.

The new Kinetics dataset seems likely to represent a new benchmark for training datasets intended to improve AI computer vision for video. It has far more video clips and action classes than the HMDB-51 and UCF-101 datasets that previously formed the benchmarks for the research community. DeepMind also made a point of ensuring it had a diverse datasetone that did not include multiple clips from the same YouTube videos.

Tech giants such as Googlea sister company to DeepMind under the umbrella Alphabet grouparguably have the best access to large amounts of video data that could prove helpful in training AI. Alphabets ownership of YouTube, the incredibly popular, online, video-streaming service, does not hurt either. But other companies and independent research groups must rely on publicly available datasets to train their deep learning algorithms.

Early training and testing with the Kinetics dataset showed some intriguing results. For example, deep learning algorithms showed accuracies of 80percent or greater in classifying actions such as playing tennis, crawling baby, presenting weather forecast, cutting watermelon, and bowling. But the classification accuracy dropped to around 20 percent or less for the Homer Simpson actions, including slapping and headbutting, and an assortment of other actions such as making a cake, tossing coin and fixing hair.

AI faces special challenges with classifying actions such as eating because it may not be able to accurately identify the specific food being consumedespecially if the hot dog or burger is already partially consumed or appears very small within the overall video. Dancing classes and actions focused on a specific part of the body can also prove tricky. Some actions also occur fairly quickly and are only visible for a small number of frames within a video clip, according to a DeepMind spokesperson.

DeepMind also wanted to see if the new Kinetics dataset has enough gender balance to allow for accurate AI training. Past cases have shown how imbalanced training datasets can lead to deep learning algorithms performing worse at recognizing the faces of certain ethnic groups. Researchers have also shown how such algorithms can pick up gender and racial biases from language.

A preliminary study showed that the new Kinetics dataset seems to fairly balanced. DeepMind researchers found that no single gender dominated within 340 out of the 400 action classesor else it was not possible to determine gender in those actions. Those action classes that did end up gender imbalanced included YouTube clips of actionssuch as shaving beard or dunking basketball (mostly male) and filling eyebrows or cheerleading (mostly female).

But even action classes that had gender imbalance did not show much evidence of classifier bias. This means that even the Kinetics action classes featuring mostly male participantssuch as playing poker or hammer throwdid not seem to bias AI to the point where the deep learning algorithms had trouble recognizing female participants performing the same actions.

DeepMind hopes that outside researchers can help suggest new human action classes for the Kinetics dataset. Any improvements may enable AI trained on Kinetics to better recognize both the most elegant of actions and the clumsier moments in videos that lead people to say doh! In turn, that could lead to new generations of computer software and robots with the capacity to recognize what all those crazy humans are doing on YouTube or in other video clips.

Video understanding represents a significant challenge for the research community, and we are in the very early stages with this, according to the DeepMind spokesperson. Any real-world applications are still a really long way off, but you can see potential in areas such as medicine, for example, aiding the diagnosis of heart problems in echocardiograms.

IEEE Spectrums general technology blog, featuring news, analysis, and opinions about engineering, consumer electronics, and technology and society, from the editorial staff and freelance contributors.

Sign up for the Tech Alert newsletter and receive ground-breaking technology and science news from IEEE Spectrum every Thursday.

A deep learning approach could make self-driving cars better at adapting to new situations 26Apr2016

A tech startup aims to spread the wealth of deep learning AI to many industries 3Mar2016

Google engineers balanced speed and accuracy to deploy deep learning in Chinese-to-English translations 3Oct2016

If machine learning systems can be taught using simulated data from Grand Theft Auto V instead of data annotated by humans, we could get to reliable vehicle autonomy much faster 8Jun

Adversarial grasping helps robots learn better ways of picking up and holding onto objects 5Jun

Reverse engineering 1 cubic millimeter of brain tissue could lead to better artificial neural networks 30May

The FDA needs computer experts with industry experience to help oversee AI-driven health apps and wearables software 29May

The prototype chip learns a style of music, then composes its own tunes 23May

Crashing into objects has taught this drone to fly autonomously, by learning what not to do 10May

Silicon Valley startup Verdigris cloud-based analysis can tell whether youre using a Chromebook or a Mac, or whether a motor is running fine or starting to fail 3May

An artificial intelligence program correctly identifies 355 more patients who developed cardiovascular disease 1May

MITs WiGait wall sensor can unobtrusively monitor people for many health conditions based on their walking patterns 1May

Facebook's Yael Maguire talks about millimeter wave networks, Aquila, and flying tethered antennas at the F8 developer conference 19Apr

Machine learning uses data from smartphones and wearables to identify signs of relationship conflicts 18Apr

Machine-learning algorithms that readily pick up cultural biases may pose ethical problems 13Apr

AI and robots have to work in a way that is beneficial to people beyond reaching functional goals and addressing technical problems 29Mar

Understanding when they don't understand will help make robots more useful 15Mar

Palo Alto startup twoXAR partners with Santen Pharmaceutical to identify new glaucoma drugs; efforts on rare skin disease, liver cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetic nephropathy also under way 13Mar

And they have a new piece of hardwarethe Jetson TX2that they hope everyone will use for this edge processing 8Mar

A deep-learning AI has beaten human poker pros with the hardware equivalent of a gaming laptop 2Mar

View post:

DeepMind Shows AI Has Trouble Seeing Homer Simpson's Actions - IEEE Spectrum

Startup Paves Easier Path to AI – Multichannel News

Implementing artificial intelligence systems can be technically challenging and expensive, but it doesnt have to be.

So says DimensionalMechanics, a startup based in Bellevue, Wash., that claims to have a developed a platform that can put A.I. within reach of a wide range of companies, with an initial focus on those in the media and entertainment industry.

The goal is to lower that technology and economic bar in a way that makes A.I. more accessible to organizations without requiring them to have a technical background in areas such as deep learning and machine learning, company CEO and co-founder Rajeev Dutt, said, noting that many are also looking for A.I. solutions that are not just affordable but customizable as well.

To help achieve some of those goals, DimensionalMechanics has introduced NeoPulse AI Studio, a set of applications based on the companys underlying framework that, it says, can help businesses and other organizations rapidly create and design customized A.I. solutions. That product complements the companys pre-built AI models in areas such as image and video analysis and recommendations systems.

The company, which has raised $6.7 million and intends to raise a B round this fall, is also getting a boost into the media and entertainment world through a strategic alliance with GrayMeta, a company that specializes in automated metadata collection, curation and search.

GrayMeta, which counts ABC, AMC, CBS, Deluxe, DirecTV, Disney, HBO, NBCUniversal and Showtime among its clients, is also the first to offer NeoPulse AI to the media and entertainment sector, DimensionalMechanics said.

Dutt said the media, entertainment and advertising industries are among the biggest producers and consumers of data, providing a proving ground for a lot of machine learning technologies.

Some use-case examples include a photo-ranking system that was trained using 2 million images to determine which ones might make an ad or news article more likely to grab attention or drive and maximize traffic. The technology is also being used to help editors analyze and write headlines that can improve click rates.

On the video side, the company also provides A.I. solutions to drive recommendations.

DimensionalMechanics has carved out a set of business models, including cloud software for independent developers, on-premises solutions that can simulate the cloud-based system while keeping a companys data close to the vest, as well as a way for partners to resell and monetize their A.I. models through the NeoPulse AI Store.

Theres a fairly broad range of applications, Dutt said.

Founded in 2015, DimensionalMechanics currently has 11 employees.

Go here to see the original:

Startup Paves Easier Path to AI - Multichannel News

The AI Doctor Orders More Tests – Bloomberg – Bloomberg

Few U.S. industries are growing as fast as health care, but the bigpublic-cloud companiesAmazon.com, Microsoft, Googlehave struggled to crack the $3.2trillion market. Even as hospitals and insurers collect mountains of health data on individual Americans, most of their spending on extra data storage is for old-school systems on their own premises, according to researcher IDC.

The public-cloud kingpins are trying to lure health-care providers with artificially intelligent cloud services that can act like doctors. The companies are testing, and in some cases marketing, AI software that automates mundane tasks including data entry; consulting work like patient management and referrals; and even the diagnostic elements of highly skilled fields such as pathology.

Amazon Web Services, the dominant cloud provider, is processing and storing genomics data for biotech companies and clinical labs. No.2 Microsofts cloud unit plans to store DNA records, and its Healthcare Next system provides automated data entry and certain cancer treatment recommendations to doctors based on visible symptoms. Google seems to be betting most heavily on health-care analysis as a way to differentiate its third-place cloud offerings. Gregory Moore, vice president for health care, says hes readying Google Cloud for a world of diagnostics as a service. In this world, AI couldalways be on hand to give doctors better informationor replace them altogether.

The cloud division is refining its genomics data analysis and working to make Google Glass, the augmented-reality headgear that consumers didnt want, a product more useful to doctors. German cancer specialist Alacris Theranostics GmbH leans on Google infrastructure to pair patients with drug therapies, something Google hopes more companies will do. Health-care systems are ready, says Moore, an engineer and former radiologist. People are seeing the potential of being able to manage data at scale.

In November, Google researchers showed off an AI system that scanned images of eyes to spot signs of diabetic retinopathy, which causes vision loss among people with high sugar levels. Another group of the companys researchers in March said they had used similar software to scan lymph nodes. They said theyd identified breast cancer from aset of 400 images with 89percent accuracy, a better record than most pathologists. Last year the University of Colorado at Denver moved its health research labs data to Googles cloud to support studies on genetics, maternal health, and the effect of legalized marijuana on the number and severity of injuries to young men. Michael Ames, the universitys project director, says he expects eventually to halve the cost of processing some 6million patientrecords.

However impressive Googles AI analysis gets, the health-care industry isnt exactly a gaggle of early adopters, says James Wang, an analyst at ARK Investment Management LLC. They can have the lowest error rate and the greatest algorithm, but getting it into a hospital is a whole other problem, he says. Most electronic medical records are likely to remain locked inside health companies for the foreseeable future, says Robert Mittendorff, a biotech investor at Norwest Venture Partners. Indeed, Googles first major effort in the industry, an online health records service, folded in 2011 because the company couldnt convince potential customers their data would be safe.

The most important business stories of the day.

Get Bloomberg's daily newsletter.

Moore says things have changed since then and that hes working with Stanford and the Broad Institute, plus about a dozen companies in the health-care industry and defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. For now, his primary focus is wrangling more health-care companies onto Googles cloud, because the more data he can get on Googles servers, the faster its AI systems will learn. There literally have to be thousands of algorithms to even come close to replicating what a radiologist can do on a given day, he says. Its not going to be all solved tomorrow.

The bottom line: Big cloud companiesespecially Googleare experimenting with AI diagnostics and other systems to attract medical clients.

See more here:

The AI Doctor Orders More Tests - Bloomberg - Bloomberg

Golden State Is One Win Away From Immortality, And The Cavs Can’t Do Anything About It – UPROXX

Getty Image

Cleveland did everything right for 44 minutes and 52 seconds. The teams gameplan was working to perfection. LeBron James was doing all the stuff that makes you go I am glad I am alive to watch him play basketball. Kyrie Irving was throwing up H-O-R-S-E shots that went in despite the fact that he was hoisting them up from impossible angles. Kevin Love wasnt scoring (he went 1-for-9 for nine points), but it didnt matter, because he was rebounding (13 on the night) and forcing turnovers (six steals). Besides, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver combined to drop 24, so Loves off night wasnt a killer.

It didnt matter. Nothing matters. Well, thats a lie. The only thing that matters is that Golden State has assembled a team that no one can beat at the very least, no team as currently assembled can beat them in a seven-game series.

Over the final three minutes and eight seconds of the game, Cleveland did not score. Golden State scored a lot. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Warriors won, 118-113. Heres the win probability chart.

Read more here:

Golden State Is One Win Away From Immortality, And The Cavs Can't Do Anything About It - UPROXX

Probiotics Conferences | Europe | Asia | USA | Middle East …

Market Analysis

Summary

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are deliberated to have health benefits. Products which are sold as probiotics include foods (such as yogurt), dietary supplements, and products that are not used orally, such as skincreams. Popular probiotic products existing in the market include Amway Nutrilite Fiber, Herbalife Activated Fiber, HealthAid Acidophilus plus 4 Billion, Zenith Nutrition Probiotic Immune etc. Although more research is needed, there is an encouraging evidence that probiotics may help treat diarrhoea, especially following treatment with certain antibiotics, prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections, treat irritable bowel syndrome, speed treatment of certain intestinal infections, prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu. Side effects due to probiotics are rare and most healthy adults can safely add foods that contain prebiotics and probiotics to their diets for better health and strong immune system.

Importance and scope

Probiotics food & beverages had the highest penetration in 2015, and this trend is expected to continue over the next eight years. Differentiated product portfolio and continued innovation in the sector are the primary reasons for this scenario.

Probiotics are finding acceptance in applications such as skin health. Development of proprietary formulation techniques is undertaken by companies to cater to customized needs.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth of 7.7% over the next eight years. High population density and percentage of the youth population in countries such as India coupled with rising disposable income are expected to contribute to the market growth.

A major part of market share is held by very few companies. Companies are trying innovative techniques for customer engagement. Mergers & acquisitions are carried out to increase regional presence as well as market share.

Industry participants majorly include Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Danone, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd., Nestle, Probi AB, Danisco A/S, Lallemand Inc., and Arla Foods, Inc.

Probiotics Market

The global market of probiotics ingredients, supplements, and foods reached nearly $23.1 billion in 2012. This market is expected to grow to nearly $27.1 billion in 2013 and $36.7 billion in 2018 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% over the five-year period from 2013 to 2018 with further projections determined to exceed US $63 billion by 2022, driven by growing clinical evidence supporting the effectiveness of probiotics in general health maintenance and disease treatment. Probiotic therapy is growing in polularity in the treatment of lactose intolerance, lipid metabolism, oxalte metabolism, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), ulcerative colitits, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eczema, allergic rhinitis, infectious diarrhea, necrotizing enterocolitis and helicobacter pylori.Japan, Europe and the United States represents major market worldwide. Asia-pacific ranks as the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 12.7% over the analysis period. However, the probiotics market is still at a relatively novice stage, with lack of clarity on usage patterns among consumers, this is expected to play a critical role in market development over the next six years. Labeling regulations, especially in the U.S. and European Union, are also expected to have significant impact on market growth.

Food & beverages dominated the application market and accounted for over 80% of the total probiotics market, driven by growth of fermented meat, dairy, bakery, breakfast cereals, fats & oils, beverages, fish & eggs, meat, and soy products. Dietary supplements are expected to be the fastest growing application segment, at an estimated CAGR of 7.7% from 2012 to 2020.

"Food & beverages was the largest segment in 2015"

Probiotics food & beverages segment was the largest segment in 2015 and accounted for more than 85% of total revenue. This application includes dairy products, nondairy products, cereals, baked food, fermented meat products, and dry food probiotics.

Figure-1: Functional Food Market by Sector (% value)

"Human probiotics dominated the total demand in 2015"

Human probiotics accounted for more than 90% of total revenue in 2015. Growing health concerns and development of more effective probiotic strains is expected to aid the industry growth. Increasing standard of living, as well as disposable income in areas such as Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa as well as Central & South America, has been benefiting the overall market growth.

Animal feed bacteria are expected to show a steady growth over the next eight years. Companies have been trying to develop and market more effective probiotic strains aimed at improving health.

"Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth from 2016 to 2024"

Asia Pacific dominated the global industry and accounted for more than 40%. Strong demand from countries such as India, China and Japan is the major contributing factor for this scenario. Rising population, growing awareness regarding probiotics usage and the strong presence of international players in the region are contributing to the market growth.

North America is expected to grow at an anticipated CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period. Prevalent awareness regarding these product usages and rising preference for functional foods are the driving factors in the region. The Middle East & Africa and Central & South America are also expected to show modest growth over the forecast period.

"Companies investing heavily in R&D are a major market characteristic"

Major industry participants are investing heavily in R&D to develop more effective probiotic strains. The companies are also striving to develop products which find novel applications such as skin treatment. Third party R&D companies are employed to develop superior cultures to gain competitive advantage. High level of integration between raw material suppliers, manufacturers, suppliers and end users. Major industry participants include Danisco A/S, Danone, Chr Hansen, Nestle, Arla Foods, Inc., Probi and Lallemand Inc., S.A., China-Biotics, Inc., E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company, General Mills, Inc., Lifeway Foods, Inc., PROBI AB, BioGaia AB, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd., Mother Dairy and Chr. Hansen. The growing popularity of probiotics worldwide has attracted many new players to participate in this market.

Key Segments of the Global Probiotic Market

A. Global probiotics market, by application

B. Global probiotics market, by end use

C. Global probiotics market, by strain type

Grand View Research has segmented the probiotics market on the basis of application, end use and region:

1. Global Probiotics Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2024

A. Probiotics food & beverage

B. Probiotics dietary supplements

2. Global Probiotics End Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2024)

3. Global Probiotics Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014- 2024)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Central & South America

Middle East & Africa

European Market

Europe is the second largest global market for probiotics after Asia-Pacific, cornering a share estimated to be 25% in 2014. Growth in demand for probiotics in the region is also likely to maintain a fast pace over the 2014-2020 analysis period. Germany and the United Kingdom are the two largest probiotics markets in Europe, with a combined share estimated at about 55% in 2014, with United Kingdom also expected to be the fastest growing. By product type, dietary supplements and functional foods & beverages are the largest, as well as the fastest growing segments.

Prevention and cure of disorders, such as lactose intolerance and inflammatory bowel disease are some of the benefits offered by probiotics, with rising health-consciousness levels and wider access to probiotic dietary supplements being the major factors sustaining growth. The past decade has been witness to the launch of more than 500 food & beverage probiotic products, which have garnered exceptional response in terms of acceptance. Some of the factors implicated in causes of digestive disorders, bloating and reduction in resistance to infections include poor and not-in-time diet, age and stress levels. Studies have revealed that consuming products enhanced with probiotics has been successful in moderating these conditions to a large extent.

Figure-2:European Probiotics Market Revenue By Product, 2014 - 2024 (USD Million)

Why London, UK?

London is a leadingglobal city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism, and transport. It is one of the world's leadingfinancial centres and has thefifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world. London is a world cultural capital. It is the world's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has theworld's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. London is the world's leadinginvestment destination hosting moreinternational retailers andultra probiotics food & beverages had the highest penetration in 2015, and this trend is expected to continue over the next eight years. Differentiated product portfolio and continued innovation in the sector are the primary reasons for this scenario.

Industry participants majorly include Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Danone, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd., Nestle, Probi AB, Danisco A/S, Lallemand Inc., and Arla Foods, Inc. high-net-worth individuals than any other city. London's universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe, and a 2014 report placed it first in the world university rankings. According to the report London also ranks first in the world in software, multimedia development and design, and shares first position in technology readiness.

Figure-3:Total Probiotics Market

List of Hospitals Research Centre:

London, UK

Worldwide

Major Probiotic Associations and Society

Companies Associated with Probiotics:

Top Nutrition Universities in UK

Target Audience

Figure-4:Target audience for Probiotics

Glance at Market and Funding for Probiotics Research

Figure-5: Projections Growth by next 5-10 years

Recent studies on Probiotics Market exhibit both the opportunities and forecasts during the period 2014-2022during which the global probiotics market is expected to reach$57.4 billionby 2022, registering a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period, 2016-2022.Asia-Pacificis presently dominant in the market and is expected to be the leading contributor in global revenue, due to its high adoption of probiotic based food and beverages. Bacteria derived probiotics would dominate the market throughout the forecast period as yeast strains are still under research and testing phase and approvals from the Food and Drug Administration would take time to implement. By end use, the probiotics market is segmented into animal probiotics and human probiotics. Human probiotics is in the lead by contributing nearly 90% of global revenue in 2015 and is forecasted to grow at a fastest rate of 7.8% during the period 2016-2022. Growth in awareness about the probiotics benefits among the consumers through various means such as publications, fact sheets, and conferences would help to grow among human end users.

1. Probiotic Microorganism

The term probiotic remains undefined legally in many countries, and regulatory approaches differ among countries worldwide. Diverse categories encompass probiotic products, including: food, functional food, novel food, natural remedy (Denmark Sweden and Finland), natural health product (Canada), dietetic food (Italy), dietary supplement (USA), biotherapeutic and pharmaceuticals (probiotic pharmaceuticals are available in Canada, China, eastern European countries, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Italy). There is no official definition of probiotic in Japanese regulation, but several probiotic and prebiotic products have achieved FOSHU (foods for specialized health use) status, with health statements being approved by the Japanese Ministry of HealthWhile few studies have established the minimum effective dose of a probiotic to convey a physiological effect, probiotic-induced changes are rarely seen at daily doses of less than 10810 colony forming units (cfu).24 However, one can only speculate as to how many probiotic cells reach target sites alive. Probiotic bacteria that are tolerant to acid stress would be expected to survive well during stomach passage. Genomic regions, identified through genome sequencing, that may help identify regions critical to the survival and functionality of commensal or probiotic organisms in their corresponding habitats might include: conserved versus distinct gene sets , genes resulting from recent horizontal transfer, altered GC contentislands/regions of adaptability.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th International Conference on Nutrition & Food Sciences May 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas June 07-09 San Francisco; The global nutraceutical event May 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th International Conference on Probiotics in Veterinary Medicine April 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th World Congress on Targeting Microbiota October 2017 Paris, France; The International Scientific Conference on Probiotics and Prebiotics June 19 22 June 2017Budapest, Hungary; Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th International Conference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics Foods July 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th International Conference on Probiotics and Functional Foods March 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

2. Mechanisms of action of probiotics

Recent studies are providing new insight into the mechanisms by which the microbiota regulates the colonization and eradication of pathogens. Particularly revealing the ability of commensals to restrain pathogen growth by dictating the metabolic pathways that control the competition for limited nutrients in the intestine. Furthermore, inflammatory responses have profound effects on the growth of pathogens and certain commensal species. However, the relative contributions of each metabolic pathway and the commensal species involved remain poorly understood. In addition, little is known about how the inflammatory responses affect interactions between pathogens and commensals. There is a delicate balance in microbiota populations in the gut and disruption in this balance leads to dysbiosis and overgrowth of pathobionts leading to pathologic immune responses and disease. The identification and characterization of natural competitors that suppress the growth of pathogens and pathobionts may lead to the development of rational approaches to manage intestinal disease. There is also a clear role for host immunity in controlling microbiota populations. However, recent studies have challenged a critical role of innate recognition receptors in determining the composition of the gut microbiota. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanism by which the host regulates the microbiota.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

3. Probiotics and Health: A Clinical Perspective

Probiotics live microorganisms when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host that have been studied for both human and animal applications, and worldwide research on this topic has accelerated in recent years. Administration of probiotics could be effective in the treatment of acute infectious diarrhoea in children and the prevention of antibiotic associated diarrhoea and nosocomial/community acquired diarrhoea. Encouraging evidence is also emerging for the effectiveness of probiotics in the prevention and management of pouchitis and paediatric atopic diseases, and the prevention of postoperative infections. There is also strong evidence that certain probiotic strains are able to enhance immune function, especially in subjects with less than adequate immune function such as the elderly. Efficacy of probiotics has been shown in the prevention of prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, sepsis associated with severe acute pancreatitis, improvement of lactose metabolism and cancers, the management of weight and lowering of blood cholesterol, but there is insufficient evidence to recommend them for use in other clinical conditions.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

4. Probiotics in Gastroenterology

Gastroenterologists once defined gastrointestinal health as the absence of chronic disorder such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, this is too restrictive. The increasing frequency of digestive functional disorders, including non-ulcer dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), justifies an enlargement of a definition that includes intestinal well-being and the overall impact on quality of life including reduction of disease risk. Some animal studies are required to investigate this concept. The intestinal microflora has been linked with a number of intestinal diseases including colon cancer, (IBS) and IBD however few details of their involvement have been elucidated. Since colon cancer and IBD can lead to extreme therapeutic approaches, including surgical excision, clarification of the role of the microflora in these diseases may significantly reduce morbidity.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

5.Probiotics in Pediatrics

Presenting global evidence for their utility in children, Prof. Sherman illustrated that evidence through randomized controlled trails have demonstrated that certain probiotic strains are more effective than placebo in a variety of conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Multiple meta-analyses indicate effectiveness in reducing the duration of acute enteritis in pre-schoolers and in reducing the frequency of necrotizing enterocolitis in pre-term babies. As probiotics exist naturally in some foods and are also available as dietary supplements in powder, capsule, and tablet forms. In 2002, the industry secured FDA designation of specific strains of B. lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus as substances generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in milk-based formulas for infants aged 4 months and older. Most probiotic bacteria are similar to the beneficial bacteria that occur naturally in the gut, including those of the Lactobacillus species (eg, L. acidophilus). Infants acquire other bacteria during their first months, mainly those of the Bifidobacterium and Enterobacter species. Bifidobacterium species dominate in the gut of breast-fed infants, whereas Enterobacter microbes dominate in bottle-fed infants. This difference in species, which has been identified as key to breast-fed infants superior immunity to many infections, has spurred much of the medical and pediatric communities interest in probiotics. Infant formula manufacturers have also taken interest.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

6. Probiotics in Animal Health

The use of probiotics for farm animals has increased considerably over the last 15 years. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which can confer a health benefit for the host when administered in appropriate and regular quantities. Once ingested, the probiotic microorganisms can modulate the balance and activities of the gastrointestinal microbiota, whose role is fundamental to gut homeostasis. It has been demonstrated that numerous factors, such as dietary and management constraints, can strongly affect the structure and activities of the gut microbial communities, leading to impaired health and performance in livestock animals. Probiotic microorganisms, which benefit from a natural image, can expect a promising future in animal nutrition. Controlled research studies demonstrate that they can positively balance gastrointestinal microbiota, and thereby improve animal production and health. However, care must be taken in the way that the probiotic candidate-strains are selected. Better knowledge of the structure and activities of the gut microbiota, functional interactions between gut microbes and interrelationships between microbes and host cells represent a fundamental aspect of future probiotic research. In this context new omic technologies will be very helpful to better characterize and understand the effects of probiotics on the balance of the gastrointestinal microbiota. It will be possible to select more powerful or targeted strains on a scientific basis and follow their behaviour in the host animal. Thanks to these techniques, which are complimentary to anaerobic culture methods and gnotobiotic animal or cellular models, probiotic research has had, and will also certainly have in the future, a very important place in the improvement of animal health and nutrition.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

7. Plant Probiotics

The increasing interest in the preservation of the environment and the health of consumers is changing production methods and food consumption habits. Consumers increasingly demand safe functional foods that have beneficial properties for health mainly focused on the protection against carcinogenesis and oxidative processes. The consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables containing bioactive compounds has increased considerably in recent years and many studies have been carried out on the potential benefits of such compounds in different aspects of human health. At the same time, there has been a strong increase in studies addressing the benefits of biofertilization for plants and the environment. In this sense plant promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) able to colonize the inside of plants tissues are especially interesting. These beneficial microorganisms are plant probiotics and promote the plant growth through different direct mechanisms such as nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and the production of different compounds such as phytohormones or indirect mechanisms such as the production of siderophores. To achieve both aims, the promotion of plant growth and the benefits for human health, it is necessary to use non-pathogenic microorganisms in biofertilization schemes.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

8.Probiotics in Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the world's fastest growing food production sector. However, fish culture is currently suffering from serious losses due to infectious diseases. The use of antimicrobial drugs, pesticides and disinfectant in aquaculture disease prevention and growth promotion has led to the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria. Thus, the research into the use of probiotics for aquaculture is increasing with the demand for environment friendly sustainable aquaculture. The benefits of such supplements include improved feed value, enzymatic contribution to digestion, inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic activity, and increased immune response. These probiotics are harmless bacteria that help the well-being of the host animal and contribute, directly or indirectly to protect the host animal against harmful bacterial pathogens. The use of probiotics in aquaculture has just begun, due to the fact that gastrointestinal microbiota of aquatic organisms has been poorly characterized, and their effects are not studied extensively.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

9.Probioceuticals: Probiotic- Derived Factors

Probiotic-derived factors have been described as capable of exerting probiotic activities through various mechanisms. However, it is important to distinguish between the concept of probiotic, which is necessarily based on the ingestion of live microorganisms, and the concept of microorganism-derived bioactive compounds that may have useful applications in nutrition and medicine. Bioactive compounds of bacterial or yeast origin, (antibiotics, for example), have been utilized in medicine for decades. Although there are many bacteria-derived products capable of inducing a health benefit, the concept of probiotic is only attributed to microorganisms administered as viable forms, providing the opportunity for a symbiotic relationship between the host, and resident, or in-transit, microorganisms. Secreted probiotic factors, such as reuterin from Lactobacillus reuteri, have been reported to inhibit adhesion and viability of known enteric pathogens, suggesting that probiotic supernatants could be a rich source of new antipathogenic compounds. In an in vitro study in human gastric epithelial cells, spent culture supernatants from certain lactic acid producing bacteria inhibited the growth and attachment of Helicobacter pylori. Roselli et al. demonstrated that supernatants of Bifidobacterium animalis MB5 and Lactobacillus GG could inhibit adhesion of E. coli K88 to Caco-2 cells, with the supernatant exerting identical beneficial effects following protease digestion, suggesting that proteins were not the active constituent.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

10. Probiotic Delivery Systems

Since probiotic-containing products in general do not require Food and Drug Administration approval, they are commonly available in the market in various food formats such as fermented milk, cheese, yogurt and juice. In recent years, probiotics have been extensively studied as a treatment option of various diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus infection, irritable bowel syndrome. Due to probiotics vulnerability to several environmental factors such as temperature and pH, maintaining the viability of probiotics has long been a hurdle to develop successful probiotic delivery systems. Hence to overcome these hurdles in probiotic delivery methods like encapsulation of materials and recent probiotic delivery technologies are being commonly used. Microencapsulation technologies have been developed to protect the bacteria from damage caused by external environment. By the introduction of a straw delivery system containing a dry form of the probiotic bacterium beverage manufacturers can now provide it to the consumer. In addition, viable spores of a spore forming probiotic are available in the market offering advantages during processing. In the same time, the potential of antibiotics substances with antimicrobial properties production by bifidobacteria is being explored in order to be applied in the food area.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

11. Traditional Therapies of Probiotics

There is an increasing scientific and commercial interest in the use of beneficial microorganisms, or "probiotics," for the prevention and treatment of disease. The microorganisms most frequently used as probiotic agents are lactic-acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), which has been extensively studied in recent literature. Multiple mechanisms of action have been postulated, including lactose digestion, production of antimicrobial agents, competition for space or nutrients, and immunomodulation. Studies of pediatric diarrhoea show substantial evidence of clinical benefits from probiotic therapy in patients with viral gastroenteritis, and data on LGG treatment for Clostridium difficile diarrhoea appear promising. However, data to support use of probiotics for prevention of traveler's diarrhoea are more limited. New research suggests potential applications in vaccine development and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Further studies are needed to take full advantage of this traditional medical approach and to apply it to the infectious diseases.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

12. Functional Foods

Overwhelming evidence from epidemiological, in vivo, in vitro, and clinical trial data indicates that a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease, particularly cancer. In 1992, a review of 200 epidemiological studies showed that cancer risk in people consuming diets high in fruits and vegetables was only one-half that in those consuming few of these foods. It is now clear that there are components in a plant-based diet other than traditional nutrients that can reduce cancer risk. Functional foods containing physiologically-active components, either from plant or animal sources, may enhance health. It should be stressed, however, that functional foods are not a magic bullet or universal panacea for poor health habits. There are no good or bad foods, but there are good or bad diets. The range of food products containing probiotic strains is wide and still growing. The main products existing in the market are dairy-based ones including fermented milks, cheese, ice cream, buttermilk, milk powder, and yogurts, the latter accounting for the largest share of sales. The functional food market is expanding, especially in Japan its birthplace with further growth prospects in Europe and the United States and in most countries the largest share of its products is held by probiotics. Common foods containing probiotics include fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, and some juices, smoothies, nutrition bars, and soy drinks. The most common strains found in yogurt are L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus.

13. Beneficial aspects of Prebiotics

Prebiotics are non-digestible, fermentable carbohydrates and fibers, such as inulin-type frucans and galacto-oligosaccharides, which exhibit health promoting properties to host through selective stimulation of growth and/or activities of a limited number of bacteria (i.e., probiotics). Human milk contains substantial quantities of prebiotics. There is a paucity of Random Clinical Trials examining prebiotics in children, showing that there may be some long-term benefit of prebiotics for the prevention of atopic eczema and common infections in healthy infants for which confirmatory well-designed clinical research studies are necessary.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 207Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

14. Regulation and Product Development

Depending on intended use of a probiotic (drug vs. dietary supplement), regulatory requirements differ greatly. If a probiotic is intended for use as a drug, then it must undergo the regulatory process as a drug, which is similar to that of any new therapeutic agent. Despite the promising evidence, the role of probiotics in human health as well as the safety of their application should be further investigated as the current knowledge of the characteristics that are necessary for their functionality in the gut is not complete. The factors that must be addressed in evaluating the effectiveness of the incorporation of the probiotic strains into such products are, besides safety, the compatibility of the product with the microorganism and the maintenance of its viability through food processing, packaging, and storage conditions. The products pH for instance is a significant factor determining the incorporated probiotics survival and growth, and this is one of the reasons why soft cheeses seem to have a number of advantages over yoghurt as delivery systems for viable probiotics to the gastrointestinal tract. Current technological innovations provide ways to overcome probiotic stability and viability issues offering new options for their incorporation in new media and subsequent satisfaction of the increasing consumer demand. The safety profile of a potential probiotic strain is of critical importance in the selection process. This testing should include the determination of strain resistance to a wide variety of common classes of antibiotics such as tetracyclines, quinolones and macrolides and subsequent confirmation of non-transmission of drug resistance genes or virulence plasmids. Evaluation should also take the end-product formulation into consideration because this can induce adverse effects in some subjects or negate the positive effects altogether. A better understanding of the potential mechanisms whereby probiotic organisms might cause adverse effects will help to develop effective assays that predict which strains might not be suitable for use in probiotic products.

Related Conferences: 9thInternationalCongress on Nutrition & HealthFebruary 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany; 10thAnnualNutrition & Food Sciences CongressMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan; 11thEuropeanNutrition and Dietetics ConferenceJune 29- July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 10thInternationalConference on Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes care & NutritionJuly 20-21, 2017 Chicago, USA; 13thWorldCongress on Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals and Neurocognition, July 27-28, 2017, Rome, Italy 10th InternationalConference on Nutrition & Food SciencesMay 29-31, 2017 Osaka, Japan;IPA World Congress + Probiota AmericasJune 07-09 San Francisco;The global nutraceutical eventMay 09 - 11 2017 Geneva Switzerland; ICPVM 2017: 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics in Veterinary MedicineApril 8 - 9, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 5th WorldCongress on Targeting MicrobiotaOctober 2017 Paris, France; The International ScientificConference on Probiotics and PrebioticsJune 19 22 June 2017Budapest,Hungary;Probiotics Congress: USA October 3-4 2016 San Diego, USA; The 2ndProbiotics Congress: Asia Mar 1-2 2017 Hong Kong; ICPFPF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics, Functional and Pediatrics FoodsJuly 10 - 11, 2017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ICPFF 2017 : 19th InternationalConference on Probiotics and Functional FoodsMarch 9 - 10, 2017 Miami, USA.

Excerpt from:

Probiotics Conferences | Europe | Asia | USA | Middle East ...

Nutrients in Food Supplements: the European Court of Justice Rules on Boundaries of National Legislation Imposing … – Lexology (registration)

On 27 April 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a judgement upon request of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Perpignan (France) for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU, made by decision of 5 August 2015.

The request concerned the interpretation of Directive (EC) 2002/46 on the approximation of laws of the Member States relating to food supplements and Articles 28 and 30 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the free movement of goods.

The question arose in the context of a criminal proceeding brought against Noria Distribution SARL (Noria Distribution) for putting on sale or sold food supplements not authorised in France because they exceeded the maximum daily doses of vitamins and minerals which may be used for the manufacture of such food supplements, as set forth in the inter-ministerial order of 9 May 2006 on nutrients (Order).

Background of the case

Noria Distribution, a French company that markets food supplements in the European Union, is prosecuted in France for having sold food supplements containing vitamins and minerals in quantities exceeding the maximum daily doses provided in the Order. The Company does not substantially contest the violation of French Law, but it claims that the Order on which the criminal proceeding is based is not compatible with the European Law.

According to Article 5 of Decree No 2006/352 transposing Directive (EC) 2002/46 under French Law ("Decree"), vitamins and minerals can be used in the manufacture of food supplements only under the conditions set forth in an implementing inter-ministerial Order. The Order provides a positive list of vitamins and minerals that can be used in the manufacture of food supplements and establishes the maximum daily doses that must not be exceeded in the context of that use. It follows that food supplements with content of nutrients exceeding the limit set forth in the Decree, cannot be legally placed in the French market even though they are legally sold in other European Member States. Although the Decree provides a simplified "mutual recognition" procedure, this shall not apply to food supplements containing vitamins and minerals.

Question referred to the Court

The Tribunal de Grande Instance of Perpignan, unsure on the conformity of national legislation with Directive (EC) 2002/46, decided to stay the proceeding and refer to the Court a request for preliminary ruling. In particular, the referring Court inquires:

Findings of the Court

As to the first question, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") observes that until the adoption by the European Commission of an act setting forth the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals to be used in foodstuffs, Member States remain competent to adopt the legislation concerning these amounts. However, in the exercise of that competence, they shall comply with the rules concerning the free movement of goods, as well as with principles laid down in Article 5(1) and (2) of Directive (EU) 2002/46, including the requirement for a risk assessment based on generally accepted scientific data.

According to the CJEU, the French Decree constitutes a measure having an effect equivalent to a quantitative restriction, since it prohibits the marketing of food supplements exceeding the maximum limits of nutrients even if they are lawfully manufactured or marketed in another Member State. According to the CJEU's case law, measures having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction are justified when two requirements are fulfilled. First, national rules provide a procedure enabling economic operators to obtain the authorisation to market food supplements non-compliant with these limits and the procedure is: easily accessible; can be completed within a reasonable time; and, in case of refusal, the decision can be challenged before the courts. Secondly, the application to obtain the authorisation to market those food supplements may be refused by the competent national authorities only if those supplements pose a genuine risk to public health.

Since the French legislation forbids the marketing of food supplements whose content in nutrients exceeds the upper limits set by the legislation without providing a procedure of mutual recognition, the restriction does not seem justified under the European Law.

With reference to the second question, concerning the method used to set maximum amounts of vitamins, the CJEU affirms that it shall be based on a scientific risk assessment based on generally accepted scientific data and it must be carried out on a case-by-case basis. It follows that a method which consists of setting those amounts without taking into account all of these elements, is not compatible with rules on free movement of goods.

Finally, addressing the third question, the CJEU points out that by requiring that the assessment is based on generally accepted scientific data, Article 5(1) of Directive (EC) 2002/46 intends that the assessment shall be based on reliable scientific data, regardless of whether they are national or international. It follows that if recent and reliable international scientific data are available on the date on which the scientific assessment of risks is carried out, that assessment cannot be made without having regard to those data.

Comment

In the case at issue, the Court of Justice provides a new ruling on boundaries of national legislation which provides measures having an effect equivalent to a quantitative restriction to free circulation of goods. According to the Court, these measures are not generally forbidden provided that they are based substantively on a full risk assessment based on up-to-date science and, procedurally, on a system that allows a Member State to verify whether a genuine risk to public health actually exists.

Addressing the first question, the Court confirms the findings of the Solgar decision (C-233/10), where it stated that maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals shall be based on generally accepted scientific data and on risk assessment, as generally required by Regulation (EC) 178/2002 for all measures concerning food safety.

Dealing with the procedural requirement, the Court clarifies the meaning of "mutual recognition procedure", that it shall not be intended as a procedure according to which Member States automatically recognize and authorize the import of any food supplements, but as a procedure that allows Member States to verify whether a genuine risk to public health exists. In the light of this, Member States are required to provide a procedure for repeating the assessment when importers are able to present new scientific evidence that could lead to a reconsideration of the original restriction.

This decision confirms that the lack of harmonization in sensitive matters such as food supplements still leads to the creation of barriers to free circulation of goods even though Regulation 764/2008/EC ("Mutual Recognition Regulation") has clarified the procedure which national authorities shall follow before they can restrict goods which are lawfully marketed in other Member States. This has been clearly pointed out by the EU Commission itself in the document "Upgrading the Single Market: more opportunities for people and business" where the Commission has highlighted that "National regulations and practices continue to create barriers ()While these problems occur in many industrial sectors, they are particularly present in the fields of construction, foodstuffs, food supplements and fertilisers. This translates into lost business opportunities, less competition and higher prices for consumers".

Even though the referring Court has not yet provided a decision on the case at issue, the ruling of the CJEU has led the Italian Ministry of Health to revise the maximum levels of vitamins (Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin K) allowed in food supplements, bringing legal levels in line with the European Food Safety Authority opinions and international safety data.

Visit link:

Nutrients in Food Supplements: the European Court of Justice Rules on Boundaries of National Legislation Imposing ... - Lexology (registration)

Placenta Pills: Growing trend among new moms – WTSP 10 News

Liz Crawford , WTSP 2:43 PM. EDT June 08, 2017

Having a child is one of life's most amazing milestones but a growing trend has some moms saving more than others.

10 News ReporterLiz Crawfordtook a deeper look at the latest craze of mothers consuming placenta after their babies are born.

Like many moms, Blair Hodges was excited to welcome her second child but this time around, she wanted to be more prepared.

With my first, I got postpartum really bad so I wanted something that would help with the anxiety and just the depression part of it, Hodges told 10News WTSP.

So she turned to a pill unlike anything else in the world- her very own placenta in pill form.

I had a lot of people ask if I was crazy.

Hodges heard about Kim Wadsworth and her business,Fruit of Your Wombfrom a friend. Wadsworth has been encapsulating placentas for four years.

Hodges said she had a much better experience post-partum when taking the placenta pills. I really didn't get depressed, I had more energy, I slept better and I didn't have anxiety.

Kim Wadsworth told 10News her business has really picked up in the last few years. She usually takes on about fifteen clients a month.

It stabilizes your hormones, it's supposed to help combat baby blues, post-partum depression. It also helps boost your milk supply, said Wadsworth.

Wadsworth, who completes the process in her family kitchen, breaks the raw placenta in pieces, then places them in the dehydrator for about 20 hours before grinding the pieces into a powder in her blender.

CLICK HERE:Step-By-Step Placenta Encapsulation

Wadsworth told 10News the average size placenta makes about 120-140 capsules.

While the trend might be growing, its not popular among everyone. 10News spoke toMadelyn Butler, MDof the Womans Group in Tampa. Shes been asked about placenta pills by her patients.

Dr. Butler said, There's absolutely no scientific evidence that this is going to help you in anyway. Think of all the bacteria that live in a home kitchen. Is this blender being sterilized in the same way we would sterilize something in the medical field?

No scientific evidence, but what about all that anecdotal evidence?

I think the power of the mind, if you believe that something is going to work, it's like the placebo effect, it's going to work, explained Dr. Butler.

But forWadsworths clientslike Blair Hodges, placenta pills work.

I swear by them. I did have concerns. Most people are doing it out of their homes, but I haven't had any side effects like that and it's all been positive so I would do it again.

Fruit of Your Womb sent 10News this information about their sanitization techniques:

First off, we take this issue of sanitation very seriously. We use hospital grade cleaning solutions throughout the process, sanitation absorption pads, and MERV 14 hospital grade air filters, which are installed in our home. When using our chemicals we follow OSHA policies and procedures. Where we perform the process we thoroughly clean the area and surrounding areas before, during, and after the process. We do not process more than one placenta at a time. We have a labeling system that tracks the process until it's complete.We have decided not to use a industrial kitchen for this process, like some encapsulators do, because we believe it would be harder to maintain a sanitary workplace in a public area. During the dehydration process temperatures exceed 100 which kills off many of the bacteria or contaminants that may be present.

The FDA sent 10News this statement:

The FDA regulates products in interstate commerce. Therefore, a mother eating her own placenta does not fall within FDA's jurisdiction.

The FDA does not consider human placenta to be a food or a dietary ingredient for use in dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Given that human placenta may transmit disease, the FDA would consider a dietary supplement or other food product that contains it to be adulterated. The FDA strongly recommends that consumers avoid dietary supplements and other food products containing human placenta, as the risk of bacterial infection is significant.

2017 WTSP-TV

See more here:

Placenta Pills: Growing trend among new moms - WTSP 10 News

Botanical Supplements Market to Reach US$ 69 Bn by 2025 – Persistence Market Research – PR Newswire (press release)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683LOGO )

Holistic Benefits of Botanical Supplements Leading to their Higher Consumption

Consumers often look for dietary supplements that can offer holistic benefits when consumed rather than any specific benefits. Hence, many of the food brands are now offering products that contain botanical supplements owing to their holistic properties. This, in turn, is expected to drive the demand for botanical supplements to a certain extent. Moreover, manufacturers are also concentrating on developing customized products in an attempt to create exclusivity. Also, liberal regulations for manufacturing of botanical supplements encourage market players to experiment with their existing products, as they are not under any serious obligation to provide efficacy data. Liberal regulations pertaining to herbal/botanical supplements has led to the introduction of more products over the years.

As per PMR's study, the global botanical supplement market is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 37,950 Mn by 2017-end. In terms of revenue, the market is set to witness a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period. Factors such as inclination of consumers towards naturally derived products and increasing health awareness will be majorly accountable for this growth.

View Market Overview and Research Methodology@http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/botanical-supplements-market.asp

Additional Highlights of the Report Include:

Among regions, Europe is the largest market for botanical supplements, followed by North America. In 2016, the market in Europe stood at around US$ 11,385 Mn. Meanwhile, in Asia Pacific, countries such as China and India will continue to represent lucrative market opportunities. Manufacturers in this region are generating significant sales revenue from selling new botanical supplements. Towards the end of 2025, the market in Asia Pacific is estimated to reach a valuation of US$ 16,926.6 Mn, reflecting a CAGR of more than 6%.

View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and Tables@http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/botanical-supplements-market/toc

PMR in its report has profiled some of the leading companies operating in the global market for botanical supplements, which include -

A sample of this report is available upon request@http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2797

Persistence Market Research Overview

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.

To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.

Contact Persistence Market Research U.S. Sales Office: 305 Broadway, 7th Floor New York City, NY 10007 United States T: +1-646-568-7751 USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353 Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com

Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.

Visit link:

Botanical Supplements Market to Reach US$ 69 Bn by 2025 - Persistence Market Research - PR Newswire (press release)

Modernizing Nuclear Deterrents No. 1 Priority, DoD Officials Tell … – Department of Defense

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2017 Defense officials outlined the need for consistent congressional support for the critical mission of modernizing and maintaining effective nuclear deterrent systems during testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday.

James A. MacStravic, performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the Senate Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on strategic forces that because the systems require modernization at the same time, the Defense Department needs sustained support from Congress to ensure adequate, consistent funding for the programs.

"Delaying modernization and warhead life extension efforts would degrade the effectiveness of these systems and would put at risk the fundamental objective of these systems: nuclear deterrence," he said.

As the delivery systems and warheads reach their limits for sustainability, the choice is not between keeping or updating the forces, he told the panel.

"Rather, our choice is between modernizing those forces or watching a slow and unacceptable degradation in our ability to deter adversaries who represent existential threats to our nation," he said.

Nuclear Posture Review

In January, President Donald J. Trump directed the Defense Department to conduct a nuclear posture review to assess the roles of nuclear weapons in national security, the strategy to fulfil those roles and the capability requirements to implement that strategy, MacStravic pointed out.

The president's fiscal year 2018 budget request demonstrates DoD's commitment to strengthening and modernizing an aging nuclear triad, he said, referring to the three categories of nuclear delivery vehicles: land, air and sea.

In his written statement, MacStravic said the president's budget request includes $14 billion for nuclear force sustainment and operations and $5 billion for associated recapitalization programs.

The hearing on DoD's nuclear acquisition programs and nuclear doctrine also included Robert M. Soofer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy; Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command; and Vice Adm. Terry J. Benedict, director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs.

The nuclear posture review directed by the president is expected to be complete by the end of 2017, Soofer told lawmakers. The review will examine all elements of U.S. nuclear forces and posture to ensure the nation's nuclear deterrent is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, ready, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st-century threats, he said.

Russia, China, North Korea and Emerging Challenges

The critical mission of ensuring an effective nuclear deterrent is the highest priority of DoD, and one it shares with the Department of Energy and Congress, Soofer said.

"Effective deterrence requires a deliberate strategy and forces that are structured and postured to support that strategy within the existing security environment," he said.

U.S. policy must address changes in the world scene in recent years, Soofer said, listing concerns with Russia, China and North Korea.

"Russia has undertaken aggressive actions against its neighbors and threatened the United States and its allies," he said. Russia has elevated strategies of nuclear first use, is violating the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and is modernizing a large and diverse non-strategic nuclear weapons force, he added.

In the Asia-Pacific region, China's increased assertiveness suggests a desire to dominate the region, he said.

Meanwhile, Soofer said, North Korea's leadership has "demonstrated a willingness to accept economic countermeasures and international isolation in order to advance its nuclear capability and develop ballistic missiles able to strike the U.S. homeland, as well our allies in the region."

In addition, he said, new threats are emerging from non-nuclear strategic capabilities, most of which are not constrained by treaties or agreements. "Technological advancements mean that proliferators might seek weapons of mass destruction development paths that are different from the ones we are accustomed to detecting and countering," he told the panel.

(Follow Lisa Ferdinando on Twitter: @FerdinandoDoD)

Read the original here:

Modernizing Nuclear Deterrents No. 1 Priority, DoD Officials Tell ... - Department of Defense

Latin American sisters in US ‘build bridges’ during ‘challenging time’ – Catholic News Service

CHICAGO (CNS) -- Thirty-four Latin American sisters who are working as missionaries in poor Latino communities in the United States recently gathered for a 10-day retreat and meeting in Chicago.

They were joined by their mother superiors and, for a vocation retreat over the final weekend, by 20 young Latinas interested in learning more about religious life.

Working in underserved areas in 12 dioceses, the Mexican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Venezuelan, Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Honduran sisters come from 12 religious orders and are part of the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program. Catholic Extension partnered with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to create this program.

The Latin American sisters reach out to and minister with Spanish-speaking immigrant families, providing leadership in religious education, migrant farmworker outreach, home visitations, youth and young adult ministry, spiritual guidance, vocations promotion and other ministries.

The sisters are currently in their third year of this five-year initiative, designed to strengthen Catholic ministries to immigrant communities, promote vocations among Latino Catholics and develop greater Hispanic leadership in the U.S. Catholic Church.

For the participating sisters from Latin America, the program offers pastoral experiences as well as educational programming that is preparing them for greater leadership in their religious congregations.

The May 19-28 Chicago encounter included a retreat for the sisters and their mother superiors at the Cenacle Retreat Center; a vocation retreat, also at the Cenacle; a workshop at Loyola University Chicago; meetings with Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Catholic Extension staff and the director of the Hilton Foundation's Catholic Sisters Program; as well as visits to several Chicago parishes, including a "Sisters' Serenade" at St. Teresa of Avila Parish.

Fun agenda items included attending a Chicago Cubs game and taking in some sights of Chicago, where Catholic Extension is based. The organization is the leading supporter of missionary work in poor and remote parts of the United States. Extension's hashtag #SistersintheCity accompanied those outings.

Welcoming the sisters to Chicago, Cardinal Cupich addressed them in Spanish during a meeting in the Chicago Archdiocese's St. James Chapel. The cardinal blessed them and thanked them for their great gift to the U.S. church.

Catholic Extension said that as its chancellor, Cardinal Cupich has been instrumental in developing and guiding the program.

He asked a "special favor" of the sisters: "When you meet our immigrant brothers and sisters throughout the country, please share this message with them from me: Tell them that God is with them in this challenging time and that the church will never stop advocating for them. Tell them that their culture and language are beautiful and that they enrich us. And tell them that I will pray to our Mother Mary that she protect and cover them and their families in her mantle."

During Sunday Mass May 21 at Old St. Patrick Church in Chicago, Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension, recognized the sisters for "having left behind their families and their country to come into a strange land to serve among the poorest of the poor." He praised their "powerful witness to the power of God's love."

Father Wall said, "At Catholic Extension, we have come to know that you cannot go to the poorest places in the United States and not find the presence of the Catholic Church. And the face of ministry among the poorest of the poor so often is women religious. They are there with a profound joy in their hearts."

Addressing the sisters directly, he said, "Sisters, Hermanas, we are so grateful for your walking together with us in hope. Your acceptance of this mission to come to this country has been a great blessing to us."

At a meeting May 25, Sister Maria Teresa de Loera said the sisters participating in the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange program see themselves as being on the frontlines of answering Pope Francis' call to "go out to the peripheries of migration."

A member of the Mexican order of Catholic Teachers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who now works in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, Sister de Loera said, "We are listening to, suffering with, giving hope to, and sharing our lives with the immigrants. Our best contribution is our prophetic witness of unity and joy."

She told Extension magazine that the 10-day encounter in Chicago was recharging them, saying, "It makes the Holy Spirit be reborn in us as women religious."

Through Catholic Extension's partnerships with U.S. Catholic universities, the sisters in the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program several times a year receive extensive language, cultural, theological and pastoral training. At the end of the program, they will return to their Latin American congregations, which will in turn benefit from their increased skills and expertise.

Sister Brenda Hernandez Valdes is one of three Daughters of Mary Immaculate of Guadalupe from Mexico who work at St. Joseph Parish in Williston in the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota. She said that for her the program has been "a great opportunity in my life to grow in many ways -- as a human person, spiritually and in my apostolic life. This Catholic Extension program has been a godsend not just for the people but also for us, for every sister in the program."

As the parishioners in Williston grow in their faith, Sister Hernandez said, "we see the fruits in their lives. For me that is the best part of the experience." Prior to the sisters' arrival, the immigrant workers did not have anyone in the area's parishes speak their language. "The Catholic Church had been losing people in North Dakota," she said. "With our presence, we have been helping the church to save and to keep people."

She explained that many of the workers in North Dakota's oil fields around Williston arrive alone. "Some of them don't have relatives or friends. Everybody needs family, and in our church, everybody is family, we are God's family."

During the sisters' first year in Williston, Sister Hernandez said, the first Communion of 25 Hispanic kids also had a ripple effect: Some of their parents hadn't been receiving Communion because they were not married. When their children asked them why they didn't go to Communion, they decided to get married in the church. "We evangelized the kids," Sister Hernandez said, "and then the kids evangelized their parents. It is awesome."

Sister Maria Catalina Carrillo, who traveled from Mexico to represent Sister Hernandez's religious order at the Chicago meeting, said, "So many congregations are here, but together we feel united as one church. The sisters in this program are the bridge between the Hispanic and Anglo cultures. They bring the two communities together."

For many of the sisters, it also has been an eye-opening experience with respect to the realities of life for immigrants in the United States.

Sister Carrillo said, "In Mexico we think that the people who move from Mexico to the United States have an easy life, but they don't. They have to face so many difficult things, and the sisters bring them joy through the church and make them feel welcome."

Sister Marite Gutierrez, a Catechist Sister of Jesus Crucified working at Madonna del Sasso Parish in Salinas, California, said many of her parishioners are farmworkers who face many problems.

She cites the example of a young mother, who is struggling to make ends meet and lives with her two daughters in a small room in an apartment she is sharing with another family.

"I believe that is not what God wants for his children," Sister Gutierrez said. "The first thing I can do for this mother is to be her friend, to listen and to reach out so that she and her children can feel God's love and care for them. Faith can be a small window for light, for God to enter into their lives."

This year has been more difficult for many of her parishioners. "They don't know what is going to happen to them," she said. Because of the widespread fear of deportation, "they don't know if at the end of the day they will be able to return from their work. The children don't know if their parents will be home when they come back from school."

Sister Gutierrez added, "Immigrant people are our brothers and sisters, and as the church, we need to help them in whatever way we can. The first and most important thing is always to give hope."

More:

Latin American sisters in US 'build bridges' during 'challenging time' - Catholic News Service

Kincardine Company To Add Jobs To Support Bruce Power – BlackburnNews.com

Blackburnnews.com stock photo By Janice MacKayJune 8, 2017 3:29pm

A technology company is expanding its Kincardine location to include a substantial design, procurement and project controls capability in Bruce County.

RCM technologies will increase to over 4,000 sq ft of space on the second floor of the Kincardine Municipal Administration Centre building to support Bruce Powers Life Extension Program.

We are extremely pleased to announce this expansion, says Rocco Campanelli, chairman and CEO of RCM We have been a partner with Bruce Power since its inception in 2001, working on numerous capital and Operations and Maintenance projects. Expanding our local presence will enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of delivering our services, while improving the local economy through job creation and increased spending in Bruce County.

RCM is also hiring office staff and senior management personnel as they increase their workforce to about 80 people.

We are pleased to see RCM Technologies expanding its presence in our region and establishing such a significant footprint, says Bruce County Warden Mitch Twolan. Their investment in our economy is a great win for the entire region.

RCM provides business and technology solutions to maximize the operational performance with advanced engineering and information technology.

This is a fantastic win for our regional economy, said James Scongack, VP of corporate affairs at Bruce Power. RCM Technologies will bring highly skilled, value-added jobs, supporting our vision of a long-term, sustainable regional economy that is able to facilitate and move forward innovation in the nuclear industry.

Bruce Power launched a regional economic development initiative last year to support the expansion of its suppliers during the multi billion dollar multi-year Life Extension Program of the nuclear plant.

Janice MacKay graduated from Journalism at Humber College in Toronto. Janice was raised in Kincardine. She and her husband Steve live just outside of Wingham. They have two sons. Email Janice MacKay More Articles

Link:

Kincardine Company To Add Jobs To Support Bruce Power - BlackburnNews.com

We must tap ‘blue economy’ for progress – Daily Nation

Thursday June 8 2017

Wilson Otieno feeds fish being reared in ponds in Homa Bay County on May 11, 2016. The uptake of aquaculture in Kenya will boost employment. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenyas blue economy represents the latest global move towards marine-based economic development.

Its space in the Indian Ocean as well as inland waters holds promise for the exploitation of sectors such as industrial fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism, transport, container repair and cleaning, ship-building and repair, coastal and inland shipping, bio-prospectingenergy,sand-seabed mining.

The blue economy encompasses resources in the oceans and inland water bodies.

This, unlike the green economy (agriculture), has been the least understood and explored pillar.

On September 25, the world adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.

Listed 14th is the goal to Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

In January, President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned a Blue Economy Committee to prioritise programmes for the development of blue growth potential.

Maritime transport and human resource capacity building have emerged as the most potential areas to provide wealth and create jobs for youth.

With Mombasa Port recording an annual throughput of 22million tonnes, there is no reason why part of that cargo should not be carried on Kenyan-owned ships, just as Kenya Airways has flown the national flag in the aviation industry.

It is in this regard that a new strategic direction to revive the Kenya National Shipping Line (KNSL) as the national carrier has been adopted.

As a member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution, the government is putting in place measures to implement IMO resolutions for sustainable development through green shipping.

One of the aims is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency and increased uptake of low-carbon technologies in the maritime industry.

This is because climate change affects marine life through acidification of the water bodies, changes in circulation patterns, sea-level rise and ecological changes.

Shipping accounts for an average of 2.7 per cent of the annual global CO2.

Studies project an increase of 50 to 250 per cent in the period up to 2050.

Kenya has been elected to host the Regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre for the African region.

The centre will promote the reduction of harmful emissions from ships.

The coastal ecosystem, with its accompanying goods and services, is worth Sh440 billion; a huge part of which can be tapped directly from marine-related tourism.

The government recognises the importance of preserving the ocean due to its impact on lives today and in future.

Local communities, who are the immediate beneficiaries of the ocean, are being sensitised on the impact of climate change and pollution to empower them to take charge in charting their future and that of generations to come.

With recent discoveries and off-shore exploration, deep-sea fishing, seaweed farming, aquaculture, offshore oil and gas extraction and the expected growth in cargo volumes, there is a need to boost maritime security.

Blue growth will promote trade, increase revenue from exports and curb unemployment.

The ocean is of utmost importance to our nation and we are proud to be part of this global initiative.

A healthy world ocean is critical to our national survival.

The World Oceans Day provides us with a unique opportunity do all we can to honour, protect, and conserve our oceans.

Ms Karigithu is Kenya's shipping and maritime affairs principal secretary

Record 15,000 candidates from 35 political parties to contest in August.

Kenyatta joins Ruto in tour of Uasin Gishu where ethnic tensions are simmering after nominations.

More here:

We must tap 'blue economy' for progress - Daily Nation